MY STERY O F O SIRI S ;

on,

E GY P T IAN I NITIATI ON .

A work s et ting f orth the E gypti a n Mytho l o gy in all its

b e auty and giving the i n n e r and mo re s a cr e d t e achings o f '

t he E gyptian Initi a ti o n a n d e xplaining much c o nc e rning

the gre at e r Sex Mys t e ri es a s taught to the In itiat es o f the

E gyp tian T e mpl es .

BY R S WI NB URN E
.

Q LY MER ,

Ass is te d in N ot es by F O S CAR B IB E RSTE IN

. .

Au th o r o f A l c h e m y a n d th e A l c h e m is ts D iv i n e A l c h e m y
, ,

I n te rn a ti o n a l Sys te m o f A l c h e m i c ( Ma g n e ti c ) T h e r a p e u tic s ,

T h e R o s i c r u c ia n s t h e ir T e a c h in g s
, a n d o th e r w o r k s
, .

l
P riv a te y p r in te d by

TH E P H I L O S O P H I C A L P UB L I SH I N G CO MP ANY
Al l e n to wn P a . ,
TO W H O M IT MAY CO N C E RN

This wo rk is i s s u e d by autho rity o f the Supr eme Exalt e d

Hi e rarch a n d M a s t e r o f the entire w o rld o f: the T e mpl es o f
Mizr a im Mithra O s iris
, , ,
a nd H o rus Is i s
-
.

3 93 as

right s r es e rv e d includin g that

a re , of fo r e ign c o py
right s and tran s lati on s .

1? 4?

The p r es ent W o rk is c o pyright e d in the Unite d St at es ,

E ngland G e rm a ny Fra n c e C anada and in e ver y c o untry

, , ,

unde r the c o p yr ight tr e a ty and includ es titl es a nd s ubj ec t

m at te r .
 D ED I C AT IO N .

T o the s we etet , de ares t lo v eli es t wo man s he wh o 1 8 tru e

, ,

to the o n e s he s we ars to be true to and who i s to be the Is is

,

to O s iris and kno ws how to l o v e a s P s ych e l o v e d her E r o s ,

th is work Is d e dicat e d.

R SW INB URNE CLYMER

. .
 P RE FAC E .

T he wo rk be fo r e the r e ade r is n ot an o ri g inal o n e f or ,

n e arly all that it c o ntains ha s b ee n in b oo k fo rm b e fo r e .

H owe v e r it ha s n ot b e e n ou r d es ir e to pro duc e an o riginal

,

o n e f o r e v e n had it b e e n it w o uld be imp os s ibl e s inc e th e r e

, , ,

is v e ry l ittl e o riginal alo ng th e s e lin es .

In s aying thi s w e naturally re fe r to the ou te r s ymb ol

,

is m o f the E gyptian s f o r ne a rly all o f this has b e e n giv e n

,

to the wo rld at s o me time o r an oth e r .

O ur d es i r e the r e f o r e is n ot to s imply plac e symb olis m

, ,

b e fo r e the pe o pl e but to exp l a in and make c l ea r a p art o f

, ,

the in n er m e ani ng o f thi s s ublim e s ymb olis m s o that th os e

,

who re a l l y c a r e f o r the truth will be a bl e to fin d it .

In the y e ar 1 8 5 9 a w o rk w a s is s u e d by G C St ewart . .

”
unde r the titl e o f The Hi e r o phant This wo rk while
.
,

far fr om c o rr e ct is p os s ibly the b es t and m os t fair o f all

,

s uc h w o rks e v e r pub lis h e d th e re is but on e s h ortco ming

, ,

and that is the fact that he kn e w n o thing o f the in n e r

,

m e anin g o f th e s e things o r E gyptian t e achings f or the

r e a s o n that he wa s n ot an Initiat e .

T he pr es e nt wo rk ha s f o r a ba s e this b ook by St ewart

,

and ha s be e n s o e d it e d tha t it bri n gs it wi thin the e xac t

truths kn o wn to the Ini tia t es o f the Inn e r E g yptian Mys
“
te ries Al l s uch p arts a s a re take n from The Hi e r o phant
.
”

a re sta r ted with quotation marks , a n d the r e ad e r w il l thu s

IO MYST E R IES OF O SIR S I
kn o w at onc e what is s e l e cte d mate rial to c orobo ra te the -

s tat e m e nts ,and which is the matt e r which ap p e ar e d in

’
T he Hi e r o phant .

The n ot e s to the w o rk a re a b s olut ely c orr e ct and in p e r

f e e t h a rm ony with the Anci e nt E gyptian Initiati on ; t hi s is
s aid by auth o rity o f that S ublim e O rde r which s till ha s the

c ons e rvatio n o f th os e s e cr et s and which will al w ays r e tai n !

th e m N aturally th e s e things a r e n ot mad e plain but th e y

.
, ,

a r e s o plain t hat all may un d e rs tan d th e m .

T he s ma l l w o rk a s e dit e d by G
,
C St e wart w a s n ot . .
,

o rigin al but had sits f o undati o n up o n the writings o f the

,

Phil os oph e r D upui s Pr o f es s o r Fe ll o w s C G Squi e r R ob e rt

, , . .

T ayl or N o tt and G l id d on Hi ggin s Anacalyp s i s O Bri e n s

, ,
’ ’

Ro und T ow e rs o f Ir eland Mrs Child s Pr o gr e s s o f R e

,
’
, .

l ig ious Id e as Pr o f Rh o d e s O vid H o m e r Virgil and frag

, .
, , , ,

m e nt s fr om old e r writings s uch a s the H ebr e w B ibl e the

, ,

G r e e k T es tame nt E ngli s h B ibl e C ath o lic and Pr o t e s tant

, ,

cre e ds ,and is th e r e fo r e n ot o riginal its e lf T o thi s ha s n ow .

b e e n add e d extracts fr o m the Ro si cru cian b o oks and fr om

the s e cr e t manus cript s n ow h e ld by a n o rd e r which is the
“

l e gitimat e s ucc es s o r to the Frat e rnity o f O s i ri s the d es c e nd ’

ant o f the tru e Anci e nt E gyptian Initiati on .

W e hav e but on e d es ir e in placing thi s w o rk b e fo r e the

r e ad e r and that d es ir e is an h on orabl e o n e : T o s h o w that
,

a l l r e ligi ons n o matt e r what the name

,
o riginally c a m e ,

fr om the s am e s o urc e ; that th e y a re actually s till the s am e

—
,

bu t that th e y u s e the s ymb ols o f the Anc i e nt R el ig i on s

und e r diff e r e nt nam es This is pr ov e n thr ough out the
.

p r es e nt w ork .

An oth e r o bj e ct in vi ew is to s h ow that c ontra ry to ,

p opular b el i e f the An c ien t P ries thoo d did n o t t e ach the

i

w ors hip o f id ol s but on the o th e r hand that th e i r s wa s ,

ab s olut ely the w o rs hip o f the on e G o d a n d that ins t e ad o f ,

co nd emni n g the anci e nt r e ligi on s the m o d e rn s s h o uld be ,

thankful to th e m f o r what th e y hav e taught us No wh e r e .

,

and by n o on e has th e r e b e e n f o und e d s uch a s ublim e

,

symbo li s m a s by the Anci e nt E gyp tians .

 OR E GYP TIA N IN ITIATIO N . I I

S ays Franz Hartmann MD in hi s The Life o f

,
. .
,
“
J e hos hua the P rophe t o f N azar e th
,
Wh e n the truth '
”

w a s drive n away fr om its birthplac e in the E as t by the ki n g

o f all e vil s the l ove of s e l f it f o und r e fug e i n E gypt
, , H er .

ind es t ructibl e b ooks h old the r e co rds o f anci e nt wis do m and ,

s e cta rian bigo try ha s in vain s o ught to d es tro y th e m With .

he r th e y will r e s t s af e ly until s e lfis hn e ss di e s and m e n wake

,

up to a c on s c i ous n es s o f the ir fre e do m Th en will the . .

truth re turn to th e m and th e y may r e e nt e r the H oly Land

,
-

o f kn o wl e dg e .

“
In vain the p ow e r s o f darkn e s s hav e atte mpt e d to s il e nc e
the v o ic e o f the truth that s p e aks thr ough thy s t ony lip s -
.

Se cta ria n vandals hav e br ok e n thy tabl et s and pla s te r e d up

thy hi e r o glyphic s but thy s t on es c ry o ut and pr o cl aim the
go s p el of wi s do m Me n hav e carri e d away thy mo num e nts
.
,

and th e y have b e c om e m e s s enge rs o f l i ght fr o m the E a s t to

the W e s t . N o m o r e is thy anci e nt w is d om tau ght in s ub
t e rr an e an cav es to the initiat e d ; thy s e cr et s ha ve b e en p ro
f a n e d by the pr o fan e ; thy s acr e d p e ar s hav e b e e n thr o wn
b e f o r e the s win e o f s up e r s titi o n and to the d o gs o f blind
s c e pticis m ; but the s win e and the d o g s turn e d away fr o m

the p e arl s and d e v o u r e d only the d irt with which the

tr eas ur e s w e r e c ov e r e d Men hav e r obb e d thy te mpl es o f
.

pr e ci o us go ld b ut the g old which th ey f o und turn e d to

,

a s h es in the han ds o f the s e lfis h b e cau s e th e y did n ot kn ow ,

its tru e valu e Th e y w e nt to the f o untain o f truth to drink

.
,

o f its wat e r s ; but th e i r cup s w e r e n ot purifi e d Th e y c om .

m un ic a te d to the wat e r th e ir o wn impu riti es and it b ec am e ,

a p oi s o n to th em causing villa in o us le pr os y which th e y

, ,

c omm unicat e d to o th e rs Th e y p e n e trat e d to the ark tha t

.

c ontaine d the mys t e ry but th e y had n o key to unl o ck it ;

,

s o th e y carri e d away the ark and e xhi bit e d it in the Wes t

,

but the mys t e ry r emain e d in E gypt .

”

“
T o th e e 0 E gypt the true Re d e em e r w a s kn o wn ; n ot
, ,

a s a m a n m a d e d ei ty o r a s a figur e in his t o ry but a s the

-

, ,

s p iri t o f truth c o n s tituting all that is im m o rtal i n man

, .

Thy kn owl e d g e wa s too g rand to be gra s p e d by the igm ies

p
f
32 MY STERIES 0 ? 0 8 1 1218

tha t i n va d e d thy s o il , des e cra t e d thy te mpl es pro fan ed thy

”

s a nctuari es trav es ti e d the t ruths whic h we re ta ugh t a n d

,

m ade o f a sa c r e d myth that tea ch es an e te r n a l truth a n

, ,

his to rical fals eh o o d .

“
It w a s kn o wn th a t the Anci e nt E g yp tians w e re we ll
v e rse d in As t ro no my and r e c e nt dis c o ve ri es made in r e g ard
,

to the c o ns tructi o n o f the G r e at Pyra m id g o to s ho w that

th e y kn e w in many r e s p e cts mo re ab o ut this s ci e nce than the
m o de rns s us p e ct ; but to th e m the s un and pl an e ts we re
r ep r e s e n tin g i n vis ibl e r e aliti es T o th e m the vis ible c o r
.

p ore a l s tars w e r e m e r ely e xt e rnal ma nif es t a ti o n s o f in

v is i bl e i nt e rn al p o w e rs Wh e r e the p r es e nt civiliza tio n be
.

ho lds no thing e ls e but de a d mat e rial b od i es ob e yin g the ,

me ch a nical l aw o f g ra vi ta tion , whos e caus e it cann o t e x ~

plain the a nci e nt E gyp tians b e h e l d! a univ ers e fil l ed with

,

life f oll o wing the u n iv e rs al l a w o f o rde r a n d ha rmony

, .

wh os e caus e is the will o f the e t e rnal C re at o r who p rod u ced ,

th es e fo rms within the s ubs t anc e o f H is o wn mind

“
T he vis ibl e t e rr es t rial s un w a s to th e m a rep re s ent a tion “

o f the Invis ib l e S p iritual C e ntral Sun o f D ivin e Wis d om,

n am e d the Sun G o d O s iris ( Chri st ) unkn o wab l e to e x

-

te r na l s e ns ati o n but manif es ting its e lf a s H om e ( J es us ) in

,
“
the h e art s o f mankind ; bec o min g re g e n e rat ed wi thin the
”

s o uls o f the p ur e by the p o we r o f o u r ete rnal M oth e r I sis , .

“ "
the e v e r immacul a te virg i n the go dde s s o f n a t ur e
, G od .

to th e m w a s no t a limit e d b e ing but the E t e rn al Ca us e o f

,

all manifes tati o n s o f p ow e r within the r e alm o f m a tte r a n d .

in the kingd o m o f s pirit c o ntaining wi thi n hims e l f e very

,

thing tha t e xis ts and yet in c on s ci o us n es s b e in g s up e rio r to

,

all b e ings Whil e all things a re living and ch a ngin g in him

.
,
,

he re ma ins always the s am e ; tran quil in his e t e rn a l g l o ry

and undis turb e d by any e xte rnal influ e n c e H e d oes n ot .

de sc en d to us but the gift s which w e r e c e iv e fr o m H im

,

d ifle r ac c o rdin g to the p os iti o n we oc c upy in reg ard to H im .

L et th os e who d es ir e to kn ow wh eth e r thes e d oc tr in e!

a re tru e l oo k wi thin the ir own min ds f o r ma n is a n ima g e
,

o f his c r e at or Th er e they will find a co ntin ua ll y c ha n g in g

.
 on Re m us m u mmi e s . x3

M on “t ho ug hts ,
Sub j ec tive fo rms of a ll kind s «thro n g
tha t WW t ea m, eve r c ha n gin g ,
a nd witho ut res t . B ut
if they pe n e tra te d ee p e r, e ve n the rea l m o f the s pirit within ,

they wil l fin d tra nqu il plac e a n d a prin c ipl e w h o s e s t ate

'

of co n sc o i us n es s is n ot a ff e c te d by the chang es go ing on in

the mi nd , an d yet th es e changes a re pr o duc e d by that

p rin c ipl e ,
se nd ing its r a ys int o
w o rld o f id eas e xi s ting
the
with in the mi n d The D ivine s p irit in man d o es n ot d es c end
.

’
to the s phe re o f m a n s int e ll ec tu a l u n d e r st a n ding ; but man
ma y ris e up to it in h is th oughts Th e re a re p e ri o dical .

c ha n ge s taking pl ac e in the mind o f man s imilar to the ,

a s tro no mica l cha ng es in the univ e rs e Th e r e a re e bb s and .

tid es o f tho ug ht a s th e r e a re e bbs and tid e s o f the o c ea n

, .

There a re times wh e n ma n inv o lunta r ily appro ach es n e are r

to G o d a n d tim es wh e n he re c e d es
,
T he E gyp tians kne w .

that a l l the men tal pro ces s es go ing on in the m ind o f man
a re im a g es o n a s m all s cal e in the Univ e rs al Min d a n d th a t ,

ex te rnal phe n o m e na a re the s had o ws o f int e rnal r e al iti es .

B e ing aware o f the uni ty o f the all and kn owing the n a tur e
of the s piritual fo rc es in the mi cr o c os m o f natur e a n d th e ir

co rr es p o nd e nc es in the mi cr o c os m o f man the y s tudi e d the ,

pos iti on of the s t ars to kn ow the tim e whe n humanity w ould

,

a ga i n a p pro ac h n e a r to the D ivin e Sun o f Wis do m Th e y .

w e re a ble to te l l t he c hanges o ccurring in the s p iritual c o n

ditio n o f man kind by s tudy ing the p os iti o n o f the v is ibl e
s un to the z od i a c .

If the s tude nt will be only ho n es t a n d s ince re he will find

he re in the mys te ry o f the Eg yptian re ligi on H e wi l l kn ow .

tha t the Sp i rit o r the Sou l o f a l l Re ligi o ns a re alike that

’
,

th e fo rms o f a l l a re bu t the h o us es wh e r e in the s p ir it dwe lls

a n d— that the s p irit o f th e m all has practically fl o wn to the
’

be yo nd and is o nly re tain ed by the f ew, a n d p os s ibly pe rse

c ute d o nes o f e a rth
,
.

H e will als o lea rn to kn ow th a t the rea l o bj ec t of the

An c ien t Eg p tia n In itiation a n d o f all true re ligio ns w as
,

the tuiti on of the i n d ivid ua l s oul with the Un iv ers a l Spirit ,

x4 MYSTE RIES on OSIRI S
a tta in m e nt o f s el f -
c on tro l , o f d ivi ne c om mun ion or o f
s p iritua l p erf e c tion .

R S W I NB URNE CLYME R
. .

Al l en tow n, Ja .
, Jun e 27, 1 9 0 8 .
 EN PA SSAN T .

T he o bj e ct o f the pr es ent w ork is to dr aw as id e the v e il

that i g no ranc e and big o try ha s thr own o v e r the p as t ; to
s h o w ho w and wh e r e the fal s e t e achings and mumm e ri es
,

o f t tim e s call e d r e l ig io n had th e ir o rigin ; to l e ad the s tudi

-

o us mind by pl e a s ing and s ublim e p a th s to th os e anci e nt

fi e lds the fath e rs wande r e d thr ough ; th e r e to pluck the

s am e kind o f fruit o n which th ey f e a s t e d and s c ent the
,

f ra g re n t p e rfum e s that w e r e waft e d to the m fr o m ami d

the ambr os ial b ow er s wh e r e s c i e nc e h e ld he r c ourt ; to giv e
the hidd e n s e n s e to th os e hi e r o glyp hs that e a s t e rn s age s
carv e d up o n th e ir t e mpl es o b elis ks and t omb s and e xplai n
, ,

the m e a n ing o f t e rm s and phras es — k e ys to th e ir mys t e ri e s ,

( the r e al s e n s e o f which h a s giv e n plac e to fal s e int e rp r e ta

ti o ns and c onclus i ons ) all o f which a re ba s e d up o n th os e
,

anci e nt s ymb ol s which w e re s o b e aut iful in th e ir inc epti on

, ,

but hav e b e e n p e rv e rt e d by the ign o ranc e o f s ucc e e ding

ages O u r obj e ct is to h elp the s tud e nt to r e ad the his t o ry
.

o f the p a s t a s w e find it r e c ord e d in the hi e r o glyph s

, ,
en

grav e d up o n pyramids to mbs t empl e s triumphal arch es

, , , ,

an d s tatuary ; e xplain it a s w e hav e it hand e d d own to us

in fe as t s and fa s t s in f o rms and c e r e m oni e s name s and
, ,

s ymb o ls and the vari ou s fra g m e n ts o f the arts a n d s ci e nc e s

,

that h a v e r ea ch e d o ur tim e n o t w iths tanding the mad fu ry

,

o f s u pe rs titi ou s z e a l ot s
. An d a bove a l l to g ive a s muc h of
,
16 MY ST ERIE S or pSIRIS

the i n ne r m ys teries whic h we ha ve be e n ta ug ht in the rea l

i n itia tion in to thes e m ys teri e s a s w e a re a l l ow ed to g iv e to
the wor l d a t larg e a t the p re s e n t tim e .

“
A kn owl e dge o f t h e s e r e ligi o n s ( in
th e ir o ut e r f o rm )
ha s be en ha n d e d d o wn to us in the fo rm o f myths l e g ends
'

, ,

r idd l es and parabl e s ; and th e s e a s inte rpr e t e d by m os t o f

,

the m o d e rn s a re m e r e ly childis h s t o ri es d es titut e o f e ith e r

, ,

truth o r pl aus ibility giving e vid en c e o f a m os t fe e bl e ih

,

te l l ec t o n the p art of the auth o rs ; but r es cu e d fr o m the ,

mis re p res e nta ti on s o f l e arn e d ign o ranc e and und e rs to o d ,

acc ording to th e ir rea l m e aning th ey ris e up b e fo re us in ,

b e auty and g rand e ur and e xh ibit to u s a s ys te m o f w o rs hi p

and bel i e f —
,
,

~
intricat e m o s t c e rtainly and r e quiring ages to
, ,

c o mpl e t e i t ye t e min e ntly w o rthy o f the giant m inds and

-

vi go r o u s i n t e ll e cts that during many g e n e r a tio n s w e r e en

g ag e d in p e rfe cting it .

Anci ent myth ol o gy is a s tu p e ndo us o r if you pl e as e a , , ,

c hildis h l ie to the unin itiat e d : but to th os e who a re a d

mi tte d int o the s e cr e t o r initiati o n th e y t e ach a l es s o n tha t

,

n o o n e can a fiord to r e main ign o rant o f f or within the ,

s a c r e d wall s o f t he E gy ptian Initiat io n w a s taught a l l that

e v e r w a s o f r e ligi o n ; its ve ry f o u n dati on w a s and is taught , ,

th e re a n d the Mighty Mys t e ry o f B e ing wh ich is in the ,

mys te ry o f the se x wa s taught in all its s ublim ity So gre at

'

,
.

is this mys t e ry that wh e n the pr ep a re d and w e ll train e d

In itia te d s bro ught f ac e to fac e with it h e s tan d s s till a s
tho ugh turn e d int o s t on e f or th e r e a r e n o thoughts f o rm e d ‘

withi n him which can d o j us tic e to thi s mighty m ys te ry .

Ma n fails to find language to exp re s s his fe eling and he can ,

form n o th o ughts c onc e rning th e m ; the mys t e ry can th er e

fo re be but a s tate o f f eel i n g s inc e he ca nn o t e xp re s s its
,

s ublimity .

The e arl i es t B ibl e writ e r s w e r e E gyptian in fe e ling a n d

re ligio n a n d until the y w e r e s n ug l y s e ttl e d en la nds that
'

o the r hands ha d cultivat e d the trib es w e r e ev er m ,

io us to
re turn ; a n d even i n the i r o wn l a nd the re l igio n o f the
“

E g yptia ms preva il ed over the wors hip of Jehova h

r
The .
 0 8 E GYPT A I N IN ITIATIO N . 1 7
fo rms , r mon ies and s ymbol s o f the E gyptian s we r e trans
ce e
’

f e rre d to J erus a l e m and ad opt e d in gr os s in the t e mpl e

, ,
”
wo rs hip .

T o unde r s tand a large p ro p orti o n o f the B ibl e we mus t

b e c om e E g yptianize d o r baptiz e d int o the s piri t o f th e ir
,

i ns tituti o ns Th e ir ( o ut e r ) re ligi o n w a s pur ely a s tr o

.

n om ic a l and agricultural ; and th e ir cr e e d

, c onfes s i o n o f
faith a n d Bibl e we r e writt e n o n the s ki e s a n d s till re main
, , ,

th e re f o r o ur in s p e cti on The B aal w o rs hip o f the natio n s

.

in and a ro und J ud e a w a s the s am e s ys t em m o d ifi e d to s uit ,

the p e cul iar c onditi o n o f the p e o pl e Th es e writin gs in the .

s ki e s the old e s t r e maini n g o n r e c o rd w e r e trans f e rre d in

, , ,

a ll e go ry o r p arabl es to the p archm e nt r oll s that in e arly

,

tim e s c o n s titut e d the Je wi s h B ibl e Th e y a re the l exic on s .

to r es o rt to if w e d e i re to int e rpr e t the d e ad l anguage o f

,
s

a nci en t s ci e nc e in which the B ibl e w a s wri tt e n Th es e a r e .

the mys tic k e ys that a l on e will unl o ck the s e cr e t chambe r s

o f ima g e ry tha t ab o und in that b oo k Th e s e c ons titut e a .

vas t l ibrary c ontaining the t ext b o ok s o f the anci ent

,
-

writers fro m which th e y gathe r e d the m at erials o f th e ir

,

s tran ge s t o ri e s Looking up int o the blu e vault o f h e av en

.
,

the uncul tur e d e ye s ee s naught but a c on fu s e d and pr o

m is c uou s s prinkling o f the s tarry h os t s with o ut s ys tem o r ,

harm o n y ; but vi e we d a s anci e nt s ci e nc e arrange d th em in

, ,

th e ir va riou s divi s i on s o r c on s t e llati on s th e y a r e s e en to

'

w h e e l in t o lin e a n d p urs u e th e ir d aily a n d ye arly c ours e

,

with the utmo s t o rde r and r e gularity This arrange m ent .

o f the s tars int 0 c on s t e llati o n s fo rm s the b as i s o f a ll the

'

for m s o f a l l r e ligi o n s a s it d o es al s o o f the Ma s o nic c e r e

,

m oni es a n d th os e o f many oth e r mys tical a n d s e cr e t s o

c ie ties that hav e during the p as t ag e s e xcit e d the curios ity

a n d w ond e r o f the w o rld The s tud e nt mus t und e rs tand

.

“
tha t w e s a y the fo rm s and n ot the inn e r mys t e ry o f the
”

a nci e nt and s acr e d t e ach ings f o r th e s e w e re n ot in form s or

ri tua l but in l i v in g the p a rt

,
E v e n a s up e rficial kn owl e dge
.

o f the m e an ing o f this arrange m e nt o f the s tarry h os t s

o e ns u to the s ci e n tifi c and th e ol o g ical s tud e nt a hi the rto

p p
1 8 MY STE RIE S O F OS IRIS
alm os t untr o dd e n fi e ld f o r inv e s tigati on—a fi e ld ric h with
the hidde n tr ea s ur es o f the p a s t that int e re s te d s pe c ula to rs
,

in human cr e dul ity and ign o ranc e hav e buri e d the re a n d ,

who a r e c o n s tantly o n the watch to pr e ve nt any s e ar c h in

that quart e r .

“
. H is t o rians a re amaz e d at the c onfo rm it y in many rc
s p ec ts be tw e e n the practic e s o f the H e br e ws and thos e o f
,

n ati ons gi ve n o v e r to the gr os s e s t id olatry M os t o f the .

l e arn e d— n ot be ing Initiat e s —in o rd e r to acc o unt f o r s uch

a s imilitud e o f us ag es s a y that fals e r e ligi ons o nly c o p i e d
,

and mim ick e d the tru e O th e r l e arn e d m en h ow ev e r a n d

.
, ,

amo ng the r e s t Sir J ohn Mars ham in his Rule o f Tim es

, , ,

b e i n g v e ry s en s ibl e how much u n kn own to a n d s e p arate d ,

fr o m othe r nati o n s the H ebr e ws w e r e ; how much di s like d

by th os e that kn e w th e m and o f c o urs e how littl e fit th e y
,

w e r e to s e rv e th e m a s m o d el s ; and finding m o r eo v e r fr o m , ,

a multitud e o f pr o o fs that the s acrific e s the c e re m o nials

, , ,

and the v e ry o bj e ct s the m s e lv es o f id o latr y w e r e pri o r ,

th e m s e lv e s to M o s es and the S criptur es th e y hav e main ,

ta in e d that the law s and th e c e r em o ni e s o f the H e br e ws

w e r e a n imitati o n o f the c u s t om s o f E gypt and the n e igh
b oring nati on s but adapt e d to the w o rs hip o f the o n e G o d
,
.

E v e n thi s fall s f a r s h o rt o f the truth and w e will s a y

with the auth o r o f the O ccult Sci enc e in I n d ia fi B e tw ee n ‘

the Tri n itarian s y s t e m s o f Chri s tianity and th o s e o f the

Hindu s o f the C ab alis ts ( H e br e w Initi at es ) a n d o f the
, , .

N eo Plat o nis t s
-
the num e r o u s p o in ts o f s imi la r ity a re
,

o bv i o us at a gl anc e and w e can r e adily s ee the s ou rc e fr om

,

which the f o und e r s o f that r e ligi o n hav e d e riv e d th e ir

r ev elati o n .

W e s a y f ound e rs th ough that is n o t the pr o p er nam e to

‘
,

apply to the autho rs o f the f ou r gos p e ls W h os e ide a it w a s ,

to c re a te a tra d ition o f th e ir o wn f o r it is n ow w e ll s e t tl ed
,

tha t Chri s tianity w hic h is a s o l d a s the te m p l e o f E g yp t

,

a n d the p a go da s o f India is a s ymb olic s ynth e s i s o f a ll the

,
”
b e li e fs o f antiquity .

The gr e a t er mys teri es o f the E gyptian tau gh t the d oc

20 MY MKRIES OP OSIRIS
To public g a ze , and s aid Ad o re , 0 man !
The fing e r o f thy G o d .

The a ncie nt man did n ot vainly e xhau s t his int e ll ec t to

d is c o v e r G od Untramm e lle d by cree ds he did n ot s eek
G o d he s i m pl y fou nd him —kne w Him in the l o v e whic h
.
,

e ng e nd e rs l ife the wi s d o m that s us t a in s it ; the p owe r t h a t

uph o l ds it—kn e w Him in the s ac r e d flam e which is hea t ;
'

the s pl e ndo r o f light which is r e v e lati on

, H e di s co v e r ed
.

the r e flec ti o n o f his dwe lling plac e in the maj es ty o f the

-

blazing s un a n d p e rce iv e d his o wn d es tiny —G o d s pr o vi

,
’

d a n c e and natur e s p ro f o u n d es t har m o ni es —ih he c o n s te l

’

lat e d pa ths o f the s ta rry h e ave n s and the m ov e me nts of the

!

fie ry l e g i o ns o f s p ac e .

Ca s ting ab out f or the caus e o f e xi s t e nc e the s upp orts on ,

whic h i t r es te d an d the aims f o r which he live d the a n c ie n t ,

.

m a ) ! d e di ca t e d a l l his e arli e s t p o w e rs o f mind to r e li gio n .

E v e n his ea rli es t triumph s in the arts o f civi l izatio n we re

but us ed a s m e ans to this o n e e n d H is s up e rb te mpl es o f
.

wo rs hip his s ol emn pr e p arati o n s f o r an oth e r lif e and his

, ,

co l os s al m o nume nts r ec o rd his r e ligi o us b eli e fs rem a ins ,

whic h a r e i m p e ris h a bl e e vide n c es o f his d ee p a n d undivid ed

int e res t in the pro bl e ms o f r e ligi o n ; W hils t o f: his s oc i al a n d
“

c o mm e rcial purs uits o nly the m os t fragm en tary a n d un

,
~

im po rt an t ves tige s c a n be fo und India E gypt Arabia the

“

.
, , ,

rec es s es o f the migh ty Himalaya s a n d the g i ant K o h K a s ;

the lo ve ly val es a n d s miling plain s o f A s ia— val es bl oo min g

like g lim ps es o f the fable d E de n the s a vage w il ds d es erted
no w d es o lat e a n d ruin e d—all b ea r witn es s to the u n q u en c h
, ,

able de vo ti o n tO f the ea rl y man to his r e li g i ous b elie f ; a l l

a re thickly s tre w n o v e r wi th c o los s al re ma ins o f th a t s tu ‘

p e n d c u s s ys te m in which that be li e f f o u n d e xp r es s i o n Th e .

burn ing land s o f the O rie nt a re o n e vas t B ible o ve rw ritte n

w ith d ist i n c t a ss e rv a tion s tha t to the e arly m a n G o d wa s
no t the Un kn o wabl e and re ligi o us faith w as n o mys te ry
,
.

Wh en ce came this fa ith if n o t fro m man s in tuitiv e kn owl ’

ed g e a n d the o bvio us facts o f cr ea ti o n ? Sun , moo n s te m , ,

the cons te l l a te d gl ories of the hea ven s , the i r ete rn a l ord er

 0a EG YPT IAN xm rwrl ox
'
. a t
and the ir m a j es tic ma r c h thro ugh in fin ity —
th e se we re the
Sc riptures which the natural ins tincts o f an un s po il e d
n ature r e c o gnize d G o d s o wn handwritin g and inte rpre t e d
’

it with o ut failure o r e ff o rt .

Cre e d is m a n d artific ial civilizati on with the ir long tra in

o f crim e and dis e as e want and w o e —a n o ve rs train ed d e
,

votio n to the id o ls o f e ec l es ia s tic is m and phys ical ( ma t e rial )

s ci e nc e hav e ali e nat e d the s o ul o f man fr o m ur e n atural
,
p , ,

s piritual r e ligio n int e rrupte d the pre cio us c o mmuni on

,

which pure s p iritual natur es al o n e can e nj oy with an g e li c

,

s ph e re s o f e xis t e nc e and driv e n o ff the s o ul int o the b a n e ful

,

mys ticis m o f idolatr o u s cr e e ds o r blank ma t e rialism .

Th e nc e cam e s ymb oli s m and ritualis m cr e e ds and ,

church e s .

The firs t s e ttl e rs up o n the E gyptian s o il att e mpt e d to

cultivate the e arth acc o rdi n g to the o rd e r o f the y e ar a n d in
the mann er o f o the r c o untri es but n o s o o n e r w e re the y
,

re ady to cut d o wn th e ir harv e s t in the dr ies t s e as o n o f the

y e ar a n d with out the l e a s t app e aranc e o f rain than the

rive r s we ll e d to th e ir gr e a t a maz e me nt—it fl ow e d on a
, ,

s udd e n o v e r its banks and t ook fr o m th e m the pr ovis io n

,

which the y th ought th e ms e lv es alr e ady s ur e o f T he wa t e rs .

c ontinu ed to ris e s w e e ping away th e ir cattl e and e v e n

,

so m e o f the inhabitant s the ms e lv es .

“
The inundati on la s t e d ten o r e l e v e n w e e ks a n d acc ord ,

in g to traditio n caus e d th e m to quit l ow e r and r e tir e to

upp e r E gypt The y th e r e f o und e d the city o f Th e b es or
.
,

ig in a l l y call e d Amm o n N o ( Amm o n s ab o d e )

-
But m any
’
.

finding it inc onv e ni e nt to r e m ov e fro m l ow e r E gypt which , ,

aft e r the r e tiring o f the wate rs w a s thro ugh o u t the re main

,

ing part o f the y e ar lik e a b ea utiful gard e n and a d elightful

plac e to dwe ll in e nde av o re d to fo rtify th e ms e lves agains t
,

the re turn o f the wat ers But th e y want e d the m e a ns o f

.

kn owing exactly the time wh e n it would be n e c es s a ry f o r

the m to pr e p ar e f o r the inundati o n T he flo win g o f the
.

riv e r b e y o nd its ba nks happ en e d s o m e days so o ne r o r l at er,

when the s un was un der the sta rs of the Lion Nea r the .
22 MY STERIE S OF OSIRI S
s ta rs o f canc e r th o ugh p r e tty far s outh fr o m the ha n d o f
,

the z o diac th e y s a w in the m o rning o n e o f the m os t b ril

,

lia n t if n o t the larges t s tar o f the wh ol e h e av e n as c e nding

, , ,

the h o riz on T he E gyptian s p itch e d up o n the ri s i n g o f this

.

magnific e nt s tar a s the infallibl e s ign o f the s un s pa ss ing ,

’

und e r the s tar o f L e o and the b e ginning o f the inundati o n

s

,
.

That s tar b e cam e the public ma rk o n which e v e ry o n e w as

to k e e p a watch ful eye n o t to m is s the ins tant o f r e tiri n g
,

to the higher gr o und As it w a s s e e n but a littl e tim e abo v e

.

the h o riz o n e re the s un ma d e it dis app e ar it s ee m e d to s ho w ,

it s e lf to the E gyptian s m e r e ly to warn th e m o f the o verflow

ing which so o n f o ll ow e d Th e y gav e thi s s tar two nam es . .

It warn e d th e m o f dange r wh e r e f o r e th e y call e d it T ha a ut

,
,

o r Tayant the d o g ; th e y call e d it al s o the ba rk e r the

, ,

m onit o r in E gyptian Anubi s ; in Ph oe nici a n Han n obe a c h

,
-

the p eo pl e call e d it the N il e S tar o r bar ely the N il e

”
, .

Such w a s the o r i gi n o f the E gyptian s ymb oli s m but ,

wh e r e is th e r e a s tud e nt who will b eli e v e that man b e f or e ,

that tim e who alr e ady und e r s t oo d the laws o f civilizati o n

,

an d s o ci ety to hav e b e en with o ut any r e ligi on ? And ye t

, ,

s u c h s e e ms to b e th e id e a o f practically a l l th o s e w ho hav e

tr e at e d up on this va s t s ubj e c t and thi s ha s b e e n and still is , ,

the gr e at cau s e o f c onfus i o n c onc e rning r e ligi on b o th ,

m o d e rn and anci ent .

“
J es us taught in p arabl es acc o rding to the cus t om o f all ,

the l e arn e d t e ach e rs o f the old e n ti m es The vari e d fig ura .

tiv e exp r es s i o n s that apply o r a re appli e d to the kin g d om ,

‘

o f he a v e n in the t each ings o f th e ol o gian s had th e ir o rigi n

’

in the as tro n o mical n o ti on s and in the a gricultural a nd ,

s o cial c o nd iti o n o f the m os t anci e nt n ati on s T he E g yp .

tians O p e n e d th e ir y e ar in acc o rdanc e with the p e culiarity

o f th e ir c ountry ; but m o s t n ati o ns i ncluding t he H e br e ws , ,

c o mm enc e d th e ir y e ar at the v e rna l e quin o x ; and thi s with ,

the autumnal e qui n ox f orm e d the tw o f oundati o n s o n ,

which r e s t e d the r oya l a rc h o r the m o nths c o n s tituting the ,

warm s e a s on which to the anci e nts w a s the kingd om o f

,

h e av en the h om e o f the g o ds a n d w a s in r e ality n o thin g

, ,
 on E GYPTIAN I N ITIATIO N . 23

but the a s tr on o mical and agricultural h e av e n .

“
In a l l r eligi o us ( f o rm s ) s ys t e ms in o rd e r to fulfill all ,

righteo us n e ss the f ound e r s mus t n e ed s o rganiz e th e m in

,

acc ordanc e with the m eth o d ad o pt e d in the e a rli er ag es .

Thus a s th e r e w e r e twe lv e d omicil es o f the s un th e r e mu s t

, ,

be t w elv e t e ach e r s o r l e ad e rs and wh e n o n e w a s l os t a n oth e r

,

mus t be ch os e n to s upply his plac e Wh e n L e vi w a s s el e ct e d .

f o r the pri es th oo d an o th e r trib e w a s divid e d to maintain

the p e rf e ct numb e r ; and w h e n Jud a s f e ll a n o th e r w a s ,

chos e n to fill his plac e All the ( out e r o r r ituali s tic ) w or

.

s hip o f the anci e nts wh e n p e rf orm e d s ys t e matically c on

, ,

s i s t e d in imitating the m o v e m e nt s o f the h e av e nly b o di es

and the acti on o f the e l e m e nt s and in c e l ebrating the lab o rs ,

o f the s un t o g eth e r wi th the s acrific es to app e a s e a s up

,

p o s e d angry G o d J e s us w a s w e ll acquaint e d with th es e

.

cus t om s o f the anci ent s and c onf o rm e d to th em e xt ernally ,

whe n he c omm e nc e d his car e e r ; f o r w e find him a c kn owl

’
e dgi n g th e m in his bapti s m and f o rty days fas t in which ,

he imitat e d the p as s ag e o f the s u n thr o ugh the c on s t e llati o n

Aq uarius wh e r e J ohn Jo ann es or Janus the baptiz e r had
, , , ,

hi s d o micil e and bapt iz e d the e a rth with his y e arly rain s .

Having b ee n baptiz e d in J ordan he fas te d f orty d a y s in the

wild e rn es s in imitati on o f the p a s s ag e o f the s u n fro m the
, ,

c on s t e llati on Aquarius thr o ugh the fis h es to the mutt on o r

, ,

L a m b o f March D uring the f o rty days w h e n the s un is

.

amo ng the fis h es the faithful C ath olic s E pis c op a lian s and

, ,

Ma ho m e d a n s ab s tain fr om m e a t and liv e up on the fis h es

during the s e as o n o f L e nt a s did the J e ws and the Anci e nt s
, ,

and a s did al s o J es us to fulfill all right e o u s n e s s until the ,

time that he ab o lis h e d the firs t o n J e wi s h to e s tablis h the , ,

”
s e c o nd o r Chri s tian di s p e ns ati o n .

The fis h es o f the s e a and the bird s o f h e av e n and a l l

, ,

cr ee p ing th in gs that cr e e p up o n the e a rth a re rightly . .

und e rs t o o d s piritually a s all the a ff e cti on s and e m oti on s

, ,

o f the s o ul which w e hav e lik e th os e animals

, ( St Augus . .

tin e D e G e n 0 Manich Lib 1 ch

, ,
.
,
.

H er e we hav e the inn e r a n d the out e r and the Mys t e ry o f

24 MYSTE RIES or O SI RIS
H e rm e s in which he
‘

s ays ,
As ab o ve so b elow . The s ym

bol ic a l fo rm w a s the
an d the l ivin g ; re m e m be r this ,
oute r

the l ivin g w a s the in n e r T he ab oliti on o f the f o rm o r the

.

o bs e rving o f L e nt w a s the n e w di s p ens ati o n o r the t i m e f or

,
“
the c ommand o f G o d I hav e giv e n yo u the h e rbs o f the
,
”
fi e ld e tc and to yo u th e y s hall be a s m e at
,
.
,
In o th e r .

w o rds whe n man s h o uld liv e a n atural life and s h ould

,

n e ith e r s acrific e a n ything that c o ntain e d bl o o d n or s h oul d

he u se s uch thin gs a s f o o d .

T he lab o rs o f the Initiat e J es u s o r the N azar e n e c on , ,

s is t e d ma inly in att e mpting to ab olis h a s y s t e m o f r e ligi on

fo und e d up on the f orm s o r c e r e m o ni e s o r ritualis m and o f , ,

intro ducin g a r e ligi o n p u re l y s p iritual a w o rs hip in whi ch ,

the r e ligi o us lif e o f man s h o uld be purity b e n e v ol enc e an d ,

l ov e
. In thi s his lif e and wo rk w a s an e xact c o unt e rp art o f
,

that o f M os es and the r e s ults w e r e the s am e f o r : ,

“
It is s e lf e vi d e nt fr om the N e w T e s tame nt hi s t o ry that
-

alth ough J es us di s re gard e d the J e wis h Sabb ath a n d a l s o ,

the Pagan , which w a s o b s e rv e d a day l at e r and which i s

ou r Sunday and a ltho u g h he t a ught his di s cipl es n ot to
,

pray in public but in th e ir cl os e t with the d o or s hu t a n d

, ,

e ntir e ly i gn o r e d all o u twa rd O bs e rvanc e s a s o bli ga to ry on

man ye t the chu ch s o o n aft e r hl S d e ath r eturne d to the

,
r
, ,

o l d f o rms o f r eligi o n and ha s p e rp e tuat e d th e m to this da y

, ,

r e taining the s a m e day s in th e ir c er e mo ni e s that the o l d

Anci e nts and J e ws did in th e irs Thus the birthday o f
.

J es u s i s id en tic a l with the birthday o f the y e ar ; E p iphan y

is o b s e rv e d o n the s am e day that th ey o bs e rv e d it ; water
bap ti s m is b o rr ow e d fr o m th e m ; L e n t is an anci en t f a s t ,

which th ey h e ld the s am e s p ac e o f tim e ; the Pa s s o v er is s till

c e l ebrat e d a n d! the Ass umpti on a n d N ativity o f the Virg i n
,

o ccur o n the pr e ci s e day that th ey did in the ol d Eg yp tian

ritual .

No r is thi s all but in all th es e thin g s n othing but the

,

form i s l e ft the s p ir it ha s di e d and is o nly r es e rved in the

,

f ew frat e rn iti es a s o f ol d .
 TH E AN CI E N T
. MY ST E RI E S .

All writ e rs on the s ubj e ct o f the Anci e nt Mys t e ri e s agr ee ,

“
that th e r e n e v e r w a s in any a g e o f the w o rld fr o m the ,

mo s t e arly acc ount s o f tim e to thi s pr es ent h our a n y civil ,

p olic e d nati on o r p e o pl e who had a r e ligi on o f which the ,

chi e f f oundati on and s upp ort w a s n ot the d o ctrin e o f a

futur e s tat e o f re wards and punis hm e n t . All the re
l ig ion s o f the w o rld wh e th e r tru e o r fals e turn up on thi s
, ,

grand pivo t that th e r e is an in vis ibl e Ju d g e who pun i s h es

, ,

and r e wards a fter this l if e the acti on s o f m en b oth o f

, , ,

th ought and d e e d Fr om th enc e it is s upp os e d the principl e

.

us e o f r e ligi o n is d e rive d .

Fro m thi s v e ry mi s co nc e pti on ma d e by a l l the wri te rs and

,

s o call e d auth o riti e s o n this s ubj e ct

-

( e xc e pt the v e ry f e w
,

o f th o s e who w e r e Initiat e s o f the Mys t e ri e s ) have c o m e the

m is un d ers ta n d iu g s o f the Anci e nt Mys te ri e s and Re l ig io us .

Th e r e is o n e gr e a t r e as on f or thi s a f a ct n ot r e c o gniz e d
, ,

o r e ls e n o t kn own to th e s e writ e r which is that th e s e

s

, ,

m ys t eri e s w e r e n o t o riginal with anci e nt E gypt a s th ey all ,

s ee m t o b e li e v e but w e re broug ht to E gy p t fr om anci e nt

,

Al ta n tis p os s ib l y y e ars b e f or e th e r e w a s a n y re
l ig io n wh a t e v e r in E gy pt Thi s is the gr e at mys t e ry o f the
.

gre at c onfu s i o n n o w r e igni n g c onc e rni n g r eligi on b oth ,

anci e nt and m od e rn .

The foun d a ti on o f true r eli gi on is n ot a s s u ppos ed to be

26 MYSTER IE S on o s n as

by th es e auth o riti es and qu ot e d a s an O p e nin g s ta t e m e nt ,

“
but is T he e xis t e nc e o f G o d ( G o ds ) the imm o r tality o f
the s oul and the univ e rs al br o th e rh o o d o f a l l mankind .
”

B e aring this in mind w e will c ons id e r the Anci e nt Mys t e ri e s

in th e ir true light a s giv e n to us fr o m the re c o rds th e m
s e lv es o f the An ci e nt E gy ptia n Initiati o n wh e n in all its

gl o ry and b e auty and th es e e xplanati on s a re in c o mpl et e

and truthful harm o ny with that Initiati on and its t e ach

In thecl ea r a n d th or o ugh a n alys is o f the E gyptia n

mys t e ri e s we find that the c o rn e r s t o n e o f b e li e f r es ts on the
,
-

a ss um pti o n that the fi rs t gr e at c au s e is a Sp irit That the .

firs t a n d o nly ele m e nt o f be ing w a s s oul— that it e xi s te d

e t e rnally a n d fil l e d i n fi n i ty
,
B y its p ow er o f wi l l it s e p
.

a ra te d its elf int o e m a nati o ns and! e l e m e n ts a n d by its o wn ,

.

inh e re nt c ap acity f or cr e atio n the unr es ting e l eme n t o f

,

f o rc e wa s e vo lv e d ; th e n c a me matte r a n d by the acti o n o f

,

f o rc e on matte r the uns p e akabl e wi s d o m o f the uncr e at e d

‘

s o ul ,
m ovin g o n the oc e an o f cha os cr e at e d fo rm and ,

e v o lv e d o rd e r .T he fi ery p articl es o f matt e r a s c end e d to

f orm lumin o us b o di es the h e avi e r d es c en d e d and a g g re
,

gat e d in to e arth s s e as p l a nts a n i mals and the b o di es o f

, , , ,

Fr om the e tern a l s oul pr o c e e d e d s ucc es s iv e e manati on s o f

s piritual b e ings m o r e or l ess e le v a t e d acc o rding to th e ir
,

s tatu s o r a s c e nt o r d e c e nt in the gra nd s cal e o f the s p iritual

kingdo m .

H er o do tus affirm s that the E gy ptians w e r e the firs t

p eo ple who d is tinctly taugh t the imm o rtality o f the human
s oul but thi s is n ot tru e the s am e d o ctrin e had b ee n t aught
, ,

in Indi a wh e n the E gyptian D yn a s ty w as ye t in its inf a nc y

and ages b e fo re India ha d this d o ctrin e it w a s t a ught in

Th e r e a re but two m en in Am e rica who hav e r e ce iv e d

*

thi s Initi a ti o n in its e ntire ty Th e s e a re the o nly m e n who

.

c an s p e ak with auth ority c onc e rning the Mys t e ri es and

the ir true m e aning .
28 MYST ERIE S O F I I
OS R S

p os e n a m e ly th a t o f i m p a rting a kn owl e d g e o f the di vin e

, ,

and f o r tho s e w ho we r e d es iro us o f r e c e iving a high e r in

itia tion th e r e w a s e xt a nt a m o s t s tup e ndo us hi e rarchi e

T he Atlant e an rac e d welt o n a large i s land s mall e r ,

i s la nd s f o rming m e a n s o f c o mmunicati o n t o wards E uro p e

and Africa o n o n e s id e an d Am e rica o n the o th e r It w a s
, .

ab o ut y e ars a g o th a t Atlanti s w a s at its h e ight .

T e xas and the G ulf o f M e xic o w e re include d in it the ,

s o uth e rn and e a s t e rn s tat e s up to and including Labrad o r ,

the Atla n tic Sc o tland Ir eland and part o f E n g ,

land whil e it t ook in als o Brazil and the wh o l e o f the At

,

l a n tic O c e an to the African G old C o as t In thi s c onn e cti o n .

it is int e r e s ting to n o t e that a human s k e l et o n w a s f o un d

burri e d unde rn e ath f o ur anci e nt f or e s ts at N e w O rl e ans ,

s upp o s e d to dat e back a t l e a s t y e ars ( S D . .

Atlanti s th e n r e ach e d fr om the And e s to Hindu s tan if

, , ,
“
n o t to China and in its mark e t s mu s t hav e m e t maiz e o f
,

the Mi s s i s s ippi Vall e y the c opp e r o f Lak e Sup e ri o r the

, ,

g old a n d s ilv e r o f P e ru and M e xic o the s pic e s o f India the , ,

tin o f “Tal es a n d C o rnwall the br o nz e o f Ib e ria the amb e r

, ,

o f the B a ltic the wh e a t and barl e y o f G r e e c e

,
It a ly an d ,

Swi tz e rland Th e ir civilizati o n w a s ol d wh e n E gy pt w a s

.

but a child a n d th e y p as s e d away th o u s and s o f y e ar s be fo r e

,

B abyl o n Ro m e o r L ond o n w e r e dr e am e d of B ut th es e l os t
,
.

p eopl e w e re our a n c es to rs their bl o o d fl o ws i n ou r v ei n s

,
.

T he w ord s w e us e e v e ry d a y w e r e he a rd in th e ir primitiv e
fo r m in th e ir citi es c ou rts an d t e mpl es E v e ry lin e o f rac e
,
.

a n d th ought o f bl oo d and b e li e f l e a d s b ack t o

,

Atlantis ha d mo r e m o untain s than vall eys th e ir s ummits ,

b e i n g l os t in the cl o ud s It b e l on gs to the Cen ol ithic o r

.

f
‘

mu s t b e b o rn e in mi n d that the Atl a ntic O c e an w a s

It
th e n n o m or e than a n imm e n s e riv e r bu t a s Atl anti s s ank , ,

Am e r ic a w hich w a s th e n b ut a n i s l a n d i s s u e d fro m the

,

wa te r whil e Atlanti s s a nk b en ea th the wa te r a n d the rive r

,

b ec am e the o c e a n .

“
f
D o n n el l y, Atl a n t is .
 OR E GYP TIA N I N IT IATI O N . 2
9
T e r tiary p e ri o d incl udi n g the E o c e n e Mi o c en e and P l io
, ,

c en e ag e s and the s tra ta d epth is

, f e e t Th e r e w e r e .

f ur p ri cipal riv e rs which wa te re d this gr e a t c o ntin e nt

’
”
o n
s

flo wing fr om a c e ntral p o int t o wards f o ur p o int s o f the

co mp ass T he climat e w a s that o f the Az o r es mild a n d
.

pl e as ant As to the p eopl e th e ir phys ical s tr en gth w a s ex

.
,

tra ord in a ry —witn e ss th e ir cycl o p e a n buildings —the e arth

, ,

s ha king un d e r th e ir f e e t Th e y w e r e giants of phys ical .

b e auty and s tr e ngth t o wards the middl e o f th e ir f o urth s ub

rac e The inhabitants w e r e o f two dis ti n ct rac es phys ically
.
,

and m o rally b oth v e rs e d in p ri m e va l w is d om a n d the

,

s e c r e ts o f n a tu re and antag oni s tic in th e ir s trug l e s T hx

, g y .

di ffe re d in c ol or o n e rac e b e in g o f a d a rk r e d di s h brown

, ,

like the C e ntral Am e ric a n s and E gyptia n s and the othe r ,

whit e lik e the G r e e ks G oths C e lt s a n d Scandinavian s

, , , .

Th e y f ought f o r s upr em acy ; the light c ol or e d r a c e s e e ms t o -

hav e b e e n the larg e r phys ically h e nc e the l e ge nds o f the

, ,

Titan s and G i ants

The Atlant e an s had a p e ri o d o f the high e s t civilizati o n .

G r e e k Ro man and e v e n E gyptian a r e a s n o thing c ompar e d

,

t o the civilizati o n that b egan with the third rac e aft e r the
s e p arati o n .

Th e y attain e d to a hi b p os iti o n a s agriculturi s t s Th e y o' .

d om es ticat e d the h o rs e p o ss es s e d s he e p f manuf a ctur e d

‘
,

w oo l e n g oo d s had go at s d o gs s win e Th e y rai s e d c otto n

, , ,
.

and mad e c ott o n go o ds and pr obably cultivat e d maiz e , ,

wh e at o at s barl e y rye t ob a cc o h e mp fla x e tc T he At
, , , , , , ,
.

l a n tea n s built aqu e duc ts and canals f o r i rri g a ti on ; th e y

w e r e archit e cts s culp t or s e n g r a v ers Th e y p os s es s e d an
, , .

*
Fro m this c om e s the l e g e nd o f the G a rd en o f E d e n W i th
its f o ur riv e r s .

“N owh e r e in e ith e r pr o f a n e o r s a cr e d hi s t ory is to b e

found a n ythi n g c on c e rni n g the o rigin o f the h o rs e and
s h e e p in E gypt Thi s in its elf is o n e o f the s tr on g es t pr o o fs
.

that th e y m us t ha ve be e n bro ug ht the re fro m s o m e whe re

“
else . Atl a n ti s w a s this s om ewh e r e e ls e a s ma n y m anu ,

s cript s h e ld in s e cr e t a rchiv es pr o v e .
30 MYSTE RIE S or os u u
s

alphab et ; th ey w ork e d in c opp e r bro nz e s ilv e r gold an d , , ,

ir o n Th ey kn e w the u e o f the ma g n e t e l e ctricity an d

.
s
,

gun p owd e r T he s e call e d P ho en ic a n c o in s f o und in the

.
-

Az or e s we r e o f Atlant e an o rigin
‘
.

Th ey p os s es s e d the hi gh es t kn owl e dge o f the z o diac .

Th eir mat e rial ci v ilizati on w a s a s high a s o urs lacking o nly ,

the p rinting pr e s s and th os e inv e n ti ons in which s t e am is

u s e d Th e ir s tanding a rmy is giv e n a s upward s o f
.

m en its n avy a s of
,
s hip s and s ail ors .

Th e y had airs hip s s om e o f th e m carrying fro m 5 0 to 1 00

,

m en . T he f o rc e that guid e d th es e air b o at s wa s Si milar to

“
the p o w e r o f
”
o r il a s d es crib e d by Bulw e r Lyto n in the
,
“
C o ming R ac e .
”

Th e y w e re v e ge tarian s and it is f or thi s r e a s o n that th e ir

civilizati o n had r e ach e d the h e ight that it did G r a dually .

a s th e y l e d a m o r e impur e lif e th e ir s tat e o f civilizati o n f e ll

into d e c a y .

T he Atlant e an s gradually s pr e a d ou t in c ol o ni es e as t and ,

w es t Thi s w a s the w o rk o f c enturi e s ; r el ati on s e xis t e d be

.

tw e e n the m o th e r c ountry and the o utlying s ettl em ent s ; n ew

rac es and dial e cts w e r e f o rm e d by the cr os s in gs b etw ee n the
m oth e r c ountry and he r c ol oni es .

T he firs t Atlant e an rac es w e r e b o rn on the L e murian c on

tin e n t and s e parat e d fr o m th e ir e arli es t trib es int o the
“
,

right e ou s and the unright e ous ; int o th o s e who w o rship the

O n e Un s e e n Spirit o f N atur e ( the O n e G o d ) the r a y which ,

man f e e l s wi thin hi m s e lf or Panth e i s t s ; a n d th os e who

,

o ff e r e d fanatical wo r s hip t o the s p irit s o f the e arth the da r k , ,

c o s mic anthr op om o rphic p ow ers with wh om th e y mad e a l

,

“
l ia n c e fi So that in r e ligi o n th e y had r e ach e d the gr e at
th ought s which und e rli e o ur m o d e rn cr e e ds : th ey ha d a c on
-
'

c e ptio n o f o n e u n iv e r s al o mnip o t e nt fir t cau s e and w e

,
s ,

find thi s in th e i r c ol oni es in P e ru an d in e arly Egypt The

, ,
.

*“
It is thu s pr o v e n that b oth the In n e r Mys t eri es a n d the
s ym bo lic r e ligi o u s w o rs hip o f the E gyptian s w e r e b o th

brou ght from Atlan ti s Neith e r ha d its ori gin i n E gypt

.
.
 OR E GYPTIAN I N ITIATIO N .
3!
s un r e gard e d a s the mighty e mbl em and in strum en
wa s '

tality o f this o n e G o d i Th e y b eli e ve d the s oul o f man wa s

immo rtal and that he w oul d live a ga i n in his mat e rial
b o dy !t The Atlant e an s t o wards the e n d o f the ir civiliza ,

ti o n b ec a me t e rribl e s orc e re rs and this brought about th e ir

,

fall The wis dom onc e imp ar te d by the third r ac e to the

.

ad epts o f the e a rly fo urth rac e ha s r emain e d in all its purity

in a c e rtain br o the rh oo d living at this pr es e nt day o n an
i s l an d in C e ntral As ia .

Of the s e v e n s ub rac es o f the Atl a nt e an s the fir s t is s aid

-

to hav e c ol o niz e d G r e e nland a n d W es t Sca ndin a via ; the

.

s e c o nd C alifo rnia R io Ja n e ri c Africa India ; and mixing

, ,
-

, ,

with the i n dige n o us L emurian p o pulati on fo rm e d the D ra ,

vi dian rac e Pa tagonia and pr o duc e d the B rown Ind ian s o f

-

, ,

So uth Am eric a fi “

T he third No rth a n d S outh Am e rica P e ru a n d M e xic o

, , .

T he P e ruvian civilizati o n r e ach e d its h e ight a b out

y e ars a g o und e r the Inc a s ov e re igns T he av e rage Red I n .

dian o f Am e rica is the b es t r e pr e s e ntati o n o f the Atlant e a n

T olt ec s ub rac e E gypt wa s als o s ettl e d from the T olt ec s
-
.
,

the third s ub rac e o f the Atlant e an s

-
A gre at tran s fe r fr om .

Atl a nti s t o ok plac e ab o ut y e ars a g o o f a gre at l o dge ,

TThe ve ry b e li e f o f the J e ws It mus t be b orn e in mind .

that the J e w s whil e in captivity in E gypt , that is the

.
.

l e arn e d o f the J e ws , taught a d o ctrin e o f the on e G o d e re .

w e m e e t a g ain the key to all r e ligi o n a s in all s acr e d

wr itings T he o n e un s e e n s pirit o f natur e w as the o n e G o d
.

o f the Atl a nt e an pri es th o o d T his o n e G o d w a s r e ally the .

G o d o f which the s un w a s the e m bl em o nl y to the E g yptia n

pri e s th oo d and it is at the s am e time the o n e G o d 0 11 the
J e ws The in n er t e achings o f the Atlant e an s , E gyptian a n d
.

“ ”
J ewis h p ri es th oo d w a s n othing e l s e than the O n e G o d .

iST he D o ctrin e o f R e incarnati on .

*
It is f o r this v e ry r e a s o n that the s ymb olis m and the
go ds o f e v e ry nati o n in the w o rld o nc e we und ers tand th e m ,

right a re id e ntically the s am e Th e y m a y have d iff e r e nt

,
.

n am es but th e y a r e in th e ir m e aning e xactly

,
alik e Th e y ,
.

came fr om o n e o nly p a re nt the Atlant e an rac e ,

.
32 MY STE RIE S o r
-
OSI R IS
o f I n itia te s fi
“
Thi s o c cult l o dge f ounde d the firs t D ivin e
’
D yna s ty o f E gypt T he two pyramids o f G iz eh we re built
.
,

p artly f or hall s o f initiati o n p artly to p rot e c t c ertain

,

mys t e ri es duri n g the s ubm e r s i o n which the Initiat es kn ew

w o ul d c o m e E gyp t w a s und e r wat e r th e n re e m e rge d an d
.
,
-

w e hav e the s ec o nd D ivin e D yna s ty A gain s o m e .

,

y e ars a g o it w a s und e r wat e r again ; th e n the third D ivi n e

,

D yna s ty rul e d that m e nti o n e d by Man e th o ; a n d the G r e at

,

T e mpl e o f Karn ak and many m o r e anci e nt buildings w er e

s ince e r e ct e d .

M o ro cc o an d Algi e r s w e r e s e ttl e d by the f o urth s ub rac e -

.

Fr o m the fifth the S e mit es cam e ou r Aryan rac e fr om

, , ,

C e ntral As ia wh er e the Aryan kingd om w a s e s tablis h e d

,
.

Fr o m the s ixth c a m e the P e rs ia n s E trus cans Ph o e nicians

, ,

and Ca rtha g en ia n s .

*
This gr e at l o dg e o f I n itiat e s f o un d e d the E gyptian
Pri e s th o o d with all its initiati o n o f the inn e r mys t e rie s
,
.

T he o ut e r mys t e ri e s th os e f o r the p e o pl e w e r e s imp ly the

, ,

re s ul t o f the ma s s e s n o t b e i n g s ati s fi e d with the w o rs hip o f

the O n e G od .
 T H E PY RAM ID .

In that day th e r e s hall b e an altar to the L o rd in th

mid s t of the la n d o f E gypt and a p illar at the b o rd e r th e r e
,

o f to the L o rd ; and it s ha ll be f o r a s ign a n d f o r a witn es s

unto the Lo rd o f H os ts in the land o f E g ypt ”

Is a 1 9
. .

1 9 20
. .

YT he int e ri o r o f the Pyramid w a s a t em pl e de s ign e d to

t e ach and illu s trat e th es e s ci enc es a n d a s the s oul o f m a n
,

w a s r e gard e d a s an e ma nati o n di e ct fr o m D e ity s o its

r
,

p r og r es s thr o ugh ma tt e r— its fall fr o m s piritu a l purity to

an allianc e with gr o s s m att e r— its tran s migrati o n thr ou g h
v ari o us f o rm s f o r the purp o s e o f pr obati o n a n d p ur ific a

ti on its ultimat e birth int o ma n h o o d a n d —pr ov i d e d the

,

animal pr e v a il e d i n its natur e— its d e s c e nt aga in int o ani

m a l f orm s and pr o vid e d the s piritual pr e v a il e d its n e w
, ,

birth and fi n al tra n s fo rmati on int o a p ure s piritua l e x

is te n c e ; th es e w e r e the s ta g e s o f the s ublim e dra m a which
the t empl es w e r e built to di s pl ay a n d chi e f e s t o f a l l w a s the
,

gr e at T empl e o f Ch eop s which by pr o f ou n d a n d c or re ct

,

a s tr on omical calculati on s the f o und e rs d e s i g n e d s h o ul d b

,

the phys ical c e ntr e o f the w o rld s o th e y a ls o m e ta p hys ical l y

,

d es ign e d it to b e the gre at c e ntr e o f a l l th os e s ublim e t e a c h

ings which in the fo rm o f m ys t eri e s to o pr o f o un d f or the
,

v ulgar mind th e y the ma s s es o rg a n iz e d in to M a s on ry a n d

, , ,

l os t the s e cr e t .

T he ba s e o f thi s Te mpl e is the p e rfe c t s qu a r e which ,

34 MYSTERIES or OS I R IS
symb oliz es in its fo ur c o rn e rs the s acre d numb e r 1 the ,

uni o n o f the mas culin e and fe minin e princ iple s Its c o rn e rs .

a re the p e rfec t triangle ,

the s ymb ol t m e d thro ugho ut
s o es e e

the E as t , a nd s ignificant o f the mys tic num b e r 3 T he d e .

s c e nt of the s u n up on its a p ex at the two s o l e mn e p o chs o f

the y e ar which s ignify lif e e te rnal a n d d e ath thr ough the

, ,

e v e r c ons tant ad v e rs e princ ipl e o f e vil c o mpl et e the s e ri es ,

o f all e g o rical id e as which thi s building w as de s ign e d to

c el ebrat e .

“
The ma gnific e nt uni s on that s trik es fr o m the l o w es t to
the high es t d e pth s in c l uding all the t o n es o f cr e ati o n ,
,

s ound s in v a in in the harm o ny o f ch o iring w o rlds u p on the

c a rs that a r e dull cd to e v e ry t o n e s av e the clink o f m o n e y

-

the e mble m o f a l l mat e ri ali s m ; but amids t this e clip s e o f

the true fai th—this t otal dark n ess o n the s ubj e ct o f the
s ci en tific r e ligi o n and the r e ligi o n o f s ci e nc e the grand o l d

Pyramid o f Ch eo p s s t ands grimly mut e—el oqu ently s p e e ch

, ,

l es s waiting f o r the h our wh e n the builde rs o f the fn e w

,

T empl e of the divin e humanity mi ss ing the k e ys t o n e o f the ,

arch whi ch is n e ith e r o bl on g n o r s q uar e s hall s e arc h amid

, ,

the ru bbis h o f antiquity and finding the s t o n e tha t the

,

builde rs r e j e ct ed pla c e it a s the ke ys t o n e in the arch by

,

whi c h the h e aven s o v e rs had o w the e arth and c on s titut e the ,

unive rs e the D ivin e T empl e o f the Mas t e r Build e r G od ,

.

“
N o twiths tanding the p ictur e o f s upp os ed e xt e rna l d e g
r a d a tio n give n u s the s p irit o f anci e nt E gyp t filt e r e d
, ,

thro ugh the e pi c s o f cla ss ic G r ee c e and the m e m o ri es o f

s tat e ly R o m e s till live s s till animat es the e arn e s t s tud e nt
, ,

and the p ati e nt s cho lar to fr es h r e s e arch in the l e tt e r o f the .

d e ad O rie nt and fr es h dis c o v e ri es in the hidde n m e aning o f

,

its imm ortal s oul The day will s o o n c om e wh e n the

.

mys t e ri e s o f the anc i e nts will be the s ci e nc e o f the m o de rn s ,

and in that m o rn ing light o f re v elati o n the G r e at Pyramid

o f Ch e o p s will b e kn o wn f o r what it r e ally is the alphab e t ,

which s p ell s out the s i gnifican c e o f the divin e dr ama o f ex

is te n c e ,
36 MYSTE RIE S o r OS I R IS
and d e v el op e d in the far N o rth but af t e r the s i n king o f ,

Atlanti s its trib es e migr a t e d farthe r s outh int o As i a

, .

T he s ub rac es o f the fifth r oo t rac e five o f which hav e

-

d e v e l op e d a re ,

1 Indian and E g ypti a n

. .

2 Chald e an Babyl o nian a n d As s yrian

.
, .

3 P e rs ian or Iranian
. .

4 C eltic
. .

5 T he T e ut o nic o f which we f o rm a p a rtfi

.
“
,

6 Wil l be the c o m in g ra c e , o r the rei n c a rn a tes of the

.

E g yp tia n p e op l e With thi s will c om e the f a ll o f all

.

N ati on s a s s uch and the ri s e o f the E gyptian r e incarn at es

as a p e rf e ct N ati o n—a p rop he c y .

As the roo t rac e s hav e th e ir inc e pti o n th e ir z e nith and ,

th e ir gradual d e ath s o d o the s ub rac es p a ss thr ough the

,
-

s am e s tag e s and w e find that India and E gypt the firs t

, ,

s ub rac e s
-
had th e ir days a s gr e at an d g o v e rning n ati on s
, ,

and hav e fad e d fr om p olitical and s o cial imp ortanc e ; w e

find that Chald e a B abyl o n and A s s yria had th e ir civiliza
,
!

ti on s whi c h b e l ong to the hi s t o rical p a s t ; P e rs ia the third

, ,

s ub r ac e ha s c e as e d to e x e rt its p o w e r
-

, O f the f o urth the .

,

C ents littl e o r n o r e c ords a re l e ft ; bu t w e r e a d that the

,

G r e eks a n d Roman s a re the las t family s h oo ts W e th e n .

c om e to the ris e of the T e ut onic rac e the fifth an d he re in

‘

, ,

Am eri c a is beg i nn in g the s ix th s u b ra c e T he fo r e runn e r -

.

o f the s ixth gr e at r oot rac e b e f o r e wh o s e tim e h o w ev e r , , ,

catac lys m s will o ccur s imilar to th os e which d e s tr oy e d At

lanti s but that o nly p ar t o f the c on tin e nt will s ink b en e ath
,

the s urfac e and in the w es t in the P a cific will ri s e a l a nd , , ,

j o in e d to p art o f what is n o w Am erica an d c onn e ct e d by

land to anci e nt E gypt which w ill b e the h o m e o f the l a s t
,

gr e at rac e of m en .

It ha s b e e n n e c e s ary to giv e thi s mu c h o f the hi s t orical

s

“
"
It is thus h a rd to und e r s tand why the s y m b oli s m o f
n ot

all nati o n s n o matt e r wh a t the c ol o r o r t on g ue is wh e n

, , ,

r
p p y
o e rl u n d ersto od , the s am e W i th a l l .
 os EGYP TIAN m rrwri on .
37
kn owl e dge c onc e rning anci e nt Atlanti s in o rde r that all may
u nd e r s tand n o t o nly why s uch gr e at mi s takes have b e e n
,

mad e by all writ e rs o f the anci ent r e ligi on s but al s o that ,

the s tud e nt may und e r s tand w hy the s ymb oli s m of a l l

N ati on s is a like wh e n p rop e rly r e ad .

In the E gyptian Mys te ri es th e r e w e r e b oth the inn e r a n d

,

the o ut e r e xplanati o n o f the mys t e ri e s In oth e r w ords

.
,

th e r e w a s b o th a n o p e n a n d a s e cre t wo rs hip It ha s b e e n .

s ta ted that the pri es t s o f the mys t e ri e s br o ught thi s ab o ut .

Thi s is n ot true but the p e o pl e th e ms e lv e s c o uld n o t und e r

s tand the s acr e d natur e o f th e s e mys t e ri es —th e y w e r e to o
,

s impl e and th e r e f o re the p eo pl e d e mand e d s om e thing ‘m o r e

than the w o r s hip o f the O n e G o d with o ut a s ymb ol and in

the pr o c e s s o f tim e th e y t oo k unt o th e ms e lv e s many go d s .

“
Alth o ugh all n ati o ns w e r e giv e n the ini tiati on that is all , ,

pri es ts o f a l l w e re giv e n the in n e r m e aning of the

m ys t e ri e s and alth o ugh the y all practic e d the s am e t e ach
,

ings the nam es o f the go d s o f th es e nati o n s w er e n ot alik e

,
.

“
Thu s it is s tat e d O n e nati o n ad o pt e d the g o d s o f a h
o th e r th e y did n o t always tak e in at the s am e tim e the
,

s e cr e t w o r s hip o r m y s t e ri es o f that g o d
,
s o in Ro m e the ,

public an d op e n w or s hip o f B acchu s w a s in u s e l ong b e f o r e

“
his mys t e ri e s w e r e a d m itte d fi But on the oth e r h a nd again , ,

the w o r s h ip o f the s trang e g o d s o m e tim es intr o d uc e d o nly

*
Thi s is v e ry tru e but the o n e who mak es the s tat em ent
,

ha s l o s t the gr e at e r truth It is tru e that B acchu s w a s w o r

.

s hipp e d l o ng be f o r e the inn e r mys t e ry w a s the e xclus iv e

s ec r e t o f the pri es th o o d but a gre a t fact mu s t b e b or n e in

mind Wh e n B acchu s — a s a s ymb o l—w a s firs t w ors hipp e d
,

.
,

it w a s w ors hipp e d by a l l the p eo pl e o f tha t fa i th in its ,

purity and th e re w a s n o r e as o n f o r the pri e s t s to hav e the

s e cr e t w ors hip .All p e opl e w ho w ors hipp e d Bacchus und e r
s to o d the i/ nn e r o r m ys te ry o f Bacchu s and w o rs hipp e d him
in purity the s am e a s the e a rl y Chris ti a n s w o rs hipp e d the
m ys t e ry o f Chri s t in purity In tim e this my s t er y l os t its
.
,

m e aning to the c o mm o n p e o pl e and j u s t a s fa s t a s the c o m

m o n pe o pl e l o s t the m y s t e ry it b ec am e s e cre t with the
,

ri es t s un ti l in r oc ess of tim e the m ys t e r wa s l os t al to

p p y
38 MYSTE RIE S or OS R S I I
f o r the ak e o f his mys t e ri es a s in the s am e city that o f
s , , ,

I s i s and O s iris The firs t mys t e ri e s aft e r th os e o f Atlanti s

.
, ,

a n d o f which th e r e is any acc ount a re th os e o f I s i s and ,

O s iris o f E gypt fr o m wh enc e th e y w e r e tran s plant e d to

,

G ree ce Z o r o a s t er br o ught th e m in to P e rs ia Cadmu s and

.
,

Inachus in to G r e e c e ge n e rally O rph e us int o Trac e Mel a pus , ,

int o A rg is T rophon ius int o B o eotia Min os int o Cr e t e

, , .

C inyra s int o Cyprus a n d E r e chth e us int o Athe n s And a s

, .

in E gypt the y we r e to Is i s a n d O s iri s s o in As i a th e y w e r e ,

to Mithras in S am o thr a c e to the m o th e r o f the G o ds in

“

, ,

B o e otia to B a c chus in Cyprus to V e nus in Cr e t e to Jup it e r

, , ,

in Ath ens to C e r es and Pr os e rpin e in Am phis s a to C a s t o r ,

r

and P o ll ux in Le mn os to Vulcan a n d s o to oth e r s in ot he r

, ,

plac es the numb e r o f which is unkn o wn and it is up on

,

th es e s am e mys te ri es with the m ys te ry l os t that the Church

o f this pr es e nt d a y is f o und e d .

T he e n d a s w e ll a s the natur e o f all th es e mys t e ri e s w a s

— ,

the s am e to t e ach the d o ctrin e o f immo rtality o r a lif e

,

b ey o nd the pr es e nt s tat e and furth e r to t e ach man that he

, ,

w a s the temr pl e o f the on e G o d o r a s w e w o uld n o w s a y , , ,

that man thro ugh the training or initiati o n in the m ys

,

te rie s w o uld b ec ome a v e ry Chris t

,
B oth O rige n and Cel -

s u s a gr e e up o n thi s p o int o nly that th e y w o rd e d th e ir d e

,

f e n s e in di ffe r e nt w o rds It mu s t b e r e m e mb er e d that in

.

n e ith e r o f the my s t e ri e s w a s e t e rnal h e ll or punis hme nt

taught n o m o r e than Chris t t a ught it The Law o f Karma
,
.
,

“ ”
o r a s Chri s t w o rd e d it : Y e s hall r e ap as you hav e s own
w a s the grand d o ctrin e .

T he m o s t c e l e brat e d o r m o s t n ot e d of the mys t e r ies (we r e

’

th os e o f the O rphic the Bacchic the E l e us inian the S a m o

, , ,

g e th e r to the c o mm on p e opl e and b e cam e a s e cr e t with the

prie s th oo d The p eo pl e f oll ow e d o r w or s hipp e d Bacchu s
.

e x a c tl y a s the Chri s tian s n ow w or s hip J e s u s and the I n

i tia te s the Chris t It w a s thu s that the s ymb ol w o rs hi p re
.

m a in e d f o r the p eo pl e and the mys te ri es o f B acchu s f o r the

p ri es th oo d o r the Initiat es It w a n ot the fault o f the .
s

ri es ts but o f the peo pl e

p .
 on EG YP TIAN I N I T IATIO N .
39
tr a c ia n , the Cabiric and the Mithraic until in the tim e o f
, ,

Chri s t the E s s en ia ns w e re the o nly o n es which taught the

,

m ys t eri es in th e ir puri ty .

The D ruids o f Britain had a s w e ll a s the Brahman s of

,

India a numb e r o f the s e r e ligio us rite s and c el e brat e d the

, ,

s am e rit es o f Bacchus a n d th er e w e r e s e cts in Britain which

,

c e le brat e d the s a m e rit es a s w e r e c e l ebrat e d in Samothrac e

-

O f all the mys t e ries the E l eus ia n ia n c el ebrat e d at

, ,

Athe ns in ho no r o f Ce r es w er e the mo s t r e n own ed and in

‘

, , ,

time s wallo wed u p p ractically all o f the oth e r mys t e ri es

, .

T his wa s d ue to the fact th at the ne ighb o rs o f Ath e n s

gradually c el ebrat ed th es e mys t e rie s to the n e gle ct o f th eir
own ,
with the re s ult that in a s h o rt tim e all G r eec e and
As ia Min o r foll o w e d th es e mys t e ri es an d th e y at l e n g th
,

s pr e ad o v e r the wh ol e Roman e m p ir e a n d b e yo nd its l imit s

.
.

Zos is m us s tat ed that Th es e mo s t h oly r it es we r e th e n s o

e xt ens iv e a s to ta k e in the who le o f mankind
,
a n d Ari s

tid es c all e d E le us is the c o mm o n t e mpl e o f the e a rth .

It ha s be e n s tat e d by writ e rs who kn e w n o thing o f the

anc i e nt initiati on that a futur e s tat e o f r ew a rds and pun
,

is hm e n ts ha d b e e n taught This is n ot tru e in the s en s e

.

c ommo nly und e r s too d It is tru e that the y taught that

.

th e re w e re d ifieren t s tat es aft e r the c hange call e d d e ath ,

but this w as a s tat e o f mind in the s am e s e n s e that two

,

pe o pl e with e qual amo unt o f wea lth and all o th e r ma t e ria l

,

things m ay live in the s ame ho us e and yet o n e may be ,

happy whil e the o th e r may be e xtr e me ly unhappy and all

f or the re as o n that o n e may be c ons ci e nc e fr ee whil e the
o th e r ha s a c o n s ci e nc e which c o nd e mn s him Th ey a re bo th
.

in the s am e place but o n e is in h e av en and the o the r in h e ll

,
.

It is this which punis hes m en and it is this m ys tery which

w a s taught in the initiati o n It w oul d have b e en utte rly
.

im po ss ibl e f o r the mas te rs o r initiat o rs o f th os e tim e s to

t e ach the p e opl e that th e ir own c o n sc i e nc e w a s the o nly
j udge in both the p res e nt and the futur e s tate f o r th es e
p e o pl e w o uld hav e t otally c on d e mn e d s u c h a d octrin e .

Th ey, the peopl e, n e e d e d to b eli ev e that th ere wa s a G od a ,

40
‘

Mr s rnnms or O S R S I I
p e rs o nal B e i n g to j udge th e m and to r e ward th e m and that
,

th e r e mu st n e e ds be a p l a c e f o r all wh e th e r h e av e n o r h ell , .

T he Initiati o n taught the Initiat e that the G o d to j udge him

w a s his o w n c on s ci e n c e a n d that the h e av e n o r h e ll o f the
“
futur e w a s n o t a plac e but a s ta te Thi s w a s o n e o f the .

g ra n d m y s t e ri es and this s am e m ys t e ry Chri s t taught wh e n

“
H e s aid As ye s o w s o s hall ye r e ap .
”

“
T he s o ul n e v e r f o rg e t s T he o v e r lad e n brain o f .
-

humanity r etain s the impr es s i o n o f e v e ry im age pr es e nt e d

to it. As e ach fr es h s ucc es s i o n o f im age s ph o t o gr aphs it s e lf
’
o n the min d s tabl e t the la s t s e e m to cr o wd o ut and e fl a e e
'

the impr e s s o f the e arli e r o n e s Th e y vani s h fr o m s ight .

truly bu t they a re s til l ther e a n d the y re m a in there f o r

, ,

ev e r
. Unc o n s ci o u s ly to th e ir p os s ess o rs th e y e n t e r int o ,
-

e v e ry pha s e o f charact e r Th ey linge r lik e a s ubtl e p er .

fum e in the s ph e r e o f unc on s ci ous c e r e bra ti on p e rvade the ,

s e ntim e nts e nt e r int o the m e nt a l s tructur e

, s hap e the ,

m otiv e s e x te rn a l iz e th e m s e lv es in w o rds which ling e r in

,
-

o th e rs e ar s
’
in d e e ds which e ff e ct o th e r s d es tini es and
,
'
’
,

s il e ntly in te rw e a v e th e m s e lv e s int o invi s ibl e but ind e

-

s tru c tibl e imag e s r e fl e c t e d up o n the a s tral light o f the Uni

,

v e rs e C ould this m o s t s ubtl e but m os t p ot e ntial re alm o f

.
,

b e ing be th or o u g hly expl o r e d all the th o ughts w or d s and , , ,

d e e d s that hav e e v e r m ov e d the rac e w o uld be f oun d in

,

in e ffac e abl e p ictur es en grav e d up o n the billo ws o f a stral

light th a t h e av e and s w e ll thr ough the o c eans o f infinity .

N othing is l os t in n atur e n o thing bl o tt e d out in e t e rnity , ,

and futur e g e n erati o n s living m o ving an d br e athin g in the , ,

a s tr a l r e alm s o f lif e im print e d with the s o ul im a es o f g

vanis h e d age s inhal e th e m gr o w in the m r e c ombin e the m

, , ,
-

into the e l em e nt s o f th e ir o wn charac te rs and thu s liv e ,

again in e v e r r olli n g but e v e r a s c en din g cycl e s o f tim e

, , ,

e v e ry s a nd grai n o f id e al ity th a t ha s e v e r b ee n launch e d

-

int o s p ac e .

O n a c c o unt of thi s b e i n g t r u e the a nci e nt Initiate s c ould

.
,

r e ad the v e ry th o ughts and p a s t life o f all th os e who d e

s ir ed to enter the Tem pl e a s a s pira n ts Such Neo phyt es .
 OR EGYP T IA N IN ITIAI IO N '‘
4.
we re thus as to nis h e d and in s om e ins tanc es ho rro r s truck
,
-

to h e ar o n e aft e r an o th e r—the m as t e rs s tarting f o rth e ach ,

in turn r e h e ars ing all the e rr o rs o r s h o rtc omings o f his pa s t

life dragging to light ev e n his s e cr e t d es ir es and the hidd en
, ,

things o f his in m os t natur e .

It is al s o s tat e d that the mys t eri e s t a ught the d o c trin e o f

m e te mp s ych os i s o r the b e li e f in a pri o r s tat e This is true
, .
,

the d o ctrin e o f r e incarnati o n ha s b e e n ta ught e v er s inc e

man b e cam e m an ; thi s d o ctrin e w a s taught in the Atlant e an
mys t eri es it w a s taught in the E s s e nian mys t e ri es and it
,
“
w a s taught by Chri s t f or H e a s k e d his dis cipl e s Whom
”
d o th e y s a y I am ? and the an s w e rs to H is qu es ti o n s p r ov e
c onclus iv e ly that H e b eli ev e d in thi s d o c tin e a n d it is on e
o f the cardinal d octri n es o f the Initiati o n o f the Anci e nt

O rd e r o f the pr e s e nt day This d o ctrin e w a s n o t n e w to the

.

E gyptian s it had b e e n taught th o u s ands o f y e ars b e f o r e

,

E g ypt kn e w anythin g c onc e rning the mys t e ri es and it ha s

b e e n the fo undati o n o f the r eligi o n o f India th ous ands up on
th ou s ands o f ye ars a g o .

It w a s t aught in the m ys t e ri es that the in itia ted w ould

,

be happ i e r in the futur e s tat e than o th e r m o rtal s ; that the

s o ul s o f the p ro fan e ,
up o n the change calle d d e ath s tuck ,

fas t in mir e a n d filth in a w o rd in the e arthly and r e

, , ,

main e d in darkn es s f o r ages p e rhap s and thi s d o ctrin e is

,

s till he ld and is a f o undati o n that n e ith e r d o c trin e n o r cr e e d

can s hak e and why ? It w a s the wo rk o f Initiati o n to s tart

,

Y e mu s t b e c o m e a s littl e childr e n
”
man a s a c hild and
t e ach th em the do ctrin e o f purity Men n e ophyt es who
.
, ,

e nt e r e d the T e mpl e s w e re r e quir e d to l e ad an ab s olut e ly

pur e lif e —
,
rituali s m w a s n o t kn own a n d n ot only w a s a
,

pur e lif e r e quir e d but e ach man w a s pl ac e d und e r a c ertain

trai n ing o r d ev e l opm ent with but o n e e n d in vi e w—the
finding o f the Chris t within him s e l f This wa s the a i m of
.

I n itia tion a n d n o on e c ould b e c om e an I n itia te until he ha d

,

f ound the Chris t wi thin him s elf Aft e r this w a s a c c om

.

l is he d h e w a s an I n itia te a n d c o uld th e n und e r s tan d wha t

p
“
w a s l a ter tau gh t by Chri s t whe n he s aid : Y e a re the
42 MYSTE RIES O F OS I RIS
T empl e s of the Living G o d T he Ma s t e rs o f the Mys t e ri e s
.

w e r e th e r e f or e j us tifi e d in s aying th a t the I n i tia tion as s ur e d

a happy futur e s tat e f or m e n b e cam e c on s c ious b e ings be ,

ings e xactly a s Chri s t b e c a m e during his initiati on int o the

“
E s s e nian Mys teri es Plat o plainly s tat e d that
. It w a s
the en d and aim to r es t o r e the s ou l to i ts o rig in a l p uri ty .
”

It is e as y to und ers tand that the ma s s es w ho d id n ot und e r ,

g o s uch p u rific a tion and de v e l o pm e nt o f the s o ul c ould ,

naturally n o t e xp ect to p a s s fro m the pr es e nt to the futur e

with the s a m e f eeling o f p e rf e cti o n Th e y the Mas t e rs ; in
.
,

the mys t e ri es c ontriv e d that e v e ryt hing s h o uld t e nd to s h o w

,

the n e c es s i ty o f virtu e a s taught by E ip ic te tus Thus ”

, .
,
“
he ta ug ht the mys t e ri es b e cam e u s e ful thus w e s e iz e the
, ,

true s pirit o f th e m wh e n w e b e gin to appr e h e n d that e v e ry

,

thing th er e in w a s ins titut e d by the anci e nts f or ins tructi o n

\
,

and a m en d m en t o f lif e P o rphyry giv es s om e of the m o ral

.

pr e c epts which w e r e e nf o rc e d in the mys t e ri es and am ong

th es e a r e : to h on o r th e ir p ar e nts to f o rb e ar cru elty to
,

animal s to be o f cl e a r and unbl emi s h e d charac te r and fr ee

,

e v e n fr o m s us p ici o n a s to any c ri m e .

It wa s n ot n e c es s ary to c o nf es s to the Hi e r o ph a nt a s to
any c rim es c ommitt e d by the applicant f o r th es e thi ngs be
c a m e kn own to the Pri es ts within a s h o rt tim e a n d withou t '

any c onf ess i on Wh e n N e r o aft e r the murd e r o f his

.
,

m oth e r t o ok a j ourn e y into G r ee c e and ha d int enti on to be

, ,

p r es ent a t the c el e brati o n o f the E l e us inian mys t e ri es he ,

w a s r e fus e d admi ss i o n th e r e t o E mp e r o r M Ant oninu s

. .

p urge d him s elf to the w orld o f the d ea th o f Avid ius C a s s ius ,

and ch os e to be initi a t e d int o the E l e u s inian my s t e ri es a s it ,

w a s a w e ll kn own fact that n o n e w er e a d mitt e d int o the

mys t e ri es who labor e d un d e r the punis hm e nt o f any im
m o rality Thi s w a s a fundam e n tal d o ctrin e a n d w a s oh
.

s e rv e d by all c o nn e ct e d with the mys t e ri e s .

All Initi a t e d w e r e o rd e r e d to o b s e rv e the gr e at es t purity

“
and the high es t e l e vati o n o f the min d Wh e n you s a crific e
.

“
and pray o rd er e d E lp ic tetus g o with a pr ep ar e d purity
, ,

o f mind a n d with di s p os iti on s o dis p o s e d a s a re r e quir e d

,
44 n r s rna ms or os mts

Pax of Aris tpha n es , s aid : I mus t be initiat e d b e fo r e I

”
d ie .

T he Ath e nians b eli e v e d that thos e who w e r e initi a te d and

ins truct e d in the mys t e ri es w o uld o btai n divin e h o n o rs ,

afte r de ath ; and m any th e re f o r e e nt e re d up o n the in itia p

ti o n T h es e h o n o rs w e re n o t giv e n bec a us e a man we re

.

s imply an Initiat e but be c a us e by bec om in g a n I n i tia te he

,

ha d to pu rify hims e l f, reli ve p a s t d e e d s , a n d g r ea tes t of a ll,

l ea rn to kn ow an d fe el tha t he wa s rea l l y the te mp l e of the
Livin g G od , an d the re fore he foun d the Chris t ev en in the
p res en t l ife a n d n a tura l l y, a f ter d e a th, he s im p l y en te re d
up on a s im il a r p ur e s ta te in a n o ther p lume, or wha t wo ul d

be, by the Chri s tiams f this da y c a l l e d H ea v en By unde r

o , .

s t a nding th e s e mys t e ri es in thi s s e n s e the Chris tian n o ,

l onge r can in h o n es ty c o nd e mn th e m W e s p e ak o f th es e
, ,
.

m ys t e ri es a s th e y w e r e in th e ir purity n o t a s th e y b e c a m e ,

lat e r wh e n ritualis m and cr e e d t oo k the plac e of the train

ing and true initiati o n E v e rything in th es e mys t e ri e s t oo k
.

plac e und e r the m os t s ol e mn o bligati o n and th e r e fo r e n on e

o f the s e cr e t s c o uld b e giv en to the m a s s e s n or ye t to o ur

f oolis h his t o rian s w ho think th e y kn o w fr o m having b e en

tol d and n ot be c a us e the y w e re o f the in i tia ted
,
.

The r e w e r e o th e r and s uffici e nt r e as o ns f o r thi s s e cre cy

“
and St Augus tin s tat es that :
. Th e re we r e many truths ,

which it w a s inc onv eni e nt f or the s tat e to be, ge n e rally

kn o wn : and many things which th o ugh fals e ( in th e i r , ,

fo rm ) it w a s b es t f o r the p e o pl e to beli e v e ; and that th e re ,

fo r e the G re e ks s hut up th e ir mys teri es in the s il e nc e o f

,

th e ir s a cr e d e ncl os ur es .

In o rd e r that this s trange c ontradic t io n m a y be ex

plain e d w e mus t n ot fo rge t that in the E l eu s ini a n rite s
,

th e r e w e re two mys t e ri e s the l es s e r and the gr e ate r o r the

, ,

in n er and the ou ter The in n e r mys t e ri e s w e r e f o r the In

.

i tia te s and in th e m w a s taught a s b e fo r e s tate d the true , ,

’
m e aning o f Initiati o n and d e v e l o pm e nt and als o that man s
c o ns ci e nc e w a s his j udg e This c o uld n ot be taught to the.

eo l e o rath e r it h a d b ee n tau g ht t o th em but th e y c ould

p p r , ,
 G
on E YP T IAN I N ITIATIO N .
45
n ot und e rs tand it and th e re fo re w e hav e the o ut er mys t eri es
,

in which the mass es b eli ev e that th e r e wa s a p e rs o nal G o d to

j udg e th e m T he s am e wi th the do ctrin es o f r ewards and
.

puni s hm e nt T he m as s es c o uld n o t c ompre h e nd the mys t e ry

.

and the y c o uld th e re fo re be induc e d to d o goo d o nly

through th e ir fea r o f punis hm ent o r ju d g me nt aft e r d e ath .

It was thus why the p eo ple b e li e v e in that which w a s a p ,

p a re n tl y an un tro uth but which w a s fo und e d up o n a gr e at

,

truth and thi s w as o n e o f the o ut e r mys t e ri es C enturi e s

, .

aft e r wh e n it wa s att empt e d to t e ach the p eo pl e th es e in n er

,

truth s it s imply r e s ult e d in the pr o fanati o n o f the

,

mys t e ri es f or wh e n m en d es ir e the tru th th ey will s e e k it

,

and it will d o n o goo d n or will any goo d purp o s e be a o

,
“ ”
c omplis h e d by thro wing p e arl b e fo re s win e .

B oth the l es s e r and the gr e at e r mys t e ri e s w e r e o riginally

ns titut e d f o r the b e n e fit o f the p e o pl e and it th e r e fo r e f o l
i ,

l o ws that the d o ctrin es t au ght in b oth w e r e e qually f o r the

be n efit o f s oci e ty and it w a s only wh e n unprac tical initiat es
,

tri e d to t e ach the mas se s what w a s taught in the in n er th a t

th es e mys t e ri es fe ll int o i dolatry .

T he l es s e r mys t e ri es w e r e hardly an ything m o r e tha n the

inn e r mys t e ri es in cl oth e s s uch a s all c o uld s e e and c o mpr e
h e nd In all d o ctrin es in all age s th ey had to be in s uch a
.
, ,

f orm th a t the ma ss es c ould und e r s tand an d f oll o w th em ,

and this obj e ct wa s acc omplis h e d in the l ess e r mys t eri es .

T he anci e nt mys t e ri es d e mande d n o thing o f its f oll o we rs

which c o uld n o t be giv e n W e mus t admit that all m e n c a n
.

foll o w a life o f p urity w e mus t admit that all m e n can be

,

h o n es t if th e y d es ir e to be s o and ab o ve all we mus t adm it ,

that a man c a n b e a m a n if he m a k es up his mind to th a t

e ff e ct W e kn ow that this is rath e r hard at the pr es e nt day
.

a s it n o d o ubt w a s in a n ci e nt d a ys but w e kn o w that with ,

s elf d e ni al it c a n be d o n e
-
Thi s is j us t what the Anci e nt
Mys te ri es d em and o f e v e ry on e —s e lf d e nial Th e r e is n oth
.

-
.

ing on e arth that can o r will bring to the s urfac e the b e tt e r

p art in a man a s will s elf de nial and the Hi e rophants o f ol d
-

kn e w this a s w ell as d o the Hie ro phants of thi s day .

46 MYSTE R IE S on I I
OS R S

It m a y hav e b ee n claim e d by the kn ow i n g o n es that the

anci e nt rit es w e r e r i t es o f lic e nti ou s n es s N othing c oul d be .

furth e r fr o m the truth and n o mas te r n o Initiat e o f the ,

p a s t ages ha s e v e r claim e d s uch a thing Tru e w e find th es e .

,

things in b oo ks on anci e nt r e ligi o n but th e s e bo oks a re n o t ,

by Initiat e s T he v e ry fact that a lif e o f purity w a s d e

.

m e n d e d o f e a ch a s p ira n t p r o v e s thi s f o r a man cann ot liv e ,

b oth a pur e life a n d a lic e nti o u s o n e .

It ha s als o b e e n s tat e d that it w a s taught that s uch

m as t e r s o r f ound e rs w e r e m o rtal m e n that Jup it e r Me r , ,

cury Bacchus Mars w e r e m en in the fl es h at o n e tim e

, , , .

This i s al s o a n abs ur d fal s eho o d f o r th e s e be in g s s imp l y

r e pr e s e n t e d a c e rt ain gr e at p o w e r o r p rincipl e an d had
n o thing t o d o with m o rtal b e ings W e k n ow that th es e .

claim s a re mad e but we al s o kn o w that th e y w e r e n o t mad e

by the Initiat e s and what can an ign o rant man kn ow o f
what goe s o n in the Mas on ic L o dg e E v e n s upp os e he w er e .

t old he w o uld n ot und e rs tand and thus it is with the

, ,

Anci e nt Mys t e ri e s and its s o call e d his t o rians -

.

R e garding the do ctrin e o f the Unity Cl e m e ns Al exan ,

d rin us s ays that the E gyp tian Hi e r o phant s taught it am ong

,
“
th e ir gr e at e r mys t e ri es The E gyp tians did n o t r e v e al
.

th e ir mys t e ri es indi s criminat ely to all n or e xpo s e th e ir ,

truths c o nc e rning th e ir g o ds to the pr o fan e but to th o s e ,

o n l y who w e r e to s ucc e e d to th e adm inis trati o n o f t he s tat e ;

a nd t o s uch o f the pri es t s a s w e r e o nly m os t appr ov e d by

'

th e ir e ducati on and qu a li ty
,
An d w e mu s t b e ar in mind
.
”

that thi s w a s the p e ri o d o f the Pri es t Kings or wh e n e a ch -

o n e b e f or e he c o uld b e King had to b e an Initiat e fir s t

, ,
It .

w a s during thi s t im e that E gypt w a s in all he r gl o ry .

C onc e rning the G r e cian mys t e ri es Chrys ippu s a s s tat e d , ,

“
by the auth o r o f the E t ym o l Magnum s aid : . T he s e cr e t ,

d o ctrin e c o nc erning divin e matt e rs a re rightly c a lle d

T e l e ta i f o r that th es e a r e the la s t things the initiat e d
,

s h o uld be inf o rm e d o f the s oul havi n g gain e d an abl e s up,

p o rt ( having found i ts e l f ) can k e e p s il ent b e fo r e the un

,
“
An d Cl emen s s t a te d : The d oc
”
in i tiat ed a n d pr of a n e .
 OR E GYPTIAN I N ITIATI O N .
47
trin es d e liv e r e d in the gr e at e r m ys t e ri es a re c onc erning the
univ e rs e H e r e all in s tructi on s e n d T hin g s a r e s e en a n d
. .

kn own a s they a re and n atur e and the things of natur e , ,

a re giv e n to b e c o mp r e h e nde d
”
In o th e r w o rds the things
.
,

o f the s pirit a r e kn o wn a s th e y a r e f o r man a s an Initiat e

, , ,

ha s fo und the Ch ri s t a n d th e r e f o r e the s o urc e of the s pirit ,

and he ha s als o b e e n t aught to kn ow the s e cr et s o f n atur e .

H e kn o ws all that m o rtal m a n c a n kn ow .

“
Strab o s aid N ature dictat e d to m en the in s tituti on of
the mys t e ri es a s w ell a s the oth e r rit e s o f r e ligi o n that the
, ,

s e cr e t c e l e brati o n o f the mys t e ri es pr e s e rv e s the maj e s ty

d u e the D ivin ity a n d at the s am e tim e im i ta tes i ts na tu re

, ,
”
which hid e s its elf fr om the s e n s es And h e r e w e a re
.

b r ought fac e to fac e with the my s te ry o f the thric e wi s e

“
H e rm e s wh e n he s aid As ab ov e s o b el o w As in, .
”

he av e n s o mu s t it b e o n e arth Man c a n n o t kn o w the s e cr ets

.

o f natur e unl es s he fir s t l e arn s the s e cr e t o f the s p irit o r

c om e s int o harm oni o us r elati on with the s p irit Th e r e f or e .

,

in o rde r to kn ow G o d man mu s t al s o l e arn to kn ow the l a ws

,

o f n atur e T he initiati o n w a s s imply f o r the purp os e o f

.

d e v el op ing a l l the faculti e s o f the human b e ing a n d mak e ‘

him a s unt o G o d Plutarch taught that

. The fir s t cau s e
o f a l l things is c o mmunicat e d to th os e w ho appr o ach the

t e mpl e o f I s is with prud e nc e and s anctity Idl e curi os ity .

c o uld avail n o thing ; the mys t e ri es c ould o nly be had in o n e

way and that way w a s by l iv in g the l ife a n d the re fo re c om e
,

in to c on s c ious c o m m un ic a ti on w ith G od or the g o ds .

T he tw o gr e at mys t eri es o f the E gyptian Initiati o n w e r e

the t e achings c o nc e rning the e xi s t e nc e o f the o n e Supr e m e
B e ing—the o n e G o d implying the e rr o r o f p olyth e i s m and
, ,

a futur e s tat e o f the s oul which naturally includ e d p re

e xi s t e nc e B oth o f th es e mys t eri es w e r e taught to the p e o pl e
.

but th e y w e re n ot und e r s to o d in the s en s es that th e y w e r e

taught in the in n e r mys t eri e s The p eo pl e co ul d n ot c om
.

pr e h end that th e y the m s e l ves o r rath e r the i r own c on

, ,

s c i e n c e mu s t be the judg e o f th e ir o wn act s .

Reg ardin g the d octrin e of obt a inin g the r emis s i on of s ins ,

46 MYSTE RIE S on I I
OS R S

It may hav e b e e n claim e d by the kn owing on e s that the

anci e nt rit es w e r e rit es o f lic e nti o u s n es s N othing c ould be .

furth e r fr o m the truth and n o mas te r n o Initiat e o f the ,

p a s t ages ha s e v e r claim e d s uch a thing Tru e w e find th es e .

;

things in b oo ks o n anci ent r e ligi on but th e s e bo oks a re n o t ,

by Initiat es T he v e ry fact that a lif e o f purity w a s d e

.

m e n d e d o f e ach a p ira n t p r o v e s thi s f o r a man cann ot liv e

s
,

b oth a pur e life and a lic e nti ou s on e .

It ha s als o b e e n s tat e d that it w a s taught that s uch

m as t e r s or f o und er s w e r e m o rtal m e n that Jup it e r M er , ,

cury B a cchus Mars w e r e m en in the fl es h at o n e tim e

, , , .

Thi s is al s o a n abs urd fal s e h oo d f o r th es e be in g s s impl y

r e pr es e n t e d a c e rtain gr e at p o w e r o r principl e an d ha d
n othing to d o with m o rtal b e ings W e k n ow that th es e .

c lai m s a re mad e but w e al s o kn o w that th e y w e r e n o t mad e

by the Initiat e s and what can an i g n o rant m a n kn ow o f

what goes on in the Mas o nic L o dg e E v e n s upp os e he w e r e .

t o ld he w o uld n o t und e r s tand and thus it is with the

, ,

Anci e nt Mys t e ri e s and its s o call e d hi s t o rians -

.

R e garding the d octrin e o f the Unity Cl em e n s Al exan ,

d rin us s a ys that the E gyp tian Hi e r o phant s taught it am ong

,
“
th e ir gr e at e r mys t e ri es T he E gyptians did n o t r e v e al
.

th e ir mys t e ri es indi s criminat ely to all n or e X pos e th e ir ,

truths c onc e rni n g th eir g o ds to the pr o fan e but to th os e ,

o n l y who w e r e to s ucc e e d to th e a dmini s trati o n o f t he s tat e ;

a n d to s uch o f the pri es t s a s w e r e o nly m os t appr o v e d by ,

th e ir e ducati on and qu ality ,

And w e mus t b e ar in mind
.
”

that thi s wa s the p e ri o d o f the Pri es t Kings o r wh e n e a ch -

o n e b e f o r e he c o uld b e King had to be an Initiat e fir s t

, ,
It .

w a s during thi s tim e that E gypt w a s in all her gl ory .

C onc e rning the G r e cian mys t e ri es Chrys ippu s a s s tat e d , ,

“
by the auth o r o f the E tym o l Magnum s aid : . T he s e cr e t ,

d o ctrin e c o nc e rning divin e matt e rs a re rightly cal l e d

T e l o te i f o r that th es e a re the la s t things the initiat e d
,

s h o uld be info rm e d o f the s o ul havi n g gain e d an abl e s up ,

p o rt ( having f o und i ts e l f ) can k e e p s il ent b e fo r e the u n

,
“
A m Th d
”
i n itiat ed a n d pr o f a n e n d C l.e e n s s t a te d : e o c
 on E GYP TIAN I N ITIATI O N .
47

trin es d eliv e r e d in the gr e ate r mys t e ri es a re c onc e rning the

univ e rs e H e r e all in s tructi on s en d Thin g s a re s e en a n d
. .

kn own a s they a re and natur e and the things o f natur e , ,

a re give n to be c o mp r e h e nde d
”
In o th e r w o rds the things
.
,

o f the s p irit a r e kn o wn a s th e y a r e f o r man a s an Initi at e

, , ,

ha s fo und the Chri s t and th e r e f o r e the s ourc e of the s pirit ,

and he ha s als o b e e n taught to kn ow the s ecr ets of n atur e .

H e kn ows all that m o rtal m a n can kn o w -

“
Strab o s aid N a ture dictat e d to m e n the in s titut io n o f
the mys t e ri es a s w el l a s the o th e r rit es o f r e ligi o n that the
, ,

s e cr e t c e l e brati o n o f the mys t e ri e s pr es e rv e s the maj es ty

d u e the D ivin ity and at the s am e tim e im i ta tes i ts n a ture

, ,
”
which hid es its e lf fr om the s en s e s An d h e re w e a re
.

br ought fac e to fac e with the my s te ry o f the thric e wi s e

“
H e rme s wh e n he s aid As ab ov e s o b el o w As in , .
”

h e av e n s o mu s t it b e o n e arth Man c a n n ot kn o w the s e cr ets

.

o f natur e unl es s he fir s t l e arn s the s e cr e t o f the s p irit o r

c om es int o harm oni ous r elati on with the s p irit Th er e f or e .

,

in o rde r to kn ow G o d man mu s t al s o l e arn to kn o w the l a ws

, ’

o f n atur e T he initiati o n w a s s imply f o r th e purp os e o f

.

d ev el o ping a l l the faculti e s o f the human b e ing a n d mak e

him a s unt o G o d Plutarch taught that
. The fir s t cau s e
o f a l l things is c o mmunicat e d to th os e w ho appr o ach the

t e mpl e o f I s is with prud e nc e and s anctity Idl e curi os ity .

c o uld ava il n o thing ; the mys t e ri es c ould o nly be had in o n e

-

way and that way w a s by l ivin g the l ife a n d the re for e c om e

,

in to c o ns c i ous c o m m u n ic a ti on wi th G o d or the g o ds .

The two gr e at mys t eri es o f the E gyptian Initiati o n w e r e

the t e achi n gs c onc e rning the e xi s t e nc e o f the o n e Supr e m e
B e i n g—the on e G o d implying the e rr o r o f p olyth e i s m and
, ,

a futur e s tat e o f the s o ul which naturally includ e d p re

e xi s t e nc e B o th o f th es e mys t e ri e s w e r e taught to the p e opl e
.

but th ey w e re n ot unde r s t o o d in the s en s e s th at th e y w e r e

taught in the in n e r mys t eri e s T he p eopl e c oul d n ot c om
.

pr eh end that th e y the m s e l ves o r rath e r th e ir own c on

, ,

s c ie n c e mu s t b e the judg e o f th e ir o wn act s .

Reg ardin g the doctrin e of obt a inin g the r emis s i on of s ins ,

48 MY STE R IES on I I
OS R S

by the p e rfo rmanc e o f c e rtai n m ys tic r t e s a s is cu s t o mary i

,

by the J e ws and which is foll ow e d by the R oman C ath olic

'

Church at the pr es e nt day thi s wa s n o t taught in the i n n er

,

“
mys te ri e s n or by Chris t f o r b oth plainly t a ught :
, As
ye s o w s o s hall ye r e ap Chri s t a s an Initiat e w a s taught
.

thi s l a w and in turn H e taught it to all the p e opl e .

R e gardi n g the laws o f M os e s for the p e op l e it n e e d but be ,

kn own that M os e s him e lf w a s an Initiat e in the E gy ptian

s

Mys t e ri e s a n d we mu s t c o nclud e with an auth o r who s tat e s

“
W e hav e n o pr ofan e r e c ords that can r e ach by many
"
s
,

hundr e d y e ars s o highly a s the anci ent s tat e and c on s titu

t i on o f the r eligi o n and p ri es th oo d o f E g ypt in and b e f o r e ,

the day s o f M os es . B ut a s the Mo s ai c c on s tituti on it s e lf

‘

w a s acc omm o dat e d to the n a tu ra l te m p e r an d bia s o f a

p e o pl e p e rf e ctly E g yp tia n iz e d a n d who kn e w n othing but
,

the L a n g ua g e R e l ig ion La ws and Cus toms o f E g ypt ; and

, , ,

a s thi s p eo pl e c o uld n eve r be br o ught o ff fr o m the r e ligi o n

and cu s t oms to which th e y had b e e n n a turaliz e d the his t o ry ,

o f M os e s an d the p r o ph e t s giv e s o n e alm os t a s ju s t and

ad e quat e a n o ti o n o f the r e ligi o n pri e s th oo d and w ors hip

, ,

o f E g ypt a s if th e ir o wn hi s t o ry ha d b e e n hande d d ow
,
n to
us . O f thi s w e n e e d n o o th e r o r m or e auth e ntic auth ority
, ,

than the M os aic l a w and his t ory And th ough M os e s a t .

t empt e d in his law to r e fo rm the religi o n o f E gypt with

, , ,

r e gar d to th e ir s ymb olical p olyth e is m o r s id eral w o r hip ,

s ,

y e t thi s c o uld n e v e r be e ff e ct e d ; but the gr o s s o f the p e o pl e

s till c o ntinu e d in the s ymb o lic w o r s hip o f E gypt e xc e pt ,

wh e n r e s train e d fr o m it by f o rc e an d c ompuls i o n unde r

s o m e o f th e ir kings But th e y imm e diat e l y f ell back again
.

t o the s am e s o rt o f r e ligi o n a n d w o r s h ip a s s o on a s that re ,

”
s tricti o n and l e gal p e rs e cuti o n w a s r e lax e d o r tak e n o ff .

C an we want m o r e e vid e nc e than this to pro ve what ha s

Th e r e a re n o r ec o rds o f the E gyptian Mys t e ri es to be

*

had by the p ro fan e But the O l d Initiati on a s in the tim e s

.
,

o f M o s es is s till to be had a s in the f or e tim e and the r e c o rds

, ,

to be f oun d in the s ec r e t a rchiv es , a r e a s c o m pl e te a s e v e r .

so MYSTE RIE S or O SIRIS
and of t tim es candi d a t e s o r s tud e nt s in the mys t e ri es w ould ,

l e av e the O rd e r or Pri es th oo d and his c o un try and s et up ,

f or hims e lf a n d in a clande s tin e m a nn e r witho ut the e r

,
p ,

mis s i on o r kn o wl e dge o f his s up e ri o rs and in s titut e and c e l e

,

brat e the mys t e ri es in s uch mann e r a s he kn e w the m It is .

n o w o nd e r that all c o untri e s r e c e iv e d th e s e d e g e n e rat e s .

Th e y c o uld n ot g iv e the tru th n o r the tru e initiati on and the

r es ult wa s a pr os titutio n o f the rea l mys t e ri es with the c on
s e qu e nt f o ul d e e ds Such wa s the o riginal o f th os e h o rrid
.

impi e ti es c o mmitt e d i n the mys t e ri es o f B a cchus at Ro m e ,

o f which the hi s t o rian Livy ha s giv e n an acc o unt f o r in the

, ,

b e ginning o f his s t o ry he t ells o f the mis chi e f whic h w a s

,

o cca s i o n e d by o n e o f th e s e pri e s t s ( bringing the mys t e ri es

int o E truria o n his o wn r es p o n s ibility unco mmi ss i on e d by ,

his s up e ri o rs in G r e e c e fro m wh o m he had l e arnt th e m ;

'

and unauth o riz e d by the S tat e int o which he had intr o duc e d
th e m The w o rds o f Livy s h o w th a t the my s t e ri es we r e in
.
,

th e ir o wn n atur e a v e ry di ff e r e nt a ff air and w e r e f or the

, ,
“
impr o ve m e nt o f kn o wl e dge and virtu e A G r e e k o f m e an
.

e xtractio n ,
a littl e pri es t and s ooths ay e r cam e firs t int o ,

E truria with o ut any s kill or wi s d o m in mys t e ri o us rit e s

, ,

many s o rts o f which that m os t impr ov e p e o pl e hav e br ought

,

in am o ngs t us f or the cult ur e and p e rf e cti o n o f b o th mind

,
”
and bo dy .

It is thus that the t e rribl e de e ds w e r e br o ught ab o ut in

a l l c o untri e s n o t by the Initiat es o r Hi e r o phant s
,
but by ,

f o ol s who w e r e j e al ous o f thos e who taught the truth and

,

thus graft e d up o n a p e opl e the gr e at es t o f crim es und e r

s acr e d s ym bo l s T he H i e r o ph a n ts Pri e s t s and Ini tiat es
.
,

w e r e n o t to bl a m e th ey k e pt the mys t e ri es in th e ir firs t

,

puri ty —it w a s th o s e who kn e w n othing who did the e vil .

And j u s t a s fas t a s th es e pr o f a n e mys t e ri e s w e r e tak e n up

by the p eo pl e j u s t that much did the r e al Initi a t es dra w
,

away fr o m the p e o pl e until at la s t o nly the fo ul r e main s o f

cland e s tin e p ri es ts r emain e d and the true m ys teries w e r e
n o l on g e r kn o wn to the p eo pl e .

At the time of Chri s t , th ere was but on e gr e a t O rd e r of

 OR E GYP TIAN I N ITIATI O N .
5:
th es e mys t e ri es kn own a n d thi s w a s the E ss enian Chri s t .

and many o f his di s cipl e s w e r e Initiat es o f th e se mys t e ri e s

“

a s is e a s ily pr o v e n Is C as aub on in his Annal s o f B a ron ius

' '

. .
,

s aid
“
Wh en the fath er s f o und it to be an e a s i e r way o f bring
ing o v e r mind s co rrupt e d by s up e rs titi on to the l ov e o f
, ,

tru th th ey firs t ad opt e d many t erms us e d i n th e ir rit es

,

a n d aft e r thu s tr e ati n g o f s e v e ral h e ad s o f the tru e d oc

l

trin es th e y fu rther ad opt e d s om e o f th e ir c er e m oni e s ; that

,

th e y might s e e m to be s ayin g a s Paul s aid to the G e ntil e s , ,

‘
Wh o m ye ign o rantly w ors hip the s am e d o I d e clar e unt o
.

’
you . Th enc e it cam e that the fath e rs c a l l e d the s acram e nts
by the s am e n am es a s w e r e u s e d to d es crib e the mys t e ri e s a s ,

m ues eis , te l e ta s , te l ei os ei, e p op te ia s , o r e p op s e ia s , te l es r eria ,

and s om tim e s but m o r e rar ely rites The E ucharis t th e y

, ,
.

e mphatically d e n ominat e d the my s t e ry o f mys t e ri es ; and

a ls o by aut on om y the mys t e ry o r in the plural the

, , , ,

mys t e ri e s And you may e ve rywh e r e r e ad in the writings

.
.

o f the fath e r s wh e n tr e ating o f the h oly c ommuni o n the

, ,

w o rds p hrie ta m ys te ria or a p ore ton m ys terien r e f erring

, , , ,

to th os e that w e r e to be divulge d and th os e that w e r e

So the G r e e k v e rb m yes tha i in the anci e nt writing is o ft e n
’
e mpl oy e d to s ignify the b e c oming a p artak e r o f the L o rd s

*
H e r e w e a re again fac e to fac e with the pr obl e m o f
t e aching the mas s e s Chri s t and his t e ach e r s or c o te a c he rs
.
,
~
,

w e r e Initiat es and kn e w the truths a s taught in the initia

ti on Th ey tri e d to t e ach the mys t e ri es to the p e opl e but
.

f o und th e y c ould n ot t e a ch the ma s s es w ithout the f or m s

and ri tes o f the mys t e ri es I t is thu s s imply the s am e o l d
.

s t o ry a s in the tim e o f An ci e nt E gyp t It is e v e r thus . .

*
Bl ight h e r e w e hav e the s am e thing a s in the Anci e nt
Mys t e ri e s o f the E g yptian An in ner and an oute r my s t e ry
. .

T he i n ne r which b e l onge d to the fa the rs o r Initiat es and a n ,

o ute r which w a s to be giv e n to the m a s s es It do es n o t be .

c om e s ch olar s to c ond emn the Anci e n t E gyptian s wh e n th ey

will fin d that the e arly and true Chri s tian s had the s a m e
mys t eri es ,
52 MYSTERIES or OS IR I S
Suppe r ff a nd the t e rm m yes in f o r the
act its elf and m ys tes ,

f or the p ri e s t w ho is al s o call e d m ys ta g og o n and hie ro

,

te l e s te s fr o m the l a s tfr
, the te rm hie rop ha n t which m e an s ma s t e r ,

o r t e ach e r is d e riv e d
, In the G re ek liturgi es and e l s e wh e r e
.

hie re te l e te and c ryp hia ka i ep ip ho bos te te te ( the hidd e n

,

and awful mys t e ry ) m e an s the E uc ha ris tfi “

And a s c ertain d e gr e es w e r e u s e d in the Anci ent rit es ,

s o in lik e mann e r D i o nys ius divid e s the wh o l e traditio n o f

the sa cram e nts int o thr ee di s tin g uis h e d by th e ir s e a so n and

,
L
c e r em on ies j
-

The firs t w a s c a tha rs is the purg a ti on o r , ,

purifica ti on the s e c on d the m yes ti s o r initiati on and the

, ,

third te l e os is or the c on s um m a tion i which th e y al s o f re

,

qu e ntly call e d ep op s ia n o r the re ve re d Tully had b e fo r e

,
.

a ffirm e d that the Ath e nian my s t e ri es br ought to the dying

TT he ’
L o rd s Supp e r is n othing m o r e o r l es s than the c o n
s ummati o n o f the d e v e l o pm e nt o r in i tia ti o n o f an as pirant .

Wh e n he re ach e d the las t of the mys te ri e s i e wh e n he had , .

foun d Chri s t or l e arn e d to kn ow that he w a s the te m p l e of

,

the l ivi n g G od he b e c a m e a p artak e r o f the L o rd s Supp e r

’
.
,

Thi s is the me aning o f that m uch abu s e d t e rm .

*
H e re a g ain w e find that the E uchari s t w a s n ot o rigin al
with the Chri s tian s but that the s am e w a s kn o wn and the ,

s am e wa s ,
w ith the Anci e nt G r e e k mys t e ri e s This w a s .

kn own c e nturi es b e f or e the Chri s tian p e ri o d .

TH e re again w e hav e the thr e e c e r e m o ni e s o f the Anci e nt

Mys t e ri es It c orr es p o nd s c o rr e ctly w ith both the numb e r
.

o f c e r e m oni es and w ith the s e a s on s o f the Anci e nt Mys t e ri es

and th e re is a g ain no thing n e w in this o r anything which ,

o rigin a t e d with the Chri s tian s .

i T his al s o is e xactly that which we find in the Anci e nt

Mys t e ri es 1 T he e nt e ring o f the a s pirant durin g which
. .
,

s tag e he had to purify him s e lf in th o ught s in livi n g an d in ,

all o th e r things 2 T he training and d e v e l o pm e n t and the

. .

final mys t e ri e s 3 The c on s ummati on in which he f oun d

. .
,
“ ”
that he wa s the v ery Son o f G o d o r in o th e r w o rds that , .

“
l ivin g t e mpl e o f the l iv in g G o d
”
he w a s the a s Chri s t ,

taught us that w e w e r e Thu s w e hav e pr oo f p os itiv e that

.

the Chris tian mys t e ri es w e r e n o thi n g m o r e than the Anci e nt

My s t e ri es unde r an o th e r a s p e ct and change d so a s to m eet
the de m a n ds of the ti mes .
 OR EGYP T IA N I N ITIATIO N .
53
b e tte r h o p es O n th ei r part the fath e rs maintain e d that
.
, ,
”
the mys t e ri es o f Chri s t bro ught c e r tain s alvati o n and
e t e rnal life to th os e who w o rthily part o o k o f th e m ; and that

f o r th o s e who c o nd e mn e d th e m th er e w a s n o s alvati o n ; and

th e y did n o t s crupl e to s a y that the en d and ultimate fruit
o f the s acram e nt s wa s d e ific a tion fi wh e n th e y kn e w that the

autho rs o f tho s e vain s up e rs titio n s i had da re d to p romis e

the s a m e h o n o r to th e ir initiat es And th e re for e yo u may
.
, ,

r e ad in the fath e rs that the e n d o f the holy m ys ta g og ies wa s

d e ific a tion and that th o s e who faithfully r e c e ive d th e m
,

s ho uld in the lif e to c o m e be G o ds Atha n a s ia s ha s us e d the

.

v e rb the op oi es tha ( to d e ity ) in the s am e s e n s e and s ubs e ,

qu ently c o nfirm e d it by s a ying that by partaking o f the

,
‘

O f the s ymb o ls o f
’
s p iri t we a re unit e d to the G o d h e ad -
.

the s acram e nts by which th o s e c e r e m o ni es a re c e l e brat e d it ,

is n ot h e r e the plac e to tre at ; but that which is call e d a

*
I t is r e ally a fact that the mys t e ri es o f Chris t d o bring
c e rtain s alvati o n to the Initiat e but thi s mu s t be und e r
,

s t oo d in the s e ns e us e d T he mys t e ry o f Chri s t is n o l es s

.

than to find the Chri s t wi thin o urs e lv es thro ugh c e rtain d e

v e l o pm e n t ,purificati o n m e diati o n etc
, This can be a o , .

c o mpli s he d a s the s acre d frat e rnity a t thi s day is proving .

“
J es us taught that w e like him w e r e all the S o n s o f the
, ,
”
Living G o d and that it wa s o nly n e c e ss ary to fo ll ow his
in s tructio ns in o rde r to o btain the bo ok o f imm o rtality o r ,

the b e c o ming o f the S o ns o f G o d .

tT he s acram e nt o f d e ific a tio n is n o t imp oss ibl e f or did ,

“
n o t J e s u s hims e lf t e ach that w e w e r e but le s s e r G o ds ? Ye
a re the t e mpl e o f the Livin g G o d
”
th e re f o re w e through
, , ,

a c e rtain life can b e c o m e the t e mpl e s o f G o d In o th e r

, .

w o rds if in acc o rdanc e with the wo rds o f J es us hims e lf

, , ,

G o d can be bro ught to dw e ll in us why th e n a r e w e n o t ,

d e ifie d ? Sure ly thi s mu s t be s o o r the v e ry f o undati on o f the

Chris tian r e ligio n is a farc e It is truth h o w e v e r a s tru e a s
.
,
“
it wa s in the tru e E gyp tian Mys t e ri es o r Initiati o n He .

w ho hath m os t o f l o v e hath m o s t o f G o d f o r G o d is l ov e , .

i It is plain to s e e that the autho r him s e lf b e li e v e d n e ith e r

in the Chri s ti e t e achings n o r in the Anci e nt Mys tgrie s .

H o we v e r the b elie f o r di s b e li e f o f man n e ithe r hurts n or

,

d o es a n y go o d to e i th er the ol d or the n e w my s t e ries .

 MYSTE RIE S or
'

54 OS IR IS
s ym bo l faith is vari o us in its kinds a n d th e y s erve a s
of ,

token s o r tes ts by which the fa i thfu l m a y re c og n iz e ea c h

o ther . An d w e s h o w that the s am e w e r e u s e d in the Anci e nt
‘
Mys t e ri e s The f ormula pr on o unc e d by the d e ac ons D e
.
,

p art h e nc e all ye cat e chum ens all ye p os s ess e d a n d u n

, ,

initiat e d c o rr e s p onds with the p ra c u l es te p ro fa n i o f the

,
’ ‘ ’

anci e nt s Many rit es o f the anci e nt s w e r e p e rfo rm e d in the

.

n ight and G ua d e n tius ha s the e xp res s i o n s p l en d id is s im a

,
‘

n o se v ig il ia rium , the bright es t night o f the vigil s And a s to .

what we hav e s aid o f the s il en c e o bs e rve d by the anci ents in

th e ir s e cr e t d ev o ti ons the anci e nt o r firs t Ch ri s tians s o far
,

appr ov e d tha t the y ex c ee d ed a l l their m ys te ri es i n tha t o b

,

s e rva n c e .And a s S en e ca ha s obs e rv e d the m os t h oly o f the ,

s acr e d ri t e s w e r e kn o wn to the ini tiat e d o nly ; an d J a m

bl ic hus o n the phi l os o phy o f the Pythago r e an s ha s d is

tin g u is he d b e tw ee n the a p orre ta which c o uld n o t be c arri e d
a bo ard and the exp hora which might ; s o the e arly Chri s
, ,

tian s di s tinguis h e d th e ir wh ol e do ctrin es int o th os e which

might be divulg e d to all ( the exp hora ) and the a p orre ta o r ,

a r c a n e which w e r e n ot ra s hly to be di s cl os e d
,
Th e ir d o gma s .
,

s ays B a s il us th e y k e pt s e cr e t th e ir p r e aching w a s p ub l ic
, , .

And Chrys os t om tr e ating o f th os e w ho w e r e baptiz e d f o r

-

,
‘
the d e ad s ays I v e rily d es ir e to r elat e the matt e r fully but
, , ,
’
I dar e n o t be p articular b e caus e o f the uninitiat e d ,
Th e y .

mak e it difficult f or u s in the int e rpr e tati on an d oblig e u s ,

e ith e r to s p e ak with o ut pr e ci s i o n o r e ls e to di s cl os e what ,

th e y s h ould n o t be info rm e d o f ; and as the anci e nt s us e d '

the t e rm e x orc heis tha i ta m ys te ria t o uching th o s e w ho di ,

‘
v ul g e d the my s t e ri e s s o D i o nys ius s ays Se e that you d o
, ,

n o t dis cl os e n or s lightly r e v e r e nc e the my s t e ri e s and e v e ry

, ,

wh e r e in Aug us tin us yo u will re ad o f the s a cram e nts kn own

,

to the faithful An d thus ( in J oha n n em tract xvi ) all the

.
,
‘

cat e chum e n s alr e ady b e li e v e in Chri s t but Chri s t d o es n ot ,

t rus t th em ; and if w e s h oul d a s k o n e o f th e m w h eth e r he e a t

o f the fl e s h o f the Son o f m a n he w o uld n o t und e r s tand ,
‘
what w e m e ant and a g a i n T he c at e chum en a r e i g n or a n t ,
 on E GYPTIAN m rru rl on '
.
55
of
’
what the Chris tians r e c e iv e Le t th e m blu s h that th e y
.

a re ign o rant .

“
A cate chum e n is a candidat e f o r baptis m o r a p ers o n ,
i“
w ho pr e p a re s hims e lf f o r r e c e iving it T owards the e n d .

o f the firs t c e ntury Chri s tian s w e r e divid e d int o two o rd e rs

, ,

di s tinguis h e d by the n am e s o f be l ievers and c a tec hum e n s ?

T he latt e r a s c o ntra di s tingui s h e d fro m the fo rm e r w e r e
,
-

s uch a s had n o t ye t b e e n d e dicat e d to G o d and Chri s t by

ba ptis m a n d w er e th e re fo r e a d mitt e d n e ith e r to the h oly

, , ,

c ommunio n n o r to the e ccl es ias tical a ss e mbli es As th e y .

w e r e n ot all ow e d to a ss is t at the c el e brati o n o f the eu c ha ris t

the d e ac o n di s mi ss e d th e m aft e r s e rm o n with thi s f o rmula
, , ,
“ ”
I te ca tec hum en i m is s a es t .

“ ”
Q ua d n oru n t fid el es what the faithful kn ow Th e s e
, .

wo rds o r a s e xpr ess e d in G r e ek I s a s in oi p e m u e m e n oi

, , , ,

fo rm s what may be call e d the w a tc hw o rd o f the s ec re t and l

,

o ccur c o n s tantly in the fath e rs Thus St Chrys os t o m f o r ‘

i n s tanc e—in wh os e writings Ca s aub o n remark e d the r e cur

. .
,

r e nc e o f this phras e at l e as t fifty tim es in s p eaking o f the ,

“
t ongu e ( c omm e nt in P s a lm s ays r e fle ct that thi s is ,

the m e mb e r with which w e r e c e iv e the tre me n d ous s acri

fic e—the fa i thfu l kn o w w ha t I s p ea k Hardly l e s s f re
qu e nt is the o ccurr e nc e o f the s am e phra s e in St Augus tin ‘

.
,

who s e ld o m v e ntur es to intimat e the eu c ha ris t in any oth e r

“ ”
way than by the w o rds qu od n o run t fid e l es .

“
It w a s in the third c e ntury wh e n the fo ll o w e r s o f ,

Chri s t w e r e m os t s e v e r ely tri e d by the fires o f p e rs e cuti on ,

that the dis ciplin e o f s e cr e cy with r es p e ct to this ( the

,

*
H e r e w e hav e with the Chris tian s a s with the mys t e ri es ,

firs t it w a s n e c es s ary to pre par e f or the baptis m which is ,

o nly an o th e r nam e f o r Initiati o n .

TIn this w e find n o thing s h o rt o f the l es s er and g re a ter

mys t e ri es The fi rs t f o r all in which all p e o pl e c o uld s har e
.
, ,

but the s e c o nd o nly f o r th o s e w ho w e r e pr e paring th e m

s e lv es f o r the gr e at e r Th e r e is n o di ffe re nc e what e v e r be
.

tw ee n the Anci ent and the Chris tian My s t e ri es exc e pt in

the nam e .
56 mvs rnn ms or o s n u
s

E uchari s t ) and the o the r m ys te ri es , w a s m os t s trictly ob

“
A faithful c onc e alm e nt s ays T e rtullian ,
is d ue to ,

a l l m ys teri e s fr o m the v e ry n a ture and c on s ti tu tio n o f th e m .

H ow much m o r e mu s t it b e d u e to s u c h m ys te rie s a s if th e y ,

w e re onc e di s c ov e r e d c o uld n o t es cap e imm e diat e puni s h

,
”
m e nt fr o m the hands o f man .

T he E gyptian s o b s e rv e d that fro m on e y e ar to an o the r

the o v e rfl owi n g o f the N il e w a s al way s p r e c e de d by an
e t es ian ( annual ) wind which bl o wing fr o m n o rth to s o uth
, , ,

ab o ut the tim e o f the p a s s age o f the s un und e r the s tars o f

the crab dr ov e the vap o rs t oward s the s o uth and gath e r e d
, ,

th e m in the middl e o f the c ountry ( E thiop a n o w N ubia ,

and Aby s s inia ) wh e nc e the N il e cam e ; which th e r e caus e d

,

pl e ntiful rain s that s w e ll e d the wat e rs o f the riv e r and

br ought o n the inundati o n of l ow e r E g yp t .

B ut th ey want e d the m e ans o f kn o wing e xactly the tim e

wh e n it s ho uld be n e c es s ary f or th e m to pr e p ar e f o r the
inundati on T he flowing o f the riv e r b ey ond its bank s hap
.

p e n e d s om e days s oon e r o r lat e r wh e n the s un w a s und e r ,

the s tar s o f the li on N e ar the s tar s o f C anc e r th o ugh

.
,

pr etty far from the b and o f the Z o di ac t oward the s o uth s

and a f ew w e e ks aft e r th e ir ri s ing th e y s a w in the m o rning ,

o n e o f the m os t brilliant if n o t the larg es t s tar o f the wh ol e

,

h e av e n s as c e nding the h oriz o n It app e ar e d a littl e b e fo r e

,
.

the ri s ing o f the s un w hich had r e nd e r e d it alm os t invi s ibl e

,

f or a m o nth o r tw o b e f o r e The E gyptian s th e n t ook the

.

ris ing o f thi s magnific e nt s tar a s the infallibl e s ign o f the

s un s p a s s ing und e r the s tar s o f L e o and the b e gin n ing o f
’
,

the inunda ti o n The s tar thu s b e cam e the public mark on

.
,

which e ve ry o n e w a s to k e e p a watchful eye n ot to mi ss the ,

in s ta n t o f r e tiri n g to the high e r gro und .

T he e arly E gyptian s gav e thi s s tar tw o nam es It w a rn .

e d th e m o f the dang e r wh er e up o n th e y call e d it T ha a ut

,

o r T ha yu a t the d o g ; they call e d it al s o the B a rke r

,
the ,

T ra v e l s in Searc h of , R e ligi o n , Phila ed 8 2

‘i
3 . .
p . .
58 MY STE RIE S or I I
OS R S

bl o wing with its dir e cti on which wa s fro m s outh to n o rth ;

,

al s o to m e as uring the d e pth o f the riv e r in o r d e r to r e gu ,

lat e th e ir hus bandry acc o rding to the quantity o f mud ,

which wa s always pro p o rti o n e d to the d e gr e e o f the in

cr e as e.

This s ymb ol w a s p e culiarly applicabl e to the E g yptian s

who inhabit e d the d e lta who by placing a re lianc e up o n the
,

warning pro vid e ntly giv e n by this s tar and in c on s e qu e nc e ,

r etiring to the high gr o und with the p ro duc e o f th e ir agri

cultur e might e nj o y the c omfo rts that s urro und e d th em
, .

This s am e n e c es s ity w hich r e nd e r e d the E g yptian s

a s tr on om e rs made th e m al s o p ainte rs a n d writ e rs The in .

s p ec tion o f the he av e n s had taught th e m at la s t ho w to r e gu

lat e th e ir tillage s o s trang ely cross e d by that dis p os iti o n

,

which wa s p e culiar to E gypt T he cu s t o m o f giving s ym

.

bol ic a l nam e s to the o bj e ct s that s e rv e d th e m a s rul es m o s t .

naturally l e d th e m to d elin e at e the fi g ures o f th es e s ym bo l s

in o rde r to inf o rm the n ati o n o f the w o rks in c o mm o n to
be d o n e and the annual e v e nt s with r e gard to which it w as
,

dange ro us to mi s re cko n Thi s s e rvic e wa s p e rf o rm e d by a

.

G ua rd ia n , theVic torio us In c onn e cti o n with the nam e o f

.

the figur e in the E gy ptian z o di ac , a s fr e qu e ntly g iv e n , w e

hav e N a z Se ir, o r N a e ir ; N a z Se ir me an s the Se n t P ri n c e
-
-
.

So the r o d that p r o mi s e d to c o me f o rth fro m the r oo t o f

J es s e is call e d N e tz er in the H e br e w Bibl e and is th e r e
”
tran s lat e d the branch , the prin c e ly s ci o n w ho s h o uld
“
s mith e the e arth with the r o d o f H is m o uth , and s lay the
”
wicke d with the s ign o f H is br e ath, and thi s Pri nc e is at
“
o nc e the S e nt Princ e , the M e s s iah ,
‘

the N e tz e r o f I s aiah
and the N az S e ir o f th e s e e qually p ro ph e tic c o ns t e llatio ns
-
.

“
And this is H im o f wh o m Matth e w s aid , H e cam e a n d
d we lt in a city call e d N azar e th , that it might be fulfill e d
which w a s s p ok e n by the Pr oph e ts , H e s hall be call e d, N a z
—
Seir eu e
”
( Matt. .

TT he Anubis , o r D o g s tar , s o u s e ful to the anci e nt E gyp

-

tian s , is the blazing s tar o f Ma s onry ; alth o ugh the maj o rity
o f the craft a re ign o rant o f thi s fact and its o rigin a s a
Ma s o nic s ymb ol , th e y a re o nly taught the m oral dr awn
fr o m its o riginal e mbl e matical us e .
 on E GYPTIAN I N I T IATIO N .
59

numbe r o f p er s on s app o int e d f or that purp os e and main

ta in e d at the public e xp e n s e wh os e duty it w a s to s tudy
,

the r e vo luti o n s and as p e ct s o f the h e av e nly b o di e s and to ,

c ommunicate the n e c e s s ary inf orma ti on to the p e opl e .

The H a wk and the H o op .

T he hawk and the h oo p w e r e the nam e s and the s ym

bo l ic a l figur es giv e n the two wind s the r e turn o f which the ,

E g yptian s w e r e m o s t c onc e rn e d to o b s e rve T he hawk s ig .

n ifie d the E t es ian n orth e rn win d which in the b e ginnin g , ,

o f the s umm e r dr o v e the vap o r s t o wards the s o uth and

, ,

which c o v e ring E thi opia with thick cl o uds th e r e r es olv e d

, ,

int o rains and mad e the N il e s we ll all al on g its c our s e T he

,
.

h oo p on the c ontrary s ignifi e d the s outh ern wind which

, , ,

pr om ot e d the draining o f the wat e r s and the re turn o f ,

which pr o claim e d the m e a s uring o f the lands and the tim e

o f s o wing As to the anal o gy and th e ir p e culiar r e s em
.
,

blanc e b etw e en a hawk and the n o rth e rn and a h o op and

, ,

the s o uth e rn winds :

N aturali s ts ob s e rv e d that the hawk d elights in the n orth ;
but that at the r e turn o f mil d w e ath e r and whe n s he cas ts ,

her fe ath e r s s he mak e s s outhward with he r wing s s p r e ad

, ,

and l ooks t o wards the plac e wh e nc e a warm air c om es ,

which may a s s is t the falli n g o f he r own f e ath e rs and re ,

s t o r e to her the b e auti e s o f y o uth In tim es o f the r e m o t es t

.

antiquity a n d e v e n b e fo r e M os es the Arabian s w ho w e r e

, , ,

the n e ighb or s and alli e s o f the E gyp tian s had an ide a o f ,

the hawk in all r es p e cts lik e that which naturali s t s n o w giv e

us . In the c o nve r s ati o n which G o d had with Job and ih ,

which he s h o ws that it is n ot man but the Cr e at o r w ho , , ,

by a s p e cial pr ovide nc e ha s vari e d all the p art s o f natur e

,

and to go o d purp os e ha s r e gulat e d the inclinati on s o f an i

“
mal s : D o es the ha wk H e s aid to him by thy wis d o m
, ,

s ha ke her o l d f e a the rs to g e t rid o f the m a n d s tre tc h he r

, ,

( Job 39 :2
”
wi n g s tow a rd s the s ou th ? Thi s bird o n ,

acc ount o f the dir e cti o n o f its fligh t at the r e turn o f the
h e ats wa s the m os t natur a l e mbl e m o r s ymb ol o f the a nnual
,
60 MYSTERIE S or o s mts

w ind , which bl ows fr om n o rth to s outh ab o ut the s umm e r

s o l s tic e and which o n acc o unt o f the e ff e ct s o f thi s d ire c
,

ti o n w a s o f s o gr e at imp o rtanc e to the E gyptian s .

T he hoc p on the c ontrary mak e s he r w a y fr om s o uth to

, ,

n or th She l iv e d on the s mall w o rm s an infinit e numb e r

.
,

o f which w e r e hatch e d in the mud o f the N il e She t o ok .

he r flight fr o m E thi o p ia int o high e r E g ypt and fr o m ,

th e nc e t owards M e mphis wh e re the N ile divid e d She , .

always f oll o w e d the c o ur s e o f the N il e a s it r etir e d within ,

its banks d own to the s e a , Fr o m this m e th o d o f h e rs s he

.

w a s em in e ntly fit to charact e riz e the dir e cti on o f the s outh

wind .

T he warning giv e n by the d o g s tar b e ing th e ir m o s t

imp o rtant c o nc ern the E gyptian s fr o m its ris ing anci e ntly
,

dat e d the b e ginning o f th e ir y e ar and the wh ol e s e ri es o f ,

th e ir f e as ts Wh e r e f or e in s t e ad o f r e p r es e nting it und e r
.
,

the f o rm o f a s tar which might n ot di s tingui s h it fr om a n

,

o th e r th e y d elin e at e d it und e r the fi g ur e r e lativ e to its

,

functi on and nam e Th e y call e d it the s tar d o g the do o r

.
-

k e e p e r the s tar which o p e n s o r s huts cl o s ing o n e y e ar a s

, , ,

it w er e and o p e ning an oth e r Wh e n th e y ha d a min d to

,
.

e xpr es s the r e n e wal o f the y e ar th e y r e p r e s e n t e d it und e r

the f o rm o f a d o o r k e e p e r e as y to be di s tingui s h e d by the

-

attribut e o f a hey ( a ) or e l s e th ey gav e it two h e ad s back

to back the o n e o f an ol d man which mark e d the e xpiring
, ,

y e ar and the o th e r o f a y oung on e which d e n ot e d the n e w

, ,
.

a B e f or e pr o c e e ding furth e r it may be w ell to giv e a

.
,
“
hint h e r e to the faithful s tud e nt in r e gard to the k eys o f
St P e t e r and whil e n ot much n e e d be s aid in e xplanati on
.
,
”
,

a qu otati o n fro m hi s t o ry if i ta l ic s a re n o t e d will e xplain

, ,

much .

“
Wh e n fre e ma s onry w a s fir s t e s tablis h e d in E ngland ,

s o o n aft e r the e dict o f C anut e in the b e ginning o f the ,

e l e v e nth c e ntury p r ohibiting in to to the D ruidical w or

,

s hip ( pr ob ably the s tud e nt w o uld lik e to be r e min d e d that

fr e e m a s on ry w a s e s tabli s h e d im m e d ia te l y aft e r the D ruidi

cal w o r s hip w a s f orbidd e n ) the s tr on g es t o ath s w e r e re
,
 OR E GYP TIA N I N ITIATIO N . I

quir e d to bind the initiat e d to s e cr e cy ; f or had the rea l

int e nt o f its found e rs b e e n kn own it w o uld hav e c os t th e m
th e ir liv es .

“
Canut e w a s s up e r s titi o us and that he w a s vi ndictive ,

is e vid ent fr o m his having mad e a pilgrimage to Ro m e ,

thr o ugh exc es s iv e r e ligi ous z e al and th e r e for e w ould hav e ,

punis h e d the D ruid s f o r any infracti on o f his e d ict with

m e rcil es s cru elty .

“
As s tat e d O a n ute o n e o f the m os t f e r o ci o u s o f warri or s
, , ,

made a p ilgrimage to R o m e O n the r o ad he vis it e d the .

m os t c e l ebrat e d church es l e aving e v e rywh e r e pr oo fs o f his ,

d evo tio n an d lib e rality O n his r e turn he p r o c e e d e d imm e .

d ia te l y to D e nmark but di s p atch e d the Alb t o f Tavi s t o ck

,

to E ngland with a l e tt e r d es cribing the obj e ct and i s s u e o f

‘
his j ourn e y In thi s l ett e r he s ay s : It is l o ng s inc e I
.

b o und mys elf by my v ow to mak e thi s p ilgrimage ; but I

hav e b ee n hith e rt o p r e v e nt e d by a ffairs o f s tat e and oth e r
imp e dim e nts N ow h ow e v e r I r e turn humbl e thanks t o
.
, ,

Al mighty G o d that H e ha s all o w e d m e t o vi s it the t omb o f

,
'

the bl es s e d ap os tl es Pe t e r and Paul and e v ery h o ly plac e

, ,

within and w ith out the city o f Ro m e and to h on o r and v e n ,

crat e th e m in p e rs o n An d this I hav e d on e b e c a u s e I ha d

.
,

l ea rn e d fro m m y tea c hers that the ap o s tl e St P e t e r re c e iv

‘

e d fr o m the L o rd the gr e at p o w e r o f bin d i n g and l oo s i n g

with the keys o f the kin g d o m of hea/ve n O n this acc ou n t .

I th ought it highly u s e ful to s olicit his p a tron a g e with

”
G od .

He c o nclud es his l ett e r Las tly I e n tr e at all my ,

bis h op s and all the s h eriffs by the fid e lity which th ey ow e

, ,

to m e and to G o d tha t the church du e s acc ordi n g to the

, ,

anci e nt laws may be p ai d b e fo r e my r eturn n am ely the

, , ,

l o w a l m s th e ti thes o f c a t t l e o f the pr e s ent y e ar the p e te r

p
—
-

, ,

p e n c e t h ,
e t ith e s o f f ru i t— n o w n o t e i h th e m id d l e of

Aug us t and the kirk s ho t at the f e as t o f St Martin to the

‘
-
.
, ,

p aris h church Sh ould thi s be omitt e d at m y r e turn I will

.
,

puni s h the o fie n d e r by exac ting the wh o l e fin e a pp o int e d

by law Far e ye w ell. Thu s a l l tith es ha d to be pa id in
.
62 MYSTE RIE S or OSIRIS
the middl e of Augu s t ,
the s am e tim e as wh e n the E g ypti a n
d oor k e ep e r
-
O p en e d the d o o r f or the o l d y e ar to pa s s o ut

“
a nd the n ew c om e in un d e r the e x a c t s a m e
”
to , keys as

St Paul i wa s
.
g i v e n to—what ? T o l oos e n or bi nd —s till
what ? L oos en the d o or of the Kingd om o f H e av e n f or ,
the
ol d to p as s o ut and the n ew to c om e in . H ere is a mys t e ry
which is e a s ily so lv e d and which e v e ry s tudent s h ould fully
und ers tand .

Whe n the p e o pl e w er e to be warn e d tim e o f th e ir

of the

r etr e at at the a p pr o ach of the inundati on in s t e ad o f the ,

two h e ads th e y put on the s h ould e rs of a human b o dy the

h e ad of a d og . T he attribut es or s ub o rdina t e s ymb ol s add ,

ed th er e t o w e r e the explicati o n o f the warning it gav e It

, .

w a s i n o rd e r to giv e the E gyp tians to und e r s tand th e y We r e

to tak e with th e m a s t o r e o f pro vi s i o n s and r e pair with all ,

s p e e d to the high gr o und o r th e ir rais e d t e rrac e s ,

and to ,

r e main th e r e qui e t by the wat e r s id e -

.

The E gyptian s e xp r e s s e d the s e v e ral incr e a s es o f th e ir

s w e lling riv e r by a c olumn mark e d with o n e tw o or thr e e ,

l in es in the fo rm o f a cr os s and s urr oun d e d with a circl e , ,

the s ymb o l o f G o d to charact e riz e Pr o vide n c e which g o v

, ,

e rn s thi s imp ortant O p e rati o n O ft e n in s t e a d o f a c olumn .

, ,

th e y mad e u s e o f a p ol e t e rminat e d lik e a T o r cr os s e d ,

with o n e o r m o r e tran s v e rs e p i e c es This wa s n ot the o ri g in .

o f the T cr oss a s many s e e m t o think f o r that w a s in its

, ,

o riginal f o rm the r e pr es e ntati o n o f the mal e and f e mal e in

p e rf e c t harm ony .

T he E gyptian s p aint e d the d eva s tati o n mad e by the

o v e rfl o wing wat e r und e r the figur e o f a drag o n a cro c o dil e , ,

a hi p p op o tamus o r s om e wat e r m o n s t e r which th e y call e d ,

O b ( a ) that is s we lling a n o v e rfl o wing and which th e y

, , , ,

afte r w ar d s call e d Pyth o n the e n e my , .

a The anci e nt E gypti an s aft e r th e y had a s c ertain e d the

.
,

gr e at b e n efit o f the inundati o n wh e n th ey w e r e pr o p e rly

r e ar e d f o r it chang e d the n a m e o f th e ir e v il ge niu s the
p p , ,
 on E GYPTIAN I N ITIATIO N . 63
*
wat e r m ons t e r fr om 0 b to P ython ; which had r e f e r e nc e
,

to the d e adly e ff e ct s o f the mias m ata ari s ing fro m the s tag
nant wat e rs l e ft up o n the l o wlands aft e r the r etiring o f the
inundati o n O vid make s the s e rp ent Pyth o n s pring fr om
.

the s t e a ms o f the mud which the d e lug e ha d l e ft up o n the

e arth ; and in thi s he is making an allus i on to Typh o n ,

wh os e nam e is the s am e by a s impl e tran s p os iti o n In mak .

ing Pyth o n s pring fro m the s lim e o f the d eluge doe s n ot ,

the p o e t p o int o ut th e r e by the n o xi o us s t e ams which ri s e

in E gypt aft e r the wat e rs o f the N il e hav e s ub s id e d ? Wh e n
und e r thi s e mbl e m the vict o ry o f O ru s o v e r Typh o n o r
, ,

he s ays that Ap o ll o s l e w him with his arr o w he c o nc e al s ,

the triumph o f the s unb e am s o v e r the vap o rs o f the N il e .

Pyt ho n is d e riv e d fro m P ytho G r e ek to putrif y The s e r , , .

’
p e n t Pyth o n s b e ing s lain by Ap o ll o is thus int e rpr et e d
By Pytho n is to be und e rs to o d the ruin s o f wat e r ; but
Ap o ll o—the Sun— dis p e rs ing the vap o rs by his a rrows the ~

Sunb e ams —s l e w thi s s e rp e nt

.

Typhus a s p e ci es of c ontinue d f e ve r ha d the s am e o rigin

, , .

”
It may be occa s i o n e d s ays H oop e r in his M e dical D ic
.
, ,

tio n a ry ,
by the e fflu via ari s ing fr om e ith e r animal o r
v e ge tabl e s ubs tanc es in a d e cay e d o r putrid s tat e ; a n d
h e nc e is that in l o w and m a r s hy c ountri es t is a p t to be
,
i

pr e val e nt wh e n int en s e and s ultry h ea t quickly s ucc e e ds

,
”
any gr e at inundati o n .

An oth e r m e th o d o f c ommunicating to the p e opl e in f o r

mati on r e s p e cting the inundatio n wa s by publicly e xp os ing
thre e v ess el s o r m e a s ur es b e ing pitch e rs o f un e qua l cap aci
,

ti es well kn o wn to the p e opl e with out any pro cl amati o n

, ,

o r m e ss e ng e r s which s e rv e d to s h o w th em the incr e a s e and

,

diminuti o n o f the N il e Thi s is the m e aning o f th es e v e s

.

s e l s b e ing so c o mm o nly f o und in the E gyptian m onum e nts .

“T he d es c e n dants o f Africa in the W es t Indi es m o r e ,

e s p e cially in s o m e parts o f Hayti s till r e tain the nam e o f ,

O b o r O bi by wh os e aid th e y p e rf o rm i n magic p o w e r s
, ,
.

Th e ir s ym b o l is m o s t u s ually a whit e s e rp e nt which is a t

t e nd e d a s th ough it w er e a g od .
 MX b l b tfim b
'
’
U1 “ .
Ub U Ol b

The n am e c a n o b, o r c a n op u s ,
giv e n th es e v ess e ls is fo und e d ,

o n the u s e mad e o f th e m Co n o b s ignifi e s the fa tho m o f the

.

d ra g on the m e a s ur e o f the o v e rfl o wing Fr o m c a n e a p e rch

,
.
, ,

a fath om a ro d o r can e to m e a s ur e ; and fro m 0 h the

, , ,

dragon .

The can o p i a re v e ry c o mm only t e rminat e d by on e o r t wo

‘

cr os s es T he to p o f the va s e is al s o o ft e ntim es s urm ount e d

.

’
with s e v e ral birds h e ad s to s ignify and charact e riz e the ,

s e v e ral wind s which th e y kn e w a n d which e ith e r a s s is t e d ,

o r r e tard e d the incr e a s e o r the l o w e ring o f the wat e r s ;

s o m e tim es th e y put up o n the can o pu s the h e ad o f a d og to ,

s ignify the s tat e o f the riv e r o r the tim e o f the ri s ing o f ,

the d o g s tar -
And at oth e r tim e s th ey put th e r e o n the he ad
.

o f a maid to mark o ut the s tat e o f the N il e und e r the s ign

,

o f the virgin and at the appr o ach o f the draining o r r e tir

,

ing o f the wat e r .

The c o nv e ni e nc e o f that la n guag e which r e nd e r e d it s elf ,

int e lligibl e to the e yes and in s om e s e n s e mad e animals and

,

e v e n s t o n e s th e m s el v e s to s p e ak by d e gr e es b ecam e m o r e ,

c o mm o n It w a s e xt e nde d gradually to e ve rything T he

. .

s ymb olic writing s o o n s e rv e d a s the rul e o f m o ral s a s w e ll ,

a s the r e gulati o n o f hu s bandry It wa s mad e u s e o f to .

p e rp e tuat e am o ng the p e o pl e the kn owl e dg e o f the m os t

imp ortant truths and to inculcat e th eir pri ncipal duti es
,
.

O s iri s , or the So l a r Yea r .

y e ar r el at es to thr e e princip al o bj ect s T o the c o urs e

T he .

o f the s un the o rd e r o f the f e a s t s o f e ach s e a s on a n d to

, ,

the wo rk in c omm o n t o be d o n e .

T he s un the grand e s t o bj e ct i n natur e had als o its p e c u

, ,

l iar charact e r o r mark in the s ym ibol ic a l writing It w a s .

call e d O s iri s This w o rd s ignifi e d the in s p e ct o r the c o ach

.
,

man or the l e ad er the king the guid e the m o d e rat o r o f

, , , ,
.

the s tar s the s ou l of the w o rl d the g ov e r n or of na ture and

, , ,

in the Chris ti an tim e s b e c a m e the r ep r es e n ta tive o f the Son

o f Man Fr o m the e n e rgy o f the t e rms o f which it wa s
.

c o mpo s e d , it s i gnifi ed in g e n e r a l the g ove rn or of the e a rth ,

66 MYSTE RIE S or 0 8 1 121 8

or O s iri s , th ey w e r e c ont e nt e d with a c e n o taph an e mpty ,

t o mb A va s t c onc o urs e o f p e o pl e gathe r e d n e ar th e s e p re

'

t e nd e d t omb s and with p o mp c e l e brat e d an annual fe a s t

,

th e r e Th es e t omb s th ough m e r ely repr es en ta tive w e re

.
, ,

b e c oming a ne c es s ary p art o f the c e r e m o nial T he Cr e tan s .

,

b e ing o f E g yptian e xtracti on had th e ir o wn f e as ts o f O s iri s ,

o r J eho v the f e a s t o f th e ir g o d
,
and o f c o urs e the f e as t , , ,

o f th e ir g o d and o f the e mpty t o mb w a s in s e parabl e fr o m

, ,

that s ol emnity and fr o m this anci e nt s ymb oli s m w e hav e

the c offin o f Hiram am ong the e mbl e matical figur e s o f m o d
e r n fr e e ma s o nry .

In the c oll e cti o n o f Mo un tf a uc o n is a c o py o f a p ainting

o n a mummy r e pr e s e nting the d e ath and r e s urr e cti o n o f
,

O s iris and the b e ginning p r o gr e s s and e n d o f the inun

, ,
'

dati o n o f the N il e .

“
T he s ign o f the li e n is tran s f o rm e d int o a c ou ch up o n ,

which O s iri s is laid o ut a s d e ad ; und e r which a r e f o u r

can o p i of vari ou s cap aciti e s indicating the s tat e o f the N il e ,

at d ifie ren t p e ri o ds T he fir s t is t e rminat e d by the h e ad

.

o f the d o g s tar -
which giv es warning o f the appr o ach o f
,

the o v e rfl o w o f the r iv e r ; the s e c on d by the h e ad o f the

hawk the s ymb o l o f the E t es ian w ind which te nds to s w e ll
, ,

the wat e rs ; the third by the h e ad o f a h e r on the s ign o f ,

the s o uth w ind which c o ntribut e s to pr o p el the wat e rs int o

,

the M e dit e rran e an Se a ; and the f o urth by that o f the Vir

gin which indicat es that wh e n the s un had p a s s e d that s ign
,
e
,

the inundati o n w o uld hav e n e arly s ubs ide d .

“
T o the ab o v e is s up e radd e d a larg e Anubi s who with , ,

an e mphatic g es tu1 e turning t o w ards I s i s who has an ,

,

e mpty thr o n e o n h e r h e ad intimat es that t h e s u n

,
by th e ,

aid o f the li on had cl e ar e d the di fficult p as s o f the tro pic o f

,

C anc e r and w a s n ow in the s ign o f the latt e r and alth o ugh

,
,

in a s tat e o f exhaus ti on w o uld s o o n be in a c o nditi o n to ,

pr o c ee d o n his wa y to the S o uth at the s am e tim e s giv e to , ,

the hu s bandm e n the imp o 1 t e nt warning o f r e turning to

v
a o id the inundati o n T h e e mpty thr o n e b
.
e ing in d icativ e

b ing vacat d b th d th f O SiI iS

‘

of his e e a o
e e y
 on E GYP TIA N I N ITIATIO N . 67

In m o de rn Mas onry the rai s ing by the grip of the li o n s

,
’

”
p aw of the b o dy o f G M Hiram W 11 0 a s the l e ge nd go es
“
. .
, , ,

had b e e n s lain by thr e e f e ll ows o f the craft is c op i e d fro m ,

this anci e nt myth o f the d e ath and the re s urr e cti o n ( a ) o f

O s iri s . T he p os iti o n o f the Ma s t e r Ma s on wh e n i n the act ,

o f rai s ing Hiram is an e xact fac s imil e o f that o f Anubi s

,

o v e r the b o dy o f O s iri s .

“
a
. By the E gyptian s a s by the P ers ian s o f the r e li g i o n ,

o f Zo r o as t e r b o th be f or e an d a f ter J es u s by I s ra elit e s a n d
, ,

by Chri s tians o f the fir s t and s e c ond c e nturi es the res urr e c ,

ti o n ha s b ee n int e rpr e t e d in two ways the o n e m a teria l and ,

a bs ur d the oth e r s p iri tua l and the os op hi c a l

, T he firs t is .

the p o pular id e a ( o f the unl e tt e r e d ma s se s ) finally ad opt e d ,

by the Church aft e r the r e pr es s i o n o f G n os tici s m the

s e c ond is the p rof o u n d id ea of the I n itia tes Acc ording to .

the firs t vie w the r es urr e cti o n s ignifi e s the r e turn o f lif e o f
,

the mate rial b o dy ; in a w o rd the r e c o n s tituti on o f the d e ,

c omp os e d or dis p er s e d c o rp s e s o it w a s imagin e d w as , ,

d es tin e d to take plac e at the c oming o f the Me s s iah or at ,

the Las t Judgm e nt t is us el es s to in s i s t o n the gr os s

.

mat e rialism and ab s urdity o f this c onc e pti on T o the In .

itia te the r e s urr e cti o n ha s a far di ffe r ent m e aning .

r e f e rs to the d o ctrin e o f the t ern ary c on s t ituti o n o f man .

It s ignifi es the p urifi c a tion o r re ge n erati o n o f the s id er e al ,

e th e r e al and flu id ic b o dy which is the v e ry o rgani s m o f the

, ,

s oul . Thi s p urifi ca tion may tak e plac e c omm e ncing fr o m

the p res en t lif e thr ough the in n er w o rk o f the s oul and a
, ,

c ertain m e th o d o f exi s t e nc e ; alth ough f or the g e n erality o f ,

mankind it finds acc ompli s hm e nt on l y afte r d e ath a n d

, ,

th e n f o r the s e only who in o n e way o r an oth e r hav e as pir e d

, ,

t oward s j us tic e and truth In the o th e r w orld hyp o c riey is .

imp os s ibl e Th er e s oul s app e ar a s th e y a r e in r e ality — th ey

.
,

fatally manife s t th em s e lv es und e r the f orm and c ol o r o f

th e ir e s s enc e ; dark and hid eou s if th e y a re evil ; radiant and
b e autiful if th e y a re go o d Such is the d o ctrin e giv e n by .

Paul in the E pis tl e to the Co rinthian s ( I Co r .

“
wh e re he f ormally s ays Th e r e is a natural b o dy a n d
66 MYSTE RIES or 0 8 1121 3

or O s iri s th ey w e r e c ont en t e d with a c en otaph an e mpty

, ,

t omb A va st c onc o urs e o f p eo pl e gathe r e d n e ar th e s e p re

'

t e nd e d t omb s and with p omp c e l e brat e d an annual f e a s t

,

th e r e Th e s e t omb s th o ugh m e r ely r epr es en ta tiv e w e re

.
, ,

b e c oming a n e c ess ary p art o f the c e r e m o nial T he Cr e tan s .

,

b e ing o f E gyptian e xtracti on had the ir ow n fe as ts o f O s iri s ,

o r J e ho v the f e a s t o f th e ir g o d
,
and o f c o urs e the f e as t , , ,

o f th e ir g o d and o f the e mpty t o mb wa s ins e parabl e fro m

, ,

that s ol e mnity and fr o m this anci ent s ymb oli s m w e hav e

the c offin o f Hiram am o ng the e m bl e matical figur e s o f m o d
'

e rn fr e e ma s o nry .

In the c oll e cti o n o f Moun tf a uc o n is a c o py o f a p ainting

o n a mummy r e pr e s e nting the d e ath and r e s urr e cti o n o f
,

O s iris and the b e ginning pr o gr e s s a n d e n d o f the inun

, ,

dati o n o f the N il e .

T he e 1 g u o f the l ie n is tran s fo rm e d int o a c o uch up o n

‘
,

which O s iri s is laid o ut a s d e ad ; und e r which a re f o u r

can o p i o f vari o us cap aci ti es indicating the s tat e o f the N il e ,

at di ff e r e nt p e ri o ds The firs t i s t e rminat e d by the h e ad

.

o f the d o g s tar -
which giv es warning o f the appr o ach o f
,

the o v e r fl o w o f the riv e r ; the s e c on d by the h e ad o f the

hawk the s ymb ol o f the E t e s ian w ind which te nds to s w e l l
, ,

the wat e rs ; the third by the h e ad o f a h e r on the s ign o f ,

the s o uth w ind which c o ntribut e s to pr o p e l the wat e r s int o

,

the M e di t e rran e an Se a ; and the f o urth by that o f the Vir

gin whi c h indicat e s that wh e n the s un had p a s s e d that s ign
”

,
,

the inundati o n w o uld hav e n e arly s ubs id e d .

“
T o the ab ov e is s up e radd e d a larg e Anubi s w ho with , ,

a n e mphatic g es tur e turning t o wards I s i s w ho has an

,
,

e mpty thr o n e o n h e r h e ad intimat e s that t h e s u n by

,
th e ,

aid o f the li o n had cl e ar e d the di fficult pas s o f the tro p ic o f

,

C anc e r and w a s n ow in the s ign o f the latt e r and alth o ugh

,
,

in a s tat e o f exhaus ti o n w o uld s oo n be in a c onditi on to ,

p r o c e e d o n his way to the S outh at the s am e tim e s giv e to , ,

the hu s bandm e n t h e imp o rtant warning o f r e turning to

av o id the inundati o n T he e mpty thr on e b e ing in d ica tiv e .

of h si b e ing vacat e d by the d e a th o f O s iri s .

 on E GYPTIAN I N ITIATIO N . 67

In m o de rn Mas onry the rai s ing by the grip o f the li o n s

,
’

”
p aw o f the b o dy o f G M Hiram w ho a s the l e ge nd g o es
‘

. .
, , ,

had b e e n s lain by thr e e f e ll ows o f the craft is c op i e d fr om ,

this anci e nt myth o f the d e ath and the re s urr e cti o n ( a ) o f

O s iri s .T he p os iti o n o f the Ma s t e r Ma s o n wh e n in the act ,

o f r ai s ing Hiram is an exact fac s imil e o f that o f Anubi s

,

o v e r the b o dy o f O s iri s .

“
a. By the E gyptian s a s by the P e rs ian s o f the r e li g i o n ,

o f Z o r o a s t e r b o th be f o re and a f te r J e s u s by I s ra elit e s an d
, ,

by Chris tians o f the fir s t and s e c ond c e nturi es the res urr ec ,

ti o n ha s b e e n in te rpr e t e d in tw o ways the on e ma teria l and ,

a bs urd the oth e r s p i r itua l and theos op hic a l

, T he firs t is .

the p o pular id e a ( of the unl e tt e r e d ma s s e s ) finally ad o pt e d ,

by the Church aft e r the r e pr es s i o n o f G n os tici s m ; the

s e c o nd is the p r o f ou n d id e a of the I n itia tes Acc o rding to .

the firs t vi e w the r es urr ec ti o n s ignifi e s the r e turn o f lif e o f

,

the mat e rial b o dy ; in a w o rd the r e c on s tituti on o f the d e ,

c omp os e d or dis p ers e d c o rp s e s o it w a s imagin e d w as , ,

d es tin e d to take plac e at the c oming o f the M es s iah or at ,

the Las t Ju dgm e nt t is u s e l es s to in s is t on the gr os s

.

mat e riali sm and ab s urdity o f this c onc e pti on T o the I n .

itia te the r e s urr e cti o n ha s a far di ff e r e nt m e aning It .

r e f e rs to the d o ctrin e o f the t e rnary c on s tituti o n o f man .

It s ignifi es the p urifi c a tion or r e ge n e rati o n o f the s id e r e al ,

e th e r e al and fiu id ic b o dy which is the v e ry o rgani s m o f the

, ,

s o ul . Thi s p urifi c a tion may tak e pl ac e c om m encing fr o m

the p res en t life thr ough the in n e r w o rk o f the s oul and a
, ,

c ertain m e th o d o f e xi s t enc e ; alth ough f or the g e n e rality o f ,

man kind it finds acc ompli s hm e nt on ly afte r d e ath a n d

, ,

th e n f o r thes e only w ho in o n e way o r an oth e r hav e as p ir e d

, ,

to ward s j us tic e and truth In the o th e r w orld hyp oc riey is

.

imp os s ibl e Th e r e s o ul s app e ar a s th y

. e a r e —
in r ality th ey
e ,

fatally manifes t th e ms elv es und e r the f o rm a n d c ol o r o f

th e ir e s s enc e ; dark and hid e ou s if th ey a r e e vil ; radiant an d
b e autiful if th e y a re go o d Such is the d o ctrin e give n by .

P a ul in the E pis tl e to the C orinthian s ( I Co r .

“
wh e re he f ormally s a ys Th e r e is a natural b o dy a n d
68 MYSTE R IE S on O SIR IS
th e r e is a Spiritual b o dy J es us s tat e d this s ymb o lically
.
,

but with gr e ate r pr o fundity f o r th os e w ho can r e a d the

,

s piritual s ens e o f the s e cre t c o nv e rs ati o n b e tw e e n him an d

N ic o d e mus T he m o re a s oul is s piritualiz e d the farth e r

.
,

will it be fr om the e arthly atm os ph e r e ; the fa rth e r away

the c os mic r e gi o n which attracts it by the l a w o f a fii n ity,
the m o r e di fficult its manif es tati o n to
This is thus the Chris tian r e s urr e cti o n and thi s w as u n
d ers to o d and s ymb oliz e d by the anci e nt E gypti an s In the
d e ath and r es urr e cti o n of O s iri s The mys t e ry ha s e v e r b ee n
.

the s am e .

In a v e ry ol d hymn to O s iris tran s lat e d by M Chaba s , .

,

O s ir is is addr e s s e d a s the Supr e m e B e ing :

“
L o rd o f E t e rnity King o f G o ds many a re thy nam es
, , ,

thy h o ly tran s fo rmati on s thy mys te ri o u s fo rm s in the

,

t e mpl es he abid e s in the human m o uth the cr e at o r o f ,

the w o rld At o um who am o ng the go ds fill s the b e ings wi th

.
,

happ in es s ; the b e n e v ol e nt s p irit am ong s p irit s .

Fro m him the c e l es tial abys s draws its wat e r s ; fro m him
c ome s the wind and air to bre ath e and e nt e r the n os tril s ,

f o r his s ati sfacti o n and the pl e a s ur e o f his h e ar t

“
H e cau s es the s o il to bring fo rth d e lici o u s p r o duc t .

H e av e n and the s tars o b ey him H e e p en s the gr e at p ortals ;

.

he is the ma s t e r o f inv o cati o n s in the s o uth e rn h e av e n s and ,

o f ad o rati o n s in the n o rth e rn h e av e n s H e is g oo d in

. .

will and w o rd he is the prai s e o f the gr e at g o ds and the

,

l o ve o f the littl e go d s .

T o s h ow the unifo rmity o f the divin e t e achings o f th

tru e Initiat e s c o mp ar e the ab o ve with v er s es 2 and 3 o f the
,

S ixth K a tha ka Up a n is ha d .

“
T he e ntir e univ e r s e m o v e s in the s pirit o f B rahma ; he
is the i s s u e o f that s p irit ; he is the gr e at f e ar the thund e r ,

b olt Th os e who kn o w him be c om e imm o rt al

. .

Thr o ugh f e ar o f him the fire burns ; thr o ugh f e ar o f him

the s u n s hin e s ; thr ough f e ar o f him the h e av e n s r e v olv e ;

a fl
The La s t G r ea t In iti a t e, by A Sc hur e
. .
 OR EG YPT IAN I NIT IAT IO N . 69
—
thr ough fe ar o f him d e ath d i e s ; he the s upre m e !”

“
P e rhap s the Chris tian r e ad er will e xclaim Why this is , ,

Panth e is m
Y e s d e ar r e ad e r thi s is p anth e i s m but p anth e i s m a s the
, ,

Initiates und e rs tand it an d n o t a s it is mi s re p re s e nt e d by

,

the un e nligh te n e d th eol o gian is the truth the o nly truth ;

, ,

whil e all the s tup e nd o us e dific e o f d o gma e re ct e d in age s o f ,

Spiritual darkn es s is a m o num e nt o f s up e r s titi on and

ign o ranc e that at the firs t ray o f s piritual illuminati o n mus t
crumbl e int o the dus t T he truth its e lf the kn o wl e dge o f
.
,

the o n e and all o f the divin e s o ul and s p irit within u s s hall

abid e f o r e v e r and a ye T he M ys te ry of the Ag e s .
”

’ “
In Re e s Cycl o p e dia w e find O ru s o r Hur e s ( t he y a re
the s am e ) a fam ous d e ity o f E gypt which a s w ell a s O s iri s
, , ,

w a s a n e mbl e m ( s ymb ol ) o f the s un

”
Macr obius w ho in
.
,

f o rms u s why the G r e e ks gav e H o ru s the nam e o f Ap o ll o ,

“
s ay s In the mys t e ri es ( S aturn lib I ) th e y di s c o v e r us
,
.

a s e cr et which o ught to be invi olabl e that the s un arriv e d a t

,

the upp e r h e mi s ph e r e is call e d Ap oll o

,
H e nc e w e may .

inf e r that thi s e mbl e matical d e ity w a s n o o th e r than the

,

s ta r o f d a y p a s s ing thr o ugh the s ign s o f s umm e r As

,
.

Ap oll o am ong the G r ee ks w a s c all e d the H o rus o f the

E gyptian s a s to his s kill b oth in m e dicin e and divinati o n s
, ,

he w a s r e gard e d a s the s a m e p e rs o n and call e d by the ,

anci e nt s H o rus Ap o ll o ( O rus wa s m o r e p articularly O s iri s

-

in his s e c o nd s tat e and r epr e s ent e d by the E g yptians a s a

,

child ) T he l e gend o f H o rus ha s b e e n thus explain e d T he

. .

wind Tha ms i n mad e gr e at ravage s in E gypt in the s pring ,

by rais ing whirlwinds o f burning s ands which s uff o cat e d ,

trav ell e rs dark e n e d the air and c ov er e d the fac e o f the s un

, , ,

s o a s to l e av e the e arth in p e rf e ct o b s curity T hi s circum .

s tanc e r e pr es e nt e d the d e ath o f O s iri s and the r e ign o f ,

Typh on Wh e n the s un appro ach e s the s ign o f the li o n he

. ,

change d the s tat e o f the atmos ph e r e dis p e rs e d th es e tem ,

p es ts and re s to r e d the n orth e rn winds which dro v e b e f o r e

, ,

th e m the malign ant vap o r s and pr e s e rv e d in E gypt c o ol n e ss

,

and s a lubrity un d er a burnin g s un Thi s w a s the triumph .

70 MYSTER IE S on O SIR IS
of H o rus ov e r Typh o n and his gl ori ou s r e ign As natural
, .

phil os oph e r s had ackn o wl e dg e d the influ e nc e of the m o o n

o v e r the s tat e o f the atm o s ph e r e th e y unit e d he r with this ,

g o d to driv e away the u s urp e r fr o m the thr on e T he p e opl e

-

c on s id e re d O s iri s a s the fath e r o f tim e might b es t o w the

“

n a m e o f his s on o n H o ru s who r eign e d thr e e m o nths in the

,

y e ar.

T he r e as on s which the inhabitants o f n orth e rn clim es had

f or lam e nti n g the ab s e nc e o f the s un wh e n in the s o uth e rn
h emi s ph e r e is b e autifully p ortray e d by a uis :
,
“
W e hav e in the expl anati on s of the lab o r s o f H e rcul es
, ,

c on s id e r e d the s un princip ally a s the p ot e nt s tar the d e ,

p os itory o f all the e n e rgi e s o f natur e w ho cr e at es and: ,

m e as ur es tim e by his march thro ugh the h e av en s and who , ,

taking his d e p artur e fr o m the s umm e r s o l s tic e o r the m o s t

e l e vat e d p o int o f his r o ut e run s o v e r the c our s e o f the
,

tw e lv e s 1 g n s in which the c e l e s tial b o di es m ov e; and with

th e m the di ff e r e nt p e ri o ds o r r e v oluti o n s o f the s tars und e r ,

the nam e o f O s iris o r o f B acchu s w e s hall s e e the ben e fi ,

c e nt s tar who by his h e at in s pring calls f o rth all the

, , , ,

p ow e rs o f g e n e rati o n ; who g ov e rn s the gr owth o f plants and -

tr e e s ; w ho rip e n s the fruits and who di s p en s e s to all s e e ds

,

that a ctiv e s a p which is the s oul o f v e ge tati o n an d is the ,

tru e charact e r o f the E gyptian O s iri s and the G r e e k

B acchu s It is ab ov e all in s pringtim e that thi s humid
.

g e n e ra tor d e v e l o p s it s elf and circulat es in all the ri s ing

,

pr o ducti on s ; and it is this s u n by its h e at that imp e l s its , ,

m o v e m e nt s and giv es it f e rtility .

“
Nve may di s tingui s h tw o p o int s in the h e av e ns which
limit the dur ati o n o f the cr e ativ e acti o n o f the s un and ,

th es e tw o p o int s a re th os e wh e r e the night and the day a re

o f e qual l e ngth All the grand w o rk o f v e g e tati on in a
.
,

gr e at p art o f the n orth e rn climat e s app e ar s to be c o mpri s e d ,

b etw e e n th es e tw o limits and its pro gr es s iv e march is fo und

,

to be in pr e p o rti on to that o f li g ht and h e at S carc ely ha s .

the s u n in his a n nual r o ut e attain e d o n e o f th e s e p oin ts

-

, , ,

than an activ e and pr olific f o rc e app e ars to e manat e f rom

 2 MYSTERIES O F I RI S
OS

plants dri e d up o r turn e d to putr e facti on o f nak e d trunk s

, , ,

o f arid land s with o ut cultur e o r c o v e r e d w ith s n o w ; o f

,

riv e r s ov e rflo w e d in the fi e ld s o r chain e d in th e ir be d by the

,

ic e o r o f vi ol e n t wind s that o v e rturn e v e rything What ha s

, .

b e c om e o f that happy t emp eratur e which the e arth e nj oy e d

in the s prin g and during the s umm e r ? that h a rm ony o f the
e l e m e nt s which w a s in acc ord with that o f the h e av e ns ?
,

that richn e s s that b e auty o f ou r fi e lds l o ad e d with grain

,

and fruit s o r e nam e ll e d with fl o w e rs wh os e o d o r p erfum e d

,

the air an d wh os e vari e gat e d c ol o r s pr e s e nt e d a s p e ctacl e

,

s o ravis hi n g ? Al l ha s dis app e ar e d and the happ in es s o f ,

m a n ha s d e p art e d with the G o d w ho by his pr es e nc e e m

, , ,

be l l is he d our clim es ; his r e tr e at ha s plung e d the e arth int o

m o urni n g fr o m which n othing but his r e turn c an fr e e he r .

“
H e w a s th e n the cr e at or o f all th es e b en efit s s inc e w e ,

a r e d e priv e d o f th e m by h is d e p artur e he w a s the s o ul o f ,

v e g etati on s inc e it la n gu i s h e d and c e a s e d a s s oon a s he

,

quitt e d u s What will be the t e rm o f his fligh t and o f his

.

d es c ent int o o th e r r e gi o n s ? I s he g o i n g to r e plung e natur e

int o the e t e rnal s had e o f cha os fr o m wh enc e his pr es enc e
,

had drawn it ?
Such w e r e the Inqui e tud es o f th es e anci ent pe ople w ho , ,

s e e ing the s un r e t ring fr o m th e ir c limat e

i f e ar e d that it ,

might on e day happ e n that he w ould aband o n th e m alt o

g eth e r ; fr o m th e nc e ar os e the f e a s t s o f H op e c e l ebrat e d at ,

the wint e r s ol s tic e wh e n th e y s a w thi s s tar ch e ck his m o v e

,

m ent and chang e his r out e to r e turn t oward s th e m But if

,
.

the h o p e o f his appr o ach w a s s o s e n s ibly f elt what j oy ,

w o uld n o t be e x p e ri e nc e d wh e n the s un alr e ady r e m o unt e d ,

t owards the middl e o f h e av en had cha s e d b e f or e him the

,

d a rkn es s which had e ncr o ach e d up on the l ig ht and u s urp e d

a p ar t o f its emp ir e Th e n the e quilibrium o f the day and
.

the night is r e e s tabli s h e d and with it the o rd e r o f n atu re

-

,
.

A n ew o rd e r o f things a s b e autiful a s the fir s t r e c omm e nc es ,

an d the e arth r end e r e d fruitful by the h e at o f the s un who ,

had r e n ew e d the vi g or o f y ou th e mb ellis h es h er s elf und e r

,
 on E GY PT IAN I NIT I ATION .

the rays o f the

I SI S o n TH E C IVIL YE AR
, .

The figure of the man w ho rul e s ( appar e ntly ) e v e rything

,

on e arth had b e e n th o ught the m os t pr o p e r e mbl e m to r e

, p
r es e nt the s un which e nliv e n s all natur e ; and wh e n the
,

E gyptian s want e d a charact e ri s tic o f the pr o ducti on o f the

e arth th e y naturally s e l e ct e d the o th e r s ex
, T he change s .

o f natur e the s ucc es s i o n o f s e a s ons

, and the s e v eral p ro ,
~

d uc tio n s o f the e arth which w e r e the s ubj e ct of c o mm o n

,

thanks giving w e r e e a s ily expr ess e d by the s e v e ral d ifie ren t

,

dr es s es giv e n the w om e n ( e ) .

a O s iris is the typ e o f the a c tive g e n era tin g and ben efi
.
,

c en t f o rc e o f natur e and the e l e m e nt s ; I s i s on the c o ntrary , ,

is the p a s s ive or r ec eivin g fo rc e the p ow e r o f c on c eivin g ,

and bringing f o rth int o lif e in the s ublunary w o rld O s iris .

w a s particularly ad o r e d in the s un wh os e rays v iv ify and ,

impart n e w warmth to the e arth and who on his a nnual ,

r e turn in the s pring app e ar s to cr e at e n e w all o rganic

,

b o di es I s is w a s the e a rth or s ublunary natur e in gen eral ;

.
,

o r in a m o r e c o nfin e d s e n s e the s o il o f E gypt inundat e d

, ,

by the Nil e the principl e of a l l f e cundity the G o dd es s o f

, ,

g e n e ra tion and p rod uc tion Unit e d to on e an o th e r O s iri s

.
,

and Is i s typify the u n ivers a l be in g the s oul of n a ture the , ,

p e nth e us o f the o rphic v ers e .

The E gyptian s s ol e mniz e d at the n e w m o on P ha m en o th ,

( March ) the e ntr anc e o f O s iri s int o the m o o n which plane t ,

it w a s b e li e v e d to f e cundat e that it in turn might f e cun d at e

the e arth o r I s i s .

Wh e n the s acrific e wa s int end e d to b e mad e in the day ,

I s i s w a s dress e d in whi te but if in the night s he w a s dr e s s e d

, ,

in bl a c k Th e y put a s ickl e in he r hand to d en ot e the tim e

.

o f harv e s t Wh e n the purp os e o f a f e as t w a s to re mind the

.

p eo pl e o f the s e curity affo rd e d by th eir dw e llings I s i s w a s ,

cr own e d with s mall t ow e r s T o imitat e the wint e r n e u .

m onia the h e ad o f Is i s w a s c ov e r e d with littl e fill e ts a n d

,

*
Abr eg e d e l O rig in e d e t ous l es Cult es , p
’
i
. 1 42 .
74 MYST ERIES on os tms

w ith kin s s e w e d t o ge th e r ; s om e tim es with f e ath e r s range d

s

o n e o v e r the oth e r o r with s mall s h e ll s n e atly s et by e ach

,

o th e r T h e r e w e r e at tim e s o n the h e ad o f I s is a craw fis h

.
-

o r crab s o m e tim es the h o rn s o f a wild g o at

, acc o rding a s ,

th e y had a mind to s ignify e ith e r the e nt e ring o f the s un

int o the s ign C anc e r o r the f e as t that w a s s ol e mniz e d at his
,

e nt e ring int o that o f Capric o rn In E gypt wh e r e the in .

,

habitants c o uld with c erta in ty j udge o f the p ro duct o f the

y e ar by the s tat e o f the riv e r th e y pr o claim e d a pl e ntiful ,

cr o p by s urr o unding Is is with a multitud e o f br e a s ts ; on the

c ontrary wh e n the pr es ag e o f f ertility w a s n ot fav o rabl e
, ,

th ey e xp os e d an Is i s with a s ingl e br e a s t ; th e r e by to wa rn
the p e o pl e to make am e nd s f o r the s malln e ss o f the harv e s t
by the cultur e o f v e g etabl es or by s om e o th e r indu s try All
,
.

o f th es e chang e s th e r e f o r e had an imp ortant m e aning f or

the p e opl e an d I s is or rath e r the dr es s o f I s is w a s chang e d

, , ,

acco rding to the m e aning or warning s he w a s to giv e to the

p e opl e .

T he E gyptians w ors hipp e d G od a s w oman ( divin e s o ul ) ,

und e r the nam e o f I s i s H e r ewith is an e xtract fr o m

.

“
P l eytes tran s lati on o f the Turin Papyr us the Imp er i s h
’
,

”
abl e .

“
T he s e lf b o rn mak e r o f h e av e n e arth wat e r s life fire
-

, , , , , ,

g ods mankind animal s cattl e r eptil es fis h e s kings all

, , , , , , ,

g o d
,
th e s e a s o n s ; wh o s e w a y I kn o w n o t f o r I kn o w n o t the ,

p ath o f the go ds B e h o ld Is is in f e mal e f o rm ! She em

.

br ac es myriad go ds s he j udges myriad s p irit s ,

She is .

n ot u n kn o wn n e ith e r in h e av e n n or o n e arth ; e v e n a s the

s un . She mak e s the divin e o n e arth and nam e s h e rs e lf in ,

he r h e art acc ording to her own will the v e n e rabl e g o d

, ,

”
d es s .

I s is m e ans light Lig ht is l if e Se e St J ohn chapt er 1

. . .
, ,

v e rs e 4 “
In him w a s lif e ; and the life wa s the light o f
m en .
I s is is the e quival e nt o f I e s u s I E s us s p irit s oul , ,
.

“ “
( I s is ) that is
”
T he s p irit is I and the s o ul is Bs u s
”
,
"
is the s pirit s oul which f o rm s the e t e rnal cros s
‘ ’
”
I e s us ,

r e s ulting in the manif es tati on kn o wn a s the b ody, it b e ing

 on E GYP TIAN IN ITIATIO N .
75

the expr es s i o n o f the Chris t o r inn e r ph e n om e nal a c

tivity o f this s pirit s o ul I es us s tand s a s the s ym bol o f the
-
.

s piritual p o w e r e x is te n t in man H e is n o t a n e mb o di e d
.

“
p e r s on but rathe r a principl e in e ve ry p e rs on H e c om e s
,
.

to s av e that is he e nf o lds the o rgani s m t unf ld

o o it — T he .
, ,

Art of Al c he m y, Ad ira m l e d
. .

Ne xt to O s iris o r the s ymb ol o f the s un and G o d the

, ,

E gyptian s had n o figur e that app e ar e d m o r e fr e qu e ntly in

th e ir a ss embli e s than I s is the s ymb o l o f e arth the m oo n
, ,

and the h oly m oth e r .

It is tru e that gradually the r e al m e aning wa s l os t to the

mas s es but thi s wa s n o on e s fault but the ir o wn a s it is in
,
’
,

the pr e s e nt day th e fault o f th e m o d e rn s in having l o s t the

tr ue me aning o f Mary the m oth e r o f J e s us ; al th o ugh our

,

p e opl e like the anci e nt ma s s es w o uld c o nde mn u s f o r s a y

, ,
“
ing s o Says a writ e r : It w a s f o rm e rly the gen e ral c us
.

tom to mak e s ac rific es and public pray e rs up on e m i n e n t

p l a c es and m o r e es p e cially in gr ov es to s h elt e r the p eopl e

, .

from the h e at o f the s un W h e n the I s is which pr o claim e d

.

the f e a s t s and wh os e figure s w e r e o n e o f the fin es t p art s o f

,

the c e r e m o ni es w a s onc e b e c om e the o bj e ct o f it and had

,

b e e n l o ok e d up on a s the di s p e ns e r ( rath e r than the s ymb ol

o f it o nly ) o f the g o ds o f the e arth o f which s he s till b o r e ,

the marks ; he r s e v e ral r e pr e s e ntati ons which o nly fo re ,

b o d e d abundanc e and j oy b e c o ming m o s t agr e e abl e to the

,

p e o pl e always e age r and cr e dul o us t he fal s e s e n s e a t

, ,

tribut e d to th e s e figur es mad e th e m pas s f or the s ur es t

m e ans o f obtaining pl e ntiful harv es t s Th e s e imag es thu s .

b e cam e to be w o r s hipp e d with s ol e mnity and w e r e plac e d in

the fin e s t w o o d s Cr o wds o f p e o pl e fl o ck e d to the r eligi o u s
.

f e as ts o f the l o v e ly qu ee n w ho l o ad e d th e m with bl es s ings .

T he c o oln e s s and b e auty o f the pl ac e wh e r e s he w a s w o r

s hipp e d had n o l es s e m influ e nc e than the attir e o f the g o d
,

d es s and in s t e ad o f calling he r the qu e e n o f h e av en th e y

, ,
”
o ft e n s tyl e d he r the Q uee n of the G ro ves .

She a l s o b e c a m e the qu e e n o f the h e rds , As teroth, the

 76 MY s rria ms OF o s mi s
'

'

gr e at fis h ,
or qu ee n of fis h es Ad ird a g a l
, ,
or the qu e e n of
Am a l c ta Ap phe rud oth .

T he G
“

r ee ks s o ft e n e d the s o und o f th es e w ords and gave ,

th e m the inf e cti on and turn o f th e ir o wn language T he .

qu e en o f h e rds b e cam e As tart e ; that o f the fi s h es b e cam e

Ate rg a tis ; and the m o th e r of c o rn b e cam e the Aphro dite o f
the Syp ria n s and the G r ee k s The nam e Ap phe rud oth, the .

m oth e r o f harv es ts chang e d int o that o f Aphr odit e ; thi s

,

w o rd to the G r e e ks s ignifi e d the froth o f the s e a

, , Th e y .

th e r e up o n built the l e ge nd o f the go dd e s s e nge nd e r e d o f the

froth o f the s ea and s udd e nly s p ringing out o f his b os om o f
,

the wat e ry main .

Th e y r ep r es e nt e d the Am a l c ta Aphr o dit e the qu ee n o f ,

’
harv es t h olding with he r l e ft hand a l o ng go at s h o rn o ut
, ,

o f which th e y mad e e ar s o f c orn v e g e tabl e s and fruit s to , ,

s p ring She had a s ickl e o r s o m e o th e r att ribut e in he r right

.

hand ; and thu s th ey unit e d the mark o f the O p e ning o f the

harv es t t o ge th e r with the h o rn o f the wild go at which s ig n i
, ,

fie d anci e ntly t he e n d o f all harv es t s and the b e ginnin g of ,

wint e r .

T he c o mm o n p e o pl e the ma ss es hav e at a l l tim es e ven in

, , ,

the p r es e n t s o c a l l e d e n lig hten e d a g e b e e n f o nd o f q uibbl e s

-

, ,

e quiv o cati o n s an d l e ge nds

,
If the change o f figure ha s .

o ft e n mad e s ev er a l gods out o f o ne and the s a m e s ymb ol di

v e rs ifie d a s impl e vari e ty o f nam es e v e n the diffe r e nc e o f

, ,

pr o nunciati o n ha s m or e o f t e n p r oduc e d a like multiplicity,

,

this w e s e e in o ur o wn m o d e rn r eligi o u s cr e e ds altho ugh

o ur p e o pl e will d e ny that th e y hav e anything but a v e ry

s impl e r e ligi o u s b eli e f T he I s i s mi s tak e n f o r the qu ee n o f

.

h e av e n o r f or the m o on w a s call e d E c het H e cat e o r

, , , ,

Achat e the on l y the e x c e l l en t ( in ter ig n es l n na m in o res )

'

, ,
.

Am o ng s o m e o f the p e o pl e o f Syria the s a m e s ymb o l by a

‘

, ,

s light chang e o f nam e w a s c all e d Ac ho t the s is ter ,

The , .

v e ry s am e wh om th e y had alr e ady mad e the wife o f J ch o v ,

o r o f the s u n or o f J
,
u p iter— f o r th e s e a r e s till but on e

b e cam e al s o his s is t e r .

T his s am e E g yptian I s i s or Ach o r, aft erwards b e cam e ,

 on E GYP TIAN I N ITIATIO N .
77
the daught e r o f Jupit e r and th e n the m oth e r o f all the
,

G ods . An d all thi s c am e fr o m the div e rs ity o f the a ttri

bu tes and nam e s giv e n to o n e and the s am e s ymb ol .

This s am e D iana w a s s om e tim es a te rres tia l d e ity s om e ,

tim e s the m o o n and s om etim es e v e n the qu e e n o f h e ll

, By .

he r fir s t ins tituti o n s he had a r e lati o n to the e arth and ,

mark e d o ut he r pro ducti o n s The fal s e int e rpr e tati o n w a s

.
“

giv e n to the cr e s c e nt and the full m o on which s he b o r e ov e r

he r h e ad to pr o claim the fe as ts caus e d he r to be tak e n f or
,

the m o o n ; and at la s t the tim e during which s he r e main s

invis ibl e tha t w a s b e tw e e n the la s t pha s es and the r e turn
, ,

o f the n e w s he w a s gon e to the ab o d e o f Ad e s the invi s ibl e

, , ,

to the e mpir e o f the d e ad or h e ll .

T he anci e nt p ro clamati o n o f the n e w pha s e s which w a s ,

made with a l o ud v o ic e to pr o claim the b e ginning o f the

,

n e o m enia in s ens ibly d e ge n e rat e d int o l o ud s hri ek s which

, ,

th e y gav e o ut o f m e r e s up e rs titi o n and cu s to m at the e n

tranc e o f cr oss s tr e et s Th ey s alut e d the go dd ess o f the
.

d e ad at her c oming o ut o f the h orrid man s i on T he mu s ic .

and the n o ti on s agr e e d with and s uit e d e ach o th er .

All the anci e nt antiquity a f te r it had c onf ound e d the

,

s ymb o l o f the n e w m o o n and o f the f e as t s r el ating to the

s e v e ral s e a s ons o f the y e ar with the s tar s that r e g ulat es

s o ci e ty by its pha s es a s crib e d to the m o o n a univ e r s a l p o w e r

,

o v e r all the pr o ducti o n s o f the e arth and g e n e r a lly o v e r all ,

the o p e rati on s o f m e n Th ey lik e wis e b e li e v e d that s he w a s

.

p e rf e ctly w ell a c quaint e d with futur e things and that s he ,

n e ve r app e ar e d with o ut f o r eb o ding by c e r tain marks what ,

wa s to b e fall hu s bandry famili es and kingd o m s

, P e opl e
,
.

o f thi s day hav e n o t s hake n o ff thi s b e li e f in the l e as t a s

n otic e the pray e rs to the Virgin ; but be hin d o r wi thin all

th es e anc i e nt and m o d e rn b e li e fs which a re fo und e d up o n ,

s ymb oli s m a s anci e nt a s the w orld is o l d th e r e is a my s t e ry , ,

the f oun d ati o n o f which r e s ts up o n the m o ther o f hum a nity ,

the divin e fe m in in e s id e o f G o d the fath e r o f all mankind

, .

A s imilar r e s p e ct o r w o rs hip w a s p aid to the Ne om e ni a o r

n e w m o o n by the H e br ew s
,
D r Clark , in his hi s t ory o f the
. .
78 MY STE R IE S or os n u
s

anci e nt I s ra elit es t el l s us that ,

As the m o on r e gul at es
,

the m onth s s o d o es the s un the y e ar

,
T he divi s i o n which .

w e mak e o f the y e ar int o tw e lv e m onth s ha s n o r e lati o n to

the m oti o n o f the m oon But it w a s n ot s o with the H e br e ws
.

th e ir m onth s a re lunar and th e ir nam e s uffici e ntly s h ows

,

this .Th e y c all th e m J a c hin which c om e s fr om Ja m e, ,

which s ignifi e s the m o on .

“
T he m o m ent in which the c o njuncti o n b et w e e n the s un
an d m oo n is made can only be kn own by a s tr on omical cal
culati on b e caus e s he do es n ot th e n app e ar ; and a s the
,

H e br e ws w e r e littl e s kill e d in thi s s ci e nc e th ey b e ga n th e ir ,

m onth s at the fir s t p ha s e o r app e aranc e o f the m oon which , ,

r e quir e d n o l e arning t o di s c o v e r Thi s w a s an a ff air in .

which the gr e at Sa n he d rin w er e c onc e rn e d and the dif ,

f e re n t pha s es o f the m o o n w e r e p aint e d up o n the hall in

“
which th e y a ss em bl ed fi It b e l ong e d to th e m to ch oos e m en
o f the s trict e s t p r o bity wh o m th e y s e nt to the t0 ps o f the
,

n e ighb o ring m o untains and who n o s oon e r p e rc e iv e d the

,

n ew m o o n but th e y cam e with all s p e e d e v e n o n the Sa b

, ,

ba th B a ij it s e lf to acquaint the Sa nh e drin with it

,
It wa s .

the bu s ine ss of that c ouncil to a s c e rtain wh e th e r the m oo n

had app e ar e d and to d e clar e it ; which w a s d o n e by pro
,

n ou n c in g the w o rd s the f e a s t of the n e w m oon

,
the f e a s t of ,

the n e w m o on and all the p eo pl e w e r e inf o rm e d o f it by the

,

s o und o f trump e t s T o which c e r e m ony D avid allud es

.
,

wh e n he s ays B l o w up the trum p e ts in the n ew m oon in

,
‘
,

the ti m e a pp oin te d , on ou r s o l e m n fe a s t d a y .
’

Fr o m thi s al s o c o m es the Mas onic p illar J achin which ,

r e pr e s e nt e d I s is the m other s id e the figur e o f wh om wa s

, ,

"
1 ‘
Th er e
thus v e ry littl e diffe r e nc e b etw e e n the H e br e w s
is
a n d the E gyptian s The H e br e ws had th e ir painting on the
.

wall s whil e the E gyptian s ha d the ir s ymb ol o f I s i s Th e r e .

is thi s much in fav o r o f the E gyptian s that th e ir kn owl edge ,

w a s s o va s t that the m o d e rn s c o uld mak e n o additi on s to it ,

whil e the H e br e ws w o rk e d in t otal ign o ranc e O th e r wis e .

the y hav e th eir s ymb ol s a n d f e a s ts .

80 m s rnn m s or o snus

Argiph ont es the murd e r e r o f Argus We find in Pia rius

'
, .
,

that the E gyptians gav e al s o the nam e of Argu s to the p ea

c o ck that w a s by the s ide o f Jun o o r I s i s ; and in the
m yth ol o gi s t s that Jun o aft e r the d e ath o f Arg us t o ok the
, , ,

e y es he had ab o ut him and th e r e with e mb e lli s h e d the tail o f

,

a bird that w a s c ons e crat e d to he r This p e ac o ck plac e d .

n e ar I s i s is o nly an attribut e to d e n o t e the b e gi nning of the

,

nightly w orks by an agr e e abl e imitati o n e ith e r o f the s tarry

,

h eav en or of the multitude o f e y es ke pt inc es s antly o p en

, .

CIRCE
-

The am e I s i s carri e d i nt o Italy with her s e v er a l a ttri

s ,

but e s gav e birth to the l e g e nd of a di ff e r ent p att e rn Th e r e

, .

s he b e cam e the s o rc e r e s s Circ e who with he r wand turn e d ,

m e n to li on s s e rp e nt s birds s win e and o th e r things

, ,
The
, ,
.

myth ol o gis t s thus t oo k her a s a n e m bl em or s ym bol o f , ,

v o luptu o u s n e s s that br o ught m en d own to the c onditi o n o f

,

b e as ts Circ e is n o oth e r than the E gyp ti an I s is who s o m e

.
,
’
tim es with a m e a s ur e o f the Nil e s o m etim es with a w e av e r s
b e am a di s ta ff o r a lanc e always app e ar e d with s o m e d is
, , ,

tinctio n in the public p r o clamati o n s She wa s always a o .

c omp a ni e d with the fi gur es o f H o ru s and o th e r s that vari e d ,

fr o m m o nth to m o nth and fr o m day to day a cc o rding to

, ,

the s igns o f the z o diac She w a s the pri ncip al p art o f the
.

e nigma to Whic h all oth e r e nigmati c e mbl e m s w e r e s ub

,

o rdinat e She wa s e ve rywh e r e to be m e t with and had

.
,

alway s by he r s id e and und e r her wand s om e tim es a man ,

with a d o g s h e ad s o m e tim e s a li on with a s e rp e nt o r a

’
, ,
’
t ort o i s e s o m e tim es a wh o l e c hild at an oth e r tim e a child s
, ,

h e ad up o n the b od y o f a s e rp e nt and s ucc e ss iv ely the ani ,

mal s o f the z o diac and s uch oth e rs a s d eno t e d the r e turn o f

,

the di ffe re nt rural w o rk s .

I s i s wa s re a l l y n o t call e d Circ e on a n y o th e r acc o unt but

that o f the c ire o r s o lar circl e s he c omm o nly w o re o ve r he r
,

h e ad That circl e w a s the e mbl e m o f the Sup re m e B ein g o f

. ,

wh om I s i s pr o claim e d the s e v e ral fe a s ts But why wa s thi s .

s un call ed c irc , the e nigma ? It wa s b e cau s e G o d c o ul d n ot

 OR E GYP TIAN I N ITIATIO N . SI

be paint e d , and a di s c w a s the e nigma of G odIt w a s the

.

e nigm a p a r e xc e l l en c e the c irc T he , . plac e in Italy to ,

which thi s I s i s wi th he r circl e o v e r he r h e ad w a s brought

a n d h o n o r e d o f ol d is s till call e d M on te Cir c e l l o
, T o p ro .

c laim c e rtain f e as t s or s acrific es that w e r e c e l e brat e d

per ,

hap s in the e v e ning at the ri s ing o f the n ew m oon o r in the

, ,

m orning at the ri s ing o f s o m e s tar o r o f the plan e t V e nu s , ,

th e y put o ve r the h e ad o f I s is in s t e ad o f the di s c o f the s un , ,

that of a s tar or of the kn own plan e t a cr es c ent o r a full

, , ,

m o o n T he s ev e ral f oliage s s he bo r e in her hand or o v e r

.
,

he r h e ad n e ar the figur e o f the m o o n o r o f s o m e oth e r plan e t ,

mad e the p e o pl e s a y that the pro p e rti e s o f th es e pl a n e t s

we r e a dmirabl e ; that it w a s fr om a kn owl e dge o f th eir
virtu es that Circ e w a s abl e to mak e b oth h e av e n and e arth
s ubmit to her p o w e r T he figur e s ee m e d to imitat e this and
.

the p e o pl e gradually b e cam e to b e li e v e it Thi s aft e rwards .

b e cam e the privil e ge o f c omm o n witch es ; and the p e opl e a r e

s till p e r s uad e d that the s o rc e r es s es at his pl e a ur e di s p os e s

o f h e at ,
c old hail and all natur e Thi s fi gur e o f C irc e
, , .
,

which ign o ranc e fr o m an e nigma o r p o p ul ar e n s ign had

co nv e rt e d int o a witch that turns m e n int o s e v e ral animals
and ha s the p ow e r o f di s placing the s tars r elat e s to the ,

e nigmatic attribut es o f I s i s which w e r e a s un the m o on , , ,

s o m e s tars c e rtai n plants and animal s v e ry o ft e n a m on

, ,

s tr o us kind T he r es t o f the l e ge nd by its c onf ormity with

.
,

this int e rpr etati o n c ompl e tes the d e m on s trati on o f its exact
,

n e s s Circ e o r I s is w a s s o far r e ally the pr o clamati o n o f

.
, ,

the y ea r that s he put on s uch cl oth e s and dr e ss es a s w e r e

,

agre e abl e to the four s e a s on s T o ann o unc e the b e ginn ing .

o f s pring that o v e rs pr e ads and e nam el s the e arth wi th

,

fl o w e rs and v e rdur e s he w or e carp e t s o f d ifle re n t c ol o rs

,
.

T o d e n o t e the b e ginn i ng o f s umm e r which n ouris h e s u s s he , ,

b o re in he r hand a ba s k e t and a l o af ; to pr o claim the

autumn s he b o re a cup and at the b e gging o f wint e r s he
, ,

b ore a c ha fin g di s h or a s t ov e with i ts f o ot Th e s e f our

-

,
.

figur es gav e birth to the fabl e m e nti on e d by H o m e r ( O dys s )

that Circ e had fo ur maid s o n e o f which s pr e ad the carp ets ,
82 MYSTE RIE S on OSIR IS
of s e v e ral c ol o r s to r e c e ive the gu es t s the s e c ond pr e p ar e d
,

the tabl e and put large ba s k e t s up o n it the third pr e s e nt e d ,

the cup s and the f o urth k e pt up the fire on the h e arth

, .

T he C e r e s o f Sic ily and E l e u s i s is n o o th e r than the

E g yptian Is is bro ught int o th o s e pl ac e s by the Ph e nician
,

m e rchants who mad e th e m s elv es rich by tran s p o rting the

,

c o rn o f Lo w e r E gypt into the plac es whith e r the s carcity o f ,

pr o vis i on s dre w th e m and ge n e rally o n the diff e r e nt c o a s ts

,

o f the M e dit e rran e an wh e r e th e y had offic e s and e s tabli s h

,

me nts T he c e re m onial o f the rural fe as ts had in th e ir

.

hands take n a turn so m e what The m oth e r o f the harves t .

th e r e lame nt e d her daught e r in s t e ad of be wailing he r hus

,

band a s the Eg yptian ritual w ould have it

, .

In the fe a s ts of C e res m en carri e d to an e xc es s the fo rm s

,

o f the g es tur es and s ituati o n s the s crupul o u s r e cital s o f the

,

s e t f o rm s o f pray e r s the l e n g th o f the vigil s the o utward

, ,

purity ab s tin e nc e the fo rb e aranc e o f all pl e a s ur e s and the

, , ,

s hunnin g o f a mann e r o f dis tracti o n ; the wh o l e o f th e i r re

l ig io n w a s g radually r e duc e d to th e s e outwa rd practic es .

Th os e who o b s e rv e d th e m n o l onge r kn e w any but an arti

fic ia l d e v o ti o n o r the s k e l e t o n o f the anci e n t rel ig ioII
,
B ut .

the unpr e j udic e d s tude n t will e a s ily s e e the po w e r th es e re

l ig ion s mus t hav e had wh e n in th e ir purity and the grand
inte nti o n o f the firs t found e rs of the f orms which e xpr es s e d
the in n e r tru th s .

C o nc e rning th e s e f e a s ts an a uth o r s tat es

,
A l o ng d e
s cripti o n o f all the pu rific a tio n s and o th e r c e r e m oni e s tha t

fill e d up the firs t o f the nin e days o f de v oti o n c on s e crat e d to

C e r e s w ould tir e my r e ad e rs and i s n o p art o f my plan ,

which chi e fly aim s at obtaining the o rigin o f thes e es tablis h

m e nts It will be the s am e with the l ong pro c es s ioh fo rm e rly
'

made fr o m Ath e ns to E l e u s i s and with the Seve ral marche s

, ,

pe culiar to e ach o f the nin e day s Th e G r e eks h ad buil t .

the p articula rs o f thi s minut e ce r e mo n ial up o n the a d

v e ntur es that c o mp o s e d the wo nd e rful s t o ry o f the migra
ti o n o f C e re s int o th e ir c o untry .

“
Wh a t wa s ca rri ed 011 in the f ea s ts of Cer es a t E leus is , is
 on E GYPTIAN IN IT IAT IoN . 83

the s am e that wa s c arri e d on in the f e a s t s o f I s is L et us .

,

th e r e fo re p a ss o n to the e xplicati o n o f the aut op s ia o r the

, ,

manife s tati o n o f truth which wa s in a mann e r the las t act,

o f thi s rep res en ta ti on and w a s the who l e purp o rt o f th e s e

,

f e s tiv e mys t e ri es Aft e r a h o rrid darkn es s lightnings

.
, ,

thun de r clap s and an imitati o n o f what is m os t s h o cking in

,

nature and which can t es t m en the s e re nity whi ch at la s t ,

s ucc e e d e d di s c o v e r e d f our p er s onages magnific e ntly

,

dr es s e d and wh os e h abit s we r e all mys t e ri o us

, .

“
T he m os t brilliant o f all and who w a s es p e cially call e d
-

the Hi e ro phant o r the e xp ou n d e r o f the s a cr e d things w a s

, ,

dr es s e d s o a s to r e pre s e nt the bein g that go v e rn s the uni

v e rs e T he s e c ond wa s the fla m bea u bea r er and had r ela
.
,

ti o n to the s un T he third who w a s call e d the a d orer and

.
, ,

who k e pt n e ar an altar r e pr es e nt e d the m oo n T he f ourth

,
.

w as call e d the M e s s en g er o f the G o d s o r M e rcury which ,

c o rr e s p ond s to the E gypt ian Anubi s with his d o g s h e ad ,

and m e as ur e o f the N il e acc o mp ani e d by tw o s e rp e nt s and , ,

is n o thing but the whol es o m e a d vic e which the d o g s tar -

wis ely gav e to m en to make o ff at the incr e as e o f th

, ,

wate rs and th er eby s e cur e th e ir s ubs i s t e nc e

,
.

N o thin g
“
c ou l d be be tter c o n trive d tha n thes e ma g n ifi c en t
c ere m o n i e s w here by the E g yp tian s in c es s an tl y reca l l e d to
the m in d s o f the m a s s es the be l ie f o f the fi rs t m en c on c ern

in g the j ud g m en t o f G od , and the hop es whic h a re to qui e t

the m in d s f j us t a t the
o the a p p r oa c h o f d e a th .

“
What an ind es tructibl e traditio n att e nd e d wi th c on s ta n t
practic es had b ee n abl e to pre s e rve o f the anci e nt d o ctrin e ,

p ro v e d at la s t s o v e ry o pp o s it e to the p op ul a r n oti o n s o f
the m a s s es that the pri e s ts th ought th e ms e lv e s und e r the
,

n e c e s s i ty o f us ing much circums p e cti on and o f having re ,

c ours e n o t only to the trial of th e ir dis cipl es but al s o to the ,

o ath o f s e cr e cy .

ME N E S , on MO SE S AN D TH E E STAB L ISH ME N T on T H E L AW S ,

The rural w o rks n ot b e ing r es um e d in E g ypt till aft e r

the N i l e ha d quitt e d the pla i n , the E gyptian s f or t hi s r e a s on
84 MYSTER IE S or OS IR IS
gave the p ubl ic Sign o f hu s band ry the n am e o f M os es o r ,
“
Mu s e u s which m e an s :
,
Sa ve d fr o m the wa te rs ; and o n
the s am e acc o unt the m o o n s during which H o ru s Ap o ll o or ,

hu s bandry c o ntinu e d his e x e rci s e s w e nt al s o by the s a m e

, ,

n am e .

“
Ab o ut the e n d o f autumn the inhabitants b e ing fr e e d ,

fro m the wo rks o f the fi e ld manufactur e d in th e ir night ,

w o rk the lin e thr e ad and cl oth which w e r e s om e o f th e ir

, , , ,

chi e f rich es T he s ign which w a s the publicati o n o f it t o ok

.

th e n the nam e o f Linu s which s ignifi es wa tc hin g the s ittin g

, ,

up in the n ig ht The s tar that lights the night ha s o n thi s

.

acc ount r e tain e d the s am e nam e and s o ha s the matt e r its e lf ,

that w a s manufactur e d during th o s e watchings . .

“
The cus t o ms the y had of publi s hing the s e v e ral r e gula
ti on s c o nc e rning the p oli ty by the s ev e ral p os tur es o f the ,

s o n o f O s iri s cau s e d him to be c o mm only call e d M e n e s tha t

, ,

is the rul er of the p e op l e

,
The E gyptian s fr om thi s titl e
.
, ,

t ook it int o th e ir b e li e f s that M e n es had b ee n th e ir l e gis lat or,

the auth o r o f th e ir p o lity the o rd e r e r o f th e ir y e ar the, ,

f oun d er o f the ir la ws F or thi s r e a s o n th e y p ut thi s im

.

a g in a ry f o und e r a t the h e ad o f all the li s t s o f the k ings o f

th e ir s e v e ral pr ovinc es
“
T he nam e o f M os es or M us e u s w a s v e ry pr op e rly giv e n
, ,

to the public s ign o f the r e vival o f hu s bandry Thi s wo rd .

,

which s ignifie d the d ryin g up mad e p art o f the c al e ndar ; it ,

w as the s ummary and the s ub s tanc e o f a Statut e o f p olity . .

It w a s eve ry y e ar in the m o uth o f the p eopl e a ft er the re ,

e nt e ring o f the rive r within its bank s It wa s n ot the n a .

man s n am e B ut if M en es and Mu s e u s a re but on e and the

’
.

s am e thing a s th e y a re w hat th e n b e c o m e s o f the fi r s t king

, ,
.

”
o f E gypt the f o undati o n o f s uch hi s t o ry ?
,

M en es w a s call e d the s on o f the s ta r o f the da y b e caus e ,

hu s bandry can d o n o thing with out the s un Again it w a s .

,

call e d Mu s e us b e caus e in E gypt wh enc e thi s s e t f orm cam e ,

, ,

hu s bandry did n ot r es um e its op e rati ons until aft e r the re

turning o f the wat e rs In s h o rt it is s urnam e d M en es
.
,

)
”
“ Har
k th u O M n M u f th tar o f d a
y
( e n o e es ,
us e s ,
s o n o e s
 on E GYPTIAN INITIA TIO N . 85
in the sam e s e t fo rm tha t is the ru l e o f the p e op l e
, , .

Judging fr o m e ffe cts rath e r than fro m a s s um e d cau s es ,

“
may we n ot b eli e v e with the Fire Phil os o ph e rs o f the
middl e a ges th a t the s oul is l ike its s ourc e —
, the c e ntral s u n
of e —
b ing in its natur e and e s s e nc e pur e unall oy e d , ,

s piritual light ?

That it is the in v is ibl e and i n finit e ly s ublimat e d s p irit o f

fire—n or the gr oss vi s ibl e el e m e nt that can be s ee n f e lt and
appre he nd e d by the s e n s es —but that w onde rful in ne rm os t
, ,

l ig ht which whil s t it re v e al s and pr o v e s all things in its

, ,

o wn manife s tati o n is it s elf invi s ibl e unkn own and un

, , ,

c ompr e h e nde d .

I t is this es s e ntial i n n erm os t and d ivin e principl e o f s o ul

,

which s urv i v es all chang es which is n e ith e r s ubj e ct to d e cay

,

n or di s int e grati o n ; which is the s park d e riv e d fr o m d e ity

the Alpha and O m e ga o f b e ing— the link which unit es the

cre ature to the C r e ato r .

E zn c omp a s s in g thi s d ivin e e s s e n c e o f s oul and cl o thing it ,

as a Spiritual b o dy is the s ubtl e and r e fin e d el e m e nt which

, ,

in its effe cts is f o rc e ; i n its actio n thro ugh o rganic b o di e s

, , ,

is life ; and in its a l l p e rvading influ e nc e thr o ugh out the

-

r e alms o f s p ac e is vagu ely t e rm e d magn e ti s m o r vital e lixir

, .

It is this e l e m e nt which is re c o gniz e d thro ugho ut the uni

v e rs e by the app ar e nt duality o f its m o d es call e d attracti o n
, ,

and re pul s i o n o r c e ntrifugal and c e ntrip e tal fo rc e

,
.

Man s phys ical fram e with its n e rv o us and arte rial

’
,

s ys t e m s and its c e nte r s o f f o rc e is unqu es ti o nably the m os t

,

c omplicat e d ma ss o f m e chani s m and the m os t p e rfe ct e v e r , ,

cre ate d and is m o v e d by a d ua l vita l p o we r w ithi n that

, ,

m e re human int e llige nc e can n e ve r c omp reh e nd H e who .

w o uld unde rs tand it aright mus t be illuminat e d by the s am e

c e l es tial s un o f s uns which is its o ri ginal s o urc e .

T he Ros icrucians w ho a re the s ucc es s o rs to the E s s e nian

,

O rd e r o f wh o m s o much w a s s aid in the fift e e nth and s ix

,

te e n th c e ntury but o f wh o m s o v e ry littl e w a s e v e r kn own to

,

the o uts id e w o rld maintain e d that the la s t analys i s o f the

,

s upr e m e b e in g w ould f a il to di s c ov e r any o th e r e xis t e nc e

86 MYSTE R IE S or o s mrs

than that o f a c e ntral s p iritual s un —a n infinit e et ernal un , ,

cr e at e d and inc ompr e h e n s ibl e on e al o n e wh os e attributes ,

w e r e h e at and light wh os e m anif es tati o n wa s the univ e rs e

, ,

r e v e al e d by light e ne rgiz e d int o fo rm s un s s ys t e ms w o rlds

, , , , ,

m e n and things by that s p iritua l h e at wh o s e la s t gr os s ex

,

t e rnal exhibiti o n is fire .

“
If the ab o v e abs tracti ons a re caught by the thinke r it ,

will a pp e ar n o wo nde r that the anci e nt p eo pl e c o n s ide r e d

that th ey s a w G o d that is with all th e ir inn e rm os t p os s i
b il ity o f th o ught—in fire —which fire is n o t o ur vulgar
,

g ro s s fire n e ith e r is it e v e n the pur e s t mat e rial o r e l e ctric

,

fire which ha s s till s o m e thing o f the bas e bright light o f the

, ,

w o rld ab out it ; but it is an o c c ul t m ys teri ous s up e r na tura l , ,

fire—n ot magn e tic— and ye t a rea l s e ns ibl e m in d It is the , .

in ner light the G o d c ontaining a l l things the s o ul o f

, , ,

thin g s int o wh o s e in e xpr es s ibly int e n s e a l l c on s uming all

, ,
-

cr e ating divin e th o ugh fi ery es s e nc e all the w orlds in s uc

, , ,

c es s i o n will fall ; back int o wh os e arms of imm o rtal light o n

the o th e r s id e a s again r e c e iving th em the w o rlds dri v e n o ff
, ,

int o s p ac e and b e ing he erto f ore by the divin e e n e rgy will ,

again rus h back to him .

T he h oll ow w orld, in which that e s se nc e o f things call e d

—
“

fie r ,
play s in i ts e s
,
cap e in vi o l e nt agitati o n to us com bus
ti o n— is d e e p down within us de e p s unk e n in s id e of the ,

tim e s tages o f which w e a re in the fl es h rings o f b e ing, s ub , ,

s i d en c e s o f s p irit .

“
N arr owly c on s id e r e d it will be f o und that a l l r e ligi on s ,

trans c e nd up int o thi s s pi ritua l fire floo r o n which s o to -

, ,

s p e ak the phas e s o f tim e a re laid

,
Mat e rial fire which is .
,

brightn es s a s the matt e r up o n which it pr eys is darkn es s

,

i s the s ha d ow o f the true s p irit which inv e s ts its e lf

i n fir e a s a mas k in which al on e it can act p os s i bly o n
,

matt e r Thu s mat e r ial light b e ing o pp os it e rath e r tha n the

.

e xpr es s i o n o f G o d the E g yptian s —w ho w e r e acquaint e d

,

with the fire r e v elati on s— c ould n ot r e pr es e nt G o d a s light

*
Se e The Ros icruci an s ; th e i r Te a chings .
88 MY STER IE S or I I
OS R S

th e r e is a divin e eth e r e al s pirit an e ag e r f orc e c onfin e d a s

, ,

in pri s on s truggl ing thr o ugh all s olid obj e cts which a re
, ,

imbu e d with m o r e o r l es s o f this s en s itiv e life a s th e y a re ,

m o r e o r l es s r efin e d thr o ugh the changing purgati o n o f fire

, .

Thu s all min e ral s i n thi s s p ark o f li ght hav e the rud im en
tary p o ss ibiliti es o f plants and gr owing o r g ani s ms ; plants
,

hav e rudim entary s e n s ibiliti es which might in dis tant age s

,

trans mut e th e m int o l o c o m otiv e cr e atures and all v e g e ta ,

ti o n might p a s s o ff int o n ew and ind ep end ent highways o f

,

be ings a s th e ir o riginal s p ark o f lif e light thrill s e xp ands

,
-

, ,

and urg es na tur e fo r ward with mo r e info rm e d f o rc e and ,

dire ct e d by the un s e e n ange lic mini s t ers o f the G r e at O r

ig in a l Archit e ct It is with t e rr es trial fire tha t the Al
.

ch e mi s t br e aks as und e r the at omic thickn ess o f vi s ibl e

natur e whi ch yi eldi n g up its s e cr e t d e s tiny o f unlimit e d
, , ,

p r o gres s s inks int o the fi e ry furnac e in its ba s e s t p r op o r

, ,

ti on s to ari s e thric e purifi e d and f orc e d upwards o n the

, ,

p athway o f a high e r r ound of the ladde r

“
It is with the c el es tial fire tha t the Ros icrucian burs t s
a s unde r the b ond s o f e rr o r and darkn es s that h old the s o ul
in a mat e rial pris on h ous e H e b e c o m e s the p on tifix ( bridge
-
.

mak e r ) who c onducts the s o ul acr os s the dark wat e rs o f

,

ign o ranc e fr om the r e alm s o f the kn o wn to the u nkn own “

fro m the gat e s o f matt e r to the bri ght es t r o ads o f s pirit ;

fr o m e arthly blackn es s to c el es tia l light fro m the vi s ibl e
fir es o f purgati o n to the in v is i bl e s o ul —
,

light o f e t e rnity .
”

Th e s e t e achings o f the Ro s icrucians to the int e ri o r s e ns e ,

o f the pr o f o und think e r hav e a d e e p e r s ignificanc e than any

,

o th e r th e o ri es that hav e b e e n advanc e d c onc e rning the w o n

d e rf ul ph e n o m e n a o f d e ity lif e an d b e ing,

All owing f or .

the vari e d m o d e s o f expr es s i o n which pr e vail in d ifie ren t

c o untri es a n d at vari o u s p e ri o ds o f tim e th es e O p ini ons
, ,

pr es e nt a v e ry fair th ough n e c es s arily c o nd en s e d ab s tract

, ,

o f the phil o s o phi e s o f the C abali s t s G n os tics Pythag o r e an s, , ,

Plat onis ts and many o f the m os t e nlight en e d o f the G re e ks

, ,

R o mans and the e arly Chri s tian s .

The c el es tial fire r ef err e d to by the Ros icrucian s is the

 OR E GYP TIA N I N ITIATIO N . 89

all p e rvading e le m ent which in its acti on thro ugh s pac e

-

, , ,

is t e rm e d the a s tr a l light and in its inv e s titu r e o f the s oul

,

a s a s p iri tua l b o dy is t e rm e d the a s tral s pirit

,
T he in n e r .

m os t o f the Ro s icrucian c el es tial fire like that o f the huma n ,

Spirit is the inc o mpr e h e n s ibl e es s e nc e o f light n o t its s ub

, ,

s tanc e s o ul ,
.

The a s tral s pirit in man is n o t a s ingl e o riginal e l em ent ,

lik e the s oul it is a c ombinati o n o f all the imp ond erabl e s o f

,

the univ e rs e I ts firs t d e rivati o n o r o ri g inal e s s e nc e is fr o m

.

the s un and plan e tary s ys t em E th e r a i r atm o s ph e r e .

, , ,

e arth with all its fr e ight o f o rganic and in o rganic lif e c o m

, ,

bin e to s end o ff e manati o ns which mak e up the s um o f the

w o nde rful s tructur e call e d the as tral s p irit in m a n It is .

a tru e c os m o s o f the univ e r s e and up o n its e x te ri o r fo rm a r e

,

e ngrav e d all the s and gra i n s o f charact e r m o tives func , ,

ti o ns vic es virtu es h o p es and m em o ri es whic hthe s o ul ha s

, , , , ,

gath e r e d up in its pr o gre s s o f gr owth thr o ugh the m a te I ia l

b edy ; h e nc e it is a s much a p e rf e ct micr o c os m o f the in cl i ,

v id u a l s mind wi thin a s o f the vi s ibl e and invi s ibl e univ e r s e

’
,

with out N o t a d e e d word or tho ug ht whic h ha s hel p e d to

.
, ,

m a ke up the s u m of a hu m a n l if e ! B u t w ha t is p hoto
ra
g p h e d up o n th e s p i ritu a l bod y o f m a n w it h a s m u c h ,

fi d el ity a s the m i nd of the Crea tor is writte n in s ta rry hie ro ,

g l yphi c s up o n the g l i tte rin g s kie s . I t ke ep s as fa ithful a

r ec o rd , a s tru e a d oo m s d a y bo o k ,
d
p ron oun c e s a s
an s ure a

j ud g m en t up o n hu m a n l if e a n d c on d uc t a s e v e r the E g yp
tia n O s i ris c oul d ha ve d o ne , in his s te rn es t m o ods of G o d

l ike j us tic e . T his is the j ud g e o f the j u d gm en t d a y who wil l

j u d g e us a l l . I t is the g o d within us .

“
all ye
0, i s gr e at e r than all a n d
go ds ! G rant m e what ,

s till b e tt e r than all and m ore b ea utiful and m 0 1 e e xc e e d

,

in g l y pr e ci o u s —grant m e imm o rtality and uprigh tn ess .

ZOROASTE R .
 CH AP TE R I .

E v ery r e ligi o n is an es tablis hm e nt by man o f his r el ati o n

to the infinit e e xi s t e nc e which w e call G o d and o f which he
, ,

f e el s hims e lf a p a rt and fr o m which r e lat i o n he o btains the

,

guidanc e f or his c onduct . An d th e r e fo re a n y r eligio n

whi ch d o es n ot e s tablis h the r e lati o n o f man to the infin it e
is n ot r e ligio n but a c o rrupti o n o f r e ligio n . And if a r e
l i g i o n a lth o ugh es tablis hing a r e lati o n o f man t o G o d ye t
,

e s tabli s h es it by a s s e rti o n s which d is agr e e with r e a s o n an d

the kn o wl e dg e o f man s o that man cann o t b eli e v e s uch a s

s e r tio n s
,
th e n s uch is n o t r e ligi o n but an imitati o n If a
, .

r e ligi o n d o es n ot c onn e ct the life o f man with the infinite

e xi s t e nc e th e n it al s o is n o t r e ligi o n ; and d eman ds o f faith
,
’
in pr op o s iti o n s fr o m which n o d efinit e dir e cti o n o f man s
acti o n f oll ows a re als o n ot r e ligi o n
,
.

So that the es s en c e o f r e ligi o n w a s a l wa ys and is s til l

'

u nd e rs t oo d by m en who a re n ot b e r e ft o f the high e s t human

cap acity a s the es ta bl is hm e n t by m a n of his re l a tion to the

,

i n fin i te be in g o r bein g s w hos e p ow e r he f ee l s ov e r hi ms e l f .

And h ow ev e r diff e r ent this r e lati o n ha s b e e n f o r d ifle re n t

p e opl e s at di ff e r e nt tim e s i t ha s always d e t e rmin e d f o r man
,

his d es tinati o n in the w o rld fr o m which naturally f oll ow e d

,

the guidanc e o f his acti on s al o n e . A J e w und e rs t oo d his

r el a ti o n to the infinit e a s that o f a m e mb e r o f a p e o pl e

ch os e n by G o d i n pr e f e r e nc e to a ll oth e r pe opl es , and who

 GYP T IAN I NI TIAT IO N
0a E 91 .

mu s t th er e fo r e k e e p the c o v e nant c o nclud e d b e twe e n G o d

and this p eo pl e A G r eek und e rs t oo d his r e lati o n a s that o f
.

a b eing d e p end e nt up o n the re pr e s e ntativ es o f infinity the ,

G o d s and who mu s t th e r e fo r e d o what w a s pl e a s ing to the

,
\

G o ds A Brahmin und e rs t o o d his r elati o n to the infinit e

.

B rahma by c o n s id e ring him s e lf a manife s tati o n o f thi s

Brahma a n d that it w a s his duty to s triv e to unit e with this
,

high e s t b e ing by the r e n unciati o n o f lif e A Buddhi s t

, .

und e r s t oo d and und e rs tand s his r elati o n to the infinit e a s

that o f o n e w ho p a s s ing fr om o n e f o r m int o an oth e r in
, ,

e v ita bl y s u ff e rs and that a s th es e s uff e rings pr o c ee d fr om

,

p as s i on s and des ir es th e r e f o r e on e s h o uld s triv e to d es tr oy

,

( chang e ) pa ss i on s and d es ir es and s o pa s s int o N irvana .

T he anci e nt H e br e w who b e li e v e d in the e xi s t e nc e o f a

s upr e m e e t e rnal almighty b e ing w ho cr e at e d the univ e r s e
, , , ,

t he e arth the ani m al s ,

man and all things e ls e a n d
, , ,

pr omi s e d pr ot e cti o n to his p e o pl e if his p eo pl e o b ey e d his

,

law — ,
b eli ev e d in n o thing irrati onal o r opp os e d to his kn owl
e dg e but on the c o ntra ry his faith e xplain e d to him ma n y
, ,

things in life which o th e rwi s e w e r e in e xplicabl e .

"
So al s o the H in d o o fi who b el i e v es t hat o ur s o ul s hav e b ee n
“

in animals and that acc ording to our go o d o r bad liv es th ey

will p as s int o high er o r l o w e r animal s e xplain s to him s e lf ,

by thi s b e li e f much which with o ut it is inc o mpr eh en s ibl e .

In the E gyptian and P e rs ian th eo gony the dir e ct a o ,

kn owl e d g m e n t o f on e s upr e m e b e ing c o rros p on d in g to the

s u n and its attribut e s is a s mark e d a s in the Aryan and
,

Indian r e c o rds T he e lab orat e w o o f o f G r e cian and R oman

.

myth o l o g y p artak es o f the s am e go ld e n thr e ads o f b e li e f ,

and whil s t ramifying int o a c ompl e t e s ys t e m o f p olyth e is m ,

s till r e f e rs back to the Indian and E gyptian id e a o f cr e ati o n

s pringing fr om on e s upr e m e s ourc e and thi s is a s p iritua l ,

*
The Hind oos s aid o f th e ir G o d H e av en is his h e a d ;
the s un and m o o n a re his e ye s ; the e arth his f e e t ; s pac e his
e ar s ; air his br e a th H e is the s o ul o f the un iv e r s e
. The .

s un o f all luminari e s All cr e ati o n d e riv e s light fr o m Him

.

al on e T he wis e call him the s upr e m e li ght givin g s pirit

.
-

.
”
92 MYSTERIES or‘
os n ns

c e ntr e o f h e at or cre ati ve e n e rgy and light ,

or cr e ati ve wis
d om .

In the o rphic s ongs the on e firs t gre at cau s e c e l e brat e d

,

a s Z e us is m o r e c ompl e t e ly as s o ciat e d with the E gyptian

i de a o f a s un g o d a s p irit with o ut p arts or p a ss i o n s e x

-

, ,
”
o r n atur e than in the th e o ri e s o f lat e r phil o s oph e rs
, .

O rph e u s the s ag e to wh o m the intr o ducti on o f E gyptian

, ,

th eo gony int o G r e e c e is mainly d u e chant s thus to the ,

s up r e m e b e ing
“
Z eus is mal e Z e us is f e mal e Z e u s is the s p irit o f a ll
. .

things Z e us is the rus hing o f uncr e at e d fire Z eus is the

. .

king ; he is the s u n and m o on Z eu s is the mighty p ow er .

,

the d e m o n the o n e mighty fram e in which thi s univ e rs e r e

,

v olv e s H e is fire and wat e r e arth and eth e r day and night
.
, , .

Al l things unit e in the b o dy o f Z e us .

”

So to o with a tru e Chris tian w ho b eli e v e s that G od is th

,

s p i ritua l Fath e r o f all m e n and that man s high es t w elf a r e

’

is attain e d wh e n he re c o g n iz e s his s on s hip with G o d and the

br oth e rh o o d o f man .

But d o e s a tru e r e ligi on e xi s t ? Al l r e ligi ons a r e infinit ely

d i ff e r ent and o n e ha s n o right to call any p a rticular r eligi o n
the tru e o n e m e r e ly b e cau s e it c orr es p o nds m os t n e arly to
ou r t a s t e s All r e ligi ons a re infinit ely diff e r e nt in th e i r
.

form bu t th e y a re a l l the s a m e in th e ir fundam e ntal p rin

,

c ipl es An d it is thes e fundam e ntal principl e s o f all re

.

l ig io n s which r e pr e s e nt that tru e r e ligi o n which al o n e to d a y -

is n a tura l to all m e n and the acc e ptati o n o f which can al one

,

s av e m e n fr o m th e ir calamiti es Humanity ha s e xi s t e d f or
.

a l ong p e ri o d and j u s t a s it ha s fr o m gen e rati o n to g e n era

,

ti on elab o rat e d its practical acqui s iti on s s o al s o it c ould n ot ,

help ela bo rating th os e s p iri tu a l principl es which hav e

f orm e d the ba s is o f its lif e and the rul es o f c onduct whic h
,

f ollo w fr om th es e principl es T hat blind m e n d o n ot s e

.

th e m is n o p r o o f that th ey d o n ot e xi s t .

T he p rincipl es o f this tru e r e ligi o n a re s o natural to m e

that the m o m e nt th e y a re c o mmunicat e d the y a re acc e pte ,

m thin l on g famili ar and s e lf e vid e nt F o r us thi s

as s o e g
-
.
 OR E GYP TIAN I N ITIATI O N .
93
tru e re ligi o n is Chri s tia nity in th os e o f its principl es in
,

which it c oincid e s n o t with the e xt e rnal f o rm s but w th the

,

fundam e ntal principl es o f B rahmanis m C o nfuciani s m , ,

Ta o i s m Judai s m Buddhi s m and the anci e nt E g yptian a n d

, , ,

o th e r r e ligi o n s In the s am e w a y f or th o s e who pr o f es s

.
,

Brahmanis m C onfuc iani s m and o th e rs the tru e r eligi o n

, , ,

will be the on e the fundam e ntal principl es o f which c o incid e

with th os e o f all o th e r gr e at r eligi on s An d th er e principl es .

a re s o v e ry s impl e that all can c o mpr eh e nd th e m .

Th ey a ss e rt that th e re is a G o d the s ourc e o f all ; that ,

within man th e r e is a p articl e o f thi s divin e e l e m ent which

he can e ith e r d im in is h or in c r e a s e by his m od e o f lif e ; that
to incr e as e thi s e l e m e nt man mu s t tran s mut e o r change his , ,

p as s i on s and incr e a s e l ov e wi thin hims e lf ; and that the

practical m e ans to attain thi s is to act with oth e rs a s on e
wis h e s to act t owards o n e s e lf Al l th es e principl e s a re c om
.

m o n to the anci e nt mys t e ri es o r E g yptian r e ligi o n to ,

B rahmani s m Judai s m C onfucianis m Ta oi s m Buddhis m

, , , ,

and it is the s am e es s en c e which is r e c o gniz e d a s G o d in

Chris tianity Judai s m and e ve n M oh a mm e dani s m
,
.

Act t owards oth e rs a s th o u w o ulds t wi s h th e m to act to

wards th e e ; d o n ot r e ve ng e thy se lf again s t th os e who d o
e vil to you ; but r e turn g o o d f o r e vil ; b e ab s tin e nt chas t e ; ,

n o t o nly r e frain fr o m killing p e o pl e o r o th e r b e ing s but be

”
n o t e v e n angry again s t th e m ; k e e p p e ac e with all Such .

is the divin e e s s e n c e in all All thi s is the pr o duct o f

.

r e as o n and all thi s ha s b e en pr e ach e d e qually by Buddhi s t

, ,

C o nf uciani s ts Chri s tian s Ta o is ts by the G r e e ks a n d the

, , ,

E gypti a n pri e s t s .

Any f o rm o f gov e rnm e nt fro m the f ound a ti on o f the ,

w orld to the pr es e nt which did n ot inc orp o rat e r e ligi o n

“

int o its s tatut es ha s e v e r b e e n s h o rt liv e d ; and e v e ry o r

,

g a n iz a tio n that ign o r e d the r eligi o u s e l e m ent ha s at b es t

maintain e d a p o o r e xi s t e nc e o r b e e n d es tin e d to s p e e dy
,

annihilati on Re ligio n l e ft its f oot prints up on the d es e rts

.
-

a n d far r e aching s t e pp e s o f the o l d w o rld

-
and the wid e ,

s pr e ad prairi e s and s av a n n a h s o f the n ew It ha s n es tl e d

94 MYSTE RIE S or e em rs

f or a bri e f p e ri o d whil e hiding fr o m the rag es o f p e rs e

,

c uto rs in the d e n s and cav es o f the e arth and ha s l e ft th e r e

, ,

th os e t ouch es o f b e auty th o s e s ublim e hi e r o glyph s which

, ,

will ye t unf old to us m o r e fully its anci ent t e achi n gs its ,

d e f e ct s and its b e autie s its vict ori es and its d e fe ats It ha s

, .

b e e n the t e ach e r o f tru e art in e v e ry a g e and its dipl oma s ,

ye t may be s e e n and admir e d amid the crumbling r e main s

o f anci e nt t e mpl e s maus o l e um s and ruin e d citi e s
, The , .

anci ent t e mpl es o f India the ruin s o f E gy pt a n d G r ee c e , ,

and the d es olati on s o f Jud e a all a r e m o num ent s o f the p ro ,

d ig ious p o w e r o f the r e ligi o u s e l e m e nt in man ; and s p e ak

to u s in t on e s o f pr o fo und e s t wi s d om .

That the r e ligi o u s e l e m e nt in man is inh er ent and n ot

acquir e d s e em s to be abundantly pr o v e d by the fact that
,

thi s m o tiv e p ow e r o r s e ntim e nt is e qually s trong und e r

, ,
""
e v e ry f o rm o f w o rs hip and p ervad es and c ontr ol s ev e ry

"
No matt e r what r e ligi o n a nati o n may f oll ow that p eopl e
3

a re s ur e to b eli e v e that the ir r e ligi o n is the only true on e

and in a s far a s the y f oll o w the tru e prin c ipil e s it is to . ,

the m s e l v es the o nly tr ue on e

, All p e opl e wh e n w o r .
,

s hipping in truth that is wh e n th ey foll ow the p rincipl es

, ,

o f th e ir r e ligi o n a r e t o l e rant to all o th e r faith s

, It is o nly .

wh e n th e s e b e li e fs hav e d e grad e d int o m e r e f orms that

“
th e y be c om e int ol erant Says T ol s t oy : T he Chri s tian
.

Re ligi on is the high e s t c o n s ci o u s n e s s o f man o f his r elati o n

to G o d to which humanity ha s attain e d a s c e nding fr om the ,

l o w es t to the high es s t e p o f r eligi ou s c o n s c ious n es s And

t .

th e r e f o r e the Chris tian r e ligi on a n d a l l m en pr o f es s in g ,

the tru e Chri s tian r e ligi o n kn o wing that man ha s a ttain e d ,

to a c e rtain d e gr e e o f cl e arn es s and h e ight o f r e ligi o u s

c on s ci ous n e s s tha n k s o nly to the unc e a s ing pr o gr es s o f man
,

kind fr om darkn e s s to light c a n n o t be i n to l e ra n t Ac , .

kn owl e dging t h e m s e lv e s in p oss e ss i o n o nly o f a c e rtain d e

gr e e o f truth which c ontinually m o r e and m o r e clarifi es
it s e l f ris in g by the c ommo n e ff o rt s o f humanity—the p ro
,

f ess o rs o f t he true Chris tian r e ligi o n wh e n m e e ting b eli e fs

n e w to th e m and dis agr e e i n g wi th th e ir o w n n o t o nly r e ,

fra in fro m c o nd e mning and r e j e cting s uch faith but gladly ,

gre e t s tudy re e xamin e a cc o rding to th e m the ir o wn b e li e f

, ,
-
,

re j e ct w ha t di s agr e e s with r e a s o n acc e pt what clari fi e s a n d ,

96 MYST E R IE S or OSI R IS
'

d ivin e rigin that th e y s o c onfid ently claim It is ex

o
i‘
.

t re me l y; d o ubtful w he th e r any o n e s yst e m o f re ligi o n c a n .

cl a im s up e ri o rity o v e r the o the rs fi e xc e pt in the pr o p o rti o n

that its adh e r e nts a re morally int e ll e ctu a lly and m o r e es , ,

p e c ia l l y s p i ri tua l l y e l e v at e d
,
. .

“
A; d e grad e d s e ct o f b e li ev e rs in J e s us o f N azar e th may
turn the l a s t s upp e r i nt o a drunk en bacchanal a s d id the
?
,

T he
K
d o ctrin e s or principl e s o f all gr e at r e ligi on s w e re
=‘

truly of divine ins pirati on At a ll tim e s a s in the tim e o f .

,

Ch ri s t wh en the o ld e r r e ligion s ha d falle n int o n o thing

s h ort o f s imply cr e e d and rituali s m th e r e w a s always s ome ,

w ho thr ough divin e initiati o n f o und that Chris t os

“

on e ,

w ithin hi ms e l f a n d thr o ugh his a wa ken in g o r c o n s c i ous n es s

th a t he wa s r ea l l y the s o n of G od f o und that th e r e wa s a ,

m ig hty s ys tem o r e ss e nc e o f truth a n d taught s uch a s ys t e m

'

( rel ig ioii ) to all th ose that w oul d li s t e n Ch ri s t thr o u g h .

,

his traini n g o r initiat i o n f ound that he wa s in truth the ,

So n o f G o d a n d a s s uch taught n ot a n e w s ys t e m a t all but

’

, ,

s impl y a s piritual s ys te m that had b e e n taugh t ag e s be f o r e

un d e r a n o the r nam e and it w a s lat e r giv e n the na m e o f ,

Chri s tianity It w a s the o l d s pi ri tua l es s en c e und e r a n ew

.

n am e Thu s hav e b e e n all s ys t e m s and the fo und e rs o r

.
, ,

m o re c o rr e ct the r e f o und e r s o f all r e ligi o us s ys t e ms w e r e

.
,

in tr uth divin e ly ins p ir e d .

TN o s ys t e m o f r e ligi o n can cl a im s up e ri o rity o ve r the

o th e rs In its tim e or in its f o unda ti on i t w a s always fir s t
.
,

give n o ut by o n e who had f o und the Chri s t within and w a s

th e r e fo r e divin e ly ins pir e d a n d s uch s ys t e ms la s t e d un til ,

m e n thr o ugh mat e riali s m had l os t the ke y o r s pi t i tua l p a rt

, ,

o f it w ha ,
it b e cam e n e c e s s ary in the n atur e o f thi n gs f or , ,

an oth e r one to r e f oun d the s am e s pir itual s y s t em un d e r

- -

an o th e r f o rm a n d an o th e r n am e .

t
T his n aturally c o m e s fro m taking thi s mys t e ry in its
8

o ut e r o r li te ral s e n s e The L o rd s S upp e r a s s uch n e v e r

’
.
, ,

t o ok plac e It w a s n ot a s upp e r giv e n in h on o r o r by

.
,

J es u s hi ms elf but r e pr e s ente d a d istinc t pha s e o f the train

,

in g of a n a s irant i h b oth the anci e nt E g yp tia n and Chri s

p
-

t ian mys t e ri es Wh e n it b e g an to b e tak e n o r und e rs t o o d

.

in its lite ral s e n s e ins te ad o f its s p iri tu a l a s it w a s int e nd e d

, ,

to be und e r s t ood the abus es occurr e d ,

.
 OR E GYPT IA N I N ITIATI O N .
97
C o rinthian s whil e a Mah om etan o r Pagan s e ct may be n ot e d
,

f or the ir in c o rru ptibl e pr obity a n d f o r th e ir G o d l ike b e

'

n e v ol e n c e and l o v e d T he e xi s t e nc e o f G o d the d o ctrin e o f ,

futur e r e wards and puni s hm ents and the vari o u s r e ligi ous
d ogmas that hav e o btain e d cr e d e n c e in the w orld a re a s
, ,

firmly b e li e v e d in n ow a s at any fo rm e r p e ri o d alth ough the ,

b eli e f in th em is manif es t e d in a mann e r m or e in acc o rd -

anc e wi th the Spirit o f the a g e in which w e liv e In p as t .

ag es h er es y w a s r e ctifi e d in the flame s by the m os t en

light e n e d nati on s ; to day p e rs e cuti o ns o f that kind a re
-

c omp ell e d to hid e s uch h elli s h d e e ds in dark e s t dunge ons

o f the inqui s iti o n s and the p e rs e cuti o n s a re u s ually in a n

o the r f orm s uch a s the ruinati o n o f charact e r

,
bu s in es s , ,

p e ac e in family and a hundr e d o th e r way s kn own to th os e

,

w ho foll ow the d o ctrin e in s te ad o f the s pirit o f th e ir faith .

“
But a lth o ugh th e re is a firmn es s o f b e li e f in r eligi ous
f orm s a s a wh ol e ye t its d e v ot e es a r e b e c oming m o r e u n
,

c e rtain and yi e lding in th e ir advo cacy o f the c laims of th e ir

“
p articular s e ct and p e culia r d og m a s fi Thi s gr a dual yi e ld
‘

ing of c ont es t e d p o ints thi s giving up o f p articular f orms

,

TWhe n a s e call e d Pa gan s e c t live d up to s uch s piri tual

-

t e achings th ey w e r e n o l o nge r Pagan s e ct but a s s ur e ly

,
s

Chri s tian o r Chris tie a s th er e a r e any living at thi s pr e s e nt

d a y Wh e n man wh e th e r he is whit e re d o r black l e a rn s
.
, , ,

and fe e l s that he is the s o n o f G od and wh e n l ov e and ,

be n e v ol e nc e b e c om e his watch w o rd th e n he b e c om es a ,

Chri s ti a n ; n o m a tt e r to what r eligi on o r s e ct he is s upp o s e d

to be l o ng . N am e o f r eligi o n can mak e n o di ff er e nc e it is ,

the w orks o r the f rui ts that c o u n t

,
.

*
Wl1 il e thi s yi eldin g i s c e rtainly c omm e ndabl e it at the ,

s am e tim e s h o ws that th e s e adh e r e nt s a re n o t s ur e o f th e ir

o wn r e ligi o us b e li e f s and t hi s is but n atural wh e n a m a n

h olds to a fo rm ins t e ad o f to the s piritual es s e n c e o f a r e

l ig io n. T he f o rm s o f n o s ingl e faith a re t r ue the s e f o rm s ,

a r e alwa y s mad e by man a n d i t is o n ly the s p iri t tha t

s h o uld dw e ll wi thin th es e f o rm s th a t can be tru e But n o w .
,

a s e ve r all th es e kn o w n o t the s pirit but kn o w a n d f ol l ow

,

but the f orm It is id ol w ors hi p pur e a n d s impl e

. ,
98 MYSTERIE S or 0 91 31 8

of bigotry , ne c es s arily l e ad s to a m o re frat e rn al s pirit and ,

the r e s ult is manife s t e d in uni o n m e e tings and an e xchange

-

o f pulpits b e tw ee n s e ct s f o rm e rly no te d f o r th e ir h o s tility .

This gradual yi elding o f fav o rit e f orms and d o gm as is

but the fo re runn e r o f a s till m o re Ca thol ic s p irit am o n g the
r eligi onis t s o f e arth Pro bably the m os t s elf e xalt e d s e cts
.
-

in b oth Chri s tian and pagan lan d s will ye t b e li e v e and

,
“
t e ach that m e n o f a l l nati o n s w ho l ov e ( n ot fe ar ) G od and
w o rk right eo us n e s s a re acc e pt e d o f Him .
”

This a g e is m os t ce rt ainly an a g e o f thoug ht; m e n a r e be

ginning to think f o r the m s e l ves and to inquir e into the
r e a s o n and wh e r e fo r e o f th o s e do ctrin es and fo rm which
p e rhap s hav e n o thing but antiq uity to c o mme nd th e m Th e y .

a re be ginning to l e arn that n o f o rm n o matt er what its

,

a s s o ciati on s may hav e b e e n can giv e man p e ac e happine s s

, ,

o r the Chris tie s p irit but that it is o nly thr o ugh l o v e o f

,

humanity and th e r e fo re the finding of the es s en c e o f th e s e

things tha t c a n giv e th e m that which the h e a rt d es ir es .

Anci e nt s ys t e ms o f the ol o gy a re unde rgo ing a p ro c e ss of

r es u s citati on ; antiquarian s a re d e lving amo ng the anci e nt
ruins and e xamining the claims o f the an c i en t s acr e d bo oks
,

and a re b e ginning to l e arn the s pirit o f th es e m ight yt e ach

ings T he Chri s tian w o rld is b e c oming m o re t ol e rant to
wards the s o —
.

calle d p agan broth e rh o o d and th e y a re b e

gin n ing to und e rs tand th e s e grand a n d s ubl ime t ea c hin g s ,

and it m a y yet be tha t th ey will be Willing to exchange the

virtu es o f the Chris tian s ys te m f o r th os e in he rent i n the irs ,

and r ej ec t the o bj e cti o n abl e f e atur es in b oth F o r the re

'

a re s uch o bj e cti o nabl e f e atur es in a l l f orm s tha t c em e to u s .

“
No twith s tanding the am e li o ra te d a nd .

l o ving t on e o f s o ci e ty the adv e nt o f a nyn e

,

o f r eligi o u s tho ught is h e rald e d into e xi s ten c e am id pri e s tly

-

int o l e ranc e r e ligio u s hat e and e dito ria l s l a ng ; the pulpit ,

'

*
‘

, ,

mu s t ev e r be s o l o ng as ritu ali s m churchi s m and ,

pri es tcraft e xis ts . Th es e a re the n atural e n e mi e s o f the

I n dividua l d e ve l o pm e nt o r initiati o n B ut n ei th e r r1 tua 1s
. ,

i th
.

h
c u rchi m t ri e s tc r a f t hav e an yth i n g to d o W
s
,
n r
o y e
p
100 MYSTE RIES OF OSIR I S
th ought that br e aks up o n the s h o r e s o f tim e Y e t the war
, .

’
fare a gain s t man s n e w es t h oli es t c onvicti on s is n ot a s, ,

bitte r a s it f orm e rly w a s and m o r e s p ee dily giv es plac e to

,

the s ob e r s e c o n d th o ught The up he a vin g s o f re ligi o u s

.

th ought e xc ee d all f o rm e r manif es tati on s o f the kind and ,

s ee m s to p o int to the pr es e nt a s an aus pici ou s p e ri o d f o r

th e calm int e rch ang e o n thi s m os t im p o rtant s ubj e ct .

“
Alth ough the r e v o luti o n in the th e ol o gical w o rld is n ot
acc omp ani e d with the cla s hings o f the wa rri o r s blad e and ’

the b o o mi n g o f artill e ry ye t it is m o r e th or o ugh and far

, ,

r e a chi n g in its influ e nc e Alth ough it may n ot n ow a s in

.
,

fo rm e r tim es array n ati o n again s t n ati on and br o th e r

, ,

agains t br o th e r in de adly c onflict ; ye t the qu es ti ons in d is ,

put e a re a s dir e ctly e nunciat e d a n d the n e w id e a s p ro

.

m ul g a te d a re a s r e v o luti o nary in th e ir charact e r and

'

t end e ncy and will be a s mark e d and e nduring in th e ir r e

,

s ul ts ,
a s hav e b e e n the mighti e s t r e v o luti o ns o f p a s t ag es .

T he c oming r e v o luti o n s will pr obably culmina te in a las tin g

o r t e m p o rary p e ac e j u s t in the pr op o r ti o n that it c o ve rs all
,

the p o int s o f di ff e r e nc e o r d e al s only with a s ingl e id e a

,
.

T he Sp i r i tuali s tic m o v e m e nt o f the pr es e nt d a y contain s

“

within it s e lf the e le m e n ts o f r e v olut i o n and change It .

b oldly grappl e s with the r e c e iv e d d o gma s o f the vari o us

s e c ts and r ej e ct s all tha t acc o rding to its th e o ry hav e n o t

t ruth f o r th e ir ba s i s The facts o f s p1 r1 tu a l is m a r e be

.
*

a“
The re is a gr e a t mis tak e mad e by the v a s t maj ority o f
the o of ll w e r s o f s p iri t uali s m and that is that it,
i s s upp o s e d
to hav e b e e n unkn o wn in anci e nt day s If w e . s tudy t h e

hi s t ory o f Julian and the e arly c e nturi e s w e find that a l l ,

th es e m e n initiat es in the anci ent mys t e ri es had int e rc o ur s e

, ,

w ith the G o d s H . o w e v e r th es e m ,
e n o nly r e ach e d that s tag e

thr o ugh a s p e cial c o ur s e o f living T e mp e ran c e virtu e .

, ,

s tr ict rul es o f r e ligi o u s ab s tin e n c e and many fa c t s w e r e re

quir e d in o rd e r th a t the mind and b o dy s h ould be in a s tat e

purity and aft r uch a c ur w find that Li b a n ius the
of e s o s e e ,

“
fri e nd o f Julian s tat es tha t,
H e ( Julian ) liv e d in a p e r
p e tu a l
int e rc o ur s e w ith th e g o d s and g o dd e s s e s ; that th ey -

c
d es en ed d u o n ea rth t o e n j o y t he c o nv e r s ati o n o f t h e
p
 OR EGY PTIAN INIT IA T I O N . IO !

c oming s o wid es pr e ad in th e ir vari e d manif es tati ons that

the d e nial o f th e m is but e vid e nc e o f int e n s e i gn o rance o f
the s ubj e ct o r o f d o gge d di s h o n e s ty
, T he r e al o pp on e nt s
.

with wh om it mus t grappl e f o rtify th em s e lv es by an app eal

to the B ibl e .

The Bi bl e it s e lf ha s n e v e r b ee n all ow e d to s tand up o n its

r e al m e rits ( a ) but ha s b e e n s tudi e d and interp re t e d m a
,
‘

c o r d a n c e with the c o mm e ntari e s o f s e ctarian l e ad e r s and ,

ha s b e e n f o i s t e d up o n the Chri s tian w o rld a s alt o g e th e r in

s p ir e d by G o d alth ough the b oo k its elf mak e s no s uch
,

pr et enc e .

a. All the mi s tak e s mad e by orth o doxy in r es p e ct o f

Biblical int e rpr e tati o n c om e s o f r e f e rring s tat e m e nts o f
which the int enti o n is s p iritua l and m ys tic a l implying ,

p rincipl e s p ro c e s s e s a n d s tat e s be l onging to the s oul to

, , ,

p ers o n s e v e nts and things b e l onging to the b o dy Thi s ha s

, , .

b e e n the curs e up o n Chri s t ianity but is not the fault o f the

,

mis und e rs t oo d Chris tian t e achings .

E ve n the H e br e w Kaballa an d Talmud—es p e cially the

o e —
f rm r a re littl e el s e than int erpr etati on s o f the m ys tic a l
m e aning o f Scriptur e th e m s e lv e s c o uch e d in m ys tic a l
,

langua g e and n o l es s r e quiring a key f o r th e ir e xplicati on

, .

T he The r a p e u ts and E s s e n e s — a n O rd e r to which b o th J es us

and the B apti s t b e l ong e d—exp ound e d th e ir Scriptur e s
all e gorically ; as did al s o Phil o and o th e r l e arn e d and pi ou s
J e ws the b ook s o f M os es And s ch olars o f the high es t r e put e
.

d e clar e the s am e o f the initiat e d o f all lands in r e gard to

th e ir o wn s acr e d mys t eri es the o bj e ct o f the m e th o d em
,

fav o rit e h e r o ; that th ey g en e rally i n t e rru pt e d his s lumb er s ,

by t o uching his hand o r hair ; tha t the y warn e d him o f

e v e ry imp e nding dang e r and c onduct e d him by th e ir l n
.

fallibl e wi s d om in e v e ry acti o n o f his lif e ; and that he ha d

,

acquir e d s uch an in n ate kn owl e dge o f his h e av e nly gue s ts ,

a s r e adily to dis tingui s h the v o ice o f Jupit e r fr o m that o f

Min e rva and the f o rm o f Ap ol l o fr om the figur e o f H e r
,

cul e s I t might be we ll f o r inv es tigat o rs to fol lo w the

”
.

mo d e o f lif e o f the anci e nt Initiat es and th e n w ould m o d e rn

Spirituali s m be la c e d o n its pr ope r lan e
p p .
102 MY STERIES OF O SIRI S
pl oye d b e i n g to s ave th e m fro m pr o fana ti on and l oss
thr o ugh b e ing divulge d to the ign o rant and vulgar Ac .

c o rding to Pau s anias the W is do m o f the G r eeks had fr om

,

the e arli e s t tim e s b e e n wrapp e d up in all e go ri es and

e nigma s —a s tat e m e nt fully b o rn e o ut by the re s ult o f r e ce nt

r es e arch in r e gard to the ir inte rpr e tati on S allus t giv e s a .

d etail e d acc o unt o f the r e a s o n f o r the p ractic e And Sa n .

e hon ia n tho n and Pr o clus s a y o f the Ph oe nicians and E gyp

'
-

tian s r es p e ctiv ely that th e y v e il e d the gre at s e cr e t s o f e x

,

is te n c e und e r figur es and s ymb o ls ; a s al s o did the anci e nt

s ch oo l o f phil os o phe rs vari o u s ly call e d G n os tic s H e rm e tic s
, , ,

N eo Plato ni s t s Alch e mis t s R os icrucians and o th e rs wh os e

-

, , , ,

s ubj e ct w a s the p e rf e cti o nm e nt o f man by m e an s o f his

r eg en e ra tio n and wh os e language —lik e that o f a l l craft s

v

w a s t e chnical and th e r e in s ymb olical and unint e lligibl e

, ,

s av e to th o s e W ho p os s e s s e d the key to it Fr o m all o f which .

it s ure ly f o llo ws that w e r e the Bibl e to be ind ee d lit e ral and

,

hi s t orical it w o uld di ff e r in b oth manne r and kind fr o m all

,

o th e r b ook s o f its clas s .

“
T he B ibl e mu s t o f n e c es s ity pl ay a m os t imp o rtant par t
in the futur e hi s t o ry o f the r eligi o u s wo rld T he s o call e d .
-

infid e l may cas t it fr o m him but it will r eturn and a s k f o r ,

e xaminati o n and a d e ci s i o n up o n its m e rits

,
T he blind .

de v ot e e— to its lite ral s e n s e w ho ha s take n it to his he art w

in gr os s a s he ha s b e e n taught to b e li e ve it with o ut a
, ,

r e s o rt to his j udgm e nt will ye t s e e in it b e auti es o f which

,

he n e v e r dr e am e d and unde r its influ e nc e ris e to a m o r e

, ,

’
j us t appr e ciati o n o f man s natur e n e c e ss iti es and d es tiny , .
”

T he o bj e cti o n s mad e by the agn os tic to r e v e lati on ,

miracl e s divin e incarnati o n imm o rtality the r e ality and

, , ,

acc e s s ibility o f the s piritual w o rld and o th e r t e n e t s o f r e ,

l ig ion c o m e o f ign o ranc e o f the true s ubs tanc e o f e xi s t e nc e

, ,

and the c ons e qu e nt s ub s tituti o n o f matt e r f o r that exi s t e nc e .

T he Church with its lit eral tran s lati on will hav e to an s w e r

,

f or much wr o ngd o ing in thi s r e s p e ct .

O n e obj e ct o f this w ork is to call the att e nti on o f the

s tud e nt to a s y s t e m o f int e r r e tation of the B ibl e e ntir e l
p y
1 04 MYSTE RIE S or o s n as

o rd e r The ho ly b o oks o f the Hind oo too a re ve ry anci ent

. s
, , ,

pr obably alphab e tical in th e ir c o mp os iti on O n e thing .

,

h ow ev e r w e kn ow viz that the ol d Pho e nician alphab e t ,

, ,
.
,

the p ar e nt o f the G r e e k Latin a n d E nglis h is v e ry anci e nt

, , ,
.

T he s ymb olic l angua g e ho w e v e r carrie s us much f arth e r

, ,

back and ha s b ee n p e rp etua te d amid the c o n fla g r a tion o f

,

citi es and the ruins and e mp ir es s 1 m pl y b e cau s e it is m o r e ,

ind es tructibl e in its natur e than a re p arc hm e nts r o lls o r ,

b ound v olum es T he mad big ots in e v e ry a g e hav e a t

.
,

t empt e d to e radica t e a l l e vide nc e o f the old e r w o rs hip by

d es tr oying th e ir s acr e d b o ok s ; but the s ymb olic language ,

e ngrav e d up o n th e ir m o num e nt s and t o mb s bu ri e d wit h , “

th e ir d e ad p e rp e tuat e d in e v e ry f o rm o f archit e ctur e int e r

, ,

w o v e n int o e v e ry arrang e m e nt o f s o ci ety e v ery phas e o f ,

’
th o ught and b eli e f writt e n in h e av e n s blu e vault w as s o
, ,

far b ey on d the r e ach o f th e ir va ndal hands and s o f a r ,

b e yo nd th e ir c ompr eh e n s i o n that th ey p a s s e d it by u n
,

o b s e rv e d and it r e main s to u s a gl o ri o u s m e m e nt o o f ancie nt

,

indus try s c i e nc e and d e v o ti o n

,
.

“
T he m o de rn church es too hav e b e e n bus ily e nga ge d in
, ,

d es tr oying all the v e s tig es o f o ur c o nn e cti on with the

s ymb o lic w o rs hip o f the e arli e r ag es D uring the w ho l e .

Chris tian er a thi s kn owl e dge has b e e n r e ligi o u s ly e xcluded

fro m the s e at s o f l e arning o r if intr o duc e d it ha s b ee n m is
, ,

und ers t oo d a n d c ons e qu e ntly mi s r e pr es ent e d a n d in many ,

ca s es purp os e l y p e rv e rt e d fr om its o riginal m e aning H ow

,
.

e v e r w e mu s t al s o b e ar in mind that in by far the maj o rity

,

o f ca s e s it w a s n ot e v e n und e r s t o o d .

I n o u r in s tituti o n s o f l e arning all the anci ent mythol ogy

ant e c e d e nt to the G re e k and Ro man is e xclud e d o r o nly , ,

"
o ccas i o nally intr o duc e d in s om e o f its m os t r e pul s iv e f orm s f

anci e nt r e ligi ons ha v e n e v e r b e e n taught by e ithe r

the Church or o rth o d o xy e xc e pt in its m os t lit e ral s e n s e ,

s uch a s the w o rs hip o f id ol s the s acri fic e o f living childr en

,

to the g o ds e tc As a f a c t s uch a thin g n e ve r t ook plac e in

,
.
,

the t e mpl e s o r am ong the anci e nt prie s t hoo d f o r t heir s w a s ,

a r e ligi o n o f the u tm os t purity As will be prov en , the s o .

 OR E GYP TIAN I NITIATIO N .

T he r e as o n o f this is obvi ou s f o r wh e n e v e r any o f the p agan

,

( anci ent ) d o ctri n es o r c e r e mo ni e s o f the G r e eks or Ro man s

.

c orr es p ond to the J e wi s h o r Chri s tian the f o rc e o f the ,

c oincide nc e is e xplain e d away by the s upp os iti o n that the

h e a th e n ( l ) b o rr ow e d th e m fr o m the J e ws or Chri stians ?
”

But wh e n w e a re e nabl e d to s h ow that the J e wi s h and Pagan

( An c ie nt ) a re ide ntical the o ld e r s ys t e m mus t carry o ff
,

the p alm o f o rigin ality F o r th is purp o s e o u r r es e arch e s

.

ne c es s aril y le ad us to inv es tigat e the old e r s ys t e ms o f re

l ig io us w o rs h ip f o r in r e lig i o n a s in a l l thing s e l s e —hi s t o ry
,

s imply r e p e a ts it s e lf in n e w f o rm s .

“
T he h o n e s t inqui re r will d es ir e to kn o w o ur obj e ct in
t hus running c oun te r to the s up pos e d s e ttl e d c on v ic tion s o f the
‘

a g e a n d at thi s s tag e o f the argum e nt w e s hall att empt to

,

bri efly a n s w er the inquiry W e s hall lay d own a s a p rop o s itio n

.

unde niabl e and furn i s hing a firm bas is o f a rgum ent that a ,

kn owl e dg e o f the truth is at a l l tim es d es ir a bl e a s a n a b

s tract affirm a ti on and ab s o lut ely n e c es s ary f or ou r har
, ,

m oni c a s d e v el opm en t The e xc e pti on s to the rul e a r e the

. .

cas es s imilar to the tr e atm e nt o f a lunatic in which you a re ,

c o n s train e d to hum or his fanci es that you may m or e e a s ily

c ontr ol and b e n e fi t him O th e r r e as on s al s o m os t w e ighty
.
, ,

call e d id ols w er e n o thing m or e than s imply p e rs onal repre

s e n ta tion s o f the activ e f orc e s o r g o ds if yo u will o f the
, ,

b ein g in the invis ibl e and o v e r thi s f orm e v e n the Chris tia n
,

Church c a n s a y n othing f o r th e y lik e the anci e nt s hav e o r , , ,

t e a ch th e i r p e rs ona l G o d It is tru e tha t in tim e o rgi e s

,
.
,

w er e c ommitt e d by the p e opl e but th es e w e r e n e ithe r ta ug ht

,

n o r s a n c tion e d by the p ri es thoo d .

TE v e ry ingl e f orm e v e ry s ingl e b eli e f and e v e ry s ingl e

s , ,

d o gma o f the m o d e rn J e wi s h and Chri s tian Church ha s

b e e n b o rr ow e d fr o m the anci ents a s will be pr ov e n in th es e ,
“
w o rks T he r e is n o thi n g n e w und e r the s un h old s g oo d
.
”

to the pr es e nt f o rm s o f r eligi ons f o r all o f th e m a r e bo r ,

r ow e d, or o utrig ht s t ol e n fr om the anci ent r e ligi on s .

1 06 MYSTE RIE S or os n us

and num e r ou s ! hav e influ e nce d us to purs u e this inve s tiga .

ti o n T he facts that pr ov e the ide ntity o f all re ligi o n s a re

.

accumulating ; the en e mi es of r e ve ale d r eligi o n a re b e c o ming

p os s es s e d o f th e m and a re us ing th e m with w o nde rful
,

e ffici e ncy to s ubv e rt the p r es e nt o rd e r o f s o ci e ty with o ut

s ub s tituting a b e tt e r T he infid e l ( I us e n ot the w o rd rc

.
,

p r o a c hf ul l,y but to d e s ign a t e a cla ss ) and all l e arn e d m e n ,

kn ow tha t the vari ou s s ys t e m s o f r e ligi o n in the w orld n ow ,

hav e b o rr ow e d m os t if n ot all o f th e ir ide as fro m the

, ,

anci ent s and hav e p e rp e tuat e d th e ir f orms and c e r e mo nies .

In V i e w o f this the infide l argu es that m o d e rn r e ligi on is

,

fals e b e caus e o f its o rigin but ha s n e v er ye t p rov ed tha t

,

a n c i en t re l ig i on s we re n o t true W e acc e pt m os t f a cts in

.

the c as e but d e ny the c on c l us i on s o f the infid e l be c a us e we ,

kn ow the m to be in c orrec t W e admit that the anci e nt wo r

.
,

s hip as w e hav e b ee n taught and mad e to und e rs tand it is

, ,

and was fal s e but w e kn ow that the anci e nt religio n s a s

,

th e y were a re tru e In this a g e w e a re b e ginnin g to g e t

, .
,

acc es s to the s acr e d b ooks and manus cripts o f the anci e nt

Church e s and which a re s till to be f o und in the s e cr e t
archiv e s wh e re the as pirant can fin d th e m W e b e gin to .

d e ciph e r th e ir hie ro glyphs and und e rs tand the b e auti es o f

th e ir phil os o phy Th es e s acr e d b o oks th es e hi er o glyphic s
.
, ,

unfold to u s the mys t e ri es o f th e ir wo rs hip a n d furnis h a

key to unl o ck the dark ( hidd e n ) s ayings o f o ur B ibl e We .

d o n ot writ e b e cau s e w e l o v e the Chri s ti e l o ve w o rs hip l es s ,

but b e caus e w e l o v e the anci e nt m o re, a n d a re c omp e lle d to

pull d own th o s e wall s o f s e p arati o n that l e ad u s t o d e p os e .

o ur f e ll o ws b e cau s e w e hav e b ee n taught to b e li e ve that th ey

t
Am on g the grea t es t of
th e s e r eas on s is the fact that a s ,

initiat es o r p ri es ts o f the anci e nt r e ligio ns w e have b e e n ,

ta ug ht the truth c o nc e rning th ese things and it th e r e fo r e

r e s ts up o n us t o s h ow to the mas s es tha t unlik e the the o ry ,

o f the unb e li e v e r th e r e is a s ur e fo undati o n f o r m o de rn

,

r e ligi o n and that the r e ha s n ev e r b e e n any re ligi on but

what w a s f o unde d up on the m os t s ubl im e tru ths .
1 08 Mv srna m s
'
or 0 8 1 11 1 5:

tim es he s p ak e in p arabl es and dark ( hidde n ) s ayings and ,

in s truct e d the p e opl e b oth J e ws and G e ntil es thro ugh th e ir

, ,

t e ach e rs in that s ymb olical and figurative m ann e r that in

,
'

age s p as t o v e rs p r e ad the w orld T he p eo pl e hav e alm os t

.

e ntir e ly l os t the m e aning o f thi s s ymb o lical languag e ,

in
which the mys t e ri o us p arts o f the B ibl e w e r e writt e n and ,

w er e it n ot f o r the a nci e nt frate rnity s till e xi s ting a s in

tho s e p as t a g es th e re w o uld be n on e to unfo ld to the p e o pl e
,

the b e autiful truth o f th es e mys te ri e s But G o d is goo d n o

.
,

m at te r what Chr is tian unb eli e v e rs may s a y and n othing ,

that wa s is l os t In tr e ating thi s s ubj e ct we s hall s how that

.

thi s grand s ys t em o f s ymb olical r eligi o n did univ e rs ally

pr e vail ; that the vari o u s r e ligi on s o f di ff e r e nt na ti on s a re
bu t fragm ents o f thi s univ e rs al wh ol e ; and c on s e qu e ntly ,

that in the s am e pr o p o rti o n that w e a re e nabl e d to c ompr e

h e nd the o riginal w e s hall hav e the key that will unl o ck to
,

u s the my s t e ri e s o f the vari o u s s e ct s cr e e ds d o ctrin es and

, , ,

s acr e d b ooks that a t di ff e r e nt tim es did and d o s till p r e vail

, ,

up o n this o l d e arth of o urs .

 C H AP TE R II .

I n the beg in n in g
T he s o ul is
an e manati o n from d e ity and in its o riginal ,
“
e s s e nc e is all purity truth and wi s d o m
, is an a xi o m which
, ,

the di s e mb o di e d l e arn wh e n the p ow e rs o f m e m o ry a r e

,

s uffici e ntly awak e n e d to p e rc e iv e the s tat es o f e xi s t e nc e

inte ri o r to m ortal birth In the Paradis e o f purity and l ov e

.
,

s ouls s pring up lik e blo s s o m s in the all F ath e r s gard e n o f

’
,

imm o rtal b e auty It is the t e nd e ncy o f that divin e n atur e

.
,

wh os e chi e f attribut es a re l ov e and wi s d om h e at and light , ,

to r e p e at it s e lf e t e rnally and mirr o r f orth its o wn p e rf e c

,

tio ns in s c in til l a t1 o n s fro m its elf Th e s e s p arks o f h e av e nly

.

fire b e c om e s ouls and a s the e ff e ct mu s t s har e in the natur e

,

of the cau s e the fire which warm s int o lif e al s o illuminat es

,

int o light h e nc e the s oul e m a nati on s fr o m the divin e a re a l l

,

l o v e and h e at whil s t the illuminati o n o f light whic h

, ,

s tr e ams e v e r fr o m the gr e at c e ntral s u n o f b e ing irradiat es ,

all s o ul s with c orr es p onding b e ams o f light B o rn o f l ov e .

,

which c o rres p onds to divin e h e at and wa rmth and ir ,

radiat e d with light which is divin e wi s d o m and truth the

, ,

firs t and m o s t p ow e rful s oul e manati on s r e p e a t e d the ac ti o n

o f th e ir s upr e m e o rigi n at o r gav e o ff e manati o n s fr o m th e ir
,

o w n b e ing s o m e hi gh e r s om e l o w e r the high e s t t e ndin g up

, , ,

w ard s int o s pi ritual e ss e nc es the l o w e s t f o rming p a rticl e d

,

m a tt er Th es e d en s e r em a n a ti on s , f oll owin g o ut the c re a tiv e

.
1 10 MYST E R IE S OF OSIR IS
l a w, aggr e gat e d int o s un s s at ellit es w orlds and e ach re
, , ,

p ea tin g the s t ory o f cr e ati o n ; s uns gav e birth to s ys t e m s ,

a n d e v e ry m e mb e r o f a s ys t e m b e cam e a th e atr e o f s ub

o rdinat e s tat e s o f s p iritua l o r mat e rial e xi s t e nc e

”
.

Thus d o id e a s d e s c e nd int o fo rms and fo rms a s c end int o ,

id e a s Thus is the gr o wth d e v e l o pm ent and pr o gr e ss o f

.
, ,

cr e ati o n e ndl es s and thu s mus t s p irit o riginate and e v e r

,

c r e at e w orld s o f matt e r f o r the purp os e s o f i ts pr o g r e s s iv e

,
-

unfoldm e nt .

Will the mighty march o f cr e ati o n n e v e r c e as e ? Will the

cabl e anch o r e d in the h ea rt o f the gr e at mys t e ry d e ity , ,

s tr e tch out f o r e v e r ?
“ ”
F o re v e r ! s h out the blazing s uns le a ping on in the ,

fi e ry o rbit s o f th e ir s hining l ife an d trailing in th e ir ,

glitt e ring p athway t e n th ou s and s ate llit es and m et eo ric

s p ark s whi rling flas hing 1 n the 1 r j e w el e d cr owns all
, , ,

e mbry o nic g e rm s o f n e w y o ung w o rlds s hal l be,

E arths that hav e attain e d to the c apacity to s upp o rt

o rganic life n e c es s arily a ttra c t it
,
E arths d e mand it . .

H e ave n s upp l ies it Fro m when c e ? As the e arths gro an

.

f or the l e ad e r s hip o f s up e ri or b e ings to rul e o ve r th e m the ,

s pirit s in th e ir dis tant E d e n s h e ar the whis p e rs o f the

,

“
t empting s e rp en tfi the a n i m a l p rin c ip l e the urg ent int e l
-

“
T his is the firs t s t o ry o f cr e ati on , the mys t ery o f the
an

“
s e rp e nt , the E d e n and the Fall ”
it is a ls o the mys t e ry o f
.

cr e ati o n and is the o nly l o gical s o luti o n o f the mys t e ry if

w e will b e li e v e that G o d c re at e d mankind It is the S a n s crit .

or Atlant e an s o luti o n .

T he l e g e nd o f the G ard e n o f E d e n the t e mptati o n and ,

fall o f man is v e ry gen e rally acc ept e d by mat erialis tic

,

writ e rs a s a pur e ly a s tr on o mical o rigin and to hav e b e e n ,

f o und e d o n the a s tral o rd e r al o n e with out any oth e r m ean

ing T he Augu s t c o ns t ellati o n o f the Virgin r e pres ents a
.
,

w o man h olding a fl ow e r s prig o r fruit in he r hand be ck on

, ,

i n g to B o o t e s o r J o s e ph the c o n s t e llati o n a littl e to the n o rth

,

o f the Virgin but in cl os e pro ximity to he r

,
This c onfigu ra .

ti o n o f the h e av e nly s igns it is taught may be a s o fte n , ,

int e rpr et e d i n to the l e gen d ed relati ons o f Ada m a n d Eve .

xi : MYSTE R IE S O F OSIR I S
what the e arth s c omp ell e d th em to b e In the e arli e r ag es
‘

o f th e s e gr o wing w o rld s the c o nditi o n s o f lif e w e r e rud e

,

and vi ol e nt h enc e the cr e atur es o n th e m p art oo k o f th e ir

,

n at ur e
. Th e n th e y firs t obtain e d the natur e o f s ex a n d the ,

l a w o f g e n e rati on T o p eo pl e th e s e e arth s man lik e the

.
, ,

o th er livi n g cr e atur e s mus t pr o duc e his kind All things

, .

in matt e r a re mal e a n d f em a l e ; min e ral s pl ant s anim a l s

‘

, , ,

a n d m en . Spirit the c rea tive e n e rgy is the ma s culin e

, ,

principl e that cr e at es ; n atur e the p a s s iv e r e cip i e nt is that

, ,

w hich ge rminat e s ; h en c e cr e ati o n Man mus t ob ey the law ; .

”
h enc e s ex and ge n e rati on .

Man liv es o n m any e arth s b e fo r e he r e ach es thi s Myriads .

o f w o rld s s warm in s pac e wh e r e the s oul in rudim e nt al

s tat es p e rf o rm s its pilg rimag es e r e he r e ach es the larg e and

‘

s hining plan e t name d the E arth the gl o ri o u s functi o n o f ,

w hich is t o c o nf e r s c l f —
c oms oi ous u e s s At thi s p o int o nly is .

he m a n ; at e v e ry o th e r s t ag e o f his va s t wild j o urn e y he i s

.

but an e mbry oni c b e ing—a fl ee ti n g t emp orary s hap e of ,

the h a rm o ni es o f the natural and s piritual in e very d ep art

m e nt o f b e ing .

T o und e rs tand how the anci e n ts int e rpr e t e d th e s e as tral

hi er o glyphic s int o s uch a s ys t e m a s w o uld e xplain the fall
of ma n ,
and yet pr es e rv e the c orr es p o nd e nc e b e tw e e n his
e s tat e o n e arth and the m ov e m e nt s o f the h e av enly b o di es ,
“ ”
it is n e c es s ary t o take int o c o ns ide rati on the fall a s
alr e ady e xplain e d wh e r e it is s h own that the s oul orig in a l l y
,

dwe lt in a pur ely s piritual s tat e o f e xi s t e n c e but b e in g ,

t empt e d by the craving d es ire f or e arthly kn owl e dge it ,

b e cam e attract e d to this plan e t— incarn a t e d in the fo rm o f

— “
man and w om a n and h enc e in r e ality the fall o f s p irit,
”

int o matt e r With all that r e v e r e nc e which finit e b e ings mus t

.

f e el wh e n th e y pr es um e to s p e culat e o n i nfinity w e may ,

imagin e that the f orm o f t he high es t s piritual exi s t e nc es

m ay admit o f n o part s o r angl e s but m ay be lik e the p er , ,

f ti f h i it l a gl b but all rganic f rm

‘

e c o n o t e s p r ua s u n o e ; ,
o o s

a re s e cti on s o f the p e rf e ct s ph e r e a n d m a n is o bvi ous ly a ,

c ompl e x as s e mb l age o f lin e s a n d circl e s uniting in him s e l f .

a l l the d e tails o f math e matical pr o p o r ti o n s ub o rdinat e to .

the perf e c ti on of figure a s sum e d to exis t in the s piritua l s un

‘

.
 OR E GYP TIA N I N ITIATI O N . 1 1 3

matt e r a cr e atur e in which a p art but only a p a rt of the

-

, ,

high impris o n e d s oul s hine s fo rth ; a rud im e nt a l s hap e with

ru d a m en ta l functi on s e v e r living dying s u s taini n g a fle et
, , ,

ing s piritual e xi s t e nc e a s rudim e ntal a s the mat e rial s hap e

, ,

fr o m wh enc e it e m e rge d ; a butt e rfly s pringing up fr om the

chrys o litic s h e ll but e v e r a s it o nward ru s h es in n e w birth s
‘

, , ,

n ew d e a ths n e w in c arnati ons an on to d ie a n d liv e again

'

, , , ,

but s till s tr e tch f o rward s till s triv e o nward s till ru s h o n

, ,

the giddy dre adful t o il s om e rugg e d path until it awak en s

, , , ,

o nc e m o r e o nc e m o r e to liv e and b e a m a t e rial s hap e

-
a ,

thin g o f du s t a cre atur e o f fl es h and bl o o d but n ow —

,
a ,

man .

It is fr o m the dim m e m o ry that the s oul r etain s firs t o f its ,

original bri ghtn ess a n d fall n e xt o f its c ountl e s s migrati on s

,

through the vari o u s und e rt on e s o f b e ing that ant e dat e its

app e a ranc e o n thi s e arth a s a man th a t the b eli e f in the .

d octrin e o f the m e t emp s ych os is ( tran s mi g rati on o f s oul s

thr o ugh the animal kingd om ) ha s ari s en .
"

Y et it is a s in again s t divin e truth to b e li e v e th a t th

e xalt e d s oul that ha s o nc e r e ach e d the dignity and upri g ht

s tatur e o f manh oo d s h o uld o r c o uld r etr o gra d e int o t e

, ,
r

bo di es of cr e e ping things o r cro uching animal s ,

.

Aft e r the s o ul s birth int o hum a nity it acqu ires s e l f

’
,

ooevs c iou s u es s kn owl e dg e o f its o w n individu a lity a n d

, ,

cl os ing up for ev e r its car e e r o f mat e r ial tr a n s formati on ‘

,

with the de ath o f the m o rt a l b o d y it gravitat e s o n to a ,

fr e s h s e ri es o f e xis t enc es in pur e ly s piritual ( a s b e f o r e its

birth o n e arth ) re alms o f b e ing H e r e the furth e r p u rific a .

tio ns o f the s oul c omm e nc e s an e w ; c o mm e nc es w i th th a t

i“
s ublim e attribut e o f s e l f Im ow l c cl g e which e n abl es e v e n the
-

wick e des t s pirit to e nj oy and pr ofi t by the chan g e f o r ,

*
gre at mys te ry o f the An ci e nt Init iati o n w a s th a t
T he
m en c ould by p r op e r c o urs e o f lif e and d eve l op m e n t r e a ch
, ,

t hi s s e l f c on s c iou s n es s in the p res en t e xis te n c e s o th a t the

-

rus h o nward w ould n o t be d el a y e d thi s w a s the a n d is the

“

, ,

g ran d m y s te ry o f tru e init i ati on ,

x1 4 mr s rs nms or 0 31 31 3

m em ory uppli es him with le s s o n s which urge him to

s

s truggl e f or wa rd i n t o c o nqu es t o v e r s in and pr o ph e tic s ight

,

s timulat es him to a s pir e until he s hall attain by we ll ,

dire ct e d e ff ort the s ublim e h e ights o f purity a n d go o dn es s

,

fr om which he fe ll to b e c o m e a m o rt al p ilgrim
, .

T he triumphant s o uls who e nt e r h e av e n by e ff ort a re

G o d s minis t e ring an g e ls o f po we r wis d om s tr e n g t h and
’

, , ,

b e auty T he dw ell e rs in the primal s tat es o f E d e n a re o nly

—
.

Sp irit s T he firs t a re G o d m e n
. he a ve n l y m e n s tr o ng and
- m

mighty p o w e rs thron es d omini o ns w o rld build ers gl o rio u s

, , ,
-

hie rarchie s o f s un bri ght s o ul s who n e v e rm o re can fall

-

, .

Spirits a re but the br e ath the s park the s had o w o f a G o d ;

, ,

ange ls a re G o ds in p eros n D uring the vari o u s trans iti o nal

.

s ta t es o f the s o ul in p a s s ing thro ugh the myriad s o f f o rm s

and myriads o f e arths wh e reo n th e ir p ro batio n s a re out

wr ought the chang es a re all e fie c te d by a pro c es s a n al o g o u s
to human d e ath—during the p e rio d th a t su b s is t s e re the
,

s o ul e xp e ll e d fr o m o n e mat e rial s h a p e e nt e rs an o th e r the

, ,

drifting s pirit s till e nv e l o p e d by the ma g n e tic are al bod y

,

which binds it to the r e alm o f matt e r b e c o me s f or its s h o rt ,

t e rm o f inte rm ed iat e s p iri tual e xi s te nc e an e l e m entary

s p irit .

T he s t o ry o f the cr e ati o n wa s wo v e n into l e g e nds o f which

G e n es i s is o n e T he s am e s to ry w a s int e rw o v e n with le ge nds
.

“
o f g ods a n d g o dde ss es ; the e mbl e m s o f gen e r a ti o n which’

w e r e n e c es s ary to ge n e rati o n w e r e int ers p ers e d with ,

“
"
F ag es pri o r to the inve nti o n o f l e tte rs the pha l l in , o r
or ,

o rgan s o r g e n e rati o n had b e c o m e a m o s t imp ort a nt , b e caus e

,

m os t s ignifican t hie ro glyphs or s ymb ols o f sa lv a ti o n ( re

,

ge n e rati o n ) Th e r e fo r e a s the s a l tie r or St And re w 3 cr oss

. .
’
,

f o rming an angl e o f twe nty thr e e d e gr e es re t he an gle o f -

, ,

the e clipt ic o r the angl e f o rm e d by the s un in cro ss i ng the

lin e b e cam e an e mble m o f s alvati o n b e caus e it u s h e r e d in
, ,

the fruitful s e a s o n ; and the lingam also b e ing an e mbl e m o f

f e cun d ity th ey b e cam e in s o m e m eas u re ble nd e d int o o n e
,

id e a In time thi s ga v e pla c e to the s erpe nt a n d the Ro m a n

.
x1 6
-
MYSTERIES on os n ns

and the d e ifie a tion o f th e ir e mbl e m s a s an act o f r e ligi o us

duty Whil e w e kn o w that thi s vi e w o f the o rigin o f se x
.

wo rs hip is the tru e o n e w e can w e ll f o rgiv e th o s e W ho di d

, .

’
n o t kn o w f or b e lie ving that it w a s an o ff s pring o f m an s

m e r ely a n imal an d ins ti n ctiv e n a tur e a n d s uch it b e came ,

w he n the p eo pl e had l os t its d ivin e m e aning .

“ ’
Thu s it w a s with m an s r e ligi ou s b eli e fs S olar a n d s ex .

w or s hip a s s ymb o lical o f the d ivin e b o rn o f his high e s t

, ,

c on c e pti on of the divin e pl a n r os e in t o a p e rf e ct s ci e nc e the

, ,

s ci e nc e by which the antiqu e man p e rc e iv e d the c o rr e

.

s p o n d e n c e be tw e e n e arth and the he av e n s t he Cr e at o r and

“

his cr e at ur es This fam o u s e r a o f a nci e nt civilizati o n cul

. ,

m in a te d cr o s s e d the e quin o x o f pr oph etic d e ath d e s c e nd e d

, ,

int o the night o f c o rrupti on s thr ough cland es tin e pri es t

h oo ds a n d s e n s u a li s m an d p e ri s h e d with the cl os i n g up o f
,

the O ri e n t a l d ynas ti e s .

“
T he rea l s p iritual truths o f antiqu ity hav e n e v e r di e d ,

f or th e ir e xhibiti o n ha s at tim e s illuminat e d the ag es wi th

light s o lit tl e u n d e rs t o o d that th e ir h oly radianc e ha s b e e n
,
”
m i s t a k e n f o r the ban e ful gl a r e o f s up e rnatur ali s m .

Th e y hav e n eve r di e d but giv e n p r o mi s es an d n ow give

, ,

full a s s uranc e that the r es urr e cti o n is a t ha n d .

Th e fall of m a n is thus but the s had o w o f a s till divin e r

'

truth the s ub s tanc e o f which is — the f a l l o f s pirit All

,
.

e xi s t e n c e o rigin at e s in s p irit .

“
Aft e r m en b e g a n to c ongr e gat e the n ec es s 1 t 1 es o f th
_ ,

“
s tat e ( the w o rd s tat e is h e r e co ns id e r e d a s a num be r o f
”
“

p eo pl e ) r e quir e d the app o intme nt o f c e rtain p ers o ns ( a )

w h os e s o l e bus i n es s it w a s to r e gulat e the tim e s s e as o n s o b , ,

Se rv a n c es and law s o f s uch s tat e Th e ir firs t lab ors w e re

.

n a turally dir e ct e d t o the m os t pr es s ing d e mand s o f the

p e o pl e and aft e r the s o cial o rgani s m w a s c ompl e t e d r e

, ,

l ig io n w o uld n e xt d e mand th e ir att e nti o n D uring the c e n .

tu ri e s pr e c e ding the tim e wh e n m e n b e gan t o build citi es the

and ring h rd m n had d ubt b rv d m t anxi o us ly
w e e s e n o o o s e e os

Ac c ordin g to Art Ma gi c .
 on EGYP T I AN I N ITIATIO N x1
.
7
the m ov em ent s o f the h e a ve nly b o di e s and by tradi ti on had ,

pr es erve d a kn o wl e dg e o f the n am es and m o v em ents o f the

p rincip al luminari es but it r e quir e d the c ombi n e d in te l l i
,

g enc e and w e alth o f the nati o ns to o rganiz e a c o mpl e t e

s ys t e m o f s t e llar s ymb o li s m T he s tarry h os ts v e ry s oo n
.

b e ga n to be c on s id e r e d the r es id enc es o f the G o d s ( b ) and ,

it b e cam e the bu s i n es s o f the p ri es ts of r eligi o n to l o cat e

th e m in th e ir a ppro priate d om icil es Th es e m e n t he r e f o re .
, ,

who w e r e s et ap ar t by the p e opl e be c a m e th e ir pri e s ts and

t ea ch e rs and th e ir r e ligi o n m os t n a turally as s um e d the
,

as tron omical f orm .

a. In anc i ent tim es th e r e w er e m en who wi thdr e w alto

g ethe r fro m the lab ors and pl e as ur es o f the w o rld and in ,

s olita ry plac es d e v o t e d th e m s e lv es to r e ligi ou s c o nt e mpla

tio n This lo n e ly e xi s t enc e o n the s il e nt m ountain s or amid

.
,

the darkn es s o f imm e n s e f o r es t s inf es t e d by s e rp e nt s and

,

wild b e as ts .The human s o ul uns atis fi e d in its cag e o f

,

finit e limitati o n is always a s p irin g aft e r the g o o d and the

,

tru e always e agerly h o ping f o r me ss enge rs fr om a bov e a n d

, ,

th e r e fo r e p re p ar es to r e c e iv e th e m Thus th es e s a i n tly.

h e rmits cam e to be obj e c ts o f e xtre m e v e n e rati on am ong the

p e o pl e Men trav e l e d far to inquir e o f th e m ho w s in s might
.

be e xp i a t e d o r dis e a s es cur e d f or it w a s b eli e v e d that in

, ,

thus d e v oting th e m s e lv es to a lif e b e y ond the tumult o f the

p as s i o n s o ccupi e d s ol ely with p en a nc e a n d p ray e r th ey a p
, ,

p ro a c he d v e ry n e ar to G o d and r e c e iv e d dir e ct r e v e lati on s

,

o f H is divin e wis d o m .

It w a s thu s t hat the pri es tly ord ers h ad th e ir b e ginning .

Th es e pri es ts thr ough th e ir chas t e lif e m e ditati on and

, , ,

d ev e l o pm ent c am e to hav e int e rc our s e with the b e ings o f

the h e ave ns and th e y c ould thu s act a s m e di a t o rs b etw ee n
the G o d and the p e o pl e Th ey w e re thus the s ol e c on
“

s e rva to rs o f the mys t e ri es f o r s uch w e r e the things th at

,

th e y had be e n taught by the g ods It w a s als o thr ough this .

that th e y cam e to maintain th e ir auth ority o v e r the p eopl e

and taught th em a s much a s th e y c ould r e c e iv e It w a s n o t .

that th ey d eeme d the kn owl e dg e that th ey had r e c e iv ed , a s

1 i s MYSTERIE S or OSI RIS
to o high f o r the masse s that th ey did n ot giv e to all the
,

wis d o m that w a s th e ir s but the y kn e w that the p eo ple c o uld

,

n o t r e c e iv e it f o r the on e gr e at r e as o n that th e y the p e o pl e , ,

w e r e n ot pr ep ar e d a s th ey th e mse lv es had b ee n and th e r e ,

f or e c o uld n ot re c e iv e but p ar t o f the s ublim e truths .

E v e ry human s oul w a s s upp os e d to attract to its e lf

fr o m the m o m ent o f birth two s pirits the o n e p o w e r ful to ,

influ e nc e f or g o o d the o th e r f o r e vil The se s pirits w e re

, .

call e d by the anci e n ts go o d and e vil G e nii and the natural

pr o cliviti es to vic e or virtu e in the individual to who m th e y
minis t e r e d w e r e s upp os e d to be s timulat e d o r e xalt e d a o ,

c o rding a s the s o ul gav e h ee d to the in s pirati o n o f the

t emp t e r o r the c o un s ell o r
,
.

B es id es the r e alms o f b e ings ab o ve e num e r a ted it wa s ,

claim e d that o th er o rd e rs exis t e d n o t ac tually wholly goo d ,

o r pur ely e vil ; n e ith e r e ntire ly s p iritu a l n or actually ,

mat e rial in th e ir natur es ; cr e atur es o f the e l e m e nts c o rr e ,

s p on d in g in th e ir s tat e p o w e r and functi o n to the di ff e re nt

, ,

e l e me nt s in the univ e r s e and filling up all the r e alms o f

,

s p ac e with unc o unte d l e gi o n s o f e mbry o nic a n d rudim e nta l

f orm s .

T h es e b e ings w e r e by r e as o n o f th e ir s e mi s piri tual s tat e

,
-

invi s ibl e to man and b e caus e o f the gros s tincture o f mat

, ,

te r in th e ir c om pos itio n un a bl e to d is c e rn any o rde rs o f be ing

,

but th ems elv es e xc e pt thr o ugh rar e a n d e xc ep ti o nal rifts in

,

“
the ir a tm o s ph e ric s u rrou n d in g s fi The y c orre s p o nde d to
the e th e r air atm os ph e r e wat e r e art h mi n e rals plan ts
, , , , , ,

and di ffe r e nt e l e m ent s o f which the e arth and the unive rs e

g en e rally is c omp os e d S o m e o f the s e b e ings w e r e malici ou s
.

”“
I t w a s the kn owl e dge o f the p ri es ts a n d the ini tiat e s a s
to how to pr o duc e th es e atm os ph e ric c onditi on s thr o ugh the
burning o f inc e n s e , e tc , and, aft e r drawing th e m and cau s
.

ing th e m to app e ar b e fo r e th em , to giv e the p ri es ts s uch

kn o wl e dg e o r p ow e r a s th ey d es ir e d to p os s e s s This c o m e s
-

p r op e rly und er the h e adi n g of Anci e nt Initiati o n , and e v e n

a s taught in the p r e s e nt Initi a ti o n o f the E gyptian Se cr et

Hi erarchy .
1 20 MY STER IE S O F I I
OS R S

se v e n Thi s s ys t em wa s o nly a f o r e runn e r a tran s itio n 9

.
, , .

pr oph e cy a wild e rn es s a J o hn B ap ti s t a v o ice to p re c e d e

, , ,

and u s h e r in that m or e p e rf e ct s ys t e m o f tw e lv es ( a ) that

ha s b e e n p erp e tua te d in e v e ry r eligi o n u n d e r h e av e n to th is
.

pr es ent day .

a T he E gyptians e v e n in the m o s t ancie nt tim es were

.
, ,

acqua int e d with the s ign s o f the z o diac Th e ir mo num ents .

,

which w e r e kn own to be o f the e a rli es t a n tiquity a re ,

c ov e r e d with figur es am ong which th os e o f the crab and the

,

wild g o a t o f the balanc e and the s c o rp i o n o f the ra m and

, ,

the bull o f the kid the virgin and the r es t a re fr e qu e n tly

, , ,

f o und .

The tw e lv e s ymb o li c al nam e s which s ignify the tw e lv e ,

p ortio ns b o th o f the y e ar an d the he av e ns we re a p ro

, ,

d ig ious h elp t oward s r e gul ating the b e ginn ings o f s o wing ,

m owing harve s t and the oth e r w o rks o f mankind

, ,
.

It w a s f ou n d v e ry c o nve ni ent to e xp os e in publ ic a s ma ll ,

figur e o r a s ingl e l e tt e r to n otify the e xact tim e which c e r

, ,

tain ge n eral w orks w er e to be b e gun in c ommo n an d wh e n ,

c e rtai n f e a s ts w e r e to be c e l e brat e d The us e o f t hes e figur es .

app e ar e d s o c o nv eni e nt that th ey by de gr ees e xt end e d it to

,

m o r e things than the o rd e r o f the cal e ndar S e v era l .

s ymb o l s fit to inf o rm the p e o pl e o f c e rt a in truth s by s om e

, ,

anal ogy or r elati o n b e tw e e n the figur e an d the thing the y

had in mind to mak e u n d e rs t o o d w ere d evis e d , .

This m eth o d o f s aying o r s h owing on e t hing to intim at e ,

o th e rs is w hat induc e d a m o ng the E as t e rn n a ti on s the ta s t e

,

o f all e g o ri es Th e y pr es e rv e d f or a lo ng tim e the m e tho d

.
, ,

o f t e aching e v e rything u n d e r s ymb ol s c a lculate d by a , ,

mys t e ri ou s o ut s ide t o e xcit e curi os ity which w a s af t e r

, ,

w a rd s re c omp e n s e d by th e s ati s facti o n o f hav ing di s co ve r e d

the t ruths which th e y c onc ea l e d Pythago ra s who had .
,

trav ell ed a m ong the E as t ern nati ons th e nc e bro ught that ,

cus t om int o Italy .

H a m fi and th os e o f his d es c e nda nt s who cam e to i nh a bit

i

H am,
Hamm on b e ing c omm only call e d G o d J e hov
‘X‘
or , , ,

Jch o v Amm o n the city o f Th eb es Wher e he ha d dw elt

-

, ,
. .
 OR E GYP TIA N I N ITIATI ON . 1 2l

the bank s o f the N il e and the L ow e r E gypt fir s t tri e d to

, ,

cultivat e the e arth a cc o rding to the o rd e r o f the ye ar and in ,

the mann e r us e d in o th e r c o untri e s ; but n o s oo n e r w e r e the y

r e a d y to cut d own th e ir harv es t in t he dri es t s e a s o n o f the ,

y e ar and with o u t the le a s t app e a ranc e o f rain but the rive i

, ,

s w e ll e d to th e ir gr e at am az e m e nt ; it fl o w e d on a s udd e n
,

o v e r i ts banks and t o o k fr o m th e m the s e pr ovi s i o n s which

,

th e y tho ught th e m s e lv es alr e ady s ur e o f The w at e rs n on .

tinn e d to ri s e to the h e i g ht o f t w e lv e f o urt e en or e v e n , ,

s ixt ee n cubit s c o ve r e d all the plain s carri e d awa y th e ir

, ,

cattl e and e v e n the inhabitants th e ms elv es T he inunda

, .

ti on las t e d ten to el e v e n w ee ks a n d s om etim es l ong e r ,

.

It is tru e the o v e rfl owing le f t o n the land a mud which

,

impr ov e d it ; but the difficulty o f obtaining a harv es t s inc e

, ,

the s umm e r the o nly tim e pr o p e r f o r it br ought the s ttt m

,

and the inundati on cau s e d H a m to quit b oth the l ow e r and

,

the middl e E gypt an d r e tir e to the high e r ,

H e th e r e .

f ound e d the city o f Th eb es originally c al l e d Amm o n n o ,

-

Amm on s abo d e : But m a n v finding it inc o nv e ni ent to re

’

m ov e fr om l ow e r E gypt which aft e r the r e tirin g o f the ,

wat e rs w a s thr ough out the r e maining p art o f the y e ar lik e

,

a b e autiful gar d en and a de lightful plac e to dw ell in e n

, ,

l e ng es t and which th e y anci e ntly call e d Amm on s ab o d e

,
’

( Am m on n o ) wa s aft e rward s call e d the City of G o d

, .

Thi s wo rd J e ho v in its primitiv e u s e s ign ifi es the F a the r

, ,

o f l if e the s up r e m e be in g
,
T he G r ee ks trans lat e d it by tha t
.

o f Z e n s o r D i e s and the Ro mans by that o f D e n a ; all nam es

, ,

having the s a m e s e n s e The y s om etim e s j o in e d to it the

.

n a m e o f Fath e r whic h w a s but an int e rpr e tati on o f it and

, ,

c a ll e d him D ios p ite r or J e v pite r T he Amm on which be .

,

c a m e c onf ou nd e d with G o d a n d with O s iri s o r the s tar

, ,

m o d er a t or o f s e a s on s b e came the fam ous J ov Amm on o r

,
-

the Jup ite r Ammo n a n d had alway s the fir s t h o n o r s paid

-

t o him aft e r th e o th e r s ymb ol s had in lik e mann e r c o n

,

v e rt e d into s o many c el es tial p e rs onage s and p ow e rful

d e iti e s T he r eas o n o f thi s p re —
. e min e nc e is f o und e d o n th e ir

h a ving a nne x e d the id e a o f the f ounde r o f the c ol ony to the

m os t brilli a nt o f th e ir s ymb ol s th a t o f th eir O s iri s , .
122 Mr s rna ms or osi a ts
'

d e a vore d to fo rtify th e ms e lv e s again s t the re turn of the

Nva te rs .

Th e y o bs e rv e d fr o m o n e y e ar to a n oth e r that the o v e r ,

fl owing wa s always pr e c e d e d by an E t es ian ( ann ual ) wind ,

whic h bl owing fr o m n orth to s outh ab o ut the tim e o f the ,

p as s age o f the s un und e r the s tars o f the crab dr ove the ,

vap or s t o ward s the s o uth and gathe r e d th e m in the middl e ,

of the c o untry ( E thi opia now Nubia and Abys s i n ia

’

, ,

wh e nc e the N il e cam e ) which th e r e caus e d pl e ntiful rain, “

that s w e ll e d the wat e rs o f the riv e r and bro ught o n the ,

inund ati o n o f l o we r E gypt .

But th e y want e d the m e ans o f kno wing exa ctly the time
-

wh e n it s h o uld be n e c es s ary f o r the m to be pr ep ar e d f or the

inundati o n .The flo wing o f the riv e r b ey ond its banks
happ e n e d s o m e days s o on e r or lat e r whe n the s un w a s ,

und e r the s tars o f the li o n N e ar the s tars of Canc e r tho ugh .

,

pr e tty far from the band o f the Zo diac t owards the s o uth ,

and a f e w we eks aft e r th e ir ri s ing th e y s e e in the mo rning ,

o n e o f the m o s t brilliant if n ot the larg es t s tar o f the W h o l e

,

h e av en s a s c e nding the h oriz on It app e are d a littl e b e fo r e

,
.

the ri s ing o f the s un which had r e nd e re d it alm os t in

,

vis ibl e f or a m onth o r tw o b e f or e The E g yptians then .

p itch cd up o n the r is ing o f thi s magnific e nt s tar a s the in

- .

fallibl e s ign o f the s un s p a s s ing und e r the s ta r s o f L eo and

’
,

the b e gin n ing o f the inundati o n Th a t s t a r b ec am e the .

u b l i c m a rk o n which e v e ry on e w a s t o k e e p a watchful
p ,

e ye n o t t o mi s s the ins tant o f r e tiring to the highe r gro un d

,
.

‘
As it w a s s een but a v e ry littl e t m e a bov e the h oriz on to
i
‘
-
,

wards the d awning o f the aur o ra which b e c oming e v e ry ,

i ns tant cl e ar e r s o o n ma d e it dis app e ar it s e e m e d to s h o w

, ,

its e lf to the E gyptian s m e r ely to wa rn th e m o f the o ve r

,

fl owing which s ee n f oll o w e d The s tar w a s call e d by th e m

,
-
“

the An ubis o r T ha a ut o f which m o r e will be s aid l at e r o n

-
.
,

“ In
the G r e e k myth ol o gy the g o d Saturn had his d o micil e
“

o r t h r o n e i n th e plan e t Saturn th e farth es t fr o m t h e s u n

,

h
t en kn o wn wh os e y e ar re quir e d thirty o f o ur s a n d a s h e ,
,

r
m ea s u e t e d im with th e s l o w es t p ac e h e w a s c a ll e d th e fath e r
 MYSTERIES OF I I
OS R S

re v e r enc e p a id to fire flame h e at light and e v en the

, , , ,

m inutes t d etail s o f c e r e mo nial rite s practic e d in the m os t

anci e nt as tr ono mical w o rs hip a re s c att e r e d thr o ugh the ,

varying f orms o f Hindo o th eo l o gy until the p arity o f the ,

t hr ee s ys t e ms c a nn o t be qu es ti o n e d An e qually faithful .

adh er enc e to the S abe an l e ge nd is to be f o und in the s t o ry

o f the Ind ian D yon i s m s s ub s e qu e ntly r e p e at e d in E gyp t
, ,

and fo rmin the bas is o f the O s iric le ge nd

g
.

Eg yp t taught the Sun go d s hi s to ry a n d that in a s e ri es

’
-

o f myths and my s t e ri e s s till m o re e labo rat e than th os e in

India .

T he s to ri es o f O s iri s Is is H o rn s and Typh o n a re dir e ct

, ,

t rans cript s o f the a s tr o n o mical s ch e m e The myths o f the .

G o ds Z ul is and Me mn o n the w or s hip o f H eli op o lis the

, ,

go rgeo us o rd e r o f the famo u s mys t e ri e s and the mythical ,

p er s o nages s catte re d thro ugho ut the w o nd e rful w oo f o f

E gyptian t h eo gony a re but e lab o rati o ns o f the Z o diacal
,

fabl e and the w o rs hip o f the p o w e rs o f n ature

,
.

But l et this be kno wn to all s t ud ents o f the E gyptian

mys t eri es that be n ea th
,
all the s p l en d or o f their p o l ythe is m

f the L ord f
‘
is hid d en the m ys te ry, kn own to the s on s o o

hea ven ,
”
o f on e G od . This tru th wa s g ua rd e d by the
m ys tic s as a a d o ctrin e
m ys tery, n ot a s .

Chris tian s may a s k why thi s w a s n ot taught the p e o pl e ?

T he ans w e r c o m es in to n es o f thund e r
. It wo uld n o t d o .

and the pr oo f is fo und in the b oo ks o f Mos es f o r afte r he ,

had d e liv e r e d the H ebr e ws th ey s imply s ho ut e d that he w a s

a g o d and e v e n the E gyptians w e re r e ady to ackn o wl e dge
,

him a s O s iris o r T ho th In s o m e o f the t e mpl es the p ries t s

-

w av e d inc ens e to O s iri s by the n am e o f Mus a e us iris o r

.

O s iris M os es ; and yet he had taught th e m that he w a s to

-

b e o nly th e ir d e liv e r e r Thu s it wa s with all the p e o pl e the

.
,

in iti a t es had the m ys tery but the p eo pl e w ould n o t a cc ept it .

Th e s ublim e s ys t e m o f Z o ro as t e r r e cit es the h i s t o ry o f the

s un g o d in th a t o f Mithra
-
finds in Arim a n es the gr e at
, ,

d ragon o f the s ki es , and ih all s acr e d tim e s and s e a son s ,

 on EG YP T I AN m rr m ri on '
. 1 25

ce er mo nial s and traditi on s a co mpl et e trans cript o f the ,

as tron omi cal re ligio n .

T he Chald e ans E thi o pian s Ph oe nician s and the m os t

, ,

s e ttl e d o f the Ar abian trib e s taught the s am e bas ic id e a in ,

th e ir vari e d s y s t e m s o f wo rship .

The Scythian nati on s ge n e rally w o rs hip fir e and pr e s e rv e ,

traditi ons o f a crucifi e d s un g od The y c el ebr at e the s un s -

.
’

birthday o n the 25th o f D e c e mb e r and a m ong the trib es o f ,

the Tartar s th e r e is a f e s tal c e r e mo ny d es crib e d a s app a r

taining to the as tron o mical r e ligi on .

The r eligi o n o f China and Japan w e r e o riginally f o und e d

o n the my thical his t o ry o f the s un g o d Many additi ons -
.

and int e rp olatio ns up o n the bas ic l e ge nd o bt a in e d in

Chin es e and Japane s e w o rs hip but the fo undati on is ,

uniqu e and the f e as ts c e r e m onial rites and s e as ons o f ob

, ,

s e rva n c e a l l p r o v e the p arity o f w or s hip am o ngs t th es e

,

pe o pl e with the Sab e an s ys t e m

,
.

In the is lands o f C e yl o n Ja va the Philippin e s a n d , ,

M oluccas vari ous fo rm s o f s olar a n d as tral w ors hip h a ve

,

e xi s te d f or ag e s T h e s e all a re n o w no thing m o r e than

. ,

f o rms and the on e G o d which th ey re pre s e n te d in th e ir

,

puri ty is l os t to the m
,
.

T he e ntire s pl e ndid image ry o f G re cian and Ro ma n

mytho l ogy w a s but a pa raphras e o f E gyptia n s olar w o rs hip ,

e nl a rg e d e mbe lli s h e d and be a utifie d by the p oe tic m e ntality

,

o f G r e e c e and Ro m e .

T he id e a o f the gre a t s p iritual s u n o f the anci e nts the ,

un kn o wn and n n hn o wa bl e finds its p e rfe ct c o rre s p o nd e nc e

,

i n the G r ee k Z e u s and the Chris t i an G o d — the G od who

d we lls al on e and fro m wh om p r oc e e d as s ubord in a te e ma n
, ,

a tio n s
,
all the imp e rs ona te d p o we rs o f natur e plan e tary ,

and a s tral s pirits who figur e i n the fam ou s Panth e on

,
.

Ap oll o Me rcury o r H e rm e s Bacchus Pr o m e th e us and

, , , ,

E s c ul a p ius we r e s un g ods
-
m e diat o r s s avi ou rs ; C e r es
-

, , ,

Pr os e rpina and Plut o play e d th e ir s p e cial p ar ts in the a s tral

dr a ma but all d e riv e th e ir nam es and his t0 1 ie s fr om the
,

Sa m e s our ce H i n d oos , E gyptian s , Ara bi a ns , Pa rsees

.
,
I 26 MYSTE RIE S OE OSIRTS
G re eks and Chris tia n s a l l d ra nk at the s am e c el es tia l foun ,

tain an d o nly varie d th e ir rit e s c e r emo nial s n ame s and

, , ,

figur es to s uit the ide ality o f the land wh os e a g e o r climatic

i nflu e nc e d e t e rmin e d th e ir i n te llige nc e a n d to the in n er
pri es ts a n d the initiat e s all th es e n am es w e re but a s s ymb ols ,

and f orm s o f the on e G o d .

T he J e ws who s e B iblic r e c o rd o f war bl oo d s h e d vi ol e nc e

, , , ,

l aws cus t om s dre s s es e tc the Chris tian w o rld holds s acr e d

, , , .
,

a s the in s p ir e d w o rd o f G o d w ors hipp e d a d e ity who wa s ,

o nly o n e o f the e l o ihim o r a s tral tut e lary s pirits o f the

‘
[

E gy p tians B e l B e lu s B aal B a alp eo r Mo l o ch D agon

.
, , , , , ,

J e h o vah Jah I Am th es e a n d the nam es o f the var i o us

, , , ,

o th e r g o d s o r tut e l ary de iti e s w o rs hipp e d by the va ri o u s

,

n ati o ns o f Arab i a and A s ia Min o r including the J e ws a re , ,

o nly s o m a n ys yn o n ym s o f the o n e m e diat o rial s u n go d who

’

, ,

und e r e ve ry c on c e ivabl e a s tr al and s olar w o rs hip it s elf an

-

e xt e rnal e xp r es s i o n o f the i nn e r a n d s ublim e and har

i
m o n 1 o us o rd e r o f the univ e r s e .

Whil e n e arly e v e ry n ati o n o f antiquity d e em e d o f G o d a s

the D e miurgus ; n e ith e r ma l e n o r f e male ye t b oth ; a s o f a ,

c e ntral s o urc e o f lif e h e alth light and cr e ativ e e n e rgy on e

, , ,

al o n e yet inc ompr e h e n s ibl e uncre a t e d and ind es tructibl e

, , ,

all taught o f s ub o rdinat e pr o c e dure s fr o m Him T he firs t -

.

o f th e s e w a s a D ivin e B e in
g c o rr e s p o nding to the Bramah
o f the Hind oo Trinity the O s iri s o f E
gy pt the O rmuzd o f
, ,

the P e r s ian s the L og os of Phil o th e Adam K a d m a n of the

, ,

Ca ba l l is ts
'

T heid e a e mb o di e d in this th e o gony wa s tha t in the d eity

r e s id e d the ma s culin e principl e o f p owe r and the f eminin e ,

o f wis d o m calle d by the Ca ba l l is ts E n S oph and Sophia

, .

Fr o m the i n c om p rehen s ibl e unio n o f th e se two pr o c ee d ed a

third the L o gos o r W o rd thro ugh which the will o f G o d
, , ,

b e c o m e s manif es t e d in e xp re s s i o n— that is in the e volution

o f f o rms —
,

w o rlds s uns s ys t e ms r e pr o ductiv e g e rms and

, , , ,

re alms o f pro gre s s ive b e i n g I n this s tup e ndo u s s y s te m the .

,

s e
up r o r e manati on s w e r e go ds dir e ctin g the birth f o rm a
i
, ,

tl on a n d de s tin ies Q f ill ? WQ I IdS; the n (ga me arch a nge l s ‘

,
1 28 MYST E RIE S o r I RIS
GS -

mapp e d ou t acc o rdin g to the appar e nt m oti on of the

he av e nly b o di e s and s o c orr e ct w e r e th es e arrang em e nts
,

that m o d er n a s tr ono m e rs hav e n e v e r imp ro v e d up on th em .

T he n o vic e in a s tr o n omy is n ot aware p e rhap s tha t the , ,

vari ous g roup s o f s tars hav e b e e n l o cat e d o r mapp e d ou t , ,

by drawing ar ound th e m the o utlin e s o f s ome a n imal re p ,

til e f owl fis h o r s om e in s trum e nt e tc by which a s tro n o

, , , ,
.
,

m e rs a re e n abl e d to und e rs ta n d and d e s crib e the i r p os iti o n

and m o v e m e nts T he anci ents l o cat e d f o rty e ight o f the s e
.
-

imagin a ry f o rm s call e d c o n s te lla ti o ns and b a s e d th e ir ( f o r

, ,

the p e o pl e ) r e l i g io n up on the arrang e m e nts or m ore ,

pr o p e rly s pe ak ing th is arrange m e nt w a s the r es ult o f th eir

,

r e li i o u s
g It is o f but littl e c on se qu e nc e h o w e v e r , ,

which had the pr e c e d enc e o r wh eth e r the tw o v iz “ the , ,

a s tr o n o mical arran ge m e nt and r e ligio u s b e lie f gr e w u p to ,

c ompl e t en es s s id e by s id e Anci e nt as tr on omy carri es u s

.

back to the a g e o f s ymbo lical o r p ic tur e writing and fur ,

n i s h es u s with the ke y to the mys t e rie s o f the a nci e nt r e

l ig io n a n d g o v e rnm e nt and e xplains many o f the mi s tak e s

,

mad e by writ e r s in d e s cribing cr e ati on .

“
T he s un in his ap p a ren t m ot io n pur s u e s a c our s e that
cau s es it to c ros s the e quat o r twic e in the y e a r f orming a n ,

angl e o f t w e nty thr e e and a half d e gr ee

-
Th e s e cr oss ings
a r e call e d the v e rnal an d autumnal e qui n ox e s ; o n e u s h e rs in

the r e ign o f s umm e r the o the r the d o mini o n o f wint e r ; On e

,

c om m e nc e d the r e ign o f right e o u s n es s the o th e r the be ,

ginning o f iniq uity The tw o e quin o x e s f o rm e d the bas e o f

.

a n arch c o mp ris ing the tw o m o n th s in which the e quin o x es

,

o ccurr e d and the fiv e warm m o nth s

,
T hes e s e v e n m onths
.

c on s titut e d the anci ent kingd om o f h e a v en wh e r e in the s un ,

i‘
T he
pri e s t s o r th os e who had b e c om e p ri es ts firs t taugh t
, ,

the p e o ple a s impl e r e ligi o n but th e r e w e r e s o many chang es

,

in n a tur e and a s the p ri es t s g av e c e rtain s impl e s ymb ol s f o r

th es e ch a nges the p e o pl e s e iz e d up on the se s ymb ol s which
, ,

always c o rr es p ond e d to s om e c ons t e llati on and m a de go d s ,

o u t o f th e s e s ym b o l s Thu s w e hav e the wo rs hip o f the go ds

.

throu gh symb olis m ,

 on E GYPTIAN IN ITIATI ON . 1 29

and a l l the p ow e rs o f light gath e r e d th e ir tr ophi es fr om the

t e e min g e arth ; wh il e the fiv e wintry mo n ths w e r e the ab o d e
o f c old de s o lati o n and d e ath
, H e r e Typh on ( a ) the le ad e r .
,

up o f the h os t s o f h ell h e ld undi s put e d s way and pr os e cut e d

,

his w ork o f d e s tructi on e v e n to the s e izing o f the G o d o f ,

h e av en in o r a t the autumn al e quin ox a n d dragg ing him

, ,

d ow n to the b o tt oml es s p it o f the s o uth e rn h emis ph e r e The .

p ath o f the s un by as tr on ome r s call e d the e cliptic w a s e n

, ,

cl os e d by tw o imagin a ry p arall e l lin e s s ixt e e n d e gr ees d is ,

t a nt fr om e ach o th e r the s un s p ath be ing in the c ent e r

,
’
.

Thi s s p ac e call e d the Z o d iac w a s aga in divid e d up int o

, ,

twe lv e arc o f thirty d e gre es e ach ma king a c ompl e t e circl e

s

ar o und the app ar e nt h e ave n s o f tw elve obl ong s quar es o f

1 6x 30 d e gr e es In e ach o f th es e s quar e s w a s d elin e at e d the
.

figure o f a b e a s t o r s om e a pprO pria te e mbl em

, .

Th es e figur e s w e r e and a re s tyl e d the c on s t ella ti on s T he

, , .

s un e nt e rs e ach s quar e at the b e ginning o f e a ch m o nth .

.a Phyt o n o r Typh on wh e n he b e cam e the nam e o f the ,

s ymb ol that s ignifi e d the hav o c o f wat e rs w a s l ooke d up o n

-

a s an ill om e n o r i l l m ind e d s p i rit a prin c ip l e fo n d o f

‘

- -

thwarti n g p e rp e tually int e nt up o n cr o s s ing a n d p rej u

,

dici n g th e m the E gyp tians Th e y mad e him the p rin c ip l e

,
.

o f all di so rde r and charge d him with all the p hy s ic a l e v il s

,

th e y c ould n o t av o id a n d all the m o ral e vil which th e y did

.
,

n o t care t o l a y t o th e ir o wn charg e H e n c e cam e the d oc .

trine of the two o pp os it e principl es e qually p o w erful in , .

c e s s antly s triving agai n s t e ach o the r ; and alt e rnat e ly va n

q uis he d and v ict o rio us Thi s d o c trin e w hich fro m th e
.
,

E gypti a n s w a s hande d d o wn to the P e r s i a n s und e r th .

,

n a m e s o f O ro m a z es a n d Ar im a z e s is d i ff e r e nt fr o m o u r ,

vi ew acc o rding to which G o d c onfo rmably to the a d o ra bl

, ,

vie ws o f his p ro vid enc e e mpl oy s the mini s try o f the s p irit s
,

w ho ha v e pr es e rv e d in a s pirit o f uprightn e s s and

'

l e a v es a c e rtain und e fin e d me as ur e o f p o we r to th os e who

a re fall e n fro m it T he principl e o f th e s e d o ctrin es is the
.
.

s am e th e y vary o nly in d e gr ee
,
.

The a vers io n of the E gypti a n s f or thi s ph yt on , th e ir

1 30 MYSTE R IE S OF OS IR I S
e ne my and acc o rding to th e ir id e a i nc es s antly in te nt upon
, ,

v exing the m a s o ur d e vil s ee m s to d o us w e nt s o f a r that

, ,

th e y n o l on e r d ar e d to pro n o unc e his n am e H o we v e r w e

g
.
,

find it e nti r e in the language o f the H ebre ws who had dwe l t

in E gypt and had c o ntrac te d the habit o f cal ling by that
,
.

n am e the m o s t mi s chi e v o u s o f s e rp e nts the a s T he e ntir e

p , .

n ame of Phyton o r Pyth o n is f o un d aga in in the m o s t

-

ancie nt a n d m os t c e l ebrat e d r e c o rds o f the a nci e n t s .

No thing ha s b e e n mo re c e l e br a t e d in antiquity than the

vic to ry o f the s un ; n othing m o r e abh o rr e d than Pytho n the ,

E gyptian s f e aring to d e file th e ms e lv es by the bar e p ro

,

n o un cing o f that de t es tabl e n am e r e tain ed the l e t te r s of it

-

, ,

and c onv e rte d t he m int o that o f Typh o n the s am e a s many ,

o f o ur p eo ple will n o t dar e pr o no unc e the w o rd d e vil and

“
s ub s ti tu te o l d N ick e tc f o r it , .
, .

T he mo s t s o l e mn and i m p o rtant p e ri od s o f the as tr o n o mi

cal y e ar w e r e wh e n the s un d es c e nd e d fr o m the n o rth at the
cl o s e o f s umm e r to cr os s the pl a n e o f the autumnal e quino x ,

and that wh e n he a s c e nde d fr o m th e s outh in the s p ri n g to

“

cro s s the v e rnal e quin ox T he firs t m o tio n h e rald e d d ea th to

.

the gr e at light bringe r famin e and de s olati o n to the e arth ;

-

the s e c o nd inau gu rat e d the r e j uv e nati n g p o w e rs o f his

triumph and gl ory i n the p ro mis e o f s pring and the f ul fil l ,

m ent o f s umme r .

Sligh t a s may s e e m thi s f o undati o n f or a th e o l o gy it is ,

o n thi s on l y tha t the s up e rs tructur e o f e ve ry th e o l o gical

“

s y s t e m o f t he e arth ha s b e e n f o und e d T he C hri s t ian .

-

th eol o gy is f ound e d o n this s a m e s yst em T h e r e a d er s h o u l d .

b e ar in mind that this do e s n o t m e an that th e re wa s n o

J es u s o f Naza r eth f or th er e wa s but it me ans that the
, ,

th eol o gy o f the Church which claim s his es oteric te achi n gs , ,

w a s f o und e d up o n thi s anci e nt s ys t e m o f s ymbo li s m T he .

birth the life the te achi ngs and the d e ath o f Je s u s o f

, ,

N azare th a re mad e to c orr es p o nd with thi s s ymb oli s m All .

Church ritualis m and c e re m o niali s m is f ound e d on the

E gyptian s ymb o l is m whil e the inn e r t e achi n gs o f the Chris t
b el on g to the n ew dis p e ns ati on the s am e a s had b ee n d o n e ,
1 32 MYST E RIE S 1121 3
or 0 53

its elf f o r g oo d o r e vil up o n mankind Thu s all the stars .

thr o ugh o r n e ar which the s un p as s e d in s umm er w e r e

d ee me d to be ben e fic ie n t and in harm ony with the c e l es tial
-

trave ll e r o f the s ki es fav o rabl e als o to the inhabitants o f

,

e arth to wh om th e y aid e d in dis p e ns ing s e e d tim e and -

harve s t fr uits fl ow e rs a n d all mann e r o f bl es s ings O n

, , , .

the o th e r hand the s tars o f wi n t e r w e r e a s s um e d to e x e rt a

,

maligna nt in flue nc e n ot o nly o n the mighty s u n g o d wh o m -

th e y O pp os e d but als o up on m a n and his plan e t caus ing

, ,

s t o rms t e mpe s ts p e s til e nc e and famin e By th e se malig

, , , .

nant as tra l influ e nc e s the gracio u s s u n w a s s ho rn o f his

‘

he a t dis p e ns ing p ow e rs and the h ours o f his illuminati on

-

up on e arth w e r e s h o rt e n e d T he maj es ty o f day w a s s o .

o b s cur e d by the h os t s o f malign ant s p irit s s upp o s e d to ,

inhabit the wintry s tars that he vainly s tr o v e to c o nt en d

r
‘
,

agains t th e m O n the o pp os in g s piritual f orc es inh abiting

.

the s umm e r an d wint e r c o n s t e llati o n s w a s f o und e d the ,

“ ”
ap o calyptic l e g end o f the war in h e av e n .

In this c el e s tial s ch e m e e v e ry s tar b e cam e a s ymb ol o f

s o me goo d o r e vil g e nius ; e v e ry c o ns tell ati o n w a s a r e alm ,

p e o ple d by innum e rab l e l e gi ons o f be n efie en t o r m a lign an t

ange ls a n d the e n tir e fi e ld o f the s ide re al he ave ns w a s mad e
,
“

th e bat tl e g r o u n d o f infinit e s quadr o ns o f O pp os ing a n g el ic

-

influ e n c es .

T he anci e nt pri es ts call e d fr o m th e ir cu s t o m o f s tudying

,

th e f a c e o f the h e av e n s fr o m hi g h wat c h t o w e rs E pis c o pa c y -

b e cam e in a g es o f p ractic e f a miliar with e v e ry phas e o f the

s ubl im e e p ic th e y wr ot e Th ey o ccupi e d c e n turi e in c or
.
s

r oot ing th eir cal endar s and am e nding th e ir Z o dia cal charts
-

until in tim e th e y b e cam e p e rf e ct Th e y inve nt e d th o us ands .

of all e g ori ca l fabl es d es crip tiv e o f the s ce n e s incid e nts and ,

ange lic p e rso n ag e s t aking p art in the c el e s tial dr ama The y .

vari e d nam e s imag es an d s ymb ols to s uit the prog res s of

,

id e a s in r e v o lving ages
As a n e xampl e o f the le ading ide a s which pr e vail e d
thr ough o ut thi s s tup e nd o u s and s ublime s ys t em and hi s to ry
li ht brin in l m inar t ed
f th u d w he t i h g g g u y e n er
o e s n
go n s -
-

,
 on E GYPTIA N I N I TIATI O N . 1 33
the ign o f Ar i es o r the L amb in March he wa s a s s um e d to
s , , ,

hav e cros s e d the v e rn al e quin o x and b e c o m e the R e d e e m e r

( Chris t ) o f the w o rld fr om the s u ff e rings and p rivati ons o f
wint e r ( Typho n or S atan ) Th e n the e arth and its in.

habitants r e j o ic e d gre atly The y o ung S avi our ( ri s e n

.

Chris t ) had e n te re d up o n his divin e miss i on bringing the ,

e ar th o ut o f darkn e s s int o light ; miracul o u s ly h e ali n g the

s ick ; f e e ding s tar ving mul tit ude s and filling the wo rl d w ith ,

bl ess ing .

This triumphant car ee r culminat e d to its full es t gl o ry

b e twee n the m o nths o f July and Augus t which in the ‘

, ,

figurative lan guag e o f the as tr on omical r e ligi on w a s s om e ,

times call e d the bethrotha l o f the Virgin s om e tim es the ,

m a rriage f e a s t o f the Li o n o f July and the Vi rgin o f , , ,

August This w a s the s e as on o f th e grap e harv es t the tim e

.
,

whe n the s u n c onv e rte d ( turn cd int o ) by his radi e nt h e at -

( G o d p o we r ) the wat ers which had de s olat e d the e arth in

,

winte r into the lu s ci o us win e o f the vinta e I n this w e

-
g .

hav e the w e dding f e as t with out the win e and J e s u s t o ok ,

wat e r and turn e d it int o win e This is the whol e mys t ery .

o f that grand s ymb o l It w a s at thi s tim e the anci ent

.
,

a s tr ol o g e r s p r o claim e d that the gr e at miracl e o f the s olar

,

y e ar w a s p e rf o rme d and the s un ( Son ) manif es t e d fo rth

,

his triumphant gl o ry .

Fro m the nc e the c o ns t e llati on o f the S cal e s o r the .

B alanc es s ee m s f o r a tim e to m a intain the c el es tial h e re in

,

a j us t and e ve n p ath ; his miracul ou s p o w e r and lif e giving -

p r es e nc e w a s hail e d with fe as ts and r e j o icings which las t ed ,

until the fatal p e ri o d wh e n the G r e at D ragon o f the Ski es ,

the mighty Sc o rpi o ( Juda s ) o f O ct ob e r app e ars in the , ,

as c e ndant The S avi our o f m e n mus t cr oss the autumnal

.

e quin o x and f r om th e nc e d es c e nd int o the s outh Had es -

Ach e ro n Sh eol H ell o r pit acc o rdin g to the l e ge nd o f the

‘

, , ,

n ati o n .

In this is s ymb o liz e d the wh o l e car ee r o f J es u s fr om the

tim e o f h is firs t miracle thr ough his triumphan t j ourn e y
, ,

to the tim e wh e n Juda s , o n e o f his dis cipl es pr o v e d fal s e , ,

1 34 MYST E RIE S or OS IR I S
b e tray e d him wh e n he wa s crucifi e d d i e d and d es c e nd e d
, ,
,

into Had es .

T o ann o unc e the dir e calamity at hand the D ragon o f , ,

O ct ob e r is p r e c e d e d by a bright and gl o ri ous s tar call e d i n

, ,

the s p ring Ve s p e r o r the e ve ning s tar ; in the autumn

, ,
“
Lucife r o r the s on o f the m orn i ng
,
In the s w e e t v e rnal .
”

s e a s o n thi s Spl e ndid luminary is the h e rald o f s umm e r the ,

bright es t a n d m os t b e autiful o f the h e av e nly h os t Th e n it .

app e ar high in the h e av e ns and o ccup i es what is s ig n ifi

s ,

c a n tl y call e d the s e at o f prid e App e aring in the b o d ing .

s e a s on o f autumn l o w o n the e dge o f the h o riz on and

, ,

s hi n ing o nl y in the e arly d a wn its n a me is change d with ,

its s tati o n— it is n o w the fall e n a n g e l ; the mighty re b e l ,

who s e duc e d by p rid e and vaulting a mbiti on ha s b e e n d e

, ,

thr on e d an d c as t d o wn to the o min ous d e p ths o f the l o w es t

.

“ ”
h ell T ran s f o rm e d into Lucif e r
. Son o f the M o rning , ,

t his s tar b e c om es the h e rald o f the dark es t ill that can bes et
the p ath o f the c el e s tial S avi o ur .

The c o n s t ellati on o f the gre at D ragon is the mo s t p o w e r

ful o f the e ntir e Z od i a c Fr o m its p e culiar f o rm and the
.
,

imm en s e group o f s hi n ing s tars that e xt e nd in the c o n vol u

ti o n s o f i ts r es pl e nde nt train it ha s b ee n calle d the Starry ,

S erp en t o f the Ski es Its a tte ndant lumin ari es a re as s um e d

.

to b e tha t third o f the h os t s o f h e av e n s e duc e d by the r eb e l .

ang e l fr o m th e ir all e gianc e and its p os i ti o n a s the inaugural,

c ons t e llati o n o f the much dr e ad e d wintry s e as o n impr es s es

u p o n it the omin ou s na m e o f Sa tan o r the adv e r ary An d ,
s .

thus fr o m the p os it io n o f a gr oup o f s tar s and th e ir a p

, ,
.

a r iti o n in the s e a s o n d e e m e d fatal to the p r os p e rity o f

p
e a rth and i ts inhabi tant s ha s ari s e n th a t s tup e nd o u s l e g e nd
, ,

s o wo rld wide o f the e xis t e nc e o f a n incarn a te s p irit o f e vil

-

, ,

the Satan o f the P e rs ians the Typho n o f E gyp t the Plut o , ,

o f the G r ee ks the ol d S e rp ent o f the J e ws and the m os t

, ,

p opular o f all obj e cts o f f e ar and w o rs hip the D e vil o f the ,

Chris tian s An d all this f or the o n e gr e at r e a s o n tha t

.

”
huma n ity h as n ot ye t l e a rn e d th a t the fall o f man w a s
n ot c au s e d by a n y s nak e , d e vil s e r pe nt , o r an ythin g of the ,
x36 mr s rna m s or O S I R IS
The w om e n who hav e w e p t f or T ammuz the Syrian Sun ,

G o d the m o urn e rs w ho hav e lam e nt e d w ith I s i s f o r the

,

E gypti a n O s ir is the G r e e k s who ha ve wan d e r e d with C e r es

,

i n s e arch o f the l os t Pr os e rpina the d e v ot e es who hav e ,

wail e d f or the s lai n Chris hna o n e o f the Sun G o ds o f the

-

,
-

H in do os and the Ma ra ys who we e p at the s e pulchr e f or the

,

C hris t o f the J e ws all the n a ti o n s of antiquity thr ough out

,

t h e O ri e nt — e ach o f wh o m und e r many na m es and in many

,

fo rms have ad o re d the Sun G o d and b eli e v e d in his

,
“
-

annual birth life mira c l e d e ath and r es urr e cti on—

, , ,
fi l l ha v e

u n it e d to c el e brat e the n e w birth o f th e ir S avi our on th

2 5 th o f D e c e mbe r .

Th o ugh Chri s t in B ethl ehe m

A th ous and time s be b orn
If H e is n o t bo rn in the e ,

T he s o ul is all f orl o rn
—J O H N SCH EF F LE R
.

L e t the r e ad e r b e ar in mind that this anci e nt s y s t em w a s

s ym bo l ic a l that the s un r ep r es e n ts the tru e G o d the m o o n
, ,

his s p o us e ; c orr es p o nd ent l y the e arth up on which w e liv e ,

and the plan et s w e re his ange ls o r m es s e ng e rs The c on .

s te l l a tio n s n o rth and so uth o f the Z o diac w e r e the p r o vinc e s

o f his e mp ir e w hil e the milky way w a s the g old e n s tr e e t o r

,

highwa y o n whic h go ds and ange ls trav ell e d to and fr o m the

thr on e o f d e ity The w a r in h e av en a s ha s b een s aid r e pre
.
, ,

s e nt e d the c o nflict b e tw e e n he at and c old s umm e r a n d ,

wint e r .

“
T he a nci e nts wo r s hip p e d the g en ius o f fruitfuln es s and ,

d ep r e c a t e d the wrath o f the p ow e rs o f s t e rility The y .

s ymb oliz e d fe rtility by the e g g the bull the s e rp e nt ( a )

, , ,

a n d the o rgan s o f g e n e rati o n ( b )

. .

a . The f e mal e e mbl em w a s s ignifi e d by a unit a circl e a , ,

b oa t— s hap e d s h ell a l o z e ng e r o r any o bj e ct animat e o r in

, , ,

animate that res e mble d th es e figur e s o r impli e d r e c e ptivity

, , ,

fr uitfuln e s or m a t e rnity T he uni on o f the f e mal e unit

s .

with the mal e triad w a s d e s ign at e d by the s acr e d a n d

,

m y s tic numb e r 4 or s ym boliz e d by a s erp en t wi th his tail in

,
 OR E GYPT IAN IN ITIATIO N . 1 37
his mo uth , tw o
fis h es b ent to form a cir cl e the rite o f cir ,

c um c is ion a n d many o th e r s ymb olical rit e s a n d figur es

, .

The s e rp ent w o rs hip is a s o l d a s s e x and s olar w o r s hip ,

and a thor o ugh unde r s tanding of the thr ee s ys t ems f o rms a

clu e to all the s ign s s ymb ols all e go ri e s and mys te rie s o f all
, ,

the anci e nt faith s that pr e vail e d b e f o r e the Chris tian era .

The id e a s indicat e d by the s e s ymb o l s and the l e g e nds a t ,

ta c he d to th e m und e rli e all th os e s tup endo us rit e s s ol e mn

, ,

mys te ri es a n d gigantic m onum e nts o f a rt that hav e o v e rl a id

the o nc e s pl e ndid O ri e n t with ruins that will r emain the
m ys t e ry and admirati on o f the rac e till tim e s hall b e n o
m o re . T he l e g e nds and s ymb ol s o f th e s e i n t e rble nd e d
s y s te m s pr e vail e d aft e r the Chris tian era and w e r e p re ,

s e rv e d by the G n os tic s Manich e ans N eo Plat oni s ts and

, , ,

many o f the e arly s e c t s am ongs t Chris tian and p hil os 0 phic

G r e eks ; the y a re pr es e rv e d and p r e vail a m ongs t the m os t
civiliz e d o f s e c ts to day but the pity with out the r e al a p
-

, ,

p r e ciati o n of the id e as that onc e vitaliz e d th e m .

T he b e ll s a n d h oly candl es the l a mb s bull s e agl es m en

, , , , ,

li on s a n d tw e lve ap os t olic p ers onages the s e rp e nts etc

, , ,
.
,

which c a s t th eir pris m ic gl ory fr om c os tly p aint e d wind ow

o n the c h e qu e re d marbl es o f the fl o o rs b e n e ath a re a l l but ,

s o many as tr o n o mical s ign s o f antiqu e fire w o rs hip or ,

e mbl e m s o f s e xual r e l igi o n T he v e ry s hap e s o f the s t ee pl e s

.

”
that cro wn the h ou s es o f G od a re m e m e nt os o f the

r e v e r e nc e acc orde d to the sa cr e d flam e o r v e il e d effig ie s o f ,

“
the divin e L in g ha m .

S o ul a n d s p iritual es s enc e is the G o d and the pr o c e dure ,

the Cr e at o r and the cr e a tur e ; all things e l s e a re phanta s ma

go ric s hap es b orn of the h o ur a s f ormativ e m oulds in which
, ,

s o ul es s e nc e gr o w p e ri s hing with the h o ur wh e n the ir o ffic e

,

is e nde d .

Is i s the m oth e r principl e in n atur e w a s v e ry c ommo nly

, ,

r e pres e nte d a s a hawk h e ad e d d e ity fr om the s a cr e dn e s s

-

att ach e d to the id e a th a t the hawk wa s the bird of the s un ,

c ould a s c end to its r es pl e nd ent h e ights and gaz e with un

dimm ed eye int o its blazing b ea m s T he s erp ent wa s es .
1 8
3 m srs a ms or OS IRIS

t e e m e d in E gypt as in o the r O ri e ntal lands a s an e mbl e m

, ,

alike o f the d e ific p rincipl e o f goo d n am e ly : Imm ortality , ,

r e j uv e n e s ce nc e wis d om an d h e alth and o f d e ath t e rro r

, , , ,

d es tructi o n a n d
The c haracte r o f the E gyptian writing d e s ignate d to
s ignify G o d w a s n o t a s impl e flame o r blaz e a s w a s g e ne rally
,

the us age in the E as t but a circl e o r r ath e r a s un , Th ey , .

adde d to the circl e o r s olar glo b e s e v e ral ma rks o r a t

, ,

tribut es which s e rve d to char ac t e riz e s o many di ff e re nt pe r

,

f e c tio n s F o r ins tance in o rd e r to ind i c at e tha t the

.
,

Supre me B e ing ( the on e G o d ) is the auth o r and p res e rv e r

o f l if e the y anne xe d to the c ircl e s o m e time s two p o int s o f
,

fla m e but mo r e c o mm on ly o n e o r two s e rp en ts This animal

, .
,

a s s t at e d wa s a lw ays amo ng the E gyptians a s in o th e r

, ,

c o untri es the s ymb o l o f life a n d d e ath N ot b ec aus e the

i
, .

s e rp e n t m a kes its e lf lo ok yo ung aga in by e ve ry y e ar ca s ting ,

its ol d s kin but b e caus e am o ng the m os t o f the E a s t e rn

,

n ati ons a s the Pho e nician s H e b r e ws Arabian s a n d o th e rs

, , , , ,

w ith the languag e o f who m that o f E gyp t had an affinity ,

the wo rd H ove o r H er a e q ua lly s i gni fies the lif e a s e rp e nt ,

or E v a T he n a m e o f H im w ho is ( G o d ) the gre a t nam e o f

.
,

G o d J or o r J e hoo a h th e nc e draws its e tymol o gy

, , ,
H ove , ,

o r the na m e o f the co mm o n m o th e r o f m a nkind c o m e s like ,

wis e o f this w o rd Thus it will be s e en that the Virgin.

Ma ry the S e rp en t the G o d the E v a and the e m ble m wor

, , ,

s hip a re all on e a n d t he s am e thing It is in this that wi ll .

be fo und the migh ty mys t e ry o f bo th g e ne rati o n and re

g e n er atio n N ot e als o that E lva is the Ave of the Church
.

r i tu a l .

b N e a rly a l l writ e rs on the anci e nt mys t e ri es have hin te d

.

tha t Phallic w o rs hip p r e vail e d amo ng s t the anc i e nt s a n d that

.
,
-

its e mbl e ms a re abundan tly int e rs p e rs e d with o th e r r e c o rds ;

*
The mys te ry o f the s e rp e nt cann ot be giv e n in any boo k ‘

Mos es kn ew this mys te ry and tri e d to t e ach the H e bre ws

.

to o bs e rv e it but faile d It is the gr ea t es t mys t e ry kn o wn to

.

the god s o r man a n d th e r e is e ith e r lif e o r d e ath in it a o ,

c or d in g a s it is ob eye d .
 My s rrnms
”

1 40 or o s mxs

d es t ructi on thi s d o es
, acc o unt f o r the pr e val e nc e o f the
n ot

cros s n o r the re ve r enc e attac h e d t o it in land s wh e r e n o nil o

'

m e t e r w a s r e quir e d and in the d i s tan t ages e re n ilo m et e rs

,

we re inve nte d .

Sculpture d ve r e v e ry t e mpl e o f the E a s t the cr oss in

o
,

m any fo rms was us e d to s ignify the g e n e rativ e p o w e r .

It wa s o riginally d es ign e d to re pr es e nt a trinity a n d thu s ,

gav e r is e to the s acr e dn es s attache d to the numbe r thr e e ,

with all its multipl es and in all the vari eti es o f f o rm in

,

which the cros s it fo und fr o m the plain T the T au o f the ,

Scand inavian s , o r the ham m e r o f Th o r to the e ight s id e d ,

-

cro ss o f the T e mplars and in all its vari o us n e s s it s ignifie d

,

a n d d oe s s igni fy no thing mo r e o r l es s than the f e rtility

,

fe cund ity and cre ative s tru c ture o f the mas culin e principl e
o f g e n e rati o n in its o ut e r an d in its in n er mys t e ry o r the

m ys te ry o f the p ri e s th o od—Re ge n e rati on

, ,

-
.

T he acre d tri a ngl e r e p r es e ntativ e thr o ugho u t the E as t

s ,

o f the ma s culin e p rinciple o f ge n e rati on and to the initiate

the thre e plan es o f bein g —the Y o ni circl e L o z e nge o r

,

, , ,

h o riz o ntal bar s ignificant o f the f e mal e p rincipl e th es e

, , ,

wi th the cros s es o f e ve ry vari ety indicativ e o f the s ame ,

g e n e r a tiv e and re ge n e rativ e p rincipl es w e r e es t e em e d by

-

the Eg yptians a s m os t s acr e d s ymb o l s .

(
The r e ad e r s h o uld b ea r in mind th a t the E gyp tian s ,

G r e e k s and all anci e nt and clas s ic nati o n s b e lie ve d in the ,

do ctrin e alre ady o utline d—th at the s o ul ha d o nc e exis te d in

a p ure l y sp iritua l s ta te ; that te m p te d by the d e m a n d s o f
,

s e n s e ( d e s ir e ) , it ha d y e arn e d
,
f o r o a —
m rt l birth de sc e n de d
“
or fall e n int o a n e arthly c o nditi o n and by its p roba
”
,

t io n a ry s u fie rin g s an d trials o n e arth reg a in e d the Para ,

d is a c a l blis s fr o m which it ha d f a lle n In thi s Arcanum the .

Anci e nts r e pr es e nt e d the s o ul s a llianc e with the birth int o

’

mat e rial f o rm thr ough e arthly ge ne rati on but the m ys tery ,

o f the anc i e nt pri e s th oo d w a s to t e ach man how to gai n i m

m orta l ity throug h this ve ry e m bl e m by reg e n e ra tio n This .

i s al s o the mys t e ry o f the two gr e at s ucc es s or s o f the

 OR E GYP TIA N I N ITIATIO N . 1 41
Anci e nt E gyptian Pri es th ood—the Ros icrucian B ro th er
h o o d and Fra t e rnity o f O s iris .

T he plainn es s o f s p e e ch and charact e ri s tic natur e o f the

s ym bo l s s e e m to be r e v o lting to the m o de rn s e ns e o f
p ro
p rie ty and m o de s ty but the anci e nt s w e re n o t a s p s e ud o
,

m o des t a s the mo d e m s and so ught to s tr e ngth e n and d id ,

s tr e ngt h e n, the s o ul again s t s e n s ual indulg e nc e by familiar

izin g the mind with ide as and fo rm s c onn e ct e d with the

Phallic Rit e .

J a m bl ic hus s aid E xhibiti o n s o f thi s kind in the

mys te ri es we re de s ign e d to fr e e u s fro m lic e ntio u s p as s i ons ,

by gratifying the s ight a n d at the s am e tim e va n quis hin g

,

de s ire t hroug h the awful s anctity with which th e s e rit e s

‘

,
”
w e r e a cc omplis h e d It i s n a tural that the pro fan e c a nno t
.

und e rs tand th es e mys t e ri e s f er o nl y he w ho p a ss es through

,

the a nc i e nt fo rm o f initiati on kno w s t ha t he b e c om es the

ma s te r o f the pas s i on s in s tea d o f the pas s i ons b e ing the
‘

, ,

mas t e r o ve r the man In this is r e g en e rati o n and the

.

m ys tery o f the Phallic R it e .

“
T he Bi bl e and the r e ligio us fo rm s a n d d o ctrin es o f
Chris te ndo m ca me m o re d ire ctly fro m the E g yptian s .

M os e s wa s tho ro ughly e ducat e d ( a ) in the ir s ev e r e r

mys te ri es a n d w ith s o m e m o dificati o n intr o duc e d th e m
, , ,

i n to the hol y land Af te r the d e ath o f J os h ua and during

.
,

the i nt e s tin e and o th e r wars tha t fo ll o we d the kn o wl e dge ,

o f this s ys te m o f r e ligi o n t o g e th e r with the kn o wl e dg e o f the

ar ts wa s a lm os t entire ly l os t a n d f o r a h inde finit e p e ri o d

, ,
“
e ve ry m a n did that which wa s go o d in his o wn e y e s .

“
D uring thi s
”
int e rr e gnum e xt e nding fro m a n unkn o wn
,

d ata until the e ighte e nth y e ar o f the r e ign o f the go od king

Jos iah th e r e e vide ntly wa s n o b o ok o f the l a w a cc e s s ibl e o r
,

kno wn to the kin gs pri e s ts o r p eo pl e D uring the tim e s in

, , .

which E zra E z e ki e l and D ani e l flo uri s he d the a s tr ono mical

, ,

w o rs hip w a s again intro duc e d amo ng the J e ws fr om

B abyl o n ( b) T he vis i on s o f E z eki e l and D anie l and oth e r
‘
-
.
,

p ro phe t s b e ar the mark o f Ch a ld e an wo rs hip ; the ch e rubim

,
'

a n d the c o nflict o f the b e a s t s a s d es crib e d in th e ir pr oph eci e s

x4 2 MY STERIES OF OS R S I I
p oint unmis tak a bly to As s yrian ( c ) s ymb oli s m D uring the .

vari o u s wars in which the J e ws w e r e e ngage d and the .

c on s e qu e nt an archy that fo ll o w e d th e y cam e in c o ntact

,

with v ari ous nati o n s and s o m e tim es b o rr ow e d s om e tim es

, ,

gav e away fragm e nts o f th e ir p e culiar r eligi ou s n o ti o ns and

,

all e go ri es O f thi s kind is the s to ry o f J e phtha s daughte r

.
’

a gr e e ing a s it d oe s in a l l its imp o rtant fe atur es e v e n to the ,

n am e with the s t o ry o f Iphig e nia o f the G r e e k myth o l o gy ;

, ,

the J e ws having e ith e r b o rr o w e d fr om o r l e nt it to the ,

G r e e k p oe t s .

a .M os e s w a s b oth a p ro ph e t a n d a pri es t H is e xtra .

o rdina ry s piritual e nd o wm e nt may h a ve b e e n gr e atl y e x

a g g era te d by the e g o ti s tical s tyl e e mplo y e d thr o ugh o ut the

H e br e w Scriptur e the fact o f his high ins pirati on and o p e n

,
!

c o mmu ni o n with the Tute l ary D i e ty Je h ov ah ca nn o t be

‘

do ubt e d This ad mitt e d his po w e r a s a ma gi cian a fior d s a

.
,

s tup e nd o u s p ictur e o f that e s o t e ri c wis d o m in which the ,

E gyptian prie s th o o d wa s s o w ell ve rs e d H is c ont e s t with

.

the magician s o f E g ypt his c o nc lu s i o n amids t the awful

,

mys t e ri es o f s inai his e s tabli s hme nt o f pri e s tly laws ordi

, ,

n anc e s and rit e s ; in a w o rd the wh o l e o rd e r o f his w o nd e r

,

ful and s ublime his t o ry giv es a s trange ins ight int o the
,

almo s t G od lik e p o w e rs with which a hi e ro phant o f the mos t

-

a nci e nt my s t e ri e s b e cam e e nd o we d .

Mos es wa s a n initiat e o f the E gy ptia n p rie s th oo d ; this

o ur s e cr e t r ec o rd s s h o w thi s is s us tain e d by Man e th o a
, ,

G r ee k hi s t o ri an , who claims to have auth e ntic kno wl edge on

this
b T o j udge o f the o rigin a n d charact e ri s tics o f J e wi s h
“

mys t ic is m it m us t be re me m be re d that the pe o pl e ha d b e e n

,

rul e d o v e r in turn by the kings o f M es o p otamia M o ab , ,

c rds h eld by the F rat e rnity o f O s iri s o f the

re o
p res e nt day s h o w that Mo s e s was a n initia t e o f the E gyptian
Br o the rh o o d up to th eir highe s t d e gre e Man e tho was an
,
.

initiat e n o t o f the E gyptia n Pri es th o o d but o f the

, ,

F rat e rnity o f O s iris .

x44 MYSTE RIES or OS IR I S
ye t th ey o p e nly c o mmun e d with s p iritual b e i n gs and r e "

c eive d c oun s e l and dir e cti o n thr ough dre ams and vis i on s .

“
In lat e r days the J e ws w e r e divi d e d int o f o ur clas s es
, ,

viz : T he Phari s e es the Saddu c e es the E s s en es ( E s ou e s ) a

, ,
- -

a n d the p e o pl e T he Phari s e es ad opt e d the P e rs ian fire

.

w o rs hip aft e r the P e r s ian ca ptivity T he nam e Pharis e e

, .
,

Pars ee and P e rs ia a re d e rive d fro m P ur o f the G r e e ks the ,

w o rd f or fire als o the r o ot o f purity J e s us b e l on ge d to the

, .

s e ct o f E s s e ne s who h e ld to and practic e d the s t ern

,

m o ra lity and taught in the all e go rical o r parab olical s tyl e

,

o f the anci e nt Eg ypt i an s H is nam e I E s a s c o mp o unde d

’
- -
.
,

o f the l e tt e r I the F ath e r ; E 3 the fir e ; and the Latin te r

, ,

mina ti o n Us wa s E gyptic ; the s e ct to which he b e l ong e d

,
-

bo r e an E gyptian n am e c o m p o und e d o f E 3 the fire ; O n the

, , ,

b ei ng ; and E 3 re p e at e d ; c ontaining the thre e or trinity o f

n ame s d e n oting a d ivin e orig i n
?

“
T he di ff e r e nc e in the d o ctrin es o f the two s e cts Phari ,

s e e and E s s e n e w a s s light ; it w a s s imply the d ifie r e n c e

,

b etw e e n two s e ct s o f s ymb olic w or s hipp e rs ; o n e the Phari ,

s e es ,
wo r s hipp e d G o d und e r the s ymb ol o f the p e rp etual
fir e that w a s k e pt burning in the t e mpl e ; the oth e r w or
s hipp e d the on e G o d thr o ugh the s ymb o l o f the s u n or a o ,

c o rding to t he m os t e l e vat e d c onc e pti o n o f that s e ct J e s u s .

hims e lf t e s tifi e d that the Pharis e e s tau ght go o d d o ctrin e s ,

a n d t ol d his f o l l o w e r s to o b s e rv e th e ir t e achings but n ot d o

'

a ft e r th e ir w o rks This s e ct o f the E s s e n es h a d its ra m ific a

.

ti o ns thr ough out the e nlight e n e d pa rt o f the w o rld By its

“

m e mb e r s w e r e taught the m os t e l e vat e d m o ral s a n d the ,

m os t d i s int e r es t e d b e n e v ol e nc e Th e r e is a m o s t r e ma rkabl e
.

c o incide nc e b e tw e e n the t e achings o f C o nfuciu s in In di a ,

a n d Chi n a a n d the t e achings o f J es u s in Jud e a and the l if e

'

, .
,

o f J es u s as w r itt e n many ye ar s aft e r his de ath by his f ol

,

l o w e r s agr e es m os t w o nd e rfully with the lif e o f Chris hn a

, ,

a s ha nd e d d o wn to us fr o m an e arli e r p e ri o d T he r e a s o n .

o f this agr e e m e nt be tw e e n the tw o t e ach e r s a re to be f o und

f
Sc c
'
-
The Son of M an .
 oa E GYPTIAN I N ITIATIO N . 1 45
in the m etho d adopt e d in e arl y ages o f d e ifying th ei r h e r o es ,

and th e n writing th e ir his t o ry acc ording to the a s tr o th e o

lo gical s ci e nc e o f that a g e .

In the a dv ent o f J es us o f N azar e th a r e v oluti onary

chan g e in J ew is h his t o ry o ccur s which c ou ld n o t hav e b e e n ,

e ff e ct e d witho ut the int e rv e nti o n o f ju s t s uch a pur e high ,

and h oly t e ach e r a s he w a s .

No twithstanding the fact that the w o rs hipp e rs o f the

Sun G od in the pe rs onality o f the J e wis h Mess iah d es tro y
-

faith in his ve ry ex is t e nc e by the willful p e rv e rs ity with

which th ey in s is t up o n maintaining fr om him an imp o s s ibl e
bi o graphy the o rigin gro wth a n d s p eci a ltie s o f the Chris ti e
, ,

faith in J e rus al e m d em and the inte rp o s iti o n o f a human

,

divin e fo und e r and p o int with c on c l us ive t es tim on y to the

, , ,

influ e nc e o f the n obl e Es s e nian init iat e o f the charact er a t

tribut e d to the m e ek and ge ntl e N azar en e .

The bi o graphie s o f Je s u s w e r e c ompi l e d l ong aft e r his

d e c e as e and w e r e the w ork o f m e n who in o rd e r tha t c e r
, ,

tain Scriptu re s might be fulfill e d in his p e rs on in te rbl en d e d ,

th e r e c o rd s which ,
—a s the hi s t ory o f th e Sun G o d — had -

b e e n s o p opularly e n graft e d int o a l l r e ligio u s s ys te ms

thr ough o ut the E as t f o r th ou sa nd s o f ye ar s b e fo r e the t im e
o f the M
.

a s t e r J es u s .

T he imm e diat e foll ow e rs o f the b el o ve d Ma s t e r to th o s e ,

who had h e ard his v o ic e and witn es s e d his e xalt e d s p iritua l

,

p owe rs J e s us wa s n o m ys t ery his e xi s te nc e n o myth Th e y

, ,
.

h a d oft e n m arv e l e d at his w o rd s and fail e d to und e rs t a nd

‘

tha t wh e n he s p oke fro m the s i m pl e s tandp o int o f his

.

humanity he was on e o f the ms e lv e s and r e pr es ent e d him

, ,
“
s e lf o n l y as a n i mpe rf e c t m o rtal ; but wh e n he w a s
-
in the
a s he o f ten w a s he s p o k e a s if he ha d ind ee d liv e d
”
s pirit
~

, ,
“
b e for e A’b raham ; a s o f the So n o f G o d the mys t e rio u s ,

a n d l o ng p ro m i s e d Me ss iah
-
T he de v oti o n which r os e to.

e nthus ia s m and s ubs e qu e ntly to a faith which ha s s urviv e d

,

the u phe a vel o f dyna s ti es the ri s e a n d fall o f e mpir e s and

, ,

the chang e s which hav e r e v o luti o niz e d the ol d e arth a n d

builde d and r ebuild e d it a gain a n d a ain , wa s no t f ound e d
' g
1 46 MYSTE RIE S or OSIR IS
on a myth a mis tak e o r a n idl e s upe rs titi on
, , .

Whe n goo d pur e di vin e ly ins p ir e d and divin e ly ac ting

, ,

m e n e nt e r up o n the s c e n e a n d this p oo r d e grad e d humanity

,

o f o urs can l o o k up to s uch an o n e a n d f e e l his kind hand s

h e aling th e ir s ickn es s an d h e ar his t en d e r t o n es c om

,

p a s s i onating th e m and bringin g th e m v e ry n e ar to the

,

a wful m ys t e ry o f the un kn o wn G o d tran s l ating that

,

majes ty into the p itying a n d s tr ictly human ch aracte r o f a

F athe r who can wo n d e r tha t s uc h an o n e w a s de e me d a s a
,

g o d and inv es t e d with all the p o pular attribu tes o f tha t

,

m e diat e ria l d e ity wh os e e xi s t e nc e a n d occ as i o nal app e ar

-

anc e o n e arth incarnat e in human f o rm had b ee n taught

, ,

and b e li e v e d in f o r c o untl es s age s ? T he Je ws w e r e w ell a c

q ua in te d wi th this p opular id e a and th e ir gr e at th e ol o gical
,

t e ach e r Pa ul ob vi o u s ly f a v o r e d it ; h e nc e it cann ot e xcit e

, ,

s urp ri s e that many o f the e arly Chris tian s w e r e di s p os e d to

inv e s t the m e m o ry o f th e ir b el o v e d Ma s t e r with the s ame

di vin e attribut e th a t had b e e n a s s igne d to many an o th e r
gr e a t initiate b e fo re What ev e r the s impl e fo ll o w e rs o f
.

J e s us may h a v e de e m e d o f his divinity it w a s his gos p e l o f

,

l o ve which can make man a G o d his pur e life his divin e ly , ,

c ompas s i o nat e n atur e that s o e n d e ar e d his m e m o ry to

,

s u ff e ring huma n h e arts and s u s tain e d the faith o f his d is

,

c ipl es to p re a ch his gos p e l amid s t the fire s o f p e rs ec utio n

a n d the t o rture s o f mar tyrd o m B ut the s implicity and

.

p ractical b e auty o f this gos p e l o f l o v e di e d o ut and whe n it ,

be c a m e e nt a n gl e d in the s o phi s m s o f l e arning and id e n tifi e d ,

w ith inc ompr e h e n s ibl e s ys te m s o f m e taphys ical s p e c ul a ti o n .

T he e a rly Chri s ti e faith taught by the pur e E s se nian

J e s us p e ri s h e d to the mas s e s ab o ut the time wh e n C o n s ta n
.

tine the G rea t us urp e d its nam e and fam e ia o rd e r to ,

-

j us tify his o wn ini quiti es and atro ci o u s murd e rs I ts cruci .

fie d re mains w e r e buri e d und e r the Atha n a s ian cr e e d a n d ,

the e ccl es ias tical fab l e s o f the C o uncil o f N ic e and n o thing ,

o f it. w a s l e ft but th e n a m e ; the bo dy with o ut th e s o ul th e ,

l e tte r with out the s piri t; the G o d with o ut his humanity

the m t r with o ut th e m e anin g
— n o thing w a s l e ft — to t he
ys e y
1 48 MYSTE RIE S or os n us

p ro p elling p o we r o f d e ity ; his t enacity o f lif e wa s the

e mbl e m o f h e alth vitality .
“
Thu s Aes c ul a p ius f the fath e r o f
,

m e dic in e app e ars in the h e av e n s a s the s e rp e nt b e ar e r

, .

T he num’b e rl es s s ca le s o f the s e rp e nt r e p r es e nt the s tarry

h o s ts and his s hr e wdn es s make s him a s ymb o l o f wi s d o m ;
,

whil s t his s p e e ch viz : a hi s s is the s am e a s the v o ic e o f G od

, , .

Thu s M os e s lift s him up in the wild e rn es s b e caus e o f his

“
vi ta l ity) and J es us app e al s to him as an e mbl e m o f wi s d o m .

T he E gyptians ad o pt e d the oni o n a s an e mbl e m o f the uni

v e rs e o r the s ys t e m o f o rbit s o f which they had a cl e ar c o n
,

c e ptio n If yo u take away the o ute r c o ating you hav e an

.

o ni o n s till ; re m o v e e ach s ucc es s ive lay e r and s till the o ni o n

r e main s ; he n c e th e y n am e d it O n I O n ; the b e ing the - -

almighty the b e ing T o the charg e tha t th ey w o rs hipp e d

, .

*“
T he E gyptian s mad e Aes culap ius the third kin g w ho
had applie d hims e lf to p r o curing the p r es e rvatio n o f his
s ubj e cts by the s tudy o f phy s i c s ; a s ymb o l t hat had i ts

o rigin fr o m the pr e s e rvati o n o f life which w a s e xpr es s e d by

the s e rp e nts t w is te d ab o ut the m e a s ur e o f the N il e S uch is .

the o rigin o f the s e rp e nt o f E p id a u r us a n d the r e a s o n f o r

which the s e rp e nt ha s al way s b e e n in s e p arabl e fr o m the g od
o f phy s ics to which n e ith e r had o rigi n all y any r e lat io n
,
.

A es culapiu s w a s als o s o m e tim e s r e p r es ent e d e ithe r s ta n d

'

ing o r s ittin g o n a thr o n e h o lding in o n e hand a s ta d a n d

, ,
,

gra ping with the o th e r the h e ad o f a s e rp e nt ; a t his f e e t a

s .

d og l a y e xt end e d O n s o m e anci e nt m o num e nt s w e s e e him

.

w ith o n e ha n d appli e d to his b e ard an d havi n g in the o th e r ,

a kn o tt e d s ta d e ncircl ed by a s e r pe n t .

T he d o g s tar ha d thr ee dis tinct n am es

-
Anubi s the . ,

B a r ke r the g ive r o f a d vic e o r T a ha ut the D og o r

A es culapius the Ma n D og
, , , ,

-
.
,

TI n all anci e nt hi s t o ry a n d thr o ugh o ut the a nci e n t

m ys t e ry the m ys t e ry o f the s e rp ent is the gre at es t o f th e m
,

all .
M o s e s the E gyptian i n itia t e tri e d to t e ach th i s
, ,

mys t e ry to all the p eo pl e a n d with n o o th e r r es ult than tha t

th e y all Aar o n includ e d f e l l i nt o id olatry o r the w o rs h i p
, , ,

of t e
h s ym b o l in s t e ad o f ,
f o ll o wing th e i n n e r my s t e ry It i s .

thi s mys t e ry which is s till r e t a in e d by the s ucc es s o r s o f the

Es s e nian Br he h
o t r o o d a n d th e Br o th e r h o o d of 0 8 1 1 13 .
 on EG YPTIAN n u
rtu re s . 1 49

the ni on we r e ply that th e y only us e d it

o , as a s ym bo l o f the
unive rs e a n d the de ity .

a . The
hi s t ory o f the Sun G o d the w ors hip of the p ow e rs
-

o f n a tur e the trials di s ciplin e p ro bati onary s tat e s

, , , pur ifi ,

c ati on o f the human s o ul and its ultimat e r es t o rati o n to

d e ity w e r e the do ctrin es t a ught thro ugh s ublim e r e pr es e nta

,
-

tio n s in the anci e nt mys t e rie s o f I s i s an d O s iri s to o btain

, ,

a c ompl e t e kn owl e dge o f which th e r e is n o d o ubt but that ,

many l iv es w ere l os t T he c o mpl e t e o r high es t initiati o n

.

w a s limit e d to the kings and pri e s ts and the l att e r acc ord , ,

in g to th e ir w o rthin e s s and di ff e r e nt grad es o f rank w e r e ,

ins truct e d in all that app e rtain e d to the s ub j e ct T he rit e .

o f circumci s i o n w a s an a bs o lut e pr e r e qui s it e to in itia tio n fi

‘

he n c e f or e ign e r s w ho having arriv e d a t adult a g e wh e n

, , ,

this right might a s it o ft e n did pr o v e fatal f e a r e d to e n

,
!

, ,

c ount e r its hazards and w e r e s e ldo m admitt e d to the

,

mys te ri es and thi s is why n o t many o f the anci e nt hi s t o rian s

kn e w much o f th es e my s t e ri es T he rit e o f circumci s i o n .

wa s s ymb oliz e d by a circl e ( the s e rp e nt with its tail in its

mo uth vital ity) a n d the E gy ptian p ri es t s w or e a c ou s e
, ,

c rat e d ring in m e m or y o f its p e rfo rmanc e .

b T he Tric e p s H e cate which w a s at the s am e time the

.
,

e arth the mo on and the wif e o f Plut o and the s ymb o lizi n g
, , ,

o f thi s w a s : So s oo n a s the fi r s t pha s e of the n e w m oo n w a s

p e rc eive d in (the e v e ning mini s t e r s f o r that purp os e w ent
,

and pr o claime d it in all the cro ss ways and public plac es ,

and the fe a s t o f the n eom enia w a s c el e brat e d e ithe r that

v e ry e vening o r the n e xt day acc ording to the in s tituti on
,

* Fr o m ti m e imm e m o rial a l l a s pirant s to the E gyptian

,

i niti ati o n had to be circumcis e d M os es up o n e nt e ring the

.
,

t e mpl e to und e rgo thi s initiati o n had to g o thr o ugh thi s

s am e ri te T he He br e ws did n o t h a v e thi s law until a f te r
.

the le ad e rs hip o f M os es and i t w a s aft e r the my s t e ri e s

taught him in the t e mpl e that he o rd e re d all H e br e ws to b e
circumc is e d The E gyptians f oll o we d this ri te l ong c e n
.

turies b e f o r e the H e br e ws b e cam e a nati on and i t wa s th e r e

f or e n ot pe culiar to the l a tt er .
1 50 m s rs nms or os m s

of the
plac e Wh e n the s acrific e wa s t o be mad e at night
.
,

th e y p ut an o wl n e ar the figure that pr o claim e d it T he .

I s i s wa s th e n c all e d Lil i th that is the o wl ; and this vis ibly

, ,

is the o rigin o f that n o cturnal lilith o f wh o m s o many tal es

a re t old Wh e n the tim e cam e that the d eifi e d I s i s w a s
.

l o oke d up o n a s a w o man o r a qu e e n dw e lling in the m o o n

, ,

and th e re go ve rning the h e ave n in c o nj unctio n w ith O s iri s

o r Ad o ni s the p roclam a ti o n o f the r e turn o f the n e w m o o n
, ,

which wa s a thing e xtr e m e ly plai n b e fo re as s ume d a m o re ,

mys te rio us and s tate ly air H e cat e w as bec o m e invis ibl e f o r.

many days ; her r e turn wa s e xp e ct e d with c e r e m o n y T he

“

go dd e ss at las t l e ft the e mp ire o f the de a d to c o m e again to ,

the h e av e n s H ec at e ne ve r failing to vis it s ucc es s ive ly the

.

t wo di s tricts it c o uld n o t be d o ubt e d but s he rule d in

,

h e av e n and in the invi s ibl e ab o des O n the o th e r hand the .

,

a nci e nts c o uld n o t but be s e n s ible o f the p alp abl e r e lati o n

s he had to the e a rth an d its pro ducti o ns wh e r e o f s he alway s ,

b o r e the s e v e ral marks e ithe r o n he r h e ad o r in he r hands .

She th e n b e cam e the thr e e fo ld D ian a ( tric e p s H ec a te )

which is at o nc e and the s am e time the e arth the qu ee n
.
, , ,

the go v e rn es s the c o mm o n m o th e r the qu ee n o f h e av e n and

, ,

"
e a rthf

Th e r e w e r e thre e m os t i m p ort a nt s ymb ols c onn e ct e d

with the o ni o n viz : I A O r e pr es e nting G o d in his thr e e
,
. . .
,
‘
fo ld charac te r o f wis do m s tr e n gt h, and be a utyfl T he l e tt e r
,
e

I o r rath e r an e r e ct p illar ! d en o te s the wi s d o m that s tands

,

al o n e a n d s e l f e xi s ting ; the l e tt e r A is the pyramid o r the

-

*
Me aning o f th es e in m o d e rn churc h s ymb o li s m is H ol y ‘

Mary—H o ly Mo the r o f G o d —Mo th e r m o s t amiabl e—G at e

o f H e av e n—Q u e e n o f all S aints and o th e r n am es kn o wn to ,

the Ro man Church

”
.

li T he thr e e p ill a rs o f m o d e rn Ma s o nry which it will

be
s e e n had th e ir f o und a ti o n up o n the E g yptian s ymb o li s m .

jSH e r e again we hav e the s m b o l o f the ro d o f M o s e s the

y ,

e v e r r e curring P ha l l a s the Pillar o f Fla m e All th es e

, .

‘
s ym b o lical m e aning s a re int e r chang e abl e and in o rd e r to -

th o ro ughly u nd e rs tand o n e m e aning w e mu s t und er s tand

the oth er m eanin gs al s o .
1 52 mr s rnn ms I I
or O S R S

the r oo t o f I a c us o r B achu s T he wo rd O n the E gy pti an .

,

n am e f o r the o n e G o d includ e s the circl e the pyram id and , , ,

the o b e li s k o r I a s d o e s al s o the w o rd B a a l the Chald e an

, , ,

n am e o f G o d In the s un we have the s ymb olical circl e ; in

.

the fire ( b o nfir e ) we hav e the pyramid ; in the radia ti o n s

, ,

fr o m b oth we hav e the s traight lin e s ymb o liz e d by the ,

p illar o b e lis k s p ir e and the l e tt e r I

, ,
.

“
As s oo n a s t he s y s t e m o f s un w o rs hip w a s p erf e ct e d o r , ,

p os s ibly e arli e r the cro ss be cam e a s ymb o l o f s alva ti o n

,
‘
.

Thi s w a s b e cau s e the s un in cr os s ing the e quat or in the ,

v e rn al e quin o x br o ught s alvati o n fro m p e rp etual w int e r

, ,

and c on s e qu e nt s tarvati o n a n d c old O n e o f the e arlies t .

s ymb o l s c o ns i s t e d in a cr o s s with the lamb at the f oot with ,

the five bl e e ding w o unds

*
that the five kings o r wintry ,

m o nths had m ad e ,
Thi s c r oss w a s the s altie r cr os s o n
.

which St An dre w wa s crucifie d r e pr es e nt e d by the angl e

“

.
,

o f tw e nty thr e e an d a half d e gr ees f o rm e d by the e cliptic

-

and e quat o r T he s ymb ol o f the R oman cr os s w a s E g yp tic

.
,

and w a s to the m the s ymb o l o f s alvati o n b e cau s e it wa s

e r e cte d on the banks o f the N il e to m e as ur e the fl oo d Wh e n .

the wat e r s re ach e d the cross p i e c e th e y w e r e high e n o ugh to -

fl o o d the wh ol e c o untry and the land w a s s av e d fr o m ,

famin e In s ymbolizing the fruitful s e a s on which its e lf

.
,

b e cam e the s ym b o l o f h e av e n the anci e nts ad opt e d thos e ,

f o rm s in n ature and art that e xpr es s e d m os t cl e arly the

g e n e rating fo rc es The s e f orc es b e cam e the m os t e ff e ctiv e
.

at o r ab o ut the tim e o f the v e rnal e quin ox and th e r e mus t ,

o f n e c ess ity be a r e g e n e rati o n o f n atur e e v e ry s p ring and a

n e w b irth int o the kingd o m o f s umm e r .

Thi s is the o ut e r s ymb ol o f the anci ent p eo pl e but ab ov e ,

’
o r within this o ut e r s ymb ol w a s the mys t e ry o f man s re ,

ge n e rati o n which al s o had to take plac e b e f o re he c o uld be

*
Fro m thi s ch olars will s e e that the Chri s tian cruci
a ll s

fix io n w a s n o thing n e w to that p e ri o d but that the l e g e nd ,

in all r es p e ct s the s am e w a s kn o wn th o us ands o f y e ar s be,

f o r e The s t ory o f the crucifixi on o f J es us wa s th e r e fo r e

.

p att ern e d aft e r thi s anci ent s ymb ol is m .

 OR EGY PTIAN IN ITIAI ION
.
'‘
.
53
bo rn im m orta l l y int o an oth e r s e as o n Man s lif e up on e arth .
’

w a s r e cko n e d a s on e s e a s o n and d uring that s e as o n he had

to b e co me pre p ar e d which w a s s ymb oliz e d in the tru e in
, ,

itia tion f o r the c o mi ng life As the r e pro ductive faculti e s

, .

had to d o with ge ne rati o n s o w e r e and a re th e y the k eys

,

to the s ublim e re g e n e r a ti on and th e r e w as thus the in n e r

and the o ute r m e anin g o f which Chri s t e ndo m has only re
,

ta in e d the o ut e r This w ill e xplain much which ha s hithe r

.

to s ee m e d s o o bs cur e .

Ve ge tatio n mus t be bo rn aga in and again e ach ye ar or

!
, ,

e t e rnal d e ath w o uld r e ign t riumphant thro ugh o ut the uni

v e rse To s ymb olize this re ge ne ratio n a n d n e w birth they

.

mo s t app ro pri a te e mble ms we re ado pte d ; s o m e o f the m ,

and p articul a rly th os e m os t fo rcibl e in th e ir a d a ptn es s to

the s u bj e ct a re o f the kind which s e e m r e pul s iv e to the
,

m o de rn ide a s o f mo d es ty b e caus e the m o de rns hav e l os t the

“ ”
v e ry ke ys to the mys t e ry to the b o rn again to R e ,

ge n erat i o n and to all that p e rtain s to imm o rtality In .

o ld e n tim e s m e n did n ot b e h o ld o r talk ab o ut c e rtain o f

,
’
n a ture s cr ea ti ons with the s am e unhallo we d th ought s a s d o
the m o d e rn p e e pl es f or the ve ry r e a s on that th e y kn e w tha t
.

n o t only g e ne rati o n w a s the p o w e r o f th es e e mbl e m s but that

the s ublim e p o w e r o f re ge n e rati o n w a s in the m a s w ell All

-
.

anci e nt b ooks a re pr o of o f this a s s e rti on ; the Bibl e its e lf

c ontaining many acc o rding to o ur m o de rn m o d es ty a l
, ,

l us ion s that w e mus t n ee ds s up pr es s whil e r e ading in an

audi e n c e o f b oth s e xe s The principal s ymb o l a s alr e ady
.
,

e xplain e d with which an c i e nt re ligi o n a n d s ci e nce mark e d

,

the e ntranc e o f the s un into the kingdo m o f s umm e r w a s the

Phallus o f Indi a and E gypt and which ha s s o s h o cke d the ,

s e n s ibiliti es o f o ur m o d es t Chris tian mi s s i onari es alth o ugh ,

the s a m e e m bl e m s a re p e rp e tuate d in a m o difi e d f o rm

‘

am ong us to thi s day and alth o ugh the m o de rn Chri s tian

p e opl e a re the g re at es t Phallic w o rs hipp e rs in its o ut e r ,

fo rm o f any p e o pl e who hav e e ve r liv e d Th es e s ymb ols

, .

w e re a s e xplain e d the o rgan s o f ge ne ra ti on fit e mbl e ms o f

, , ,
'

fruitful n es s f orcibl e in the ir t e achings but to o rud e f or

, ,
 1 54 ,
MY STER IES or os n u
s

the a ge whic h a re its

gr e at es t w ors hipp e rs in the m ore gross
fo rm An d yet th es e s am e s ym b o l s a re r e t a in e d in the fo rm
.

o f the Ro man cr os s the M

,

a y p ol e the s e rp e nt and s e v e ral

, ,

o f the Ma s onic e mbl e m s C on s i s t e ncy truly th o u art a

.
,

j e we l T he s e rp e nt t aught the s am e doc trine a s the cro ss

.
,

but u n d e r a v e il If w o rs hipp e d a s at p res e nt it is the

.
,

s e rp e nt o f all the anci e nt n ati on s it is the s e rp e nt of the ,

E gyptian Magi which w as s wall o w e d by the divin e s e rp e nt

,

o f M os es which is r e pr es e nt e d by the cr os s In o th e r wo rds .

,

the s ymb ol a s wo rs hipp e d at the pr e s e nt d a y by n e arly all

p eo ple s e xc e pt the initiates is s till the s ymbo l o f ge n e rati o n
a n d the l o w e r s t a g e—p a s s i on —it r e p res e nts and is th e r e fo re
, l

an e mble m o f the o l d s e rp e nt o r d ea th But if w o rs hipp e d .

,

a s the anci e nt s taught it b e c o m es an e mbl em o f futur e lif e

, ,

imm o rtality v i ta l i ty, r te ge ne rati o n and is the s e rp e nt

,
-

whi ch M os es lift e d up in the wild e r n ess This s ho uld be .

plain e n o ugh to all s tud e nt s f o r he who c ann o t und e rs tand ,

th s mus t be blind
i .

“
An o the r o f the e m bl e ms o f fruitfuln es s w a s the egg “

and the bul l br e aking the e gg b e cam e a wid es pr e ad s ymb o l

o f the cr e ati o n L ong hair a n d b e ard w a s an embl em o f
.

’
fruitful n e s s o r s tr e ngth c o rr e s p o nding to the s un s rays ;
‘

h enc e the s un in wint e r w a s r e p res e nt e d by a bald h e ade d

man o f which E l is h a w a s an e xampl e In the wi n try c on
,
.
s

s tel l a tio n s w e fin d the s ymb ols o r s ign s o f e vil imp o rt This

“

p art o f the h e av e n s w a s r e pr es e nt e d a s a cave an embl e m ,

o f the l o w e r r e gio n ; h e nc e Ki ng D avid wa s in a cav e in his

a dv e rs ity But in this c a ve we find the go at ( a ) b e cau s e the

.

n e w b o rn y e ar mus t h av e a nurs e H e r e too w e hav e the .

, ,

baptiz e r floo ding the e arth with the liquid el e m ent an d the
, ,

fi s h e s o f F e bruary all s igns o f e vil imp ort a n d all b el ongin g

, ,
”
to the anci e nt b ott o ml es s pit .

a Ac c o rdin g to an ancie nt Sabe an traditi o n on e o f th e s e

.
,

e vi l ange ls s ymb oliz e d by the go at o f D ec e m be r r e p ent e d

, ,

him o f the wr on g d o n e to the s inl e ss G o d who w a s crucifie d

with him ( on e o f the thi e v es ) h e nc e he b ec om es at firs t the ,

h o ary s ign o f wint e r , the go at who particip at es in the de ath ,

 C H AP TER III .

Al l r eligi o n s w orthy o f the n a m e including the vari o us

,

anci e nt s e cts h a ve a c o mma: 1 c rig in ( a ) a n d a re a c o mm o n

,
~

broth erh oo d d ifierin g o nly in s o me e xte rnal f e atures an d

, ,

c a n a ll be trac e d back thr o ugh th e ir vario us f o rm s

,
ce re,

m o ni e s and s ym b o ls to the r e m o tes t antiquity to a c o mm o n

, ,

anc es try By fo llo wing up the s tr e am s to a c o mmo n s o urc e

.
,

w e hav e b ee n e nabl e d to gras p the my s ti c ke y that unl o ck s

the labyrinth , in which the vari ou s s e cts hav e p e rfo rme d
the ir mys t e riou s c e r e m o n i e s and which the hi e ro phants
,

( pri es t s o r ma s te rs ) o f e v e ry a g e hav e c o nc o ct e d th e ir th ey
l o gical riddl e s and withi n the s acr e d wall s o f which th e y
,

h av e hidd e n th e ms elv es fro m the obs e rvati o n o f the vulgar

thr ong who had to hav e s ymb o li s ms and c e r e m o ni es a s the
s ublim e th eo ry o f the on e G o d w a s too s impl e f o r th e m .

a. T he m o r e w e pu r u e the wi s d o m o f the ancie nts

s

thr o ugh all th e ir ramificati o n s o f vari e d s p e ech all e g o rical ,

f o rm s a n d s ymb olic r e pr e s e ntati o n the m o r e s ure ly w e s hall

, ,

c o m e to the c o nclus i on that th e y all a re tributary branch es

fr om o n e c e ntral s ource ; th a t this s o urce wa s the b oo k of

n atur e ,
writt e n o v e r with flo w e rs an d bl oo m o n the fair
gre e n e arth with s un s an d s tars i n the s p angl e d
vaults o f h e av e n—that the gr e at Sc hoo l m a s te r who firs t
,

l
,

in s tr ucte d m en and an g e l s in the l e tt e rs o f this divin e alph a

.

bet wa s the o n e G od , the F athe r of Spirits ; th a t the m e ans

,
 OR E GYP TIA N INI T I ATIO N . 35 7

of t e aching we re i n tui tion ; ins pira tion , and d irec t c om

muni o n with a n gel s the m ess e nge rs o f G o d ; magic a s the
, ,

a rtific e r o f a n e w fo rm o f c o mmuni o n wh e n the child lik e ,

-

e arly man l os t the p o w e r o f intuitio n and br ok e the links ,

o f dire ct c ommuni o n by the c o rrupti o ns o f a mat e riali s tic

,

c ivilizati o n and a ll m e an s c o mbi n e d wh e n the pur e h e art

, ,

and the cl e ar brain can e l e vat e the s o ul to its n ativ e h e av e n s ,

and l e arn to mas t e r the o ccul t fo rc es o f n atur e by s ci e nc e .

P e rhap s w e may n e v e r r eturn to the s imple a n d child like -

attitude which the earl y m en o f the e arth s us tain e d t o wards

th e ir G o d but the f e w o f us can thr o ugh the initi a tio n
, , ,

h o ld c onv e r s e with o ur G od .

Th e y ( the a ncie nts ) c o nv e rs e d with th e ir tut elary s p irit s

.

a s a m a n s p e aks with his fri e nd T h e y l oo k e d a n d s a w that

.
,

G o d wa s
’
Th e y lis t e n e d and G o d s ange ls s p ok e to th e m in ‘
‘

.
,

vo ic es a s cl e ar a s the s ighing o f the br ee z e or the murmur

ing o f the br o ok T he y re fle ct e d and th e ir p as t s piritu a l
.
,

o rigin an d pr es e nt d es tiny ca s t th e ir i ma es on the mi rror

g
o f th e ir minds as truthfully a s the liquid wate r s o f the lake

o f a d e vo ti o nal i gn o ranc e o f the s am e ch a ract e r with whic h

r e fl e ct s the lus tr e o f the s tars It w a s thi s s ame s e cr et th a t

.

the tru e O rd e rs o r Pri es t ho o d r es e rve d thro ugh o ut a l l ages ,

e ve n u p to thi s pr es e nt d a y and it w as in thi s s am e s ch oo l

that the N azar ene l e arn e d to c onve rs e with his G o d .

If we wo uld kn o w the c o u rs e o f any s tr e a m in a l l its

m e and erin gs we mus t foll o w it to its s o urc e ; if we w o uld
,

s tudy int ellig e ntly t he hi s t o ry o f any rac e o r n atio n w e ,

mus t kno w th e ir o rigin o r at l e as t th e ir e arly h a bits This .

n ati o n f urni s h e s a s triking e xampl e f o r all s uc c ess f ul his

to ria n s o f the re pub lic h a ve b e e n c o mp e ll e d to r es o rt to the

archiv es o f the mo th e r c ountry f o r the key to unl oc k the
s e n s e o f the l aws cus toms and u s a g e s o f s o ci e ty in its r e
, ,

publican phas e Al l e c cl es ia s tical writ e rs a l l the ol ogian s

.
,

c o nt end that to fully c ompr eh e n d the Chri s tian di s p ens a

,

ti on w e mu s t b e c om e fa m iliar with the H ebr ews H o w in

,
.

c omple t e how d es titute o f s e n s e wo uld be much o f the New

,

Tes ta me nt we re it n o t f o r the li g ht thro wn up on it by the

z 53 MYSTE RIE S or os n us

O l d ; but thi s is n ot all In o rd e r that we . may un d ers tan d

the O l d , w e mu s t g o to the f o untain fr o m wh enc e th ey the ,

He br e ws r e ce ive d th e ir la ws cus t oms an d us ag es and wh e n

, , ,

w e d o that w e g o b ack to the anci e nt r eligi o n s b o th o f the ,

E gyptian s and the o th e r nati on s and wh e n w e d o thi s th en ,

d o we find n o t o n ly the k e ys to the O l d T e s tam e nt but to

, ,

the N e w a s w e ll f or all o f th es e a re but tiny s tr eam s o f the

,

o n e gr e at riv e r which is G o d Him s e lf

, .

“
In a ffirming that all r e ligi o n s hav e a c omm o n o rigin w e ,

m e an by the t e rm r e ligi o n any s ys t e m o f b eli e f o r obs e rv

a n c es o r b o th that claim s t o b e the w o r s hip o f G o d
, ,
An d .

we c o nc e iv e th e s e s ys t e ms to be tru e o r fal s e j us t in the “

pr o p o rti o n that th e y c o ntain the tru e o r fals e e l e m e nt o f ,

r ea l w o rs hip And we b eli e v e al s o that th e r e ha s n e v e r ye t

.

e xi s t e d an en tir e l y fa l s e s ys t e m f or s uc h a on e co uld n ot ,

e xi s t f o r a day
’
Man s r e ligi o n ha s alw a ys b e e n an out
.

gr owth o f him s el f ; ( a ) n ot all pure n o t e ntir ely d ebas e d ,

.

W e b e lie v e that all fo und e rs o f n e w s e cts of r e ligio nis ts h ave

b e en in s p ir e d and hav e b e e n urg e d fo rward by an in t e n s e
,

d es ir e to b en e fit the rac e ; f o r all r e o rganiz e rs hav e app e ar e d

on the s tag e o f acti o n wh e n the o ld e r s ys t e m s had b e c o m e

e ff e t e o r d e cr e p it W ith a g e .

a. T he r e as o n why all r elig i on s a re the pr o ducti on s o f a

c omm o n p ar e nt is a s alre ady s tat e d b e caus e the anci e nts
, ,

natur ally ado pt e d the true Symb ol s the rea l r e pr e s e nta tiv es ,

o f G o d ; and whil e the Church is in the wild e rn ess o f

s ymb ol s s he mu s t f o ll ow the c u e giv e n he r by the in s pir e d
,

p agan le ade r s w ho hav e hand e d th e m do wn to he r fr o m the

,

mys tic a l p as t W e r e p e at the af firmati on that the anci en t s

.
,

ado pt e d the tru e and natural s ymb ol s o f G o d and the a h ,

g e l ic h os t An d w e m os t firmly b elie ve th a t whil e w e p er

.

p e tu a te e xt e rnal fo rm s o f w o rs hip we s h o uld cling to , ,

und e rs tand a n d p ractic e the anci e nt s ymb olical s ys tem .

F ro m the s un c ame light he a t and f e rtility ; wh e n he hid

,

his fac e s t o rm s and t e mp es t s h e ld th e ir carnival and de s o ,

l ati o n ma rke d th e ir p athway T he s tar s w e r e the abo d es o f

.

the l e s s e r g o ds , or w e r e s upp o s e d to b e his a n g el s or the

x6c mv s m a ms on o s mrs

se ttl es do wn up o n the his t o ry o f man a n d f orbids our

furth e r p ro gre s s .

“
Afte r ad o pting the b e li e f that the s un m o o n and s t a rs , ,

o r the p o w e r th e y r ep res en te d o r s ym bo liz e d w e r e s o m any ,

go ds th e y gradually imbib ed the ide a that the s tars e xe rted

,

a p ow e rful i n flue nc e f o r goo d o r e vil altho ugh in a l ess e r , .

d e gre e than the s un and mo o n Th e y o b s e rv e d the fact that .

wh e n the s un e nt e r e d c e rtain clus t e rs o f the s tars he b e gan

to l os e his warmth an d s t e rn wint e r wi th his att e ndant
, ,

train o f s t o rms and c old h eld alm os t undis put e d s way , .

Th e y th e r e f ore call e d th e se c lus t e rs o r c on s te llatio n s the

, ,

s ign s o f e vil imp o rt o r b ad augu ry a n d fr o m th es e c o n ,

c l u s io n s cam e the c e l e brat e d s ci e n c e o f a s tr ol o gy

“
T he charact e r o f the E gyptia n writing d es ign e d to
s igni f y G o d wa s n o t a s impl e flam e o r bl a z e a s wa s the ,

cu s t o m o f the fire w o rs hipp e rs in ge n e ral but a circl e o r , ,

rath e r a s un Th e y adde d to the circle o r s olar gl ob e

.

s ev e ral mark s o r attribute s

,
which s e rv e d to charact e riz e
,

s o many p e rf e cti on s T o indicate that the Sup re m e B e ing

.

is the auth o r and p r es e rv e r o f li fe th e y ann ex e d to the circl e ,

s o me t i m es two p o int s o f flam e but m o r e c o mm o nly on e o r ,

two s e rp e nts T his animal wa s always am o ng the E gyp

.
~

t ia ns a s in othe r c o unt ri e s the s ymb ol o f life a n d h e alth ;

,
.
,

the fi e ry flying s e rp e nt sc o rp i ons and d rago n s b e ing p r o b

,
‘

a bly t he o nly e x c e pti ons It w a s thus a s s t a te d tha t wh e n

.
, ,

Mo s es lift e d up the s e rpe nt in the wild e rn es s the a fflict e d ,

H e bre ws unde rs t oo d it to be a s i g n o f he al th o f pr ese rva ,

ti o n o f s alvati o n ; the mys t e ry to this ha s alr ea dy b e e n

,

e xpl ain e d A c o mm o n o rnam e nt in the anc ie nt t emple s

.
,

and in the m o de rn go thic church e s to be s ee n in the win ,

d ows o f s tain e d glass c o ns is ts o f a cr os s e ntwine d by a

,

s e rp e nt Fr o m the fo re go ing s k e tch o f the o ri g i n of

.

s ymb o ls am o ng the E gyptian s , and the app o intm e nt o f a

clas s o f m en to pr e s ide o v e r an d inte rpre t th e ir me a ning ,

w e have a c lu e that i f car e fully f oll o we d will l e ad us s till

, ,

d e e pe r i n t o the r e ligi o us mys t e ri es o f the anci e nts A .

s ys tem of ye arly O b se rvanc es having b ee n a do pt e d a n d a ,

 on E GYPTIAN I N ITIAT IO N . 1 61

cla s s o f m en s et apart to att end to th e ir c e rem oni es the ,

inte r es t of this clas s wo uld n aturally l e ad th e m to add to

the s e fo rms a n d c e re m on i es and mak e th e m s till m o re in tri
cat e and hard to be u n d e rs to o d ; and having res o rt e d to the
s ki es the h om e o f the go ds how naturally alth o ugh im
, , ,

p e rc e ptibly w o uld th es e O b s e rv a nc e s a s s ume a re l igi o us

,

pha s e and r es olve th em s elve s i nt o a r e gul ar s ys t e m o f w o r

s hip an d the s ac e rd o tal o rd e r gradually b e acc e pt e d a s the
,

a uth o riz e d me diat o rs b et w e e n G o d and to mak e

kn own to him his duty an d the fo rm s of w o rs hi p m os t
.

a gr e e abl e to d e ity E arly ind ee d d o w e find in the hi s t o ry

.

o f the an ci e nt w o rld that this s e ct o f e ccl es ias tic s

, o r the ,

s ac e rd o tal o rd e r had its vari ous ramificati ons thr ough out
,

the w o rld Fro m this s m a ll be ginning fr om thi s c omp any

.
,

o f m en app o int e d to watch the ris ing o f the N il e ha s ari s e n ,

a c las s in s o cie ty that fro m ge n e rati o n to ge n e rati o n ha s

c ontroll e d the p olitical a n d re ligi o us d es tiny o f the w o rld .

F rom th es e s pran g the vari o us pri e s th oo d a n d r e ligi o u s

s ys te m s that hav e o btain e d a l o dgm e nt am o ng mankind .

Fro m the m als o c am e the c el e brat e d o rganiza ti o n o f

Mas o nry Th es e tw o s ys t em s r eli g i o n and mas onry hav e a
.
, ,

c omm o n o rigin ; th ey can b o as t a c o mmo n pare ntage O n e .

re pr es ent s the th e ol o gical and the o th e r the s cie ntific ,

tho ught o f man O n e is the ol d s ch ool the o the r is the n e w

.
,
.

O nc e wh e n r e ligi o n wa s pure and a l l m e n c ould c o mmun e

,

with G o d they w e re on e but as m a n turn e d a way fro m G o d

, ,

and l et o th e rs d o his thinking r e garding G od and his re

l ig ion thi s d ividi n g lin e t o o k pl a c e
,
T he ke y to the .

"
1
Thi s w a s afte r m a n had b e co me m o re o r l es s mat e rial
is tic and a fte r he c o uld n o l o n g e r p e rs o nally c o mmun e wit h
his G o d Thi s w a s his o w n fault f o r s e lfis h d e s ire s t o ok the
.
,

tim e he fo rm e rly gav e to his G o d Wh e n a c e rtain clas s .

a ct e d a s me diat o rs b e tw e e n m e n and G o d th e re w a s s till ,

that inn e r p ri e s th o o d the initiat es w ho re s e rv e d the p ure

, ,

r eligi o n the faith in the on e G od Th e s e m e n hav e e xis te d

,
.

in all ages to day a s in the pa s t , and th e se a re the c on

,
-

s e rv a tors o f the pri s ti n e re ligi on .

 62 MYSTE R IE S or O SI
_
R IS
mys t e ri es o f on e unl o ck s the s e cr e t chamb er s of the oth er
, .

As th es e s e cr e t o rganizati on s e xt e nd e d to a n d w e re ad o pt e d
by oth e r nati on s the g e nius o f the p e o pl e the di ff e r enc e o f
, ,

latitud e and l ongitud e the variatio ns in the as tro n o mical

,

a n d atm os ph e ric ph e n o m e na made it n ec es s ary to alt e r

, ,

m o dify and in s om e ca s es impr o v e up on the o riginal In

, .

the c ours e o f tim e th es e di ff e r e nc e s b e cam e m o r e obvi ou s

, ,

and the r e as o n s f o r many o f the ob s e rvanc es w e r e f o rgo tt e n

( the m ys te ries o r the s p irit o f the t e achings w e r e l os t onl y ,

the s h e ll o r f o rm r e maining ) amid the c o nvul s i o n s o f e m

p ires ; and the n e c es s ity o f the vari ous changes w as o v e r
l o ok e d by the l e ad e rs in th e ir z e al to pr e pagat e th e ir p ec uliar
vi e ws ; h enc e fie rc e c onte nti o ns aros e am o ng the l e ad ers who
th e ms e lve s had l o s t th e ir s e cr e t s a n d the c o mm o n p eo pl e
,
-

e nt e re d h e artily int o the c o nflict T he br e ach es w e r e thu s

.

wid e ne d and the p ow e r by d e gr ee s p a s se d into the hands o f

,

the mo s t ign o rant a s pirants alth o ugh s ucc es s ful c o nqu e r o r s

,
.

W e hav e th er e for e hand e d d o wn to us but the fra g m e n ts

, ,

a n d ba s ic s o f a o nc e p o w e rful wid es p r e ad and m os t m a g

, ,

“
n ific en t s ys t e m o f s ci e n tific w o rship O ur pr e s e nt e xt e rn al
.

fo rms o f w o rs hip c o ns is t o f d e ta ch e d fragm e n ts o f this

a n ci e nt s ys t e m .

Thus e arly in its hi s to ry w a s o rganiz e d an inn e r and a

p atrici a n and a pl e bian de p artm e n t o f s oci e ty ; an aris
toc ra c y o f l e arn ing c o n s i s ting o f a s e cr e t c o mbinati o n o f
,

m e n w ho had th e ir m ys t e ri es and s e c re t t e achi n gs hidd e n

,

fr o m the vulga r gaz e , and us e d to p e rp etuat e the mys tical

l e arning a m ong the m s e lve s ; whil e the vulgar h e rd ke p t in ,

ign o ran c e by th e ir o wn le ad e r s and th e ir o wn n e gli g enc e ,

l ooke d up to the m with a we and v e n e rati o n T he e xe rcis es .

in th es e s e cre t s ch oo ls o f the p ro ph et s c o ns is t e d in t e achin g

the s ci e nc e o f as tr ol o gy and a s tr on omy and in the tr a inin g ,

This w as
ii“
tru e alre ady in the tim e o f J e s u s the N azare n e ,

but n o w a s the n th er e a re s till s e v e ral Frat e rnitie s w ho

,

c on tain within th e ms e lve s all the anci e nt mys t e ri es in all

th e ir purity a n d w ho c o ntinu e to t e a ch the f e w a s p irants a s
the y w e re tau ght in the l on g a ges pas t .
 MYSTE RIE S or os n u
s

plin e o r de ve lo p m e nt b o th in the O l d a n d the Ne w T es t a

,

m e nt s a n d ye t but o n e s e ct o f all the s e ct s o f Chri s tianity

, , ,

o b s e rve a b s tin e nce a s a p art o f the ir re ligio us duty ; and

p e rhap s it is to this c au s e that w e may attribut e the gr e ate r

p re val e nce o f s piritual manife s tati on s am ongs t th e m th a n ,

with any oth e r r eligi o us thinke rs o f Chri s t end o m An o th e r .

m o d e o f p re p arat o ry e x e rci s e f o r s p iritual e xaltatio n is

pray e r N ot the m ere r o utin e fo rm o f v e rb al s o licitati o n
.
,

but s i n c e re a s p ira tion o f s oul towa rd s the g re a t s ou rc e o f a l l

l ife l ig ht a n d a s p ira ti on
, An d praye r mu s t be s upple
‘
.

m e n te d by s oli tary c ommunio n wi th the in n e r c on s c io us n ess ,

in l o ng p e ri ods o f s e clu s i o n fro m the e xt e rn a l w o rld and a , .

c o mple te abs tracti o n o f the s ens es fr om all o utward o h

s e rv a n c e s ; s o ul m us i n g s o n the gr e at I Am and that de e p ,

ab s o rpti o n o f the r e fl e c tiv e p ow e r s up o n the s p irit within

which c o ns titut e the triumph o f the s oul o v e r m atte r and its
b e l o ngings Abl uti o n is als o an oth e r me th o d o f p re p a ring
.

the phys iqu e f o r the flo w o f the as tral fluid D urin g the .

int e rval s o f fa s ting the f oo d s h oul d be v e ry light c o ns is t

, ,

ing chi efly o f v e ge tabl es o f frui t n o m e ats o r fl es h what

, ,

e ve r whil s t a l l s timulants o r s a laci o us s ubs tanc e s calculate d

,

to e xcite the s e ns e o r p amp e r the app e ti t es s h ould be c a re

ful ly avo ide d Thi s wa s the m e th o d o f p r e parat io n o f the
.

as pirant a n d thi s c o ntinu e d until he kn ew that he was im

,

m o rtal un til he had fo und the Chris t within and c o uld

, ,

h o ld c omm uni on with the bein g s b e y o n d .

“
Tru e to the O ri ental s tyl e o f t e aching J es us s p ake in ,

parabl es and his te achings ab o und in figure s ; a n d the o lde r

,

p ro ph e ts lay do wn i n s ackcl oth o r rus he d in a nude c o n

,

diti o n and fr en zi e d m anne r throu gh the s tre ets o f J c rusa

l e m i n o rd er to i mpr es s u p on a s tupid rac e the n e ar a p
,

p ro a ch o f s o m e dire cal a mity The fie l d o f s tudy in th ese

.

middle cla s s s o c ieti es w a s s om ewhat circums cribe d at fi rs t

-

but gra d ually e x pand e d int o th e ol o gy as tr ol o g y n e cro , ,

man c y magic a n d the kindre d art s The p e culi ar facili

-

, ,
.

ti es a fio rd e d to th ese te ach e rs by the gov ernm e nts a n d

p e o pl e ,
e nabl e d the m to m on o p o liz e e v e ry d e p artme nt. o f
 on EGY PTI AN I NITIATIO N . « 65

s cie nc e an d the m os t s tringent laws we re e nact e d to prot e ct

,

th e m in the e xe rcis e o f th es e p o w e rs O n e f a culty d e .

v e l o pe d in m a n in the e arli es t age s and guard e d with ,

s p e cial care w a s the faculty o f s e c o nd s ight o r the p o w e r

, ,

o f re ve aling s e cr e ts vulgarly call e d fo rtun e te lling If a

, .

m a n po ss e ss ed this p o w e r his int e r e s t and s afe ty r e quir e d

,

him to j o i n th es e privile ge d s o ci e ti e s c on s e que n tly, th e y

“ “

m o no po lize d the d e p artm e nt o f pro ph e cy and he who po s ,

s e ss e d this p o we r a n d w o uld n o t o r p e rhap s fro m mal

, ,

fo rmatio n o r so me o th e r c aus e c o ul d n ot j o in th es e s o
, ,

c ie tie s w a s doo m e d to s p e e dy de s tructi o n a s a wizard if he

,

dared to e xe rci s e his p e culi a r p owe r .

Fe mal e p ro ph e ts w e re n ot admitte d am ong th e s e so ci e ties ,

f o r fro m the n a tu re o f the initiat o ry rit es ( n o t e Mas onry ) .

it wa s imp os s ibl e to acc e pt th e m T he re w e re s om e fe ma l e .

s e ers h ow e v e r in a l l natio ns who w e r e s o cl e arly and und e

, , ,

n ia bl y in s pir e d that th e y w e r e re c o gniz e d a s s uch and e ith e r

,

take n un de r the pr ot e cti on o f the in n e r p ri es th o od o r

tre at e d a s witch e s by the s o ci e ti es a n d p e rs e cut e d to the
de ath T he pri es th o o d o ft e n e mpl oye d th e m in th e ir t e m ple s
.

as P ytho n es se s and a s k e e pe rs o f the h o ly plac e s Amo ng

-

.
,

the H e br e ws but f e w w om e n w e r e all o w e d to pr oph es y an d

witch es —s o c a l le d—w e re hardly d e alt with
, ,

-
.

“
Aft e r w e hav e mas te r e d the e xte rnal arrangem e nts o f
th es e anci ent mys t e ri es that hav e e nc omp as s e d the w orld
,

with the ir huge pr o p o rti ons w e s hall be pr e pare d to unde r ,

'

s tand its m o r e s ubtl e t e a c h in g s and thu s by d e gr ees o btai n ,

a cl e ar e r ins ight into the l e arne d p as t .

“
With thi s ke y to unl o ck the ir mys t e ri es the Bibl e a n d ,

o the r anci e nt r e ligi o us b o oks and the hi s t o ri es and p oe tic ,

e ff us i o n s o f the a n ci e nts will b e re ad with incre a s e d d e,

light ; dark p a s s ag es will be mad e plain ; num e r o u s tal es ,

fabl es alle go ri es and riddl es which w e hav e b e e n taught to

, ,

c o ns ide r a s childis h tal e s will r e ve al to us a de pth o f m e an

,

in g m os t s urpri s ing ; and anci e nt lit e rature will app e ar to

us a s n e wly dis c ov e r e d p al ac es and m o num ent s to the e n ,

thus ia s tic anti quarian s , awak eni n g us to the d eli g hts of an

1 66 MYSTERIES or OSIRI S
e ntir e n ew fi e ld o f inv es tigati on .

“
In o ur r es e arch es int o thi s s ubj e ct o f anci ent r e ligi on ,

an d a m o ng th es e antiqu e my s te ri e s w e mus t b e ar in mind

,

that the s un wa s ( to the ma ss es ) the grand c entral p o int ,

ar ound which all the l es s e r o bj e cts o f w o nd e r and w o rs hip

r e v olve d and to which the fath e r s p aid th e ir d ev oti on s
,
.

T he s un w a s the h e r o o f the tal e in all th e ir plays and c e l e

bra tio n s and th e ir drama s r e p r es e nt e d him in his vari o us
,

phas es and c e l e brate d his battl e s d e f e ats and vict o ri es

, ,
.

T he s un ( the on e G o d to the Initiat e s ) wa s e mphatically

the G o d o f all anci e nt nati on s H e o r it to the p e o pl e w a s
.
, , ,

the fath e r G od whil e ar o und him a n d to a c e rtain e xt e nt

, ,

inde p e nde nt o f him his s p o us e the m oo n and the inf e ri o r

, ,

go ds p e rf o rm e d th e ir a pp ro p ria te offi c es
,
.

“
O vid the p oe t d e s crib es him thus :
, ,

“
T he g o d s it s high , e xalt e d o n a thr o ne
O f blazing ge ms , with purple garm e nts o n ;
’
The h o urs , in o rd e r ra n g d on e ith e r hand ,
And days and mo nths and ye ars and ag es s tand ;
, , ,
’
H e r e Spring app e ars with flo w ry chapl e ts b o und ;
,

H e r e Su m m e r in he r W h e at e n garl and s c ro w n d ;
,
’

H e re Autum n the rich tro dd e n grap es b es m e ar

'

And h o ary Wint e r s hive r s in the r e ar

‘

.
1 68 MY ST ER IES or e si me

g o o d in h e ath e n writings f o r th ey tee r e c o rd the vice s o f,

th e ir go d s a n d h e ro es An und e rs tan ding o f th es e anci e nt

.

mys t e ri e s e xplains to us the re a l n ature o f th e s e s upp os e d

amo u rs a n d why b o th the Je wis h a n d anc i en t writ e rs thu s
,

r e c o rde d the m Th es e vari o us am o urs o f the go ds a s al

.
,

r e ady p artially e xplain e d and o f the p atri arch s and , ,

p r oph ets we r e thus writ te n to de s crib e the y e arly trave ls o f

,

g o d ( the s un ) and his c on j uncti o n with the h os ts o f h e av e n

,

— that is the m oo n the plane ts and the c o ns t e l lati o ns o r

, , ,

fix e d s ta rs ; while the r es ult s o f th es e c o nj uncti ons w e re ,

wh e n s tripp e d o f th e ir mys te ri o us c ove ring m e r e ly the ,

vari e d fruits o f the t ee mi n g e a rth the p re te nd e d re s ults o f ,

th es e c o nj uncti ons in the s umm e r s igns T he J e ws in re .

,

j e c tin g the p olyt h e i s m o f the E gyptians s ub s titut e d the ,

n am e s o f s upp os e d and r e al gre a t m e n in the plac e o f the

g o ds and d e mi go ds o f the s e call e d id olat o r s and a s crib e d

- -

to t he m the s am e p e culiariti es that marke d the liv es o f the

anci e nt d e iti es Thu s in No ah s drunk e nn es s in L ot s in
.
,
’
,
’

c e s t Abraha m s illicit int e rc o ur s e D avid s and Sol o mo n s

,
’
,
’ ’

p o lygamy and c o ncubinag e we hav e r e p ro duc e d in mys t e ry ,

the lic e nti o u s n es s o f the anci e nt go ds but in thi s c as e it is ,

e v e n w o rs e f o r th es e m e n did liv e and what mak es it eve n

,

s till w o r s e is the f a c t that th e s e m e n w e re t ruly p ri es t s o r

‘
initiat es and ther e f o re a e c o rd in g to C hri s t the s on s o f
j ,
“

"
G od an d to mak e m e n who r e ally liv e d and w e r e the ,
’
p r o ph ets o r the s ons o f G od d o th es e thin gs w a s far
‘

w o rs e than f or the p agan go ds who s imply r e pr e s e nte d c on ,

s tel l a tion s to b e s up p os e d to d o th es e things

,
.

“
T he trinity o f e vil s that thr e a te ne d the de s tr uct i on o f
m a n and his wo rk s c o ns is t e d o f the c old o f wint e r the h e at
, ,

o f s umm e r an d the fl oo d s
,
Th es e in the He br e w s criptur es
.
, ,

w e r e p er s o nifi e d in C ain H is firs t a s wint e r ( s p e aking .

,

all e go rically ) d e s tr o ye d s um m e r p e rs o nifi e d by Ah e l ( Ab

, ,
-

fath e r ; e l s u n ) ; in the fl oo d he dr own e d the w o rld and

, ,

with int ens e h e at thr e at e n s to burn up the e arth at s om e

futur e un k n o wn p e ri o d N o ah r e pr es e nt e d Bacchus ( the
,
.

s u n ) dr unk with the vintag e that his o wn h e at had p ro

 oa E GYP TIAN I N ITIATIO N . x69

d uc e d I s aac and I s hma el Jac ob and E s au w e re p er s on ifi

; , ,

cati on s o f the s un in the two s e as on s o f s umm e r and wint e r ,

o r in the s ign s o f g oo d and e vil i m p o rt

; and D avi d and
S o l om o n had imput e d to th e m by th e ir bi o graph e rs the in ,

te rc o urs e o f the s u n with the s ta rry h os t s in his y e arly

p a s s age thro ugh the c o n s t e llati on It w a s thus v e ry tru e . .

that S ol o m o n had 365 wiv es and that a l l wi s d om w a s his

f o r did he n o t kn o w or l earn all that w a s to be l e arn e d in
,

all the day s ? Fr om th e s e anci e nt mys tici s ms aft e r th e ir ,

re a l m e ani n g w a s in s o me m e a s ur e l os t o riginat e d the ,

s ys t e m o f p o lygamy t hat ha s f o r ag e s bla s t e d the e a s t e rn

n ati o n s with its p es tif e r ous br e ath It mus t be b o rn e in

-
.

mind e s p ec ially by the s tud e nt that n on e o f the biog ra

, ,

phi es o f th es e m e n be in g s we s h o uld s a y w a s writt e n by

, , ,

e ith e r a true pri es t o r in i tia te but always by a s e lf app o int e d -

o n e or o n e o f the middl e cla s s w ho p o s e d a s the l e ad e rs o f

the p eo pl e .

“
The tru e ages o f a ntiquity fully unde rs t o o d the rea l
s

s e n s e o f th e s e all e g o ri es ; but wh e n the J ew s b e came s e mi

barbar ous a s the y did s o o n afte r the d e a th o f J os h u a and

, ,

a ain wh e n the y s an k int o the gr os s e s t id o la try und e r the

g .

rul e o f the p agan kings th e y l os t the ir rea l m e aning and

, ,

s upp o s e d that th e ir anc e s t o rs e v e n the b e s t o f th e m had a

, ,

plurality o f wiv e s ; but the n o ti o n w a s thus pr o pagat e d an d ,

the wh o l e s y s t e m had its o rigin in thi s s tyl e o f c e l e brating

’
the s un s annual j o urn e y .

“
T he grand c e ntral p o int o f O ri e ntal w ors hip o f anci ent ,

l itera ture o f the a r ts and s c i e n c e o f p a s t ag e s w a s the s un ;

, ,

to him th e y l o oke d a s to a mighty fri e nd ; and all th o s e c o n

s tel l a tion s th ro ugh which he p a s s e d in his s umm e r t o ur

w e re his ang el s his foll o w er s his fri end s ; while th e s e

, ,

win try s ign s which s e em e d to be dragging him d own to the

b otto ml e s pit in the s outh e rn h e mis ph er e w e re s igns o f
s
,

e vil imp o rt w e r e e n e mi e s w e r e the s at e llit e s o f Satan w ho

, , ,

had his domicil e in Sc o rpi o at the gat e o f wint e r Th e y , .

lo oke d up on the s un a s th e ir s avi our and with re a s on too , ,

f or wh e n the e arth w a s fl oo d e d by e xc es s iv e ra in s o r inun ,

1 70 n r s rna ms or os n us
f

dat e d by the s w ellin g rive r his be am s dri e d up the s up e r ,

a bun d ant m ois tur e ; wh e n malignant vap o r s which s o o ft e n

,

s ucc e e d e d the r etiring o f the wate rs cr e at e d a p es til e nc e he

“

, ,

s e e me d to p ity the mi s f o rtun e s o f the s u ff e r e rs and di s s i ,

p at e d the vap o rs ; a n d wh e n rud e wint e r had r e igne d with

s uc h rigid s way that the fruits o f the e arth we r e w e ll nigh

e xhaus t e d and e ve n the la s t o f the fl o ck and h e rds had

,

alm os t dis ap pe ar e d to s atis fy the d e mands o f hunge r the

s un c o ming fo rth in maj es ty fro m his trave ls in a far o ff
,

s outh e rn clim e puts wint e r to flight a n d us h e rs in the

-

, ,

ge nial s prin g with its s unny h o urs its fruit s an d fl ow e rs ;

, ,

a n d s umm e r to o lad en wi th lux uri a n t cr e p s ; fo ll o w e d by

, ,

gold e n autumn wh e n the harv es t having b e e n s af ely gar

,

n e red the vint a g e is gath e r e d the win e pr es s is tr o dd e n

, ,

with out the city ,

An d the glad nati on s

P o u r o ut th e ir libati o n s
And s ing p rai se to the s un '

Whe n th e ir lab ors a re d on e .

“
An d with the flo wing win e c el ebrat e the f e as t of B acchus ,

the r o wn f e a s t o f the ye ar am o ng all the anci ent n a tions a

c ,

a W e w ould lik e to giv e a de s cripti o n of the c e r e m onies

.

o f initiati o n int o the mys te ri e s o f B a cchus but s p ac e f o r ,

b ids We will h ow e v e r give the imp o rtant p o int s and if

.
, , ,

the s tu d e nt can re ad b e twe e n the lin e s he will l e arn to kn o w

“

the true ch aract e r o f B acchus .

B acchus Originally r e pr es e nt e d the s u n O s iris H e wa s ,

.

kn own a s the G o d o f Wine B ut if you kn ow wh a t he r e ally .

is you will al s o kn ow that this win e is n ot the f e rm e nt e d

,

j uic e o f g ra p es but that he pr o duc es a wine rich in c ol o r a

, .e ,

dr op fl f which is able to h e a l the w o rs t o f di s e as es and re

g ene rat e the human bo dy .

T he p lac e of initiati o n w a s a gl oo my cav e o r rath e r a

c onn e ct e d range o f cave rn s fitte d u p with machi n e ry a n d ,

p araph e rn ali a that mi ght dis pl a y with full effe ct a l l the , ,

t errors of the initi a tion .

x72 MY STERIES or OSIRI S
d e ath o f the m ys te ries ; a n d the de liv eran c e fro m c on fin e
,

m e nt w a s the a c t o f r e ge n e ratio n o r n ew birth .

T he hymns o f incantati on a re too l o ng f o r our qu otati on ;

the b e ginn ing o f the firs t ha s b e e n hand e d d own to us

0 Fathe r J ac e b os ( B acchus ) th o u art L o rd o f the b o dy ,

Go d manif es t in the fl e s h ;

Twic e b o rn baptiz e d with fire quicke ne d by the s p irit ih

-

, , ,

s truct e d in s e cre t things b e ne ath the e arth e tc e tc , .

, .

M os t of
Chris tian writ e rs o n this s ubj e ct u s e all o f
o ur

the s o c all e d p agan s ymbo ls and d e ducting th e r e fro m th e ir

-

m o ral t e achings th ey claim that in all mythical lit erature

, ,

in the z o diacal s igns and in the hie r o glyphs th e y s e e the

p r o phe cy o f the S avi o ur the Re d e e me r o f mankin d—C hris t
, .

Y e t th e y a re unwilling to give d ue c r e dit to the an c i e nts f o r

s e e ing the s ame illuminat e d t e a c hing s Th es e Chris tians .

s a y that the p agan r e ligi o ns a re f o ul but wh e n purge d o f ,

th e ir vil e and o ff e ns ive id e as the y b e c o m e b e ac on lights f or

the Chri s tian p il gri m s O bigotry and s ham e
. It is v e ry .

gratifying to find a write r w ho cle arly s a w the s ublim e

“ ”
truth in the h e ath e n t e achings .

W e will qu ot e fr o m Up a S as tra an ins p ir e d b o ok n o w , ,

5
o ut o f p rint by J D H awk e n
,
.

It is r e c o rd e d in the Bibl e that c e rtain wat e rp o t s we re

,

fill ed wi th wat e r a n d that o n drawi n g it o ff it w a s found

H o w cam e thi s ? Why s imply thus —
, , ,

to be wi n e . the life , ,
.

o r wat e r o f any p articul a r s ph e r e which ha s b e e n e l e vat e d

, ,

thr o ugh the p roc e s s o f j udgm e nt or marriag e unio n with ,

-

the h e av e n s ha s b e c o m e th e re by the s a p o f the vin e o r lif e

,
“
tr e e o f h ea v e n The e lab o rat e d sa p is the blo o d o f the
.

grap e Thi s wh e n d i ffu s e d up on plan es b e l o w the di

.
,

v id in g lin e is to th e m win e ; ju s t s o is the wat e r p o ur e d in

,

a t the to p o f the v es s e l win e on tha t pl ane wh e re it is drawn

o ff . W in e thu s r e pr
,
es e nt s t he n o rmal lif e o f h e av e n a s ,

wate r the n ormal life o f e a rth ; but it is win e in that it is

the lif e o f h e ave nly plan es di ffu s e d undilut e d up o n e arthly
n
o es Th
. e wat e r o f o n e plan e i s win e to th e o th e r Wh e n .

v
e e w r e r e a d in m ythic lit e ratur e o f win e o r drunk e nn e s s it ,
 OR E GYP TIA N I NITI ATIO N . I 73

me an s t ha t a s piritu ou s life is di ffus e d di ff e ring fr om the ,

n o rmal lif e o f the r e cipi e nt a s wine di ff e r s fro m w a te r , .

It is at a marriage that this di ff us i o n fro m the wate rp ot s

takes plac e ; f or it is
at s uch a unio n that life is p o ur e d out
and tran s mitte d a s pr ocr e at e d ge rminal f o rms o r o ff s pring ,
.

The fruit o f the win e o f he av e n is B a c c hus , the b e rry or ,

grap e the g o d o f win e e tc Up a Sas tra

, , . .
”

In the Chri s tian the o gon y the H oly G ho s t is the life

giv e r This is Bacchus Th ey a re ide ntical
.
. .

Chri s t s ays : I am the vin e yo u a re the branch es and ,

-

Bacchus is the g od o f vin e o r the life giv e r ,

-
.

“
Wh en o n his s o uth e rn to ur the s un re c e de d farth e r a n d
farthe r fro m the n o r th e rn clime s the p e opl e mo urne d his ,

abs e nc e a n d fe arful l e s t he s h ould fo rg e t to r e turn the y

, . .
,

c ele brate d his d es c e nding ph as e with! a pp rOp ria te c e r e -

m o nies and w e pt o v e r the dange rs that b es e t his pathway

, . , .

in his c o n flic t with Typh o n w ho p os s ibly might c onqu e r

'

and drag him d o wnward into the b o tto ml es s p it and l e av e

the w o rl d in da rkn es s ; f or the wa r in he av e n w a s s o n e arl y
balanc e d and the p ow e r o f the c o n te nding go ds s o n e arly
'

e q ua l , that the inhabitan ts o f e arth watch e d the c onflic t ‘

with all abs o rbi n g in te re s t Wh e n h o we ve r the s un vic .

, ,

to rious o ve r his antag onis t b e gan to as c e nd t o ward the ,

n o rth ,
a nd es cap e d the pit t ow ar d which f o r m onth s
he ha d b e e n des c e n ding the y c e l e bra te d his r e turn w ith the
,

wilde s t e xpress i ons o f d elight ; with fe a s ting and dancing ,

proc ess i ons b on fire s and o ratio ns and all the paraph e rnalia
, ,

o f go rge o us ea s t e rn w o rs hip a n d with e bullitio n s o f gr e at e s t

,

gl ee w o rthy o f the carnival o f Rom e in its p a hn ies t day s

,
.

As the s u n in his upward car e e r t oward the s umm e r

‘

s o l s ti c e arriv e d a t d ifie re n t p o ints in the he av en s h is

, ,

j o urn eyin gs w e re c el ebrat e d with an e clat s uite d to the im

p o rtan c e o f e ach p articular p o int at which he w a s s upp os e d
to p au s e f o r a brie f p e rio d T he m os t imp o rtant p o int s in
.

the s un s line o f march we re the v e rnal and a utumnal

’
,

e quino xes , re pres e n ting the two c ros s ific a tio n s wh er e the
374 MYSTE R IE S O F OSIR I S
s un giv es his bl o o d o r lif e f or the w o rld the v e rnal repre
s e nting the fir s t or the c ov en ant o f w o rks in which acc ord
, , ,

ing to pr omi s e if m en plo ugh and s ow th e y s hall re ap ; the

,

autumnal r epr es e nting the c ov e nant o f grac e wh e n the y ,

s h o ut the vintag e h o m e with gr e at r e j o icing T he f e as t o f .

B acchus at the autum nal e quin ox w a s c el ebrat e d at the

, ,

s a me tim e a n d in the s am e mann e r a s w a s the f e a s t o f

tab e r n acl es am ong the J e w s The f e a s t and fa s t s n ow c el e .

bra te d in the church e s the m e aning a n d inte nt o f which ,

th e y hav e w e r e thus o riginally pur ely as tr o n omical

and agricultural This s ys t e m thr e w a r omanc e ar o und the
.

cultivati o n o f the s o il that a ss i s t e d to e nd e ar thi s purs uit to

,

the ma s s es an d d e e ply impr es s e d up o n th e ir minds the

,

imp o rtanc e o f fully d e v el o p in g the r es ourc es o f m oth e r

Wh en w e m o d e rn s m or e fully und e rs tan d o ur
‘

e arth .

n atur e and o ur be s t inte r es ts w e s hall r e turn in s o m e , ,

m e a s ur e at l e a s t to thi s m os t rati o nal m e th o d o f r e laxati o n

,

and r e cr e ati o n and in our fe a s t s and c e l ebrati o n s th os e

,

pur s uits will be imm o rtaliz e d which a re w o rl d wid e in im -

p o rtanc e and n ot th os e which a re c onfin e d to a r eligi ou s

,

s e ct o r p olitical p arty .

“
T he a dv e nt o f s p ring the u s h e ring i n o f that s e a s on
,

wh en the win t e r is o v e r and go n e ; whe n the s ingin g o f bird s

ha s c ome and the v o ic e o f the turtl e is h e ard in the land ;
,

wh e n the s un ha s o v e rc om e the fro s ts o f wint e r and und e r

!

the influ e nc e o f his g e nial ra y s v e g etati on t ouch e d a s by a ,

magic wand e v e rywh e r e c o v e rs the ea rth with a luxuriant

,

”“
Itwill b e s e e n fr om thi s that the wh ol e lif e o f J e s us ha s
b e e n by his bi o graph e rs who did n ot und e rs tand him o r his
, ,

t e achings mo d e l e d aft e r the Sun G o d o f the E gyp ti an s

,
-
.

N o c on s id e rati o n is tak e n o f the tim e o f ye ar whe n Jes u s

w a s r e ally b o rn a l l thi s is s e t a s ide in o rd e r to m ak e it c on
,

form to the E gyptia n s u n l e ge nd .

”
The r e is v e ry littl e l e ft o f this on c e famo u s c e l e brati o n .

Al l that w e have at thi s day is the Harv es t H om e s e rvic es .

Many o f o ur church es s till upho ld thi s a n d this is o nly the

m o de rn an d s p iritl es s f o rm o f the B acchic c el ebrati o n o f
the anci e nt s .
x76 MYSTE RIES or I I
OS R S

the anc i ent nati on s ; the s acr e d Bull o f E g ypt ; the Fi s h

g o d o f India the tw elv e B aals o f C hald e a Ph oen icia an d
'

, , ,

the pa g an c l a n s w ho w e r e e j e cte d by the J e ws fr om the

land o f pr omis e In th o s e c on s t ellati o ns w e s ee the vari ou s
.

d e iti es o f the fire w o rs hipp e rs including the D e vil ; H e r

,

cul es a n d his c o mp e e r s o f G r ee k myth ol o gy ; the Lio n o f the

trib e Judah ; the ch e rubim o f M o s es Is aiah E z e ki e l and , ,

D ani el ; the s e raphs o r s e raphim s e e n by the pr o ph e t s and

the f o ur b e a s ts that J ohn s a w ar ound and in the mid s t o f
the gr e at whit e thr o n e Th e r e w e s e e als o the tw e lv e trib e s
.

o f I s ra e l ; the tw e lv e f o undati o n s o f the N e w J e rus al e m the

tw elv e gate s o f the city ; and all the tw e lv e s that hav e f o r

age s b ee n t o rtur e d in a p e rf e ct numb e r Th e r e w e hav e .

al s o e xhibit e d the s e v e n g old e n can dl es ticks ; the s e v e n

s tars ; the s e v e n s e als ; the s e v e n vials o f wrath and all the ,

b e a s ts and fall en s pirit s that mad e s uc h hav o c in he av e n

,

and on e arth a s r e c ord e d in the ap o calyp s e

,
.

Th e r e is als o e xhibit e d the wh o l e m e nage ri e o f wild b e a s ts

and f o wl s dragons an d cr e e ping th ings that the vari o u s
, ,

r e ligi o nis ts hav e pr e s s e d int o t he ir s e rvic e with which to ,

f right e n human kind and that hav e furni s he d bigots with

,

m a teria l with which to h old th e ir fo ll o we r s in b o ndag e ,

fr o m the e arli es t f orm o f s up e r s titi on d own to the Ad

v e n tis ts a n d M o rm o n s o f thi s a g e .

’
In the fam ous Ro s ie ruc ia n diagram o f E z eki e l s wh e el ,

the wh ol e he art o f the mys t e ry is s o lv e d Th e r e in will be.

f ound the s ix as c e nding s ign s o f the Z o diac r e pr e s e nting

H e av e n G oo d the as c e nt o f the Human S oul the Univ ers e
, , , ,

o r Mac ro c os m in the s ix d es c en din g s igns a re all the O pp o

s it e p rincipl es o f e vil ; the fall o f m a n ; the d es c e nt o f the

s o ul int o m att e r e tc a s b e f o r e hint e d at

, .
,
It mu s t be re .

m e mb e r e d by the s tud e nt that the m iddl e o f the s e v e nth

s ign b e ing n e utral
,
b e l ongs to the s ix go o d s ign s making
, ,

s e v e n g o o d s igns o r the p e rf e ct numb e r a n d l e aving five

, ,

e vil s ign s .Th es e all t o g eth e r make the p e rf e ct n umb e r o f

tw e lv e.

“
If we d es ir e to fully under s tand; the fram ewo rk or
 OR E GYP TIA N I N ITIATI O N . x77

phil os ophy o f thi s w orld wid e s ys t e m o f w o r s hip w e mus t

-

c ons ult the r e ma in s o f Ph oe nician Cha l d e an E gyptian a n d ,

'

E as t In dian lit e ratur e T he minutia e o f a n ci e nt s acrificial

.

w o rs hip is to be f ound in the J e wis h te mpl e s e rvic e T he .

p olyth e i s m o f old en tim e s s upp o s e d twelv e gr e at g o ds ; th ey

b e ing o r r es iding in the twe lv e s igns o f the Z o diac Th os e
,
'
.
,

which in ou r almanac s a re c a ll e d Ari es T aurus G e mini , , ,

et c. w e r e by the Baal w ors hipp e rs call e d the t w e lve B aal s

, .

T he f oll owing a r e the name s of th es e with th e i r m e aning in ,

E n glis h

Baal T s a d d i ,G o d Al mighty ,

Baal Aitum ,
T he Migh ty L ord .

Baal G eh ,
L o rd o f H e alth .

B aal Ial ( B el ial ) L o rd o f the O pp os it e

, .

Baal Z e bub , L o rd of the Sc o rp io n .

B aal B e rith , L o rd o f the C o v enant .

B aal P e or ,
L o rd of the O p e ning .

B aal P e razim , L o rd o f the D ivi s i o n s .

B aal Z e ph on ,
L ord o f the No rth .

B aal S am en ,
L o rd o f H e av e n .

Baal Ad o ni B e z ek -
L o rd o f G l o ry
,
.

Ba al Mo l o ch Z e d e c Lo rd o f R ight e ous n ess .

( Me lchis e de c )
B e l is the Chald e an nam e f or B aal The E gyp ti a ns .

call e d the c ons t ellati on O n tha t b e ing the nam e o f the s un in

,

th e ir la n gu a ge ; thus D a g O n An O u G i be O oz The H ebr e ws

-

,
-

,
-
.

call e d the c ons t e lla tio n s B eths ( H o us es ) Th e y w e r e the .

d omicil es o f the s un B e thl ehe m w a s the h ous e o f br e ad o r

. .

the harv es t m o nth ; B e th any the h ous e o f d es tituti o n ; -

B eth D a g —
-
Oh the h o u s e o f the fi s h e s c tc
,
D a g O u is th , .
‘
-

fis h g o d o f E g ypt and India fr om which cam e the l e ge nd o f

-

the m e rmaid D a g O u b e i n g r e pr e s e nt e d unde r the f o rm o f

,
-

a human be ing and a fis h c ombin e d .

T he t we lv e c o ns t el l ati on s in the band o f the Z odiac and

“ “

thirty s ix n o rth and s o uth a re m o r e anci e nt than any writ

-

t e n r e c ord ; th e ir o rigi n 1 8 unkn own and it is unc e rtain ,

wh eth e r the r eligi o us n oti o ns o f the a nci ents gr e w o ut o f

the s e rud e d el in ia tio n s in the s ki es , o r g av e birth to th e m ,
x78 MYSTE RIE S or os n us

alth ough it is mo s t pr obable that the y a re twin s i s te rs a n d

”
gr ew up t o g eth e r .

B ut this much is c e rta in that th e y c on s titut e a m os t im

,

p ortant p art o f all r e ligi ons and that E gyptian hi e r o glyp hs

, ,

H e br e w fo rms c e re m o ni es a n d pr oph e ci es and G ree k an d

, , ,

Rom an p o etry hav e f o r th e ir e n d and aim the c el ebrati o n

,

o f the m ove me nt s o f the s tarry h o s ts ; th e ir vario u s c o nflicts ,

and the fin al vict o ry o f the s un and p o w e rs o f light o v e r the

p o w e r s of c old an d darkn ess M os t o f the l e g e nds o f the
.

In d ian trib es of Am e rica a re a d es cripti on o f the fo rmation

a n d m o v e m e nts o f the c o ns t e llati o n s and the r e l ati on s th e y

b ea r to e arth It will thus be s e e n that th es e l e gend s w e re

.

kn own a s w e ll a s the c ons te ll a ti o ns und er s t o o d e v e n be fo re ,

the s inkin g o f Atla n ti s o r in the tim e w hen E g yp t a nd

,

Am e ric a w ere s ti l l boun d tog e the r by l a n d Acc o rdin g to .

the Al gic r es e arch es the gr e at n o rth e rn b e ar wa s the pro

,

ge nito r o f all the b e ars that the gr e at Spirit gave to his

childr en the re d m e n
,
T he f oll o wing acc o unt o f the
.

Z o diac o f the Indi a n s o f So uth e rn M e xic o and Ce ntral

Am e rica was c ommunic a t e d to the auth o r v e rbally : Th e y
a re e xt e rnally Ro man C ath olic s but s till w o rs hip the s un in,

s e cr e t a f t e r the man n e r o f th e ir anc es t ors Th e ir te mpl es .

a re e xc av a t ed in the e arth a n d th e ir e ntranc es ke pt s e cr e t

,

fro m the p al e fac e s with m os t r e ligi ous car e and m os t

, ,

ho rrid p e n alti es a re thr e at e n ed again s t him who re ve al s the

s e cr e t
. The y hav e in th eir dwellings c a re fully hidd e n , ,

z o diacs carv e d in s to n e and o th e r e mbl e ms o f s un w o r ship

,
.

I f you talk to th e m a b out the c r os s o f Chri s t unl e ss f e a r ,

s e al s th e ir lip s th e y will a n s w e r yo u s o m e what aft e r this

,
“
m an n e r : Talk n o t to us ab o ut the cr os s o f Ch ri s t ; it ha s
b ee n pric k e d int o o ur h e arts ; i t ha s b e e n burn e d int o o ur
fl es h ; it ha s b e e n s c ourge d int o o ur b acks An d yet the
cr os s is a m os t p ro min e nt e mbl e m in th e ir s ys t em o f s un
wo rs hip .

“
Th e ir z odiac is s imil a r to the E gyptian but di ff e ri ng in ,

s o me o f the c on s t e llati o ns ( acc o unt e d f o r by the di ff e re nt

la titud e the y liv e in ) Ins t e a d of the c o mm on ox or bull

. ,
x8 0 MY ST ER IE S or O SI RIS
'

the c ompe tit o r on the Indi an playgr ound to a gian t kill e r ,

-

o r a mys t e ri o u s b e ing o f s t e rn a l l kn o wing s up e rhuma n

, ,
-

p o we r What e v e r m an c o uld d o he c o uld d o ; he a ff e ct e d

.
,

all the p o w e r s o f a n c e r o ma n c e r ; he wi e ld e d the ar ts o f a

-
-

d e m o n and had the ubiquity o f a G o d Sc a rc el y any tw o

,
.
-

p e rs ons a gr e e in all the min o r circum s tanc e s o f the s t o ry ,

”
and s c arc e ly any o mit the l e ading traits .

In d es cribin g the acti ons o f thi s gr e at p e rs o nage th es e ,

Indian s lik e the anci ent s e e rs and t e ach e rs w e r e s imply

, , ,

des cribing the acti o ns o f the s u n up o n the e arth a n d the

c o nflic ts of the e l e me nts an d thus givin g th e ir v e rs io n o f
“

the lab o rs o f H e rcule s Th e y als o unkn o wingly d es crib e d

.
, ,

the l e g endary liv e s o f the di ff er e nt Savi o ur s o f the w o rld

f or all th os e who hav e b e e n b o rn a s Savi o urs a n d w ho h a v e
ch a nged the r e ligi o n s o f the p e o pl e a s ha s s o o ft e n b e e n ,

d on e had to and d id g o thr o ugh much o f the life a s illus

, , ,

t ra te d by th es e s ymb o l s T he birth the t e achings the i n

.
, ,

i tia tio n and o v erc om in g o f the d e s ir es o f all that is d e ar to

the lif e o f m o s t m en th e n the t e achi n g and h e aling o f the
,

pe o pl e a n d a t la s t the de a th a t the ha nds o f r ec o gniz ed

'

a utho ri ti es o f s uch tim es and af te r the de a th the taking up ,

o r r e s urre c t io n o f th e s e id e as and ad o p ti o n by t he p e o pl e o f

th e m a s a r eligio n all th es e a re e xe mplifi e d by the s un

,

w o rs hip o f all na ti o ns Thes e things th e r e fo re had a r ea l

.

me a n ing a l th o ugh thi s m e a ning ha s b e e n but littl e und e r

s to o d
.

B u t in r e turn ing to the s ubj e ct o f anci e n t as tr on o my the ,

ba s is o f the le g e nds o f all nati o n s all o w us to re p e at the

'

r e mark th a t this bo o k o f the anci e nts is the o ldes t hi s t o ry on

r e c o rd It an te da te s the m os t e nduring an d the o lde s t o f
.

The p yra m id s ( a ) o f E gypt w e re

’
e arth s m o num e nts .

r e ar e d l o n g afte r th ese hi e r o glyph s w e r e the t e xt b o oks o f -

the n ati o ns In e xpl o ring the ruin s o f Palmyra N in e vah

.
,

and Th e b e s ; in dis e nt o mbing the s il e n t inh abitants o f the

pyramids and o th e r burial plac es o f E gypt and As s yr ia ,

a n d tran s lati ng the r e c o rds th e r e th ey le ad u s back to the ,

tim e a s e arly a s whe n the tw elv e Atlant e an ini tiat es firs t

 OR EGYPTIAN I N ITIATIO N . 1 8:

c ame to E gypt ; and we find that th e n E gypt wa s mis tr es s

o f that p a rt o f the w o rld and had c o nqu e r e d many na ti on s
, ,

e nrich e d he r c o ffe rs with th e ir tribut e ; and the c o n s t e lla

ti o ns c ons titutin g a s th e y did the kingdo m o f h e av e n o f the

,
.

anci e n ts l oom e d up o n the h orizo n and l ook e d do wn fr o m

, ,

th e ir s tarry s e ats up o n nati ons a lr e ady de cr epid with a g e ,

a n d t o tt e ring to th e ir fall ; but e v e n th e n th e s e n a ti o n s in , ,

th e ir vari ety o f m o num ental writings gav e n o clu e to the ,

p e ri o d wh e n th es e anci e n t Bibl e s w e r e put up o n r e c o rd o r ,

what auth ors hav e thus imm o rtaliz e d th e ir lab o rs whil e ,

the ir nam es hav e pa s s ed into o blivi on exc e pt a s in the ca se ,

o f a f e w o f the m .

a Th o s e who s e arch E gyptian r e c o rds to th e ir full d ep ths

.
,

a n d can le arn a b o v e all o th e r e xampl e s to r e ad p e rfe c tly ,

the me aning o f the G re at Pyramid the o bj e ct in its e r ec ,

tio n the principl es up o n whic h it is built a n d the us e f o r

, ,
.

which it w a s d es ign e d will und e rs tand that man and his

,

plan et w e re f as hio n e d in c e rtai n pr o p orti ons re pr es e nt e d

alike in num be rs c ol o rs s o und s f o rm s a n d us es Thos e
, , , .

who und e rs tand o n e d e partm ent o f natural s c i enc e p os s e s s

a key which unl o cks the who l e Th e r e fo r e thi s gre at Pyra .
,

mid built to ill us trat e the m os t p e rfe ct principl e s o f a s

,

t ro n o m y a s tro l o gy math e matics g eo m e try and anci e n t in

, , ,

itia tio n o ught to p os s e s s an int e r es t in the e y e s o f the p ro

,

fo und s cho lar which r e mo v es it fo re v e r fr om the c ommo n

,

plac e ide a that this w o nd e rful s tructur e w a s e r e cte d m e re ly

a s a huge ro yal s e pulchre The t omb o f its f o und e r it u n
.

d o ubt e dly b e cam e ; f o r in o rd e r to c e l e brat e all the

,

mys te ri es o f life a n d be ing—the s p ec ia l o bj ec t for whic h the

g r e a t P y r a m i d w a s bu il t— d e ath mus t al s o tak e its place in
’
the p age a n t and the s tup e nd o us his t o ry o f the s o ul s
,
’
pro g ress thr ough the s e cti o n o f e t e rni ty embrac e d by man s
bri e f s o j o urn o n thi s plane t c o uld n ot be c ompl et e d unl es s
, ,

the a ng e l o f d e ath w a s a s s ign e d his n ich e in the s pl e ndid

s hrin e .

It w o uld be imp os s ible with o ut e nt eri ng int o a lab o r e d

,

and a b s tract d es cripti on o f math ematical principl es and o f

, ,
1 83 mr s rna ms or O SIRIS
ge om e trical me as ure m e nts dis quis iti o n s which w e a re a s
,

s ur e d w o uld n o t be acc e ptabl e in thi s w o rk—to e xplain the

m eth o ds by which the E gyptian s obvi ou s ly arrive d at the

id e a t hat the e ntire o rd e r o f the univ e rs e w a s bas e d on a
,

geom etrical figu r e and include d in a math e ma tical s um

,

al s o th a t in all d e pa rtm ent s o f b e in g this figur e w ould b

f o und a n d thi s s um w o uld e xis t In thi s w o rk w e can bu t .

vagu ely hint at this s ublim e truth but whil s t a va s t ma s s ,

o f E gyptia n ves tig e s dis cl os e its p r e v a l enc e the gr e at Pyra ,

mid is in it s elf a c ompl e t e illus t r ati o n o f the id e a As r e .

gar ds p o pul a r th eo ri e s c o nc e rni n g the d es ign o f thi s va s t

m onum e nt w e mus t pr e mis e our o wn s ta t em e n ts o f b eli ef by
,

ackn owle dging that the numb e r o f wi s e and l e arn e d m en

who hav e d e vo t e d tim e tal e nt a n d ind omitabl e e fiort to re
,

s e arch in E gyptol o gy hav e j us tly e arn e d the thanks o f

,

p os t eri ty a n d the r es p e ctful appr ec ia ti o n o f all to wh om

,

th e ir O pini on s have b ee n r e nd e r e d but all thes e r es ea rc hes ,

wi ll n o t revea l the m ys te ry o f the s e m ys te ries f or the s e a re

on l y to be f oun d in the i n me r s a n c tua ry o f thei r s u bl im e

in itia tions .

The m os t anci ent o f s tude nt s am o ng t wh om we include ,

s

the Hind o os and E gyptians taught that th e r e exi s t e d

,

thr o ugh out all be ing that univ e rs al law o f c o rr es p ond e nc e

to which w e m u s t s ubs crib e .

All E as t e rn n ati on s attribut e d the orig in o f lif e l ig ht , ,

m oti o n and e v e n mind to the acti o n o f the Sp iritua l s un

s ymb o liz e d by the phys ical o rb o f day
.
.

Cha ra ct e r des tiny phy s ical f o rm and e xte rnal app e a r

, ,

an e c s o f all kind s w e r e d e t e rmine d p rincip a lly by a s tral a s

w e ll as s o lar i nfl ue nc es .

Ag a i n it w a s argu e d that law s s t e rn and immuta bl e

, , ,

principl es s trict a n d unvaryi n g mus t unde rli e a s ch e me in

, ,

which milli on s o f w orld s a re the act o rs ye t the wh ol e dram a ,

is c onduct cd in the m os t unbr ok e n s ys t e m o f ha rm on y and

-

p o we r T o arrive a t any jus t id e a o f c a us a tion it w a s b e

.
,

l ie ve d that w e ll de fin e d math e matical quanti ti e s and g e o

m etrical pr op orti on s mus t be the und erlying principl es o f
m mv s rna ms or OSIRIS
th ey w e r e c o n tinually making th e ir o b s e rvati o n s c a s ti n g ,

n ativiti es a n d h o r o sc o p es an d utte ring th e ir pr o ph e ci e s

, .

W e have an illus trati o n o f this in the s t o ry o f B a alim T he .

w o rd B e a l im is plural and me ans the B aal s ; and th ey that '

is the z o diacal s ign s b e ing inv ok e d by B alak th es e s t a r s in

, , ,

th e ir vari o us s igns we r e c o n s ult e d a cc o rding to the rul e s o f

a tr n mical s ci e nc e and r e fus e d to cur s e I s ra e l ; and
s o o ,
*

fina l ly the s ys t e m o f B aal wo rs hip w a s o v e rturn e d in the

,

battle that followe d o nly to be inc o rp o ra te d int o the

, -

Je wis h s ys t e m in a m o difi e d f o rm which w a s p erp etuat e d

.

and hand e d d own to us in fragm e nts s ho rn of its be a u ty, ,

and w e ll c alculat e d to b e wild e r the s inc e r e inv es tigato r .

T he tim e is h e r e o n c e m o re f o r this lin e o f w o rk an d thi s

is to e nc o urage us to e xpl o r e the mys tic r e gi on s o f antiquity .

Many l e arn e d m e n a re n ow eng a g e d in d i s ent o mbing the

re lics o f a nci e nt lit e ratur e and d e ciph e ring the s ymb o l s
,

and hie ro gl yphs which can o p e n the oute r kn owle dg e to us

,

o f the o ld e n time and s h o w u s the m o s t s acr e d s ymb ol s o f

,

the anci e nt m ys te rie s fi “ Wh e n the J es uits vis it e d Chin a

the y f o und th e r e a c o unte rp art o f the ir o wn r e ligi o n a n d ,

c o uld o nly e xplain it by s upp os ing that the d e vil ! f or e r

That wh e n B al ak s et up the z o diac o f the h o u s e o f

is , '

I s ra e l th e r e w a s no th ing the re in to s h o w which w o uld cau s e

,

t he fa ll o r curs e o f I s rae l It is in this r es p e ct the s am e a s

.
,

th o ugh a h o r o s c o p e w e re cas t f o r a p e rs o n and the s ign s did

n ot s h o w any ill f o rtun e to him
-
As with a p e rs o n s o with
.

a n atio n .

”
The s ymbols and hi e r o gly phs can o nly e xplai n the o ut e r
o r es o t e ric p art o f the anci e nt mys t e ri e s T he in itiat e s o f :

th es e anci e nt O rd e rs o r pri e s th oo d a l on e can e xpla in the

in n e r m e anin g f or the y al o ne h o ld the ke ys to the s acr e d
,

mys t e ri es .

tT he p oo r d e vil n o matt e r what it m a y be g o o d o r b a d

, , ,

wh e n human ity ca n n o t e xplain a thing th e n it is s ur e the

de vil who mus t hav e d o n e it Th ese m e n had n ot the
.

kn o wl e dg e o f the fa ct that China w a s at o n e p e ri o d c on

n e c te d with the mainl and s which c o nn e ct e d with Atlantis
and that a l l the r eligi o us s ymb o lis m cam e fr o m o n e s ourc e
a nd s it w a s the d e vil w ho had br o ught r e ligi o n to
- thu
China .
 OR E GYPTI AN I N IT IATIO N .

see ing th e ir e ntranc e ha d fo re s tall e d the m by intr o ducing

,

a few s im il e be fo r e the ir a rrival .

“
A late trav el e r a m ong the Azt e c ruin s o f C e ntral
'

Am e rica di s c o v e r e d the s ymb o l o f the cr oss and exp os e d his

,

ign o ran c e by exclaim ing ‘

Wh a t mis s i o nary o f the cr os s
ha s p e ne trat e d th e s e s e clud e d r e gi o ns c e nturi e s b e fo r e
”
Co lumbus di s c o v e r e d the w o rld ? Mi s s i ona ri es o f the cro s s
inde e d ! The a nci ent Ph o en i c i ans we r e the m os t s ucc es s ful
mi ss io nari es o f the c r os s l o ng b e fo re the adv e nt o f Chris ti
a n ity. T he cr os s a s ha s o ft e n b e e n s tat e d w a s the grand
, ,

e mbl e m o f s alv a ti o n am o ng all p as t n ati o ns a n d the Chris

,

tian s in a cc o rdanc e with the anci e nt r e ligi ous id e a s s h ow e d

,

th e ir app r e ciatio n o f its p e culiar fi tn es s by ado p ting it a s

the ir s mb o l to c onv e y the s am e ide a
y . T he Ph o e nician
navigat or s trading a s th e y did with e v e ry nati on intro
, ,

d uc e d this s ymbo l t o g e th e r w ith the wh ol e s ymb ol o f

,

a s tr o n omic al r eligi o n a mo ngs t the ( all ) anci e nt nati ons o f

 CH APTE R V .

The Eg yptian s hav e l e ft on r e c o rd a m os t r e markabl e and

c om pl e t e s ymb olis m in the fo rm o f Is is ( the m o on ) in s e arch
o f the b o dy o f O s iri s ( the s u n ) w ho had b e e n s lai n by
,

Typho n the g o d o f th e infe rn al r e gi ons ( wint e r p e rs o ni

‘

fie d ). O s iris wh e n o n his r et urn fr o m his trav e l s in d i s tant

,

r e gi o ns wa s invite d to a re p as t by Typho n his brothe r a n d

, ,

rival The latt e r put him to de ath a n d threw his b o dy int o

.

the N il e T he s un th e n o ccup i e d the s ign o f Sc orp i o and

.
,
'

the m o o n was full She w a s th e n in the s i gn o pp os it e

.

'

S c o rpi o that is to sa y in T a urus which l e n t its fo rm to the

, , ,

s un o f the s pring e quino x As s o o n as Is i s wa s info rm e d o f

.

the d e ath o f the unfo rtun at e O s ir i s who m all the a nci e nt s ,

iha d d e n o m ina t e d the s ame

g o d a s the s u n wh e n s he l e a rn e d ,

th at the geni us o f darkn ess had s hut him up in a c ofli n s he ,

c omme nc e d a s e arch aft e r his b o dy unc e rtain o f the r o ut e ,

s he o ught t o p u rs u e un e a s y agitat e d her br e as t lac e rate d

, , ,

with grief I n m o urning garb s he int e rr o ga te s e v er y o n e

.
, .

s he m e e t s ; s he is i nfo rm e d by s o m e y o ung childre n ( G e mini ,

the twins o f May ) tha t the c ofiin which c o ntains the b o dy o f

he r hus b and had bee n carri e d by the wate r s o ut to s e a and
th e nce to B ibl os wh e re it wa s s to pp e d and w a s n ow re
, ,

os ing up o n a plant which h a d imme diat ely put f o rth a

p ,

s up e rb s talk T he c ofiin wa s s o e nv e l o p e d a s to b e ar the a p

.
-

f b i b ut a a rt o f it T he ki n g o f the c ountry
p e a ra n c e o e n g p . ,
1 88 Mirsrs a ms
'
or e s a u
s

vari o us c ons te ll a ti on s in s uch a mann e r that it w ould p uz zl e

the b rains o f th e ir he ar ers in the s oluti o n Many o f th es e .
-

a s tro no mical e nigma s o ccur in the B ible and if in the r e ad

ing o f th e m the s tud e nt canno t r e adi ly de ciph e r th e ir m e an
ing he mus t re me mbe r that the writ e rs purp os ely dre w a
,

v e il o ve r th e m ; a n d that e v en to thi s day wh e n M os es o r , ,

the M os aic writings a re r e a d in the s yn ag o gu es the v e il

, ,

is o v e r the f ac es o r minds o f the r e ad ers

, I n e xplainin g .

this s t ory o f Is i s w e s hall be abl e to illu s trat e to a c e rta in

,

e xt e nt what i s m e ant by the hidd e n m ea ning o f th e s e p eo pl e .

“
The f ourt e e n p ie c es o f the dis e mb o di e d b o dy o f Os iri s
re p r es e nt the s tat e a n d c o nditi o n and the gradual d im in u ,

ti o n o f the luna ry light during the f o urte e n days that f ol

,

l ow the full m o on T he m oo n at the en d o f the fo urt e e n

.

d a ys ent e rs T aurus and b e c o m e s unit e d to the s un fro m

-

which s he c oll ec ts fire up o n he r d i sc during the f o urt e e n ,

days whi ch fo ll ow She is th e n f o un d e v e ry m onth in c o n

.

j unction with him in the s up er io r p art s o f the s igns T he .

e quino c tial y e ar fini s h e s at the m o me n t wh e n the s un and

m oo n a re f ound unit e d with O ri on o r the s tar Urus a c on ,

s te llati o n plac ed und e r Taur us Which unite s its e lf to the ,

n e o me nia o f s pring T he m o on r e n ews h ers elf in T aurus

.
,

a n d a f e w days a f te r is s e e n in the f o rm o f a cr es ce nt in ,

the f o llo wing s ign that is G e rmi n i the h om e o f M e rcury

, , .

Th e n O ri o n unit e d to the s u n in the a ttitude o f a f orm id

, ,

abl e war ri o r p re cipitat es Sc orp i o his rival int o the shad es

, , ,

o f night ; f o r he s e ts e v e ry time O ri o n app e ars ab o v e the

h o riz on .T he day b e c om e s l e ngth en e d and the g erm s o f ,

e vil a re by d e gr ees d e s tr oy e d It is thu s that the p o et N o n

.

n us p ictur e s to us Typh o n c o nqu e re d at the e n d o f wint e r ,

wh e n the s un a rriv es in T aurus an d whe n O ri on m ount s ,

int o the h e ave n s with him .

“
It is i m p o rta nt n ot to lo s e s ight o f the fact that f or ,

m e rly the his t o ry o f the h e av en s an d p articularly o f the ,

s un w a s writt e n un d e r the f o rm o f the hi s t ory o f

,

*
L at e r on , the his t o ry o f m en w a s wr itt e n unde r the f o rm
of th es e l e gen d s of the su n . Es pe cially wa s thi s the cas e a s
 O R EG YP TIAN IN ITIATIO N . 1 89

a nd that the p eopl e a l mos t w aivers a l l y rec e ived i t a s s uc h ,

and l ooke d up o n the h e ro a s a man T he tom bs o f the go ds

-
.

w e r e s h o wn a s if the y had r e ally e xis t e d ; f e a s t s w e re c e l e

,

bra te d the o bj e ct o f which s ee m e d to be to r e ne w e v e ry y e ar

,

the gri e f which had b ee n o cca s i o ne d by the ir l os s Such w a s .

the t o m b o f O s iri s c ove re d unde r th os e e no rm o u s ma s s es

,

kno wn by the nam e o f the pyram ids which the E gyptian s ,

r ais e d to the s tar which giv es us light O n e o f th es e has its .

f o ur s id es facing the cardinal p o ints o f the w orld E ach o f .

thes e fr onts is o n e hundr e d a n d ten fath oms wi d e at the

ba s e a n d the four fo rm a s many e quil a te d triang l es T he
, .

p e rp e ndicul a r h e ights a re s e v e nty s e v en fa tho ms a c c o rding

-

to the me as ur eme nt giv en by O ha z el l e s o f the A c ad emy o f ,

Sci enc es It r es ult s fr o m th es e di m ens io ns and the lati tude

.
,

unde r which thi s pyr ami d is e r e ct e d that f ourte en days ,

b e fo r e the s pring e quin ox the pr e cis e p e ri o d at which the

,

P ers ians c e l e bra te d the r ev iva l o f na ture the s u n w oul d ,

c e as e to cas t a s hade at midday a n d w oul d n ot again cas t i t

,
'

until fou rte e n day s a ft e r the a utumn al e quin ox Th en the .

day o r the s un w o uld be f o un d in the parall e l o r circl e o f

, ,

s o uth e rn d e cl e ns i on which ans w er s to 5 d egr e e s 1 5

minut es ; this wo uld happ e n twic e a ye a r—on c e b e f or e the
,
,
“
'

s prin g and o nc e aft e r the fall e quino x

g ,
T he s u n w o uld .

th e n a pp ea r e xa c tl y a t m id d a y up o n the s u m m i t o r a p e x o f
thi s py ra mid ; th en his maj e s tic dis k w ould a pp ea r for s om e
m o m e n ts plac e d up o n this i m m e ns e p e de s tal and s e e m to
, ,

r es t up o n it while his w o rs hipp e rs

,
o n th e ir k n ee s at its ,

bas e e xte ndin g th e ir vi e w al ong the inclin e d p lane o f the

n o rth e rn front wo uld c on templat e the gr ea t O s iris —a s w e l l
,

whe n he d es c e nd e d int o the darkn e ss o f the t omb a s wh e n ,

he aros e triumph ant T he s am e might be s aid o f the ful l

.

with J es us the N azare n e and oth ers It is thus th a t th e r e .

ha s b e e n s o much mi s und e r s tandin g Firs t the hi s to ry o f .

,

h e av e n w a s writt e n und e r the f o rm o f the his to ry o f m e n

and the n be fo r e and aft er the tim e o f J es u s the h1 s t0 1 y o f
, ,

m e n was writt e n und e r the form o f the his t o ry o f the

hea vens .
1 90 MYSTE R IE S or o s mx
s

m oon of the e quin o x es whe n it tak es plac e in this p aralle l .

‘
It w o uld s e e m that the E g yp tians always grand in th e ir ,

c o nc e pti ons had e x e cut e d a p ro j ec t ( the b ol d es t that man

,

c ould imagin e ) o f giving a p e d es tal to the s un a n d mo o n ,

o r to O s i ri s an d I s i s ; at m i dday f o r o ne and at midnight ,

f o r the o the r whe n theyarrive d in that p art o f the h e av e n s

,

n e ar to w hic h p a ss es the lin es whi ch s e pa rate s the n orth e rn

fr o m the s o uth e rn h e mis ph e r e ; the e mp ir e o f go o d fro m
th a t o f e vil ; the r e gi on o f light fr om that o f dar kn es s .

Th e y wis he d that the s hade s ho uld d i s app e ar fro m all the

fro nts o f the pyr a m id at m idd a y duri n g the wh ol e tim e
,
.

that the s un s oj o urn e d in the l u m in ou s he mis ph e r e ; a n d

that the n orth e rn fro nt s h o ul d be again c ove r e d with s had e
wh e n night b e ga n to attai n he r s upr e macy in ou r be mis
ph e r a —that is at the m o m e n t wh e n O s iris d es c e nd ed int o
~

h ell T he t o m b o f O s iris wa s c ov e r e d with s hade n e arly s ix

.

m o nths aft e r which lig ht s urround c d it e ntire ly a t midday

,
-

a s s oo n a s he r e turning fr o m had es r e gaine d his e mpire in

, ,

p as s ing int o the l umin o us he mis ph e r e Th en he r e turn e d .

to I s i s and to the g o d o f s pring O ru s who had at l e n g th

, , ,

c o nqu e r e d the g e nius o f d arkn ess and win ter This was -
.

c e rta inly a s ublime ide a .

In the c ent e r o f the pyra mid is a vault whic h w a s s aid ,

to be the t o mb o f a n a nci e nt king The king is the hu s ban d

.

o f I s i s wh o m the p e o ple b e li e v e d to have re igne d f o rm e rly

,

o v e r E g ypt ; whil e the p ri es ts and le ar ne d m en o r initi a tes , ,

kn e w O s iri s a s the plan et which go v e rns the w o rld e nriches ,

it with b e ne fits an d who wa s the o utwar d s ymb ol o f the on e

G od .

Ro manis t s a re c el ebrat e d f or the ir gorgeo us

The
t em pl e s and f o r the s pl en do r o f th e ir mo d es o f wo rs hip
,
.

B ut w hat m o de rn t e mple s d e dica te d to the w o rs hip o f G od

c a n co mp are in magnific e nc e and s o le mn gra n d e ur with the

pyramid s o f E g ypt ? Wha t co nc e pti on s o s ublime ? What

nati o n s o d e v o t e d to the ir G o d a s th ey 3 No oth er n a tio n
.
‘

w a s e v e r m o r e truly r e ligi o us ; n o o th e r p eo pl e l e ft s uch

magnific ent and en during marks o f d evo ti o n and p ie ty .
192 MYSTERIE S OF O SIRIS
far as to as c e rtain the durat io n and s ucc es s i on of the
se a s on s and the m onths o f the ye ar It wa s indis p e ns abl e in .

the fir s t pl a c e to kn o w the c o urs e o f the s un w ho in his , ,

z o diacal r e v oluti o n s h ows hims elf the firs t and s up re m e

agent o f the who l e cre ati o n ; th e n the m oo n who by her ,

ph a s es and p e ri o ds r e gulat es a n d dis tribut es tim e ; th e n o f

;

the s tar s and e v e n plane ts which by th en app e aranc e and

, ,

di sa pp e aranc e o n the h o riz o n and n o cturnal h e mi s ph e re ,

mark e d the minut es t d ivis i o n s ; finally it w a s n e ce s s ary to ,

fo rm a wh ol e s ys te m o f as tron o my o r a cal endar and fro m , ,

th es e w o rks th e r e natur ally f oll ow e d a n e w mann e r o f c o n

s id e r in g th es e pr e d o minant a n d go v e rning p o we r s H avin g .
.

o b s e rv e d that the p r o ducti o ns o f the e arth had a r e gu lar

and c on s tant r elati on to the h e av e nly b o di es ; that the ris e ,

gro wth the d e clin e of e ach pla n t k e pt p ac e with the app e ar

,

anc e e l e vati on and d e clinati o n o f the s am e s tar o r gro up o f

, , ,

s tar s ; in s h o rt that the languo r o r activity o f v e g etati o n

,

s e e m e d to d e p e nd up o n c e l es tial influ e nc e m en dre w fro m s

,

th e m an id e a o f acti o n o f p ow e rs in th o s e b e in gs s up e ri o r
.

, ,

t o e arthly b o di es ; and the s tar s di s p e ns ing pl e nty o r

s carcity b e cam e p o w e rs
,
ge nii go ds auth o rs of go o d and, , ,

e vil. As the s tat e o f s o ci e ty had alr e ady intr o duc e d a

re gular hi e rarchy o f ranks e mpl oyme nts and c onditi on s ; , ,

m en c ontinuing to r e a so n by c omp ari s on carri e d th e ir n e w ,

n o ti on s int o th e ir th eo l o gy a n d f o rm e d a c o mplicate d ,

s ys t e m o f gradual diviniti e s in which the s un a s fi rs t g o d , , ,

w a s a militar y chi e f a p olitical king ; the mo o n w a s his wif e

,

a n d qu e e n ; the plan e ts w e r e s e rvants b e ar e rs o f c o mmands , ,

m e s s enge rs ; and the multitud e s o f s tars w e r e a nati o n an ,

army o f h e r o es ge nii who s e of fic e w a s to g ov e rn the w o rl d

,

und e r the o rd e rs o f th e ir chi e fs ; a n d all the individuals ha d

n ame s functi o ns attribut e s dr a wn fr o m th e ir r elati ons and
, ,

influ e n c es a n d e v e n s e x es fr om the g end e r o f th e i r app e lla

, ,

ti ons It s h ould be b o rn e in m ind th a t the prie s ts and ia

.

itia te s had n othing what e v e r to d o with the making o f s u c h

a s y s t em It w a s the p eo pl e thr o ugh a grad ual growth,
.
,

who d id thi s T he pri e s ts w er e the m e n who watch e d th e s e

.
 OR E GYP TIAN I N ITIATIO N . 1 93
stars and th e ir influ en c e and gav e the kn owl e dge to the
p e ople of what th ey s hould d o a n d whe n th ey s ho uld d o it ,

but the p eople m ade go ds o f th e s e s tars An oth e r im .

p o rtant p oint to b e ar in mind is that a l l g ov ernm ent s a re,

aft e r this ve ry s ys t e m o f s un or s tar w ors hip .

Car e ful c omp ari s on o f the d o ctrin es and c e r emo ni es o f

t he J ew s and an ci e n t s mus t s atis fy e ve ry c andid min d that ,

the d ifie re n c e is v e ry s lig ht and that M os es p e rp e tuat e d

,

mos t o f the ide as and fo rms o f w ors hip he le arn e d in his

initiatio n into the E gyptian pri es thoo d The m a in p o int s .

o f diff e r enc e but whi c h is app ar e nt o nly is in the s ubs titu

, ,

tio n o f the d o ctrin e o f on e G od in the plac e o f a p l ura l ity

,

b e li e v e d in by the pe o pl e But a s Mos es hims elf admitt e d

.
,

thi s d o ctri n e w as the f o undati o n o f the true E gypti a n l n

itia tion and th e re fore M os es did n ot e v e n s ubs titut e it bu t
'
,

what he d id d o wa s to try to t e ach i t to a l l his p e o pl e The

,
.

r eligi ous n o ti on s o f a l l the natio n s trib es and p e o pl e ih , .

cluding the anc es tors o f the Je w s ha d a c o mm on o ri g in a , ,

s am en es s of b e li e f and f orms s o s im il a r tha t it w a s im '

, ,

p oss ibl e f or s uch a p eo pl e d e bas e d by c e n turi es o f ab j ec t

,
-

s lav e ry to unl e arn and thro w o ff the e ntir e b e li e f hab it s

, ,

and m o des o f w ors hip th a t th e y and the ir a nc es t o rs ha d

,

m os t r eligi o us ly adhe r e d to fr om the e a rli es t a g es If i t be .

o bj e ct e d he r e that Abraham I s aa c and J a e ob w e r e call e d

, , ,

o ut o f p ag an i s m by G o d w e a n s w e r tha t t he r e is n o e vi
,

de n c e that can be dis c o v e r e d in the Bibl e acc o un t of the call

o f Abraham that will s us t a in the o bj e c ti o n T he L o rd t ol d .

Abraham to l e av e his kindre d and the land o f his birt h to

g o into a land tha t he w ould s ho w him a n d gi ve to him and
his s e e d aft e r him No thing is s aid to jus tify the id ea th a t
.
“

G o d th ought Abraham s e arly r e ligi o n wa s fal s e bu

’
t a s he ,

j ourn ey e d the Lo rd fre qu ently app e are d to him an d he

.

buil t a lta rs and w o rs hipp e d acc or d in g to the m os t appr o v e d

p a ga n m e tho d But the s e c ond and third v e rse s o f the
.

s ixth ch a pt e r o f E x o d us mu s t s e t tl e the ma tt e r at o nc e t o
“
the s atis facti o n o f the ho n es t inv es tigat o r :
-
And G o d
Sp a k e unt o M os es and s aid unt o him I a m the L o rd ; and I
, ,
1 94 MYSTE RIES or O SIRIS
app e a re d unt o Ab raham t Is aac and unt o J e c o b by
,
un o , .

m y n a m e G od Al m ig hty but by the nam e J e ho v a h I w a s

n o t kn own unt o th e m If yo u s ub s titut e the wo rd B a a l
.

T s a d d i f o r G o d Al m ig hty in the ab o v e qu otati on yo u will ,

hav e the lit e ral r e ading o f the H e br e w Acc o rd ing to G o d s .

’

s ta te m e nt th es e p atriarch s o nly k n e w and w o rs hipp e d G o d

,

a s a Chald e an B a a l I k n ow it is a c o mmo n b eli e f tha t

.

Abraham w a s a p agan until G o d had call e d him but n ot ,

afte r th a t tim e If this w e r e s o how c a n it be t ru e tha t

.
,

Is a ac and Jac ob kn e w him n ot a s J ehov a h ? D id Abrah a m

‘

d ie with the kn owl e dg e o f the tru e G o d l o ck e d up in his o wn

“
bo so m ? Say s the obj e cto r : T he n am e mak e s n o dif
f e re nc e
. If the n am e mak es n o di ff e r e nc e th e n the whol e ,

qu e s ti o n is grante d tha t w e d es ir e to pro v e viz : that the ,

s inc e re w o rs hipp e r is acc e pt e d e v en th o ugh he be a w o r

,

s hipp e r o f B a al o r Ad o nis o r O n o r Ch e m os h ; all o f w hi ch

, , ,

n am es app e ar in the Bibl e a s the nam e s o f the tru e G od a s ,

al s o d o es the nam e o f E 1 ( the s un ) und e r the fo rms o f E l o i

,

a n d E l ohim o r Al o im ; the f o rm e r b e ing the p o s s es s iv e ca s e

, ,

an d the latt e r the plural n um b e r And thus it is n o mat te r

.
,

what the nam e that all m en a re ac c e pt e d unt o G o d all m e n

, ,

a re the s o n s o f G o d if they ha v e f oun d the Chr is t wi thin

,

the m s e l v es th e n th e r e c a n be n o di ff e r e nc e f or th e r e is n o
,

n ame f o r this and f or G od und e r this c onditi o n .

The who l e s ys t e m o f the E gy p tia n w o rs hip w a s as t ro

n om ic a l and far mo r e anci e n t th a n a n y writte n b oo k .

J os e phu s wants to mak e u s b eli e v e th a t Albra ha m taugh t

the E gyp ti a n s the i r a s tro l og y If this is tru e th e n Abra
.
,

ha m mus t have li ve d l o ng b e fo r e th e r e w e r e a n y E gyptian s

a s s uc h ; he mu s t hav e b e e n a n Atlan te an H ow e ve r an .
,

unpr e j udic e d c omparis o n o f the H e br e w a n d a nc i ent

s ys te m s w ill s atis fy the inv es tigat o r that the fo rm e r w a s

bu t a r e fo rm o f the latte r and mad e s uitabl e to cus t o m s o f

,

the c o untry .

T he initiat e d o r pri es th o o d had o n e b eli e f f or th e m

“
, ,

s e lv es and an o th e r f o r the p e o pl e T he initiat e s b e l ie v e d

.

and taught am on g the ms elv es the on e G o d , but h ad to

,
1 96 MYSTER IE S OF os m rs

with th e m inv ocati o n thro ugh anim als is pro p er l y made

, .

a It w o uld hav e b e e n dang e r o u s f o r the E gyptian pri es ts

.

to att e mpt und e c e iving the p e o ple and div e rt th e m fr o m the

pl e as ing tho ught tha t Os iri s and I s i s w e r e two rea l p e rs on
a g es ,and w e r e b e s id es o f th e ir c ountry and the pr ot e cto r s
o f E gyp t . T he acti o n s o f O s iris and I s i s w e re inc es s a ntly
m enti on e d ; the p e opl e b e li e ve d that th e y s a w and h e ard ;
the p e rp etu a l r e cit a l o f a s many hi s to rical facts as th e r e
w e r e figur es and c e re m o nials e xhi bit e d .

I f o ur c ounc il s a n d the m o s t v e n e rabl e o f o ur bis h op s

hav e had s o m uch a d o to ab o li s h am o ng o ur p e opl e the b eli e f
o f c e rtain l e g e nd s unw o rthy the m aj e s ty o f ou r r e ligi o n ,

and whi c h a re c onn e ct ed wi th n o m o num en ts c apabl e o f

co unt e n a n cing th e m how can w e c o nc e iv e that the E gyp
,

tian pri es t s w e r e abl e to tak e fro m a p eo pl e imm e rs e d in

the cu p idity the e xtra vagant s to ri e s which unive rs al custo m
“

o ff e r e d to th e ir mind s o n the s ight o f the p e rs o nag es and

anim a ls wh e r e with the plac es o f th e ir as s embl i es w e r e

fill e d ? The p eopl e in th e ir fanatic e nthu s ia s m w o uld h a v e
, ,

t orn in pi e c es a n y that s h oul d h a v e dar e d to d e ny that the

his to ry o f O s iris and Is is w e r e tru e .
 CH APT E R VI .

T he cl aim s e t up by and f o r the J ews that circumci s i o n

w a s a p e culi a rity o f th a t nati on a n d o rdain e d o r giv e n f or
,

the fi rs t tim e to th e m is a s a lr e ady s tat e d a claim a bs o

, , ,

l ute l y fals e .O n the c ontrary th e re is abundant e vid e nc e

,

th a t it c on s titut e d o n e o f the m os t imp ortant c e re mo ni e s in

the E gy pti a n ritual Wh en Pythago ra s w e nt to E gypt he
.
.

carri e d l ett er s of intro ductio n fr o m P olycrat e s king o f ,

Sam os to Ama s ia king o f E gypt who wa s a di s tinguis h e d

, , ,

p atro n o f lit erary m en and thu s obtain e d acc es s to the c ol

,

l e ges o f the pri es ts o r what in Jude a w ould be call e d the

,

s cho ol s o f the pr o ph e t s H aving f oun d it di fficult to ga in

.

thi s privil e ge he p e rf orm e d many s e v e re and troubl e s o m e

,

pr e limin ary c ere m o ni es a n d ev e n s u bm i tte d to c irc um

,

e ts ion o n e o f the pr e s crib e d c o nditi o ns f or a d m is s io n

,
In .

E gypt a s s tat e d circumc i s i o n w a s c onfin e d to the a s pirant

, ,

f or initiati on M os es lat e r e xt end e d it to all the mal e s o f

.

the nati o n and to all pro s elyt es .

“ ”
B es id es the Sa bba th s aid D eP a uw which the E g yp
, ,

tians s e e m to hav e ob s e rv e d ve ry r e gu larly th ey ha d a fix e d ,

f es tival at e ach n ew m o on ; o n e at the s umm e r and o n e a t ,

the wint e r s ol s tic e a s w e ll a s at the v e rnal and autumnal

,

e quin o x e s . I n e e d n o t t ell you ho w s acr e dly the J e ws o h

s e rv e d the Sabbath and the f e as t o f the n e w m o on Cir .

c um c is ion w a s a tangibl e m eth o d o f p e rp e tuating the id e a

l 98 ur s re rms or oemts

of the s acr ed n es s o f a c irc l e In the c er em ony the for es kin

.
,

o f the fl es h wa s cut o ff in a circular fo rm o r a ring re re

, p ,

s e nting the s e rp e nt with his tail in his m o uth and wa s the

,

diplo ma o r e vid enc e o f m embe rs hip and p r o of o f a d ,

m i ss ion int o the pri e s th o o d o r c ongr e gati o n o f the L o rd .

T he tribe s c o ntigu ou s to Jud ea plac e d a yod in the c e nt e r

o f a circl e a s a s ym b o l o f d e ity s urro und e d by et e rnity
, ,

o f which he w a s s aid to be the in s crutabl e auth o r the o rna ,

m ent an d s upp o rt T he S am o thracian s had a gre at v en e ra

.

ti on f o r the circl e which th ey c o n s id e r e d a s co n s e crat e d by

,

the univ e rs al pr e s en c e o f d e ity T he Chin es e us e the s am e

.

s ymbo l . The Hind o os b e li e ve that G o d is r e p res e nt e d by a

p e rf e ct s phe r e with o ut b e ginning and with o ut e n d
, .

“
T he t e mpl e s o f the B ritis h D ruids we re c irc ul a r many ‘

o f th e m with a s ingl e s t o n e in the c ent e r ( a yo d within a

circl e ) Th e ir s o l emn p ro c ess i on s w er e a l l arrange d in the

.

s am e f o rm ; the ir w e ap o ns o f war the circul ar s hi e ld with

,

a c entra l b oss the s p e ar with a h oll o w gl ob e at its en d etc

, , .
,

all p artaking o f this ge n e ral principl e ; and with out a circl e

it w a s th o ught impo s s ibl e to o btai n the fav or s o f the go d s .

T he rit e o f divinatio n co uld n o t b e s ec u rel y and s ucc e ss fully

'

p e rfo rm e d un le s s the O pe rato r wa s pr ote cte d with the c ous e

crat e d p erophe ry o f a magical circl e T he p l ant ve rm i n .

w as s upp os e d to p o s s ess the virtu e o f pr e ve nting the e fie c ts

o f fa s cinati on if gath e r e d ritually with an ir o n in s trum e nt
, ,

a t the ri s ing o f the d o g s tar acco mpani e d wit h the e s s e ntial

-

c e r e mo ny o f d es cribing a circl e on the turf the cir ,

c um f ere n c e o f which s hall be e qually di s tant fro m the plant

b e f or e it be tak e n up Sp e cim ens o f Briti s h te mpl es

.

f ound e d on the principl e o f a p o int wi thin a circl e a re s till

in e xis t enc e to d e m o ns t rat e the truth o f the th eo ry The .

b o dy o f the t e mple at Cl a s s e rn is s s acred to the s un and the

,

e l e m e nt s will illus tra te the p rincipl e b e f o r e us

,
This C eltic .

t empl e w a s c o n s tructe d o n g eo m e tri c al a n d a s tro n o mical

p rincipl es in the f o rm o f a cr os s and a circl e T he circ l e
,
.

c o n s i s te d o f twe l ve upright s to ne s in allus i o n to the s o lar

,

y e ar or the tw e lv e s i g n s o f th e z o diac ; the e a s t w es t and ,

20 0 MY STERIE S OF OSIRIS
in the r oyal library a s up e rb v olum e of pictur e s o f the
I n dia n g o d s in which the ladd e r is r e pres e nt e d wi th the
,

s o uls o f m en d es c e nding it T he J e ws had a m e th o d o f rep .

r es e nting G od by a yod in the c e nt e r o f a triangl e The .

triangl e r e p re s e nts the mal e the c ircl e the fe male princ ipl e , .

Thi s initial l e tt e r yo d de n ot es the tho ug ht, the id ea o f G o d .

‘
It is the ray o f l ig ht s ays the C abali s t which da rts a
’
, ,
‘

lus tre too trans c e nde nt to be c ont e mplat e d by m o rtal e ye ;

it is a p o int at which th o ught p aus es and imaginati on it s elf ,

gr o ws gid d y and c on fo un d e d Man s aid M B a s n a g e .

’ ‘
,
’
.
,
‘
citing the R abbin s m a y lawful ly r oll his th oughts fr om
‘

o n e e n d o f h e av e n to the o th e r ; but he canno t app ro ach tha t

i n acc es s ible light that pri m itiv e e xi s te nc e c ontain e d in the

,

l e tt e r yod T he chi e f vari e ti es o f thi s s acr e d nam e

’
.

( s ymb ol iz e d by the l ett e r yo d ) amo ng the vari ous nati o n s , ,

w e r e Jah o r Y ac ; B e l o r B aal and O n o r O m The firs t , .

o f th e s e ha s many fluctuati o ns ; Jup i te r J o v e E v o h e e tc , , ,

.
,

w er e but c o rrupti ons o f Jah or J eho vah Ia o or J a o wa s .

pr o no unc e d by the oracl e o f Ap oll o to be the firs t a n d

gre ates t o f the d e iti es The c omp ounds o f the s e c ond n ame
.
,

B el a re o f gre at vari ety

,
T he third variati o n w a s O n ; .
.

und e r this app e llati o n the d e ity wa s w o rs hipp e d by the _

E gypti a n s an d th e y pr o f e s s e d to b e li e ve that he w a s
,

e t e rn al and the f o untai n o f light and lif e ; the s un w a s

,
.

ad o r e d a s his rep re s e n ta tive und e r the nam e o f O s iris .

O a n n es o r Jo hn , w a s a g o d o f the Chald e ans and D ag on

, ,

o f the Phili s tin es b oth o f which a re d e rivati o n s o f the s am e

,

n am e . O n w a s the s ame d e ity a s the H e br e w J e h o vah an d ,

w a s intr o du c e d am ong the G r ee ks by P lato who a c kn o wl ,

e dg e s his e t e r nity and inc ompr e h e ns ibility in th os e r e mark

abl e w o rds : T ell m e o f the g o d O n ; who is , and n ev e r

‘

’
kn e w b e ginning And the s am e nam e w a s u s e d by the
.

e arly Chris tian s f or the tru e G o d ; f or St Jo hn in the .

Ap o calyp s e ( chapt e r I v e rs e 4 ) make s us e o f the f oll owing

,
‘ ’ ’ ’
s e nt e nc e : O n kai o e n kai o e rc hom e n o s ; in o ur v e rs i o n
, ,

r e n d e r e d H im which is and which w a s and which is to

,
‘
, , ,

c om e ; the w o rd O n b e ing tran s lat e d H im T he s am e w ord,

’
.
 OR EGY PTIAN INITIATION . 20 !

with a s light variation wa s o n e o f the n a me s o f the s upr e m e

,

d e ity o f India ; and a de v out m e ditation o n it was c on

s id e r ed capabl e o f c o nv e ying the high e s t d e gr e e o f p e rf e c

tio n In the o rdin a nc e s o f M e nu we a re info rm e d how thi s

.
,
‘
s acre d nam e w a s p r o duc e d : Brahma milke d o ut a s it ,

w e r e from the thr e e v e das the l e tt e r A the l e tte r U and

, , , ,

the l e tt e r M ( a ) which fo rm by th e ir c o alit ion the trilit e ral

, ,

m on os yllabl e t o g e th e r with th re e mys t e ri ous wo rd s : B hu r

, ,

bhuva h s we r; or ea rth s ky h e ave n

, ,
Th es e thr ee l ett ers
, .
,

which a re pron o un c e d O m o r An ni r e f e r to the de ity, in his ,

triple cap acity o f cr e at o r pres e rv e r and de s tr oy e r T he

, .

m e tho d o f u s ing it is giv e n in the s ame c o d e N otw iths ta n d .

ing that the anci e nt s t aught the on e n es s o f d e ity th e y s till

m

taught a trinity or thr e e f old acti on o f G o d w ith a bout a s

much e l ea m e s s a s the Trinitarian s o f our d a y but th ey ,

mad e it m o r e r e as o nabl e a s the y tr e at ed the s ubj e ct m o r e

a . c ombat the s ubtl e but e v e r pr es e n t e n e mi e s ( our

To -

d e vils ) and guard the ir wande ring th o ughts agains t the

“
intrus i on of v a in d es ires als o to r e gain tha t i n te r na l in
p
,
~

s p ira tion
”
whic h traditi on t e ach es w a s o nc e the privil e g e
,

o f humanity e n ab l ing G o d to fill the i n te ri o r man and p re

, ,

s e rv e the br e ath fr o m p olluti o n by admixtur e with the

o ut e r air the Hindo o d e vo t ee is r e quir ed to s u s p e nd his

,

r es pir ati on a nd inwardly r e p e at s ixt ee n tim es the s acr e d

s yllabl e AUM the in e fi —
fa bl e w o rd which c ontain s the nam e ,

and attribut e of d e ity and thus by s uch m e th o ds o f

-

m e ntal intro v e rs ion it is p os s ible that c ompl et e ab s orpti o n

,

in divin e things may be attain e d D ir e cti ons w er e giv en .

f o r the attitud e to b e as s um e d in th es e e x e rcis e s S om e .

time s the vi s i on is to be dir ect e d t ow ards the e n d o f the

no s e ; s om etim es to the re gi o n o f the h e art or o th e r p orti ons ,

o f the b o dy .

By s itting s quare in fo ur po ints that is r es ting on the , ,

h e els and s o fixin g the thumb s an d fingers a s to e xclud e the

,

a cti o n o f e xt e rn a l s ight and h e a ring the s o ul c o nc e n trat e d ,

o n th e e s e v er al c ent e r s of lif e a n d a s tr a l influ enc e will call

s
,
20 2 MYSTERIES O F O SIRIS
do wn the s pirits o f the pl an e ts who go v e rn s uch r e gi on s o f
the b o dy and thu s will be s ti m ulat e d int o s up e rmundan e
,

f o rc e the virtu es o f which abo und in th os e mys tic c ent ers o f

,

c rea tive and r eg e n e ra tive for c e .

T o ward s the middl e ag es a s trange p e ac e ful s ect ar os e , ,

who fr o m th e ir m e th o ds o f c ompl e t ely a b s tracting the

s e n s es fr o m all e xt ernal obj e ct s and c onc e ntrati n g th e ir

s o ul p o w e rs in c e rt ain r e gi o ns o f the b o dy w e re t e rm e d ,

H es yehia s ts Th e y to ok up th e ir ab o d e in the r e gi o n o f
.

M o unt Athos wh e re und e r the dir e cti o n o f an Abb ot the

, , ,

laws f ound e d up on the rigid dis ciplin e o f m on a s tici s m th ey ,

d e v o t e d th em s elve s to act s o f charity the cur e o f the s ick , ,

and the c o mpl et e ab s tracti o n o f all the s e ns e s fro m mun

dan e things Th e ir m o d e o f eif e etin g this m ental a bs o rp
.

ti on is thus s tat e d by o ne o f th e ir write rs

“
S itting a lo n e in a c o rn e r obs e rv e what I t ell you L o ck
,
.

y our doo r and r ais e y o ur mind fr om e v e ry w o rldly thing

,
. .

Th e n s ink y our be ard u po n your bre a s t fix y o ur e y es up o n ,

the c e nt e r o f y o ur b o dy Contract the air p a s s age s that

.
,

br e athing may be imp e d e d Striv e m e ntally to find the .

p o s iti o n o f the h e art wh e r e a l l the min d s p ow e rs r es ide

,
’
.

At firs t you will di s c o v e r o nly darkn es s and unyi elding

d e n s ity but if you p e rs e ve r e night and day yo u will
, ,

miracul o u s ly e n j o y un s p e akable happin es s f o r the so ul ,

th e n p e r c e iv es that which it n e v e r s a w b e fo r e the radianc e ,

in which G o d r es id es ; a gr e at li ght dwe lling b et w ee n the

T his w a s p re ci s ely the i nn er t e achings o f
”
h e art a n d s o ul .

the E s s en e s with whom Chris t w a s a s tud e nt but that th ey ,

ha s change d thi s trai n ing int o a m o re s ci e ntific m o d e This .

w a s truly the find i ng o f the Chri s t and onc e thi s s ta te w a s

attain e d many fo und the kingd o m o f h e av en and b e cam e
,
“ ”
the s on o f G od .

“
T he all nati on s hav e ha d s om e ide a o f
phil os o ph e r s of

the tr ip l ic i ty of the s up re m e u n ity but it w a s on l y the in ,

i tia tes who und e rs t o o d the mys t e ry Plat o s p e ak s o f the .

thre e f orm s o f divinity which he call s Ag ath os Lo gos and

-

, , ,

P s ych e ; that is , Ag a th os the s ov e r e ign g oo d, which is the

2 04 n r s rna ms or OS
'
IRIS
o th e r th a n the thr ee ey e d Jupit e r e ye an d s un b e ing ex
-

p r e s s cd by the s am e w o rd in m os t o f the anci e nt l a ng uages

-

This is the o rigin o f and m e aning o f the s ymbo li s m o f the

trin ita ry s ys t e m s s ubtiliz e d by Pyth a g o ra s and Plat o and
, ,

t otally dis figur e d by th e ir inte rpr e t e rs f o r it is in its elf but ,

a s ymb olis m of the in n er m e aning In the anci e nt Briti s h .

,

and o the r mys t e ri e s the thr ee p illars : wi s dom s tr e ng th

, ,

a n d b e auty ,
r e pr es e nt e d the e mble m atical tri a d o f de ity .

I t is a fact that in the B ritain the adytum o r l o d ge w a s

, , ,

*
s upp os e d to c o nve y a r e g e n e rating purity to the as p irant ,

aft e r having e ndur e d the c e r e m on y o f in itiatio n in all its

accu s t om e d f o rmaliti es ; the d e live ry from be tw e e n th e m
w a s the n ew bir th T he c orr es p onding p illars o f the Hind oo
.

m yth o l o gy w a s al s o kn o wn by the nam e o f wi s d om s tr ength ,

and b e auty and plac e d in the e as t w es t and s o uth The y

,
-

, .

j o i n tly re f e rr e d to the Cre at o r w ho is s aid to have plann e d

,
-

the gre at w o rk by his infinit e wis d o m ; e x e cut e d i t by his

s tr e ngt h ; and to hav e ad o rn e d it with all its b e auty and

us e fuln es s f o r the b e n efit o f man Th e s e unit e d p o w e rs .

w e r e n ot o v e rl o ok e d in the mys t e ri es f or w e find th e m ,

r e pr es ent e d in the s ol e mn c e r em ony o f initiati on by the ,

thre e pr es iding B rahmins o r Hi e ro phant s T he chi e f .

B rahm an s a t in the e a s t high e xalt e d o n a brilliant thr o n e

, ,

clad in a fl owin g ro be o f azur e thickly s p arkl e d with golde n

,

s tars and b e aring in his han d a magical wand ; thu s s ymb o l

,

izing Brahma the cr e at o r o f the w o rld H is two c omp ee rs

,
.
,

*
’
This is n o idl e dr e am but the fact is that the a s p irant
, ,

in go in thro ugh the a nci e nt initiati o n w a s tru l y r c

g

g e n e rat e d H e w a s n o t taught s o m e ab s tract phil os o phy

. ,

but he was give n a mo de o f lif e to live a ce rtain training o r ,

de v e l o pm e nt to g o thr o ugh and a c e rtain m e ditati on Thi s .

b ro ught ab o ut the reg e n e rati on f or he w a s taught the r ea l ,

m y s t e ry o f the r e g e n e rating
-
p ri n cipl e Thi s is a t thi s .

p r e s e nt day acc o mplis h e d in the T e mpl e o f O s iris and in the

Ro s icrucian Fr at ernity Th e re wa s a ritual but c ontr ary
. ,

to what is u s ually b e li e v e d this ritual w a s n o t the initi a tio n

,

but wa s o nly a fo rm c onfe rr e d up on the a s p irant a f ter he

ha d b ec om e a true in itiate .
 OR E GYP TIA N IN ITIATIO N . 20 5
clad in ro b es of e qual m a g n ific a n c e o ccupi e d c o rr es p onding ,

s ituati o n s o f di s tinc ti o n T he r e pr es e ntative o f V is hu the

.
,

s e tti n g s u n w a s plac e d o n an e xalt e d thro n e in the w es t ;

,

a n d he who p e rs onat e d Siva the m e ridia n s un o ccupi e d a ,

,

s pl endid thr o ne in the s o uth In lik e mann e r the P e rs ian s .

,

who t e rm e d th e ir e mbl e matical mithratic cave o r l o dge the

Eu pyria n fe i gn e d it to be s upp o rt e d by thr e e int ellige nc e s
, ,

O rmi s da ,Mithra and Mi thras w ho w er e e t ernity

, , ,

f e cundity and auth ority Similar to thi s w e r e the f orm s

, .

o f the E gyptian d e ity d es ign a t e d by the attribut es o f w is

,

d o m p o w e r a n d go o dn ess ; and the s ov e re i g n go o d inte ll e ct

, ,
‘
.
, ,

and e ne rgy o f the Plat oni s ts which w e re al s o re gard e d a s ,

the r es p e ctive pr o p e rti es o f the divin e tria d I t is thu s .

pr ov e n that e v e ry m ys t e ri o us s ys te m practic e d o n the

habitabl e glob e c ontain e d this triad o f d e ity T he o racl e
, .

in D amas c us as s e rt s that thr o ugh o ut the w o rld a triad

‘

’
s hin e s f o rth which r es olv es its e lf int o a m ona d and the ’

, ,

unifo rm s ymb ol of this thre e f old d e ity w a s an e quilat e ral

trian gl e the pr e ci s e f orm o ccupi e d by o ur pil l a rs o f wi s d om
, i
,

s tr e n gth a n d b e auty In the m ys te ri e s o f India Brahma

.
, ,

Vis hnu a n d Siva were c ons id e r e d a triune G od call e d tri ,

murti o r tri fo rm Brahma w a s cal l e d the cr e ato r Vi s hnu

-
.
-

the pr e s e rv e r a n d Siva the judg e o r d es tr oy e r

'

.
,

“
Fr o m this i t will be fo und and the c onclus i on is i h ,

e vitable ,
tha t the d o ctrin e o f the Trinitaria ns w a s a
pri n ciple ingr e di e nt o f the anci e nt mys t e ri e s It is an id e a .

o r d o ctrine mo r e anci e nt tha n us ually b e li e ve d and a s it ,

w a s und e rs to o d and taught by the anci e nt s m o re phil o

.
,

s o phical and r e a s o n abl e than the m o d e rn n o ti o n o f the

thre e di s tinc t p ers ons in o n e and o n e o f th e m b o r n u n ,

numb e re d ag es aft e r the o th e rs ; o r ev e n the ign o r a nt id e a ,

tha t G o d ha s a s o n a s ol d a s him s e lf The e arli e r p art o f .

the Bibl e lik e all anci e nt writi n gs e xtant is s hr oud e d in

, ,

l e ge n ds and e n v el op e d in that gl o ri o u s mys te ry that

,

anci ent writ er s d elight e d to thro w ar ound th e ir t e achin gs .

The hi s t o ry o f the cr e ati o n a s we find it r e co rd e d in the ,

firs t and s e c on d chapte rs of Ge ne s i s , is a r ec ord o f the

20 6 MY STE RIES or os rms

traditi on s e xtant in the tim es o f M o s es o r at l e a s t had a s ,

s um e d a writt e n f o rm ab o ut that tim e a s writt e n lan guage ,

.

w a s th e n in its infancy if ancie nt his to ry is r e li a bl e

,
Th e re .

a r e e vid e ntly tw o a cc o unt s o f the cr e ati o n di ff e ring in ,

d e tail s om e what alth o ugh agr e e ing in the mai n

,
The y .

w e r e pr obably c ommitt e d t o parchm e nt at di ff e r ent p e ri o ds .

T he firs t e n ding at the third v e rs e o f the s e c o nd chapt e r '

w a s pr obably writt e n b e f o r e G o d pr o cl a im e d him s elf to

M os e s by his n e w nam e Je h o vah ( E xo dus 6th chapt e r 3d ,

v e rs e ) a s that n am e d oes n o t o ccur in the firs t chapt e r o f

,

G e n e s is . Wh e n e ve r G o d is n am e d in the fir s t acc o unt o f

«

cre ati o n he i s call e d in the H e bre w E l ohim o r Al ehim ; in

the s e c on d he is call e d I e H o u a h o r J eh ovah E l ohim ,
B o th .

a re p olyth e i s tic and r e c o gniz e the g o ds a s the act o rs in the

cr e ati o n T he r o o t o f the w o rd r e nd e r e d G o d is E l o r a s
.
,

w e hav e i t in the N e w T e s tam e nt E l o i the H e br e w nam e , ,

f or the s un ; with the e n ding im the w o rd b e cam e plural ,

‘
and o ught to hav e b e e n tran s lat e d and mad e to r e ad : In
the b e ginning th e g o d s cr e a t e d e tc What th en d o es the
,
’
.

w o rd E l ohi m m e an ? What did the ancie nts unders tan d

by the t erm ? It s imply m e an s the g e n e ra l n am e f o r d e ity
and w a s e quival e nt f o r g o ds T he firs t chapt e r o f G e n es is
.

s imply a f firm s that the g o d s cr e at e d the h e av e n s and the

e a rth. The s e c o nd b e ing a H e br e w acc ount s ay s J e h o vah ,

the g o d s cr e at e d e tc J e h o vah b e ing the pr o p e r name o f the

,
.
,

H e br e w g o d S om e auth or s t e ll u s that an o l d Samaritan

.

‘
v e rs i on o f the B ibl e c o mm e nc es thu s : In the b e ginning
T o the
’
the g oa t r e n o vat e d the he a v e n s and the e arth e tc ,
.

uninitiat e d this w oul d p as s a s s imply a typ o gr a phical o r

cl e rical e rr o r ; but an acquaintanc e wi th the th e o l o gy o f the
,

anci e nts e xpla in s the matt e r s atis fact o rily with o ut s up

p os ing a mi s tak e T he a nci e nts always c o nt e nd e d that
.

n o thing cam e fr om n othing and th a t m att e r o nc e e xi s ting

,

c ould n ev e r be d e s tr oy e d ; c o n s e qu e ntl y th ey kn e w n othing

o f cr e ati o n but c o uld o nly s a y the e arth an d h e av e n s w e r e
,

r e n o v a te d Man y o f the abl es t s ch ol ar s s a y the H ebre w

.

W o rd bo ro, r e nd e r e d c rea te d o ught to hav e b ee n tra ns

‘ ’
,
30 8 MYSTE R IE S or I I
OS R S

wa rm m onths In the 1 1 th chapt e r o f Judges 24th v e rse

.
, ,

J ephtha s ays to the king o f Am m on Wilt th ou n o t p os s es s '

,
‘

that which Ch e mo s h thy Ali e n g iveth th ee to p os s e s ? So

, ,
f s

W ho ms o e v e r Yav e h Ieho va h o r J e ho va h o ur Al e im s hall

‘

, , , ,

drive o ut fr o m b e f o r e us th em will w e p os s es s
,
Again in .
’

Jos hua 1 0 :42 W e r e ad And all th es e kings and th e ir land

,
‘

did Jos hua t ak e at o n e tim e b e c aus e J eh o vah Al e im o f

, ,

I s ra e l fo ught f or Is r a e l
, .
’
And again in Judge s An d ‘

J e ho vah d ro v e o ut the inhabitant s o f the m ount ain but ,

c ould n ot driv e o ut the inhabita n t s o f the valle y b e cau s e

th e y ha d chari ot s o f ir on ’
Thi s las t qu otati o n furnis h es
.

indubitabl e e vid e nc e o f the fa c t that the e arly H e br e w

writ e rs s upp os e d J e h o vah wa s o nly the G o d o f th e ir nati o n
a n d ha d n o p ow e r o v er the othe r n a ti o ns o nl y a s he w a s

abl e to o ve rco m e th e m in war by the aid o f his p ee pl e With .

this key we will find that the birth o f the H e bre w nati o n
t oo k plac e but 6000 y e ars a g o and that the G o d o f the
H ebr e ws J e h o vah w a s o nl y their G o d and n ot the G o d o f
, ,

o the r nati o ns. Thi s will e xplain much o f the ide a s o f a

cr e ati o n 6000 y e ars a g o It al s o s h ows us th a t the He br ews
.

w e re r e ally a v e ry i n t e ns e ly p aga n nati o n in b eli e ving that

th er e mus t be s e parat e G od s f or s ep arat e natio ns .
 C H AP TER VII .

W e may with out any gr e at s tr etch

, imaginati on ‘ of the ,

trans p o rt o urs elve s in s p irit to the p e rio d j us t pr e c e ding the

cr e ati o n o f m a n At that p r e cis e p eri o d the E l ohim o f e ach
.

m o nth had p e rfo rm e d th e ir appr opriat e w o rk ; the darkn es s ,

c old a n d c onfus io n o f wint e r had b e e n dis p ell e d ; the e arth,

wa s cl othe d with v e ge tati o n ; the o c e an a n d riv e rs ab o und e d

in fis h the s ongs te rs warble d in the gr o v ! a n d the a nimal s
, ,

e v e rywhe r e r o am e d un r e s tra in e d with o ut a ma s t e r ; but n ow

the la s t the mighti es t w o rk o f c r e ati on mu s t be ae c om

,

p l is he d and to this en d is s umm on e d a grand council of the

,
‘
gods and r es ult in the gran d fla t : l e t us mak e m om in o u r
, ,

So E l ohim cr e ate d m a n in his

‘
imag e a ft e r o ur liken es s
, .
’

’
image ; in the imag e o f E l ohim cr e at ed he him , .

“
This grand e v e nt o f cr e ativ e p owe r c o uld be with s afe ty
as crib e d to the go ds but the mo d us op e ra n d i c o uld o n l y be
,

by miracl e ; and the atte ndant circums ta nc es w ith the ,

princip a l e ve n ts o f his lif e m u s t be e xplain e d a s w e r e the

-

, ,

lives o f a l l r emarkabl e charact e rs in acc o rda nc e with the ,

m o v e me n ts and m o d e o f acti o n o f the h e av en ly b o di es T he .

name A d am is c omp ound e d fr om the G r eek Ad on a s and - -

Am m o n the fath e r g o d and s imply m e ans the Lo rd

-

, ,

Fath e r or Fath e r L o rd An d the w o rd E ve is s yn onym ou s

-
.

with I s is the E gyptian a n d C e re s the G re ek go ddes s and

, , , ,

had her d omicil e in Aug us t .

2 30 MYST ER IE S O F I R IS
OS

The wh o le s t o ry o f the t emptati o n fall and the flamin g , ,

che rubim t o guard the w a y to the tr e e o f life is to b e fo und ,

wri tte n ( in its symb olic m e aning o n l y) in the s tars afte r the
‘
f oll o wing mann e r : If you tak e a c e l es tia l gl ob e and bring ,

the cr es t o f C anc e r to the upp e r me ridi an yo u will fin d the ,

h o riz o n at the tw o equin ox es in Ari es and L ibra res pe c

ti ve l y thu s s h o wing by including Ari es and Libra an a rc
, , ,

o f 2 1 0 d e gre es o r s e v e n tw el f ths o f a circl e with Ari e s a nd

,
-

Libra a s two p illars on whic h r es t s the roya l a rc h of the

,

kingd om o f h e av e n an d c on s tituting the do mini on o f s um

,

m e r the r e ign of fruit s and fl o w e rs At the c o ming to ge th e r

, .

o f the two s e a s o n s wh e n the wat e ry o r bapti s mal m o nths

,

a re on the d e cr e as e the m o nth s o f s alvati o n on the incre a s e

, ,

a n d appro aching s umm e r p r o mis es a r e ward to indu s try ,

w e hav e the c ov e nant of w orks wh e n the r e ward is r eck on e d ,

o f d e bt ; f o r the pr om i s e is that if w e pl o ugh and s e w in , ,

d u e tim e w e s h a ll r e ap if w e faint n ot ; s o at the autum n al

e quin o x in s h outing the h arv es t ho m e a n d a t the vi ntag e
,

f ea s t we hav e the c ov e nant o f grac e o r fav o r C omm enc in g

,
.

th e n with Ari e s and c oun tin g t o the s ixth m o nth w e fin d ,

the figur e o f a fe mal e which a s tron ome rs ca l l Vir go a , ,

virgin in the s ixt h m o nth In the Adamic p ro j e ctio n of the .

h
sp e e r s s he is c a ll e d C a v a h ( pr o n o unc e d K a —a vah ) in the -

Chaldaic pr oj e cti on E v e ; in the E g yptic Is i s ; i n the

, ,

G r e e k C e r e s ; in the L atin Mari s ; a l l o f the s e s imieifyin g

, ,

m othe r o f l if e A littl e to the n o rth o f thi s virgin in c on

. ,

j g
u a l pr o ximity w e fin d t h
,
e c o ns t e llati o n B oo t es the ,

I os e p p e o f the G r ee k z o diac wh e nc e o u r w o rd Jo s e ph ; in ,

Ph o e nician acc o rding to Sa n eho n ia tha n Ad ham wh e nce

, ,
-

o ur w o rd Adam So h e r e in Paradis e w e find Ad am and

.

E v e in actual e xi s t e nc e Imm e diat el y s o uth a n d lying

?
”

al ong the zo diac is the c on s t ellati o n o f the S e rp ent , e xt end

,

ing fr o m C anc e r to Libra the l en gth o f fo ur c o ns t e ll a ti o ns ,

.

In this gard e n o f E d e n th e n w e fin d the m a n A da m the , ,

w oman E v e and the gr e at Se rp e nt The w o man h olds in

,
.

T he w o rd Pa radi s e is
lt
=
co mp ound e d o f two w ords , me an
“ ”
in g a mo n g the s ta rs .
2 12 MYSTER IE S OF OS IRI S
I f we c o nv e rs e with o n e o f the l e arn e d ab out the s en s e o f the
Bibl e he will t e ll you that the H e br e w t e xts re ad thus or
,

s o and w e at o nc e yi e ld o ur j udgm e nt t o his a s s umpti o n

, ,

tha t b e cau s e he r e ads the H ebr e w th e r e f o r e he is a o ,

qu a in te d with the o riginal No thing can be furth e r fro m

.

the truth ; n o li ving man ha s e v e r s e e n the o riginal o r e v e n ,

a c opy o f the origi n a l T he H e br e w B ibl es n ow in us e a re

.

writ te n in the s qu a re l e tt e r n ot inv e nt e d pri o r to the third

,

c en tury ; divid e d int o w o r ds ( a s ys t e m o f writing n o t intr o ~

d uc e d in the e arli e s t manus cripts ) punctuat e d by the

‘ ’
Mas o ra c o mm e ncing in the s i sith and cl os ing ab o ut the
,

ninth c e ntury ; an d s ub divid e d int o v e rs e s ( no t b e gun be

-

fo r e the thirte e nth c e ntury ) And ev e n tho ugh the o riginal

.

t ext c oul d be had this w o uld n ot g iv e us the pr o p e r inte r

,

p reta tio n to it a s that mus t be f o un d e l s e wh er e

, What a .

man may s a y i s n o t always what he m e an s wh e n he s a ys it .

“
T he s am e diffi c ulty e xi s ts in r e gard to the N e w T e s t a
m e nt ; l e arn e d m e n admi t that o ur G r e e k T es t am e n t w as
trans lat e d fr o m the b arbar o u s m on gr el Latin s p ok e n a n d
, ,

w ritt en in the dark ag es Th es e b o ok s h a v e run the gaunt

.

l e t o f in te rpr e tati o n thr o ugh vari ous s up e rs titi ou s se ct s and

p arti es D uring the c enturi e s that p ap acy r e ign e d s upre m e
.
,

the B ibl e fr o m which o ur c e p ie s c a m e w e r e e ntir ely within ,

its gra s p ; the m as s es w e re s te e p e d to th e ir lips in the

gr o ss es t ign o ranc e ; but f e w e v e n o f the p ri es ts c oul d writ e
th e ir o wn n am e ; a n d w ho can t el l the chang es that the
s acr e d t e xt wa s c omp e ll e d to und e rg o whil e they w e r e l o rds

p aram o u n t o f the civiliz e d w o rld

‘
.

“
A kn owl e dge o f H e br e w a n d G r e e k will ind e e d s h ow us
,

m any o f the fals iti e s o f o u r tran s latio n but will hardly ,

e nabl e us to k n o w the e n t ir e s e n s e o f the b o o k It will s h ow .

us that in s o me b o ok s the E gyptian G o d is the h e r o of the

t al e whil e in othe rs t he Ch a ld e a n the Am m o n ia n the G r e ek

'

, , ,

o r H ebr e w G o d is the b e i n g that the writ e r w o rs hipp e d

. .

“
D uring the e ight e e n y e ars o f the r e i g n o f goo d king
J os iah the H ebr e w B ibl e wa s unkn o wn and how l o ng pri o r
, ,

to that is quit e unc e rt a i n B ut aft er the e ightee n y ears ha d

.
 on ne m rm I NITI ATIO N . 21 3
tran s pire d a b o ok o f the law w a s f o und Wh e r e ? By .

wh om ? What b ook w a s it ? T he J e ws had fill e d J e rus al e m

with the t e mpl e s o f Baal ; the t e mpl e o f J e h o vah n e gl e ct e d , ,

w a s fa s t ha s t e ning to de cay ; the b oo k o f the law w a s l os t ,

a n d g o o d J os iah
‘
did th a t whic h w a s right in the s ight o f
‘

’
the Lo rd a n d r e ign e d e ight e en y e a rs ye t kn e w n o thing o f
, ,

the e xi s t e nc e o f th e b o ok o f the l a w .

“
T he O l d T e s tam e nt is a r e c o rd o f the laws o f M os es and ,

the d o ing s o f the J e wi s h kin gs and rule rs f o r a l ong p er i o d .

M os t o f th es e rul e rs w e r e p aga ns who had l os t a l l the in n er

m e ani n g o f the s acr e d t e achings and the publi c archiv es ,

w e re in th e ir hands ; an d if the y did n ot alt e r the r e c o rds o f

the oth e r p a rty w e may at l e a s t r e a s o nably s upp os e th a t
,

during thei r r e ign th e y w e r e und e r the s up e rvi s i on and

m old e d in o b e di enc e t o th e i r vi ew And wh e n in public .

c o uncil s in the Chri s tia n e ra the c o rrupt pagani s tic parti e s

,

v o te d in the s acre d ca n on w e may r e a s o nably c o nclud e that

,

the wo rk s o f p agan writ e rs w ould hav e a pr etty fair ch a nc e

in the ge n e ral s cr a mbl e All ow u s in thi s c onn ecti on to
.
, ,

r e it e rat e the affirmati on that w e a r e n ot warri n g up o n the

,

B i bl e but s imply o pp os ing the d o gma o f p l en a ry i n s pira

,

tion an d tr e ati n g it a s we tr e at all o th e r b ooks

,
‘
All oth er .

writings a re s ubj e ct e d to the o rde a l o f re as on and c omm on

s e n s e ( a ) a n d w e a r e p e rmitt e d to r e tain the goo d an d thr o w
,

the bad away . N o t s o the B i bl e ; acc e pting the d o ctrin e

tha t it is all o f G o d an d fully in s pir e d w e a re c omp e ll e d to ,

acc e pt the wh ol e j u s tify the m o s t h o rri d a tro c ite s and be

, ,

li ev e in the m os t d eba s ing and lic e n ti o us mo ral s o r rath e r ,

imm o raliti e s ; b e caus e f e rs ooth G o d j u stifi e d it o r at the

-

, ,
”
l ea s t s uff e r e d it .

“
a
. T he e vils fr o m w hich m e n o f our tim e a re s u ff eri n g
a re pr o duc e d by the fact th a t the m a j o rity liv e with o ut that

which al on e a ff o rd s a rati on al guidanc e f or human ac tivity

—with out r eligi o n—n ot that r eligi on which c ons i s ts in be
li e f in do gma s in the fulfillm e nt o f rit es a ffordi n g a
,

l e a s a n t div e rs i o n c o n so lati o n s timulant bu t tha t re l ig io n

p , , ,

whic h es ta bl is hes the re l a tion of ma n to the a l l , to G od , a nd

2 x4 MYSTERIE S or os n ns

th e r e f o r e giv es a g e n e ral high e r d ir e cti on to all human

activity and with o ut which p eo pl e s tand on the plane o f
,

anim als a n d e ven l ower than the y This e vil which is

, .
,

l e ading m e n to ine vit a bl e d es tr ucti o n ha s manif es t e d its elf ,

with s p e ci a l p o w e r in o ur tim e b e cau s e having l os t all ,

r a ti on a l g uidanc e in l ife an d h a vi n g dire ct e d all eff orts to

‘

di s c o ve ri es an d impr ov e me nts princip ally in the s p h e re o f

t echni c al kno wle d ge m en of o ur tim e h av e d ev e l o pe d in
,

th e m s e lv es e n o rm o u s p owe r o ve r the fo rc es o f nature ; but ,

n o t havi n g the guidanc e fo r the rati o na l adaptatio n o f thi s

p ow e r th e y naturally ha ve us e d it f o r the s atis facti on of

'

th e ir l ow es t and mo st a n im a l
Th e r e is a wide s pre ad imp res s i on abro ad that r eligi on
m ay b e a p e rman e nt e l e m e nt in human n ature M a ny a re .

t e ll in g us that it is a phas e o f th o ught of fe e lin o f life ,

g
, ,

p e culiar to the e arly a n d c o mp ar ative ly uncultivat e d s tag es

o f m an s care e r ; that it is s o m e thing which the civiliz e d
’

man will pr o gr es s iv e ly o utgro w a n d at la s t l e av e b e hind , .

W e d o n ot thi n k we n e e d be s p e cially troubl e d ov e r thi s

p r obl e m We o ught to be a bl e to l o o k at it dis p as s i o nat e ly
.
,

b e c a us e if r e ligio n is on l y s up e rs titi on why th e n o f c o ur s e

, , , ,

it ought to be o ut g r o wn If o n the o th e r ha n d re
.
, .

l ig io n be di vin e if it be e ss e n tial to the high es t and n o bl es t

,

huma n lif e why th e n criticis m and ques ti o n will o nly v erify

,

thi s fac t .If yo u fin d s o m e mark on the c oin if you ,

find it on e v e ry o n e o f the c o ins you f e e l p e rf e ctly c e rtain ,

that th e r e is s o m e r e ality in the d ie that s tamp s the c o in ,

that a cc ount s f o r that m a rk It wa s n ot th e r e f or n othing.

it did n o t s imply happ en .

So wh e n e v e r you find a n y u n iv e rs al or p e rman e nt

charact e ris tic qual ity in human nature o r a n y o th e r na tur e ,

f o r that matt e r you may f ee l p e rf e ctly c e rt a in th a t th e r e is

,

s o m e thing in the univ e rs e that is r e al that c orr es p on ds to it , ,

that call e d it out that mad e it , .

“
Y ou find man th en univ e rs ally a religio us b e in g Y ou
, , .

t
Le o T o ls t o i ,
B ethink Yo urs elv es .
216 MY s rs mEs or os mi s

th o u re f ra in es t fro m d o in g aught tha t is un s e em l y but in ,

t he p r es e nc e o f th a t G o d who i n th e e thys e l f s e es a n d hea rs

‘

a l l the n d os t n o t blus h wh e n th o u a d di c tes t thy s e lf to thy

,

dis gus ting th o ughts a n d acti ons .

“
If o nly w e re m e mb e r that G o d in us is the w itn es s o f all
that we d o and think we s h o uld c e a s e to s in and G o d w oul d
, ,

inc es s antly a bid e in i ts L e t us th e n r em emb e r G o d and

.
,

think a n d talk of Him a s o ft e n a s p os s ibl e fi“

P RI EST S T O G OD
’

to G o d ! In di s tant age s
Pri e s ts
D id w e t e nd the altar fire ,
Wh e re the pyramid s o f s ag e s
Ros e to s a y — “
L o ! w e a s p ir e
W e re h e arts in c o ns e crati o n
o ur
O n th os e altars pu rifi e d ,

That in futur e incarnati o n

N e e r the Faith s ho uld be d e ni ed ?
’

Pri e s ts to G od ! T he vault e d arch es

’
O f t he he a v e n s l o fty d om e
F o rm the t em pl e cl o s e W h e r e march es
-

Man to his e t e rnal hom e .

L e t us b e ar o ur tap e rs light e d ,

At the altars o f the E a s t ;

K e e p the Faith that onc e we pl ight e d ,

Clad in s p otl e s s r o b e o f pri e s t .

Bro th e rs l e t us humbly lab o r

,

As G o d s e arthly t e mpl e thr o ws

’

Light divin e on fri e n d and n e ighb o r ,

Till e ach l ooks al o ft and kn o ws ;

K n ows the s a n ctity o f living ,

K n o ws the H o l y Plac e withi n ,

Kn ow s the inc e n s e b orn o f giving

Life it s e lf to s av e fr o m s in
,
.

Pri e s t s and Br o th e rs d e ath m a y s e v e r

,

Ti es that bind us to thi s s o d ,

B ut the T e mpl e s tands f o r e v e r ,

And w e s e rv e a s Pri e s ts to G od
,
.

ABE L .

E pict e tu s .
 OR EG YPT IAN IN ITIATION . 9l 7
We b eli ev e tha t the Bibl e is a c ompilati on high es t of the
c o nc ep ti on s o f tru th curr ent am on g the H ebr ews ; that the
m ys te ri ous and much o f the his t o rical p art s a re writt e n
, ,

all e gorically that is to s a y in ri d dl e s but fro m the nature

, , ,

o f the c o nditi o n s und e r whic h it w a s writt e n it is n ec es ,

e e rily mingl e d with much that is s puri o us a n d unw o rthy o f

our cr e d e nc e T he a s tro n omical ke y e xplain s many o f its

.

mys t e ri es ; r ob s it o f m o s t o f its h o rro rs ; r es cu es many o f its

w o rthi es fr o m the f oul s tains r es ting up on th e ir charact e rs
through a mi s a ppre h ens i on o f the m e ani n g o f the t e xt We .

kn o w tha t m a n y o f the m ys te ries o f thes e wr itin g s c a n on l y

be s o l ve d by the in i tia tes fo r a l l thes e wr itin g s whil e
, ,

g ivi ng the his tory of the l a ws of n a ture a l s o c on ta in a n ,

i nn e r m ys te ry .

The Scriptur e s c o ntain many s ayings a n d r e c o rds many

e v e nt s that r e quir e the utm os t cr e dulity to b e li e v e th e m in

the exac t s e ns e that orth o d o xy give s Am on g thes e and which

.
,
’
we e xplain w e m a y numb e r J o nah s e v e ntful s e a voyage ; the
,

s udd e n halt ing o f the s un and m oo n in the ir r a pid c o urs e ,

’ ’
in ob e di enc e to J os hua s c o mmand ; E lij ah s flight to
’
he ave n in a chari ot o f fire ; B a a l im s a s s s udd enly e nd ow e d
with human s p e e ch ; e ating the fl e s h and drinking the bl oo d
of the Son o f Man ; ( a ) h on e y b ees building th e ir c e ll s and
making th e ir h o n ey in the putrifying carcass o f a d e ad lion ,

etc . a l l o f which w e b e li e ve to b e t ru e but n ot in the a o

, ,

c op i e d s e n s e .

a When w e r e al iz e that a l l that is manifes t to our s en s es

.
,

a s w e ll a s all that is n ot thu s m anife s t is the b o dy o f G o d , ,

w e a re fil l e d with l ov e and r e ve r e nc e f or all cr e ati on As .

truly as the rac e o f mankind is the human b o d y o f G o d s o ,

truly is the brute kind the bru te b o dy o f G o d the pl ant ,

kind is the pl a nt bo dy o f G o d and s o o n to the d e ep s ,

e v e n a s to the h e ight s o f cre ati on N o w wh e n w e e a t o f the

.

f o o d that n o uri s h e s the fl es h if we d o s o i n te l l ig en tl y w e

, ,
’
s hall r e ali z e that w e a r e in thi s br e ad o f the e arth s fruit
, ,

actually br e aking and abs o rbing int o o ur b o d y o f the s ub

s ta ne e of G o d We s hall e a t with r ev e renc e and l ov e f or
.
 8 n rsrs a ie s or o s rms
“

21

th e Cre ating Sp irit who thu s brings f o rth int o o ur s ph e re

,

o f life what is n e e d e d f o r o ur pr e s e nt s upp o rt We s hall .

e a t with tha n kf ul n es s and a s ol e mn j oy kn o wing that thi s

-

is ind e e d the b o dy o f the L o rd o f Life giv e n free ly to us .

E v e ry me al w e p artak e o f will thu s be s a c ram e nt al ; w e

s hall r e c e ive this f o o d a s o ur o n e H oly E uc ha ris t a s the ,

b o dy of G o d br ok e n f o r us O ur e ating will thus be a .

“
s acr e d functi o n a m e an s o f grac e e v e n the br e aking o f
, ,
”

“ “
the br e a d o f
”
Un ity a n d Br oth e rho o d So ng o f the .

”
Cr os s .

“
T he war in h e av e n ha s b ee n a m o s t fruitful th e me f o r
th e o l o gical d e claime rs i n all ages T he th e o l o gical Tyr os .

h ave b e e n p rating ab o ut this h orrid r eb elli o n in h e av e n ,

with out f o r on e m om e nt dr e aming fro m wh e nc e it cam e o r

what its o rigin might be In the as tr on omical pr oj e cti o n o f .

the s ph e r e s o r the anc i e nt kingd o m o f h e av e n in anci e nt

, ,

p icture writing you c a n s ee the c o nflict raging in all its

,

fury victory alt e rn ate ly p e rc hing up o n the c ont ending

,

b ann e rs At on e tim e we o bs e rve the myrmido n s o f the p it

.
,

h e ade d by th e ir p owe rful l e ad e r B aal z e bub e m e rging ,

-

fr o m th e ir i mpri s onm e nt during the r e ign o f s umm e r ;

m e e ting the Sun o f R ight e o us n ess at the c omm enc e m e nt o f
wint e r in Sc orpi o dragging him d o wn f o r a bri e f p e ri o d
‘

into the l ow e r r e gi o n s fr om which triumphantly e m e rging ,

a t the v e rnal e quin o x he put s his e n e mi e s to flight ,

c on ,

s ign s th e m again to the b o tt o ml es s p it a n d r e igns with u n ,

dis put e d s way until the autumnal e quin o x r e n e ws the c on

flic t .

“
nci e nts like the Ro mani s ts o f our day cano niz e d
T he a , , ,

i e , d eifi e d all th e ir gr e at l e ad e rs b oth w arri o rs and

. .
, ,

civilian s I f a p ow e rful ge nius aros e e ith e r to gladde n o r

.
,

curs e the w orld the uns o phi s ticat e d mas s es w e r e e v e r r e ady

,

to c ry out the g o ds h av e c o m e d o w n to u s in the s hap e o f

‘
,

m en and c ons e qu e ntly aft e r th e ir d e ath if n o t b e fo r e

,
’
, ,

th e y mu s t o f n e c e s s ity be d e ifie d ; th e ir f o ible s o fttim es

buri e d with th em and th e ir virtu es and p row es s exalt e d to
,

the s ki es .
2 20 “ STERIES OF OSIRIS

wh ol e thing in h on es t i gno ranc e but a l l l e a rn e d m e n kn o w

,

that thi s m eth o d o f t e aching by o r in p arabl es wa s the , ,

u niv e r a l m o d e in ancie nt tim e s

s and that it is s till p e r ,

p etua te d in the e as t alth ough much o f the art is l o s t

, It is .

s aid that J e s us always ad o pt e d thi s m e th o d whil e publicly

p r e aching O f this ch aract e r a re A es o p s fabl es ; O vid s

.
’ ’

m e tam o rph os e s Arabian night e nt e rtainm e nt s ; the vari o us

,

his t o ri es o f the G r e e k and o f all the anci ent go ds ; and the

,

vari o u s am o ur s of th os e go ds o f h e ath e ndo m w e re the s ame

i n charact e r a s w e r e the am o urs of the p a triarchs o f D avid ,

and S ol o m on and a re all to be e xplain e d by thi s univ e rs al

,

m e tho d o f d e s cribing the c o nj uncti o n o f the s un m o on a nd , ,

s tarry h os t s und e r the figur e o f individual go ds kings

, ,
'

p atriarchs and the vari ou s l e ading m e n o f the r e alm

, .

“
main fe atur e o f thi s m eth o d o f t e aching c on s is ts in
The
firs t s tating a s e l f evid en t fal s eh oo d o f a kin d that n o n e but
-

childr en will b e li eve and the wrapp ing up a grand truth

,

i ns id e in the s hap e o f a mo ral

,
Aft e r w e hav e e xtract e d
.

the m o ral w e c a n thr ow the Wrapp e r away . N ob ody be .

li e v es that the b e a s t s o f the fi e l d h e ld c o uncil s a s d es crib e d

-

by A es o p ; o r th a t the tr e es o f the f o r es t a s k e d the vin e to

c om e a n d be the king ov e r th e m a s s ays the Bibl e ; n e ith e r ,

w o uld w e b e li e v e in the s up e rn a tural o rth o do x m on s tros i

ti es that e l s e wh e r e o ccur in the S criptur es unle s s we had ,

b e e n drill e d int o it fr o m childh oo d but w o uld be abl e to

“

e xtract the m o ral m e aning ins t e ad o f f e e ding up o n the

c o ars e wrapp e r in which it w a s env e l op e d The univ ers al .

r e ligi o us d ys p e p s ia that s o ab o und s in the Church is to b e

trac e d dir e ctly to this habit o f f ee ding up o n the e xt e rnal

c ov e ring an d all o wing the irm wr and s ublim e truth s to p as s
f

unkn own .

“
Linguis ts t e ach us th at man b e ga n to talk in m on o
s yl a bl es and it is a f a v o rit e e mpl oym ent with s om e to
, ,

analyz e w o rd s and fin d th e ir r o ot s A kn o wl e dge o f this .

art will as s i s t us wo nde rfully in di s c o v e ring the hid d e n

s en s e o f biblical all e go rical writing ; and alth o ugh a limit e d

kn owl e dg e o f anc i en t l it era tur e o p ens up to us a va s t

.
 OR E GYP T IA N I N I TIATION . 22 !

am ount o f info rm ati on yet a m o r e th or ough acquaintanc e ,

with O ri ental languages w ould gr e atly facilitat e any re

s e arch es in this int e r es ting fie ld o f s tudy It ha s b ee n .

a s c ert a in ed that the m os t anci en t n am e f or G o d o r the s un , ,

in E gypt w a s O n in the Chaldaic B e l o r B aal in P hon ic ia

, ,

the s am e in H e br e w E l e tc
, If th e y addr es s ed him a s a , .

fath e r th ey w o uld us e the w o rd Aim o r Ab Ad d e n o te d

, .

L o rd ; a s the gre a t fire the e n l ig hte n e r T he e mbl e m o f

, , .

d e ity s ymb o lically writt e n w a s I o r a p illar a c olumn to

, , , , ,

d en o t e that he s too d e r e ct al on e with o u t any ext e rnal s up ,

p o rt In e xam ining the all e g orical and much o f the his

.
,

to ric a l part s o f the Bibl e the s tude nt if int e llige nt cann o t , , ,

fail to ob s e rv e the fr e qu e nt us e mad e o f th es e pro min e nt

m on os yllabl es Ad a m Ab e l E l i Ezl i j ah ( j ah m os t high )
,
-

,
-

,
-

,
- -

,
.

In mo s t cas e s o n e o f th es e m on os yl l a bl e s f fo rms the ba s e o r ,

r oo t o f the w o rd w ith s uch p r efixes and s uffixes a s the ca s e

,

d e ma nds T hus in the w a r in h e av e n the goo d a n gel s

.
,

hav e th e ir n ame s e nding E 1 the H eb re w ; a nd the fall e n ,

o n es having nam e s e ndi n g in O n the E gyptia n t e rm f o r ,

the s u n ; b e cau s e to the J e w E gypt a l w

,
a ys repres e n te d the ,
’
l owe r r e gi ons whil e Ca n a n c orres p ond s to he a ve n
,
T he-
.

goo d ange ls w e r e Mieha el G abra c l I s ra el etc ; but the

'

- - -
.
, , ,

fall en had the E gypti a n n am e a s the D rag on Ah add o n ,

-

,
- -

a n d Ap—
’
o lly o n Acc o rdi n g to Joh n s Reve l ati on s Ab add o n
-
.
,

is H ebr ew and Ap olly o n G r e e k ( Ap oll o )

,
W e have al so .

B a byl bn Arm a hed o n e tc

-

,
T he J e w als o t o o k the p o rtrait
-

,
.

o f the s acr e d bull o f E gypt ( Taurus ) to m ake th e ir D e vil

fro m r e pr e s e nting him with h o rn s and e l e v e n h oo fs ; an d

,

Ar i es ( the lamb ) a s th e ir r e pr e s e ntativ e o f G od —s imply ,

an o the r fo rm o f the s am e n ame s and the s am e s ymb ol s and ,

o n e might s a y th e s am e id ol w o rs hip
,
S o m e t im e s the J e ws .

p o ach e d up o n the Chalde ans f o r a l ay figure from which to

paint his S atanic Maj e s ty and cal l e d him B aal—
,

s e bub o r
“

, ,

Baal ial ( B elial ) a lthough they highly h on or e d on e o f

-

them Ba a l Mol oc hi s ud a e o r M ol och z e d ec ( Mel ehis e d ec ) ,

,

- -

, ,

as a n e ve rl as ting p ri e s t .

“
Ma n y na mes o f the pr oph ets b e g in or en d in 61 , as
222 MYSTE RIE S O F OSIR IS
E l i, E l i sha , E l i
- - - - -
j ah many o f
,
D a n i e l , E z ek i el ;
- - - - -
and

th e m c o rr es p o nd to or a re c o mp ound e d fr o m o th e r nam es
,

o f G o d that hav e b e e n l o s t o r a re hidd e n in languag es ,

kn o wn to but f e w The n am e o f J os hua c o mm enc es with

.

I o the r oo t o f J e h o vah Jupi te r J o v e m e tc

, ( J is a m o de rn
, , , .

o r L ati n l e tt e r an d a s ub s titut e f or I )
, E v e is the fe minin e .

o f J o v e s o m e tim e s call e d H e v e in the G r e e k p anth eo n

, T he .

m os t imp ortant b e aring that the analys i s o f w ords ha s up o n

this qu es ti o n c o ns i st s in the ke y it furnis h es to the nam es
,

giv e n to G o d The trans lati o n give s n o c orr e ct ide a of the

.

titl es by which G o d w a s addr es s e d in the B ibl e It is kn own .

tha t Jupit e r Ad on is m and Ap oll o w er e G r e e k g o ds ; that

,

B aal wa s the Chald e an an d Ch e m os h the Am m o n ia n g o d , .

B ut it n e v e r en t e rs the th o ugh ts o f the c o mm o n r e ad e r th a t

Ad o nis B aal Ch em o s h O n and E l o im a re pl a c e d o n the
, , ,

s am e f ooting in the B ibl e wi th J e h ovah T he E l oh im the ‘

-
.
,

plural o f E l o r E l o i w e re the c re at or s in the firs t chapt er

,

o f G en es i s T he fi rs t and the only prop er n a m e giv e n to

.
,

the E l ohim was ,

that un pron o unc e abl e n am e call e d
J eh o v a h ; in H e br e w s p ell e d wi th f o ur c ons on a nts equ iva ,

l ent to I lw h Thi s unpr on o unc e abl e nam e is s till h el d

.

s acr e d in s e v e ral o f the s ucc es s o rs to the An ci e nt O rd e r s or

Prie s th oo d and th e r e is a wor d which is s up pos e d to be lo s t, ,

but which is n o t l ost .

“
In the anci e nt H e br e w th e re w er e n o writt en v ow el s ,

and f o r want o f th e m much tim e w a s n e c es s arily c o ns um e d

in t e aching the s tude nt the way to pr ono unc e e ach w o rd -
.

This f a c t acc oun ts f or much o f the c onfus i on that r es ts

up on the wh ol e qu es ti on The n am es D a n and G o d we re .

f o rm e rly s p e ll e d with o ut any v ow el and a s the lan g uag e ,

b e cam e a d e ad l a n gu a ge b e fo r e the m o de rn p o ints w e r e in

v e nt e d probably n o man kn ows to this day wh eth e r thos e
,

n a m e s w e r e n ot pr on o unc e d with s om e o th e r o n e o f the

I

v ow el s ounds G o d t old M os es th a t he app e ar e d to the

.

p atriarchs a s B aal Ts a d d i a n d that the y n eve r kn e w him

-

by his n am e J eh ovah B aal Ts a d d i is tran s lat e d G o d

.
-

Al mighty Why ? A Je w w ill n o mo r e pron ou n c e the n am e

.
 C H AP TE R VIII .

The r e is n othing m o r e mys t e ri ous in the Bibl e th a n the

ch e rubim ; ye t th e r e is n othing that m o r e c e rtainly c on
n ec ts E gyptia n w ors hip with the J e wi s h than d o e s thi s s am e

mys t e ri o us cre a tur e with his f our fac es M os es made an ark .

in imitatio n o f a c e rt ain ch es t that the Eg yp tians carri e d

a b o u t with t he m in th e ir s o l e mn pr o c es s i on s wh e n th e y c el e
,

br a te d the f e a s t in c o mm e m o rati o n o f the anci e nt st a t e o f

mankind In this ch es t th e y de p os it e d the s orry fruit s and
.

grains that th e ir anc es t ors f ed up on wh e n in a b arbar o us

O n e ach e n d o f this ch es t c alle d the Ark o f the
'

s t at e .
,

C o v en a nt ! wa s plac e d a ch erub e ach facing the oth e r with

, ,

the ir wings lift e d up o n high c ov e ring the m ercy s e at

,
.

Is ai a h call s th e m the s e r a phims E z eki e l giv es the m fo u r

.

wings e ach J ohn s ix Wi ngs r e pr es en t the flight o f tim e

,
.
,

and J o hn s s ix to e ach w e re s ymb olic a l o f the tw e nty f ou r

’ -

at
T he re is qu es ti o n but that the J e wi s h Ark o f the
no
C o v e n ant f o und its m o d e l in the E g ypti an O ra c l es hip ; th a t
the ch es t h e ld s o s acre d a s the r e p os it o ry o f n am e l es s
tre a s ur es c arri e d a b o ut in the c el e brati o n o f B acchic rit es ,

is p a raphra s e d fr o m a s imilar ins trum e n t u s e d in the O s iri a

mys te ri es whil s t the res e mblanc e b e twee n the s olar a n d
,

ph a l lic e mbl e m s c ros s es o b elis ks pyr a mi ds and t e mpl e

, , , ,

s e rv ic e s o f Ind i a a n d E g ypt a r,
e too o bvi o u s t o e s cap e th e

no tic e of t e h m o s t s up e rficial o b s e rv e r T h e. s e qu e nc e o f
d es c e t
n f r om th e rit e s p e rf or m e d a t B e n a r e s to th os e o f
 ” 5
ho urs , a s w e r e als o the four and tw enty el ders d en otin g the - -

,
’
p as t a s M a h om e t s b lack e ye d H o uris ( h ours ) w e r e e m
,
-

bl e m a tic a l o f the futur e o r young h o urs The s ingular .

n umb e r o f ch e rubim is ch e rub ; the s ingu l ar o f s e raphim is

s e raph . The firs t is the nam e o f an e x o r cal f the latt e r the ,

nam e o f a s e rpe nt ; and a lth ough it may s e e m ludicrou s

e n o ugh to fill the h e av en s w ith o x e n and s e rp e nt s and mak e ,

th em c omm on carri e rs o f the Alm ighty w e r e ad in P s alms , ,

‘
H e r od e up o n a ch e rub a n d did fiy ; yet with a n
’

a s tro n omical key w e s hall be abl e to s h o wthe fi tn ess o f the

,

phras e a n d that th es e s am e s e rp e nt s and ox en a re

,

p e culiarly a d apt e d to be the a n g e ls o r m ess engers o f the

Al mighty s wift to d o his will E z eki e l in his firs t d es c rip
,
.

ti on o f the ch e rubim giv es th em th os e e v e r r e curring f our

,

fac e s ; the fac e o f an e x a li on an e agl e and a man In his , , ,

.

s e c ond d es cripti on he giv es the s am e e xc e pt that the fac e ,

o f a ch e rub tak es the plac e o f the o x p ro ving the n a m es to ,

be s yn onym o us In R e v elati o ns the f our b e a s t s a re dis tinct

.

o r s e p arat e whil e in the o th e r d es cripti on s the f o ur fac e s

,

b e l ong to o n e animal alth ough d es crib e d in the p lural

,

numb e r T he key to the wh ol e mys t e ry is this : T he kin g

.

d o m o f h e a v e n w a s always circul ar wh e n am ong the s ta rs ; ,

and the wh eels wi thin wh e els o f E z eki e l w e re the o rbits o f

the s un m o on and plan e ts
,
Wh e n the kingdom o f h e av e n
.

w a s am ong m en as in the J e w is h encampm en t it w a s a

, ,

s q uar e and th os e f o ur b e as t s e ach o ccupi e d the a n gl es

,
or ,

rath e r w e r e the fi g ur es that fla un te d up o n the bann e rs o f

the r oyal trib es and c on s titut e d the f our an ge l s s tan di n g
,

up o n the f our c orn e rs o f the ea rth h o lding the f our winds ,

H e li op o li s an d fro m th ence to El e us is m a y be cl e a rly

, ,

trac e d by the s tudent ; in a w o rd whil s t India may be re ,

gard e d a s the fir s t chil d o f the f a th e rland o f m yth s a n d

s acr e d mys t e ri es —Atl a n ti s the e ntir e E as t includi n g , ,

E gypt onc e Spl e n did B abyl onia Pal e s tin e P e rs ia G r e e c e

, , , ,

an d Ro m e all m a y be r egard e d a s tri butary n ati on s

, ,

am ongs t wh om the age s h av e parte d the garm e nt s o f the

g re a t l l in d o o M e ss i a h the o f t re i n c a rna te d orig ina l o f a l l!
,

the wors hipp e d a m t g o d s of a n tiqui ty -

.
2 26 MYSTERIE S or os n u
s

of h e av e n ( R ev e lati on s ) Th es e fo ur b e a s ts w e re the c on
.

s te l l a tio n s tha t had th e ir l o cati o n at the c omm e nc e m e nt o f

the f our s e a s on s T he e x h eld the winds o f s p ring the lion

.
,
'

the winds o f s um m e r e tc T h e y divid e d the h e av en s into

, .

quart e rs two b el o nging at the s ols ti c es and tw o at the

,

e quin ox es T he e x gav e his n am e to the f our r oyal b e as t s

.

o r ch e rubim b e cau s e he w a s the p rincip al and us h e r e d in

,

the r e ign o f s umm e r ; in the s am e mann e r and fo r the s am e ,

r e as on that Pal es tin e w a s call e d J ud e a fr om Judah v iz :

, ,

f o r c o nv e ni e nc e .

“
On e of the
grand p o ints o f int e r es t to the anci e nts was
the autumnal e quin ox Thi s w a s the grand f es tival s e a s on
.
,

wh en aft e r the day o f at on e m e nt ( a t o n e m e nt ) the J e ws

, _
- -

, ,

t o g e th e r w ith o th e r n at i on s h e ld th e ir f e as t s o f the tab er

,

n a c l e s o r vin e f ea s t the cr o wni n g f e as t o f the y e ar i f w e

, , ,

e xc e pt that o f the v e rn al e quin o x o r p a s s o v e r T he day o f .

at on e m e nt o ccurr e d in the p r e ci s e day o f the e quin ox o r ,

bal a ncin g o f the d a ys a n d n ig hts wh e n th ey w e re e qual in ,

l e ngth and G o d o r natur e e qualiz e d all things r e warde d

, ,

the i n dus tri ou s with pl e nty and s e nt the idl e r e mpty a way .

T he fea s t o f tab e rna cl es w as the s am e a s the fe a st o f

B acchu s o f the G en til e s At thi s f eas t bo th Jew a n d G en.

til e always imit a t e d o l d No ah in the to o fr ee us e o f win e .

Jus t a t th is p o int in the h e av e n s w e fin d S c o rpi o the ,

E g yptian s e rp e n t and a t the p e ri o d o f tim e wh e n th es e

,

ch eru bim w e re s e en by the p r o ph e ts Sc orp i o h el d the s a m e ,

r el ati o n to the h arv e s t a nd vi n tage h om e th a t the o x did to ,

the r ei g n o f s p rin g ; but the o x r e pr e s e nt e d the c o v e n a nt of

w o rk s Sc o rpi o the c o ve nant o f G r a c e
,
The qu e ry he r e .

a ri s es why the he ad o f the e a gl e o ccupi e s the plac e b el ong ~

,

ing to the s e rp en t That matt e r m u s t be e xpl ain e d by a

. .

r e f e r en c e to the p r e c es s ion o f the e qui n o x es W e have .

s tat e d that the e quin o x e s w e r e in the e x and s c o rp i o n wh e n

th e s e ch e rubim w e r e d es crib e d by the pr o ph e t s The v e rn al

“

e quin o x is n o w in the s ign o f the lamb an d in the c on s t e l l a ,

ti o n o f the fis h e s T he s un cr os s es the e qu a t o r a t a p oint

.

ab o ut on e hu n dr e d r o d s dis tant fro m the plac e a t which it .

 228 mr s ra a ms '
or os mrs

hav e d ete rmin e d to ke ep the o l d s e rp e nt in the b ott oml es s

pit , by makin g the s igns o f the c on s tell ati on s o f Ari e s and
Libra foll o w the e quin ox es in th eir p re c es s i on By this .

m e a n s the lamb will e v e r be the l e ad e r up o f the h e ave nl y

h os t s in the v e rn al equin o x c ro ss ific a tio n a t p a ss o ve rfi“ an d
,

the a s tr on omical hi e r o phant will alway s b e e n abl e d to s a

y
to the un in ia te d : ‘ ‘
B e h old the lamb o f G o d fi that take th
a way the in e qualiti e s o f the wintry w o rld The pr e c e s s i o n .

ha s thr own s om e o f the c e re m o ni es o f the m o d e rn Church

o ut of t h e ir p r e p e r plac e b ec a us e o f the c onfus i o n th a t
,

ig n o ranc e ha s bro ught in the Church es L e nt is in p o int . .

the ob s e rv e rs o f thi s fa s t having l os t its o r igin and purp o rt ,

d o n ot kn o w whe n it ought to b e gin o r en d .

“
B ut to r eturn to the ch e rubim J ohn the r e v e lat o r s a w .
, ,

the fo ur b e as ts ar ound the thron e and a l amb in the mids t ,

o f the thr on e re p res ent in g the v e rnal e quin o x in Ar i es

, ,

b ecaus e the la m b w a s the c on s t ellati o n int o which the s un

cam e wh e n he triumpha n tl y e nt er e d his kingd om havi ng ,

o v e rc om e the p ow e rs o f darkn e s s and c old in wint e r and ,

as c end e d the thr on e o f his gl o ry .

“
Wh en J e c ob bl es s e d his twe lv e s on s he gav e to e ach the
p e culiarity o f on e o f the c ons tellati ons Judah had the .

li o n ; Re ub en un s tabl e a s wat e r ha d Aqu a riu s the wat e r

, , ,

b ea re r ; D a n the s erp e nt ; Is s achar the crab The phr as e .

‘ ’
I s s achar is a s tr ong a s s is e xplain e d by the f a ct that th e r e
,
‘
a re tw o s ta rs in C anc e r call e d the tw o as s e s J os e ph is a . .

’
fruitful b o ugh wh o m branch es h av e gon e ove r the wa l l
, ,

”
The v e rn a l quin ox is s a id to b e i n Arie s alth ough in
e ,

fa c t it is in Pi s c es th a t is in the Sig n o f Ari es but the

, , ,

c on s te l l a tion o f Pi s c es At a p er i o d o f t im e quit e r e m o te
.
,

the v e rn al e qui n o x w il l a g a in be i n S c o r p i o and he wi l l .

r a g a /l a his l o s t es ta te alth o ugh as tro no m e rs pr obabl y will

,

m ark the Sig n o f Ari e s in Sc o rpi o a n d the m as s es will s u p

.
,

p os e that the v e rn a l e quin o x is in the l a mb un l e ss the ,

kn owl e d ge o f a tr o n omy c o v ers the e a rth a s the w a t e rs

s

c ov e r the gr e a t d ee p P os s ibl y a n e w s c ho ol wil l a ris e to

.

t e a c h the truth .

’
i T he L a mb w a s G od mo n og ra m
’

s .
 on s c ree n s

re pr es ent s him in Nov e mb e r ( Sagittariu s ) wh e n the vin e ,

ha d gro wn to i ts full e s t e xt e nt H is bow a b o d e in .

‘

is e xplain e d by a r e f e r e nc e to the c o ns t e llati o n

’
s tr e ngth , ,

in which he is drawi n g his bow T he s t ory o f the c o at o f

.

m a n y c ol o rs is a p a rabl e in which w a s d e s crib e d the

,

v ari e gat e d b e auty o f the f o r e s t in N o v e mb e r 4000 y e ars ,

a go . This b e autiful c oat e xcit e d the envy o f the e l e v e n

m o nths a n d he w a s s e nt int o E g ypt by falling b e l o w the
,
'

inte rs e cti on o f the e quat o r and ec l eptic Parab olically the )

.
,

five wintry c on s t e llati ons w e r e E gypt and S o d o m Th e s e .

trib es r e pr es e nt e d the tw elv e s igns o f the z o diac an d th e y ,

had a s is t e r n a m e d D inh who w a s c o rre s p o ndingl y o f

, ,

c ours e the mo o n ( I s i s )
,
T he s ame n am e s p ell e d s om e
.
,

what di ff e r e ntly is D ian a o f the G r e eks who a s all s ch olars

, , ,

kn o w w a s the m o on an d he r lik e n es s as s he draws he r bo w

, , ,

is to be s e e n wh e n the m oo n is at he r full f o r D ian a w a s a ,

m ighty huntr e s s The che rubim w a s a pr o min e nt s ymb o l

.

amo n g the anci e nt n ati on s On e ha s b e e n dug up fr o m

.

am ong the ruin s o f N in evah having thr e e o f the f our fac es

,

d es crib e d by J ohn and E z eki e l Wh e n rud e winte r had e x .

p end e d his fu ry up o n the d e s ol at e d e arth and had b e e n ,

c omp ell e d to yi e ld his d omini o n to ge ntl e s pring the ox o r ,

calf ( which th e n o ccup i e d the p os iti o n n ow h eld by the

lamb ) b e c a m e l ord o f the as c e nt and the l e ade r up o f the
h e av e nly ho s ts ; and wh e n balmy s pring the s e a s o n o f ,

fl o w e r s ,gav e plac e t o s umm e r wit h its fi e rc e h e at its fruit s

, ,

and s mi l ing m e ad s the d omini o n p as se d to ragi n g L e o o r

, ,

the li on and he in turn b e cam e the l e ad e r and mars hall e d

, ,

his s tarry phalan x up o n the h e av e n ly plain s An d thus in .

turn a s e ach s ucc e e ding s e a s o n f oll o w e d his p r e de c ess o r

, ,

the do mini on pa s s e d to the e agl e a n d th e n to the wat e r ,

b e are r who w a s r e pr es ent e d in the ch e rubim by the f a c e o f

,

a man Th es e b e a s t s a s b e fo r e s tat e d w e r e o n the fo ur

.
, ,

b ann e rs o f the r oyal tribe s o f I s ra e l Co mbin e d int o on e .

,

o r f o rm e d i n t o the ch e rubim th e y b e cam e the r e pr es e nta

,
’
tiv e o f the s il ent flowing y e ar E ze ki e l s ch e rubim had a .

c alf s foo t to d e n ot e the p o int o n the m e ridian wh e r e the

’
,
230 MY STERIE S or os m s

s un cr os s e d o ve r at the ve rn al e quin ox Al th ough the .

v a ri ous n ati on s h eld the ch e rubim in s uch high e s t e e m th e y ,

g e n e rally s e le ct e d on e o f the f o ur b e as ts a s the obj e ct o f

s p e cial w o rs hip .Thu s the ox w a s w o r s hi pp e d in E gypt ,

Indi a a n d Britain China a n d Jap an P e rs ia G re e c e a n d

, , ,

Pe ru As the o x wa s the p re d o min ating figure in the

.

ch erubim s o it wa s the m os t univ e rs al s ymb ol o f id olat ry

, ,

and w a s fre qu e ntly w o rs hipp e d i n a c o mp o un d f orm H e .

w a s the e mbl e m o f N o ah o r the gr e at fath e r and the ark ,

w a s call e d K e n T a u rus the s timulat o r o f the bull

-

, H e wa s .

w o rs hipp e d with s ple n d id rit es wh e n the s u n w a s in T auru s .

A bull w a s al s o the w ell kno wn s ymb o l o f B acchu s who is

-

,
‘
s tyl e d in the o rphic hymn s the d e ity with two h o rn s ,

ha vin g the h e ad o f a bull

’
T he li o n w a s ad o r e d in the
.

e as t an d in the w es t by the E gyptians a n d the M e xi c ans a s

, ,

a m os t p ow e rful divinity T he s am e anim a l w a s emble m

.

a tic a l o f the s un in Tartary and P e rs ia ; and h e nc e on the , _

nati on al b ann e r o f P e rs i a a li o n Wa s emblaz on e d with the ,

s un ri s ing fr o m his ba c kf
.
“
“
T he s o v e r e igns o f P e rs i a hav e f o r m any c e nturi es p re
s e rv e d a s the p e culiar arm s o f th e ir c o untry the s ign o f ,

the figure o f Sol in the c o ns t e ll a ti o n o f L eo ; and this d e vic e ,

which e xhibits a li o n c o uchant and the s un ri s ing at his

back ha s n ot only b ee n s culptur e d up o n th e i r p ala c es and
,

e mbr o id e r e d u p o n th e ir banne rs but ha s be e n c onv e rt e d

,

int o an o rd e r which in the f o rm o f gold and s ilv e r m e d a l s

,

H e re w e mu s t b e ar in mi nd that the bull had the s am e

m e aning as did the phallus f o r it w as the s ymb o l o f the
,

mighty ge n e rativ e p o we r i n its on e r es p e c t and o f the r e

ge n e rativ e p o w e r i n its o th e r a s p e ct T he s un w a s the .

s ymb o l o f G o d and s ince G o d c a nn o t p e o pl e the w o rld with

,

o ut this p o w e r it is e a s y f o r the s tud e nt to s e e into the

,

mys t e ry o f th es e two f o r n e ith e r c a n e xis t with o ut the

,

o th e r .G o d c a nno t pe o pl e the w o rld with o ut the g e n era ti ve

f o rc e o r witho ut the bull o r phallu s a n d if the w o rld is n ot
p e o pl e d he av e n cann o t be p e o pl e d with imm o rtal s H e re in .

li e s the gre at m ys te ry o f a l l religi ous b eli efs to s olv e the ,

m ys t e ry is to be imm ortal .
2 32 u r srs ms s or os mxs

r e mains to be de t e rmin e d wha t th e y w e re int end e d to r e pr o

”
se nt . T he vari ou s c he rubim d ifie re d much in th e ir f o rm
and g en e ral app e aranc e the m o s t c ommo n f orm having
,

b e en the o x T he braz e n lav e r o f S ol o m o n s T empl e r e s te d

.
’

up on tw elv e o x e n r e p r e s en ting the tw el ve c on s t el l a ti on s

, .

M os es wa s s uch a firm b e li eve r in the lamb ( Chris ti e ) e m

l e m that the che rubim up o n the m e rcy s e at had the fac e o f
,

a lamb a s he w a s dire c te d to s e t th e m o n the lid o f the ark

,

facing e ach o th e r o v e r the m ercy s e at ; the v e rnal e quin o x

having p a s s e d int o the lamb c ons e qu e ntly he had b e c om e
,

the l e ad e r up o f the h e av e nly h o s ts Aft e r the d e ath of .

J o s hua the J e ws r elap s e d int o s e mi barba ris m and l os t the -

kn owl e dge o f this s ci e nc e and the lamb w a s n ot p e rp etu

,

at e d in the n ati o n a s the l e ade r Aft e r the B abyl oni s h .

captivity E z e ki e l and D an i e l r eviv e d the s ys t e m but a s the

, ,

Ch a ld e ans had r e tain e d the c x he s till c ontinu e d to fi g ur e

,

a s lo rd o f the as c e ndant in the ch e rubim w hich the y s a w .

In the N e w T es tam ent e ra the lamb ( Chri s ti e s p irit ) w a s

intr o duc e d again but w a s pl a c e d by J ohn in the mid s t o f
,

the othe r b e a s ts b e c a us e the ox ha d bec o m e to o s a c re d to be

,

d is p l a c e d and n o t b e caus e it s h o ul d n o t hav e bee n dis plac e d .

T he che r ubim that ha s b e e n e xhum e d at N i n e vah had but

thr e e fac e s it b e ing d eficie nt in the fac e o f the man thu s
, ,

r e p r es e nting the p e rio d wh e n th e re w ou l d be n o win ter in ,

o th e r w o rds the m ys te ry o f the tim e whe n the l a m b a n d the

,

s e rp e n t w ou l d be fr ie nd s the pr o ph e cy o f the m il l in ium

, .

B u t be the ir f o rms e v e r s o vari e d the ch e rubim wa s an ,

as tr on omical figur e o r s ymb ol rep res en ti n g ti m e o r the ,

d iff e re n t e ra s of e vol u tion s Thi s s ymb ol is c apabl e of a

.

gr e at v a ri e ty o f applicat ion s and adaptati ons to the d e

mands o f the curi o us ; c o n s e qu e ntly it f o rm e d the bas i s o f
a n alm os t e ndl ess va ri e ty o f parabl es and rid dl e s and a s ,

s i s t e d the R e v elat o r m os t w o n d e rfully in m aking up the

Ap o calyp s e T he e ncampme nt o f the Is ra elit es which w a s

.
,

in the fo rm o f a h oll ow s quar e the fo ur ro yal trib e s at the ,

angl e s o f e ach had th e s e f our b e a s t s e mblaz o n e d on th e ir

bann e rs The e arth wa s t hen s upp os e d, by the ma ss es and
.
 on EG Y PT LAN I NI TIATIO N . on

many o f the l e ad ers to be an o bl ong s quar e s tati onary

, , ,

and the gra n d c e ntr e o f the univ e rs e By turning to the .

4 9 th chapt e r o f G e nes i s the r e ad e r w ill find the r e co rd o f

,

the ble ss ings b e s t ow e d by J a e ob up o n his tw e lv e s o ns In .

that r e c o rd all m a y l e arn which w e r e the r oyal trib e s and ,

what c ons t ellati o n in the z o diac e ach trib e r e pr es e nt s .

In the arran g em ent o f the e ncampm ent by M os es ( Num

b e rs chapt e r
, the blun d e r w a s c o mm itt e d by placing
R e ub e n in the s outh s id e o r n ext to Judah Judah wa s the
. .

’
li on s wh elp and ha d t he e a s t a s s ign e d to him Ac c o rding
, .

to the s ci e nc e , the li o n b e ing in the s umm e r s o l s tic e the ,

s o uth w ould hav e b e e n his appr o priat e p os iti o n ; but a s he

“ ”
c on s titut e d the e mpir e s tat e o f the nati o n th e y plac e d
him in van as th e y w e r e tr a v e lling e a s twardly R e ub e n be .

l ong e d o pp os ite a s the wat e r b e ar e r his m on o gram o r p re

,
-

s idi n g g e niu s wa s in January O pp os it e Judah o r July , .

M os es n ev e r arrange d the trib es a s th e y a re d es crib e d n u ,

l es s a s s o me b e li e v e R e ub e n had e x c ha n g e d bann e rs with

, ,

E phraim .

“
W e hav e s ai d that the ch e rub i m divid e d the h e avens
int o f our e qual p arts Th e s e p o int s o f divi s i o n a re marke d
.

by fo ur princ ip al s tars on e in e ach o f the fo ur b e as ts viz :

, ,

Ald e baran in the h e ad o f the hul l o f April ; thi s s tar

,

m a rk e d the p o int o f the v e rnal e quin o x wh e n the plani

s ph e r e w a s pr o j e cte d o r wh e n the bull o r o x b e cam e the
,

l o rd o f the as c e ndant T he s tar Re gulus in the h e a rt o f the

.
,

li on mark e d the s umm e r s ol s tic e An tar es in the h e art o f

,
.
,

the s c o rpi on mark e d the autum n al e quin ox in the 0 1 d

,

Chalde a n a n d E g yptian z o di ac s but D a n and oth ers re , ,

j e ct e d Sc orp i o b e caus e it had b e c om e th e s ign accurs e d and ,

in its plac e adopt e d A q uila the e agl e havin g the s tar , ,

Altair f o r its e mbl e m T he s tar Fo malhaut in the e ye o f

.
,

the g r e at s o uth e rn fis h f o rm e rly r e ck on e d in the c o n s t e lla

,

ti o n Aquarius and unit e d with it by the riv e r Aquarius

, ,

m arks the p o int o f the wint e r s o ls tic e It w a s the cu s to m in .

anci e nt tim es and e v e n in c omparativ ely m ode rn tim es to

, ,

pl a c e the fig ur es o f the ch e rubic anima l s o n the titl e pa ge s

23
4 or OSIRIS mr srs a ms
o f the ir b o oks to indicat e the s ubj ec t th e r e in c o ntain e d .

F o r an e xampl e : if the ch e rubim had p re fa c e d the s e c o nd

chap te r o f G e n es is c omm e ncing at the f o urth ve rs e a t ,

which the b o ok s h o uld b e gin : th es e a re the gen e rati ons o f ‘

’
the h e av e n s e tc th ey w o uld thus indicat e that all e gorical
, .
,

as tro n omy w a s to be f ound o n its p age s The kno wl e dge .

o f the ch e rubim a s w e h av e re p e ate dly s ho wn w a s by n o

, ,

m e a n s o riginal with M os e s an d the J e ws f o r w e find th e m ,

o ft e n allud e d to in the anci e nt Chald e a n writin gs a s the

che rubim o f the h e av e ns a n d th e y o ft e n tr e at o f the h e av e n

,

o f the ch erubim .

The a ncie nt E gypti a n s d e s crib e fo ur s acr e d animals ,

which Cle me ns Al e xandrinus t e lls us w e r e carri e d like tho s e

o f the I s ra e lit es at the h e a d o f the pr oc es s i ons ; and he
,

t e lls us the y r e pre s e nt e d the f o ur s e as o n s o f which a nim als,

the e ag l e w a s o n e to te o n Am e rica n e agl e

. .

“
I n the Pe rs ian z e n d a ves ta we a re t o ld o f the ancie nt
P e rs ia n che rubim with the fo ur p rin cip a l s ta rs which
,

watch e d o v e r the fo ur c o rn e rs o f the wo rld which w e re the ,

fo ur s ta rs which de te rmin e the f o ur s e aso n s or s o l st ic es In .

D a nie l s vis i o n o f the fo ur b e as ts he f oll o we d the Pe rs ia n

’

p r oj e cti on o f the s ph e r es In the e a rli e r e di tio ns o f the

.

f our G os p els the li o n w a s the V i g n e tte o f Matthe w ; the bull

,

fac e d the titl e page o f Luke ; the fac e o f a man o r Aqua rius , ,

w a s the vi g n e tt e o f Mark and the e agle w a s the fro ntis ,

p i e c e o f J o hn In J ohn s vis i o n o f the whit e thro ne and the

.
’

f o ur b e as ts ( Re v elati on s c hapt e r the ch e rubic b e as ts

, ,

i ncluding the calf w e r e in the mids t o f the thr on e and

‘
,

round ab o ut the thr o n e ;

’
but in the fifth chapt e r he sa w
a n oth e r b e as t in the mids t o f the f our be as t s e v e n a lamb , ,

a s it ha d b e e n s lai n having s e v e n h o rn s and s ev e n e y es

,
.

Th es e b e as t s had e yes b e f or e an d b ehind r e pr e s e nting the ,

s t a rs whil e the s e v e n ho rns and s e v e n e y es o f the lamb a re

,

the s e ve n pl an e ts O n the large s t ain e d wi nd o w o f ol d

.

T rini ty Church o n Bro adway N e w Yo rk C ity m ay be s e e n

, , ,

the fo ur E van ge li s ts e ach with his ch e rubic b e as t s ; Matth e w

,

wi th his li on , Luk e wit h his bull , Mark with his man a n d ,

 C HAP TE R IX .

Thu s far we h av e b ee n gl e aning fr o m all r eligi ons and

"
f orm s o f b eli e f in o rd e r to s h o w that every f orm o f re
‘

l ig ion and e v e ry d oc trin e ha s always had its c ount e rp art

, ,

in v a rious p a rts o f the w orld and that th e y a re a l l the

,

childr en of o n e c omm o n p ar ent T heo l o gi ans a re c om

.

p e l l e d to admit that many o f the d o c trin es a n d f orms o f the

‘

anci ents a r e id e ntical with the Chri st ian s ys t em but th ey ,

alway s c ont e nd that the anci en ts gath er e d th e ir i d e as fr om

the J e ws o r Chri s tian s This w e hav e p r o v e n to be a bs o
.

l ute l y fals e f or th es e id e as w e r e ol d c e nturi es b e fo re th e r e

,

wa s a J e wi s h faith .

In t e aching the ol o gy in o ur c ol le ges it is n ot to be s up,

p os e d that the s tud e nt will g o b ey on d the G r e e k and R oman

Chur c h and thu s wh e n the r e app e ars any s imilarity it is
,

di s p os e d o f in a s ummary mann e r W e hav e th e r e f o r e b e e n

.

p urp os e ly bringing the e vid e nc e fr om a p e ri o d o f tim e far

a n t e ri o r to the J ewi s h and Chri s ti an e ra In fact all o f the .

G r e e k and Roman p aganis m w a s b o rr o w e d fr om the E gyp

tians a n d wha t is far the w o rs t of the m att e r is the fact that
th ey hav e b o rrow e d th es e s ymb oli s ms with o ut giv e n cr e dit
and w itho ut kn owin g a n ythin g o f the i nn er s p iri t a n d the
m ig hty a nd s u bl im e truths w hic h the E g yp tia n s kn ew and

un d e rs too d s o wel l .

T wo nati o ns of the E a s t cl a im D avid and Solom on as

 on E GYPTIAN I N ITIATIO N . 237
thei r anci ent kings and e ndow th e m with the s a m e quali
,

ti es T he Arabs o f the d es e rt in th e ir n ati o n al l e ge nd s

.
, ,

r ec ount the military pr o w ess o f the o n e and the gr e at w is

d om o f the othe r A larg e p r o p orti o n o f the hi s t o ry o f e ach
.

is n o t fabulo us is writ t e n acc o rding to the p att e rn s h own

,

to a n d by the l e arn e d in the m o unt o r high plac es wh e r e ,

the s ch o ols in itia te d th e ir fol l ow e r s i n the mys t e ri e s o f the

“
kingd o m o f h ea v en .
”
D a vid s wars c oncubi n ag e a n d
’
, ,

wicked am o urs with B a th Sheba and that fair es t virgin o f q

'

a l l I s rae l we re the mys tical p e rs on ific a t io n s o f the c on

,

j uncti on s o f the s un m o o n an d s tarry h os ts and a l s o ,

“

s ha d o we d for th the g ra nd s e c r e t o f p ow er ta ug ht i n the

m ys te ri es o f in i tia tion , whic h w a s the in n er a n d n ever e ve n
hin te d a t to the ma s s e s e r e ep t by M os es a n d then on l y to be
cas t as id e a nd the e m bl e m o f the m ys te ries wo rs hip p e d
“
D avid in his r oyal s tat e w a s the
,
nati on o v e r , s un o f the
which he r eign e d and the c onjun cti o n o f the s un with the
,

les s e r o rbs w e re r el a te d a s th ough th e y w er e the a cti on s o f

'

m e n and w om en H is c on flic ts e v e n if s om e o f t h e m w e r e
.
,
i

r e al w e re amplifie d to c o rr es p on d to the c onflict s o f the

,

s un with the fr os t s o f wint e r a n d his vict o ri es mad e to ,

c omp are in brilliancy w ith the c omple t e triumph o f the

s un in the s umm e r s ol s tic e T he kings wh om he s ubdu e d .

re pr e se nte d o r w e re the wintry c on s t ellati o ns w ith th e ir ,

n um e r o us s tarry h os t s w ho w e r e put d o wn by D avid ( the ,

s u n ) wh e n he as c e nd e d the thro n e o f E s — r a el and re ign e d -

in p o w e r in the s e aso n o f pl enty H is i n tri g u e with B ath

.
.

"
Sh eba m e ans n othi n g m or e o r l e s s th a n the e ntr a nc e o f the
s un into the c ons t e ll a ti o n o f Virgo the pr olific m o th e r o f s o ,

m any childr e n w ho a re alw a ys o f the r oyal li n e ag e H er

,
.

f
B a th is daught e r Sh eba is s e v en ; B a th Sh eb a wa s the
,
-

daught e r or virgin o f the s e v en s umm e r c o n s t ell a ti o n s T he .

Q u e e n o f Sh e ba w a s the s am e virgin the q u e e n o f the s a m e ,

s e v e n ; th a t s t o r y b e i n g a n o th e r al l e go ry Th e r e w e r e hum a n s .

i n thi s n am e a n d th e ir l if e is s y m b o liz e d by thi s l e ge n d In .

s tanc e : the s o n o f the Q ue e n o f Sh e b a b e i n g the natur a l s on

o f Sol om on .
! 3s n v s m a m s or O S I R IS
hu s band Uriah ( Ur i ah ) the high o r e xalt e d light is the
. - -

, ,

s am e c on s t ellati o n ( Y ous e pp e ) th a t is always on the righ t

o f the virgin an d a l lud e d t o wh e n tr e ating o n Paradi s e in a

,

f o rm e r chapt e r B ath She b a w a s the daught er o f E l i a m

.
-
- -

( the s un the s elf exi s ting fath e r ) s he w as als o the m oth e r

,
-

o f Sol e m o n ( the n am e o f the s un in thr e e l a n guages )

- -

c on ,

taining the tr i nity o f d e ity in his own nam e ; al s o the gran d

o m nifi c w o rd and wa s thu s fr o m his p e culiar lin e age viz :
, ,

child o f the s un by the harv e s t qu e e n the virgi n o f Augus t , ,

w ho y e arly giv es birt h to a r oyal child and yet e ve r r etains

her virginity — fitte d f o r a pr e s idin g ge niu s o f the Ma s o ns
, ,

f o r wis d om p e r s o nifi e d , and a s a h o u s e h o ld o f a l l the e a s t e rn

n ati o n s .

“
T he all e g o ry r e p res e nting D avid in his o l d a g e a s fe e bl e
an d l os in g his h e art to r e m e dy which the fair e s t virg i n i n
,

all E s ra cl w a s br o ught to him wa s i n v e nt e d to e xplain a

- -

ph e n o me n a in natur e but littl e unde rs to o d at the tim e

*
.

T he s umme r s o l s tic e w a s th e n in L e e but Augu s t whe r e , ,

Virg o ha s he r d o micil e wa s s o much h ott e r than Jun e that , ,

in the th e n infancy o f na tural s ci e nc e the l e ar n e d e xp laine d

it a s th eol og y ha s always e xpl a ine d d iffieul ties by wrap
'

, ,

p ing it up in a myth Th e y the r e fo r e s aid that the h e a t o f .

the virgi n o f Augus t w a s add e d to the rays o f the s un to

'

p er p e tuat e his h e at a s he w a s trav elling d o wn t owar d

wint e r In the nam e o f this virgin w e al s o find the r oo t o f
.

the nam e o f the s un in thr e e dial ect s It is s aid that o l d .

D avid w a c ov e r e d with m or e c l othing by his s erva nts

s

b e fo re the V irgin s h e at w a s add e d to his d e n o ting that

’
,

e ve n the clo thing o f a b o u n t e o us harv es t c ould n o t pe r ~

p e tua te his h e at T he s t o ry o f Tamar the daught e r o f

.
,

D avid ravi s h e d by he r o wn br o the r s e e m s to be a r e pr o

, ,

Th is als o ha s an in n er m e aning whi ch wa s t a ught in the

p ri es th o o d to the initiat e s al o n e It w a s n ev e r hint e d at to .

the ma s s es It has r e fe r e nc e to the s am e mys te ry a s the

.

“
E lixir o f Yo uth o f the ol d Al ch e mi s ts and th e r e in is
”
,

t aught the m ys t e ry o f the p r ol o ngati on o f lif e by many

y e ars .
2 40 MYSTE R IE S or OS IRI S
the t e mpl e and s l e w m o r e at his de ath than durin g his life .

Th es e pill ars o f the t e mpl e w e r e the s a m e as the p o s ts o f

the gat e that he carri e d away at a f o rm e r p e ri o d ; but h e re
the s c e n e ry o r adj uncts o r the e xt e rnal c o v e ring o f the
,

s ame s t o ry a re chang e d In the fo rm e r c as e wh e n he carri e d

.

away the gat es the wint e r r e pr e s e nt s the s u n a s s l e ep ing ,

a n d at the e xact mo m e nt o f the wint e r s o l tic e a ri s in g fr o m s

his s lumb e r to in a ugurat e the n e w y e ar a n d at midnight , ,

o r e xac tl y t w e nty minut es aft e r t e aring d o wn the gate s o f ,

wint e r ; o r fr os t and t aking th e m o n his s h oulde rs u p to the

,
.

hill H ebr o n o r the v ernal e quin o x In thi s the w rit e r

-

,
.

r e pr e s e nts the e xp iring y e ar in D agon ( the fis h g o d ) o r the ,

c o ns t e ll ati on o f the fis h es as d e s tr oying the p ow e r o f wint e r

, ,

b e cause in his d e ath he br e aks the p o w e r o f the ol d ye ar

and giv es plac e to the n ew y e ar s s un who is b o rn in thr ee ,

days aft e r his d e ath ; f or it mu s t n e ed s be th at the s u n o f

the o l d y e ar di e s that he m a y ris e again and thus fulfill all ,

ri g ht e ous n e s In thi s w e aga in s e e f or es ha d o w e d the

s
.

mys te ry o f the C hris t and th at the lif e o f J es u s w a s buil t

u p on this s ymb oli s m As o ft e n s tat e d J e s us did liv e a n d
.
,

he d i d liv e much o f the lif e cl aim e d f or him but s aid lif e is ,

dr a matiz e d aft er the anci e nt s un l e ge nd .

“
In mys tic o r p arabl e w riting the anci ent s made us e o f
fictiti ou nam e s a s d o o u r m o d e rn writ e rs o f r omanc e o r
s
,

tal e s
. But a v e ry c omm on m e th o d in vo gu e am ong th e m
c ons i s te d in u s ing the nam e s o f the s un a s b e f o r e r em ark e d , ,

c omp o und e d o ft e n thr e e f o ld to d e n o t e the trini ty bu t ,

whe re a s a c ontinu e d r e p e titi o n o f the s am e nam e w ould e x

plai n the riddl e w ith o ut the n e c es s ity o f pl o ughing with
S am s o n s h e if e r ( Tauru s ) th e r e f o r e the n a m e its e lf w a s
’
,

c omm o nly hidd e n und e r the v e il o f a f o r e ign l anguage o r ,

by trans p os ing the r oo ts o r m on os yllables With our limit e d

'
.

kn o wl e dg e o f anci e nt la n guag es w e a re s truck with the

fre qu ent r e curre nc e o f th e s e nam es o f the s un in s om e o f the
dial e cts with which w e a re acquaint e d ; a b ett er acquaint
anc e wi th th os e idi om s w o uld add v a s tly to the s t o ck o f o ur
kn owl e dge 0 m , O n , Ab, Ad Am , Ac I 0 , E l E 3, I a h, or
.
’
, , ,
-
 on E Y T G P IAN I N ITIATI ON .
“
2 41

Ja h, an d so me th e rs
b e e n s tat e d a re the s impl e
o , as ha s ,

n am es o f the s u n o r G o d Le t us apply this t es t to the .

s to ry o f S am s o n and alth o ugh it may a imagin ativ

“

, pp ea r e ,

it will ass is t us in analyzing o th e r wo rd s Man o ah w a s the .

fath e r o f Sams on Tran s p os e the fi rs t two s yllabl es and w

.

hav e Am e n a h viz : the fath er b e ing m o s t hig h T a k e

-

, , , .

from S ams o n the v e il o f the l e tt e r S re p e ate d a n d you hav e

Am —
,

Ou Tak e fr om D el ilah the l e tt e r D and we have

.

E l il a h the n am e o f the s un r e p e at e d , e nding in a h the

- -

, ,

s am e e nding a s ha s J e hovah .

“
The sto ry of the
fox es is a bu n gling tran s l ati o n T he .

w ord fo x es a n d s h e av es a re s o n e a rly alik e in the H ebr ew

that on e w a s take n f or the oth er by the tran s l at o rs T he .

p arabl e w a s int e nd e d to r e pr es ent a p e ri o d o f in t en s e h e at ,

whe n the s un in s upp os e d wrath s et fire to the alr e ady

gath e r e d harves ts o f Philis tia Al l n ati ons having a lite ra .

tur e hav e l e f t on r e c ord traditi ons o f inte n s e h ea t cau s e d ,

by the s un wand e ring fr om his c o urse and thr e at e ning the

w o rld with a gen e r a l con fia g ra tio n whic h c on fia g ra tion ,

they s a y will ye t tak e plac e This tradi ti o n ha s furni s h e d .

mat erial f or s c o r es o f all ego ri es which in v a ri ou s f orms

hav e d es c en de d to us J e s us us es it to de s crib e the s p e e dy
.

de tructi o n o f the J ewi s h n ati on un d e r the figure o f a

s
,

ge n e r a l c onfia g ra tion o f h e av e n a n d e a rth T he bu rnin g .

up o f the Philis tine s h arv es t is a fra g m e n t of the s a m e

’

s t o ry The s to ry o f B a ni a m and his a s s is the s am e all e go ry

.
,

unde r an oth e r f orm and su rro und e d by o th e r s c en e ry .

B aalim w as the n a m e g iv en to the twe lv e co ns t e ll ati ons o r ,

in o th e r w o rd s the plural o f Baa l In thi s cas e he w a s the .

s un p e r so n ifi e d o r the u n it e d p o w er o f the B aal s c o mbin e d

,

in the s un T he time ch os e n by the write r w as wh en the

.

s un wa s in Jun e in c o nj unct io n with the tw o s tars cal l e d

,

the as s es by as tr o no m e rs ( s e e Jacob s bl es s in g o n I ss achar )

’

the s am e o n which J es u s r o de in triumph int o J e ru s a l e m .

B a a lim is r e p re s e nt e d a s ridi n g o n on e o f th em until he

c om es to a b o unda ry ( trOp ic o f C a nc e r ) r e pr e s en te d bv a ,

wall and at this p oint the a s s se es the a n g e l o f the L ord

, ,
 2 42 MYSTE RIE S or OS IRIS
w ho w ith a drawn s w o rd f o rbid s his furth e r pr o gr es s H e r e .

the a s s is r e pr es e nt e d as s p e aking in the s am e s e ns e—that

is all e go ri cally—that the vin e s p e aks wh e n it s ays : “ Shall
,

I l e av e m y win e that ch e e re th the he art o f G o d and m an ?

e tc ( Judges
.

“
T he G r ee k writ e rs hav e given us the m os t c ompl e t e
r e c o rd o f the int ens e he at and the dange r s o f a ge n e ral
,

burning that onc e o ccurr e d in c o n s e que nc e o f the s un s ’

ab e rrati o n fr om his p r op e r c our s e in the all e gory o f Pha e

to n Th e y s a y tha t the int e ns e h e at o f that p e ri o d dri e d up
.

the bl o o d o f the E thi o pian s and turn e d th e ir s kin s black .

Pha e to n by craft o btain e d p e rmis s i on o f his fath e r Ph oe bus

to driv e the chari o t o f the s un f o r o n e day but the p rancing ,

s t e e ds s o o n l e a rning that a m e r e chil d h e ld the r e in s l e ft

, ,

th e ir p r e p e r c ours e a n d das h e d away t o ward the n o rth and

“

s o o n thre at e n e d the w o rld with d es tructi o n H e r e f oll o ws .

a dial o g u e b e tw e e n Jup it e r and the s un in which the s ub ,

j e s t is c o nd en s e d int o a f ew w ords :
J u pi te r : W re tc h w hat h av e yo u d o n e to l e ave y o ur
i .
,

chari o t to be guid e d by a yo ung f oo l who ha s burnt up o n e ,

h a l f o f the w o rld and fro z e up the o th e r ; in so much tha t

ha d n o t I s truck him d o wn to the gr ound with a thund e r .

b ol t th e re had be e n e u e n d o f mank ind .

8 m m I c onf e ss Jupit e r I w a s mis t ak e n th a t I c o ul d n ot

.
, ,

m anage my s o n n o r e ndur e the te ars o f a mi s tr es s ; but I

,

d i d n ot think s o much mi s chi e f w ould hav e c o me o f it .

Jup i ter : D i d you n o t kn o w the fury o f yo ur ho rs es and ,

that if th e y turn e d n e ve r s o littl e out o f the way a uni ,

v e rs al rui n foll o we d ?
Si m : I kn e w it v e ry w e ll and th e re fo re I put T he e to n
,

int o the chario t mys e lf and ga v e him a ll n ec es s ary ih

,

s tru c tio n s but the h ors e s n ot finding th e ir c onduct o r with

,

th e m t ook h e ad a n d he b ec am e dazzl e d with the s pl end o r

,

o f the light and fright e n e d with the aby s s he s a w b e n e ath

,

him But he ha s b ee n s ufficie n tly puni s he d a n d I al s o in

.
,

his punis hme nt .

’
Jupiter : In the m e an tim e , giv e Phae to n s s is t e r o rd e rs
 C H AP TE R X .

Th e rp ent a s a s ym bo l d es e r ves a m or e e xt e nd e d n otic e

se

than the bri e f re marks yet m a de in this w o rk S e rp ent .

w o rs hip b e came the m os t wides p re ad s ys t e m o f any s impl e

s ym bol w ors hip und e r h e av e n H e figur e d in h e a v e n e x
.

te n s iv e l y a n d w as the l e ad e r up o f the h o s ts o f h e ll
, He .

br o ught in d e ath a n d all the ills that fl es h is h e ir to and ye t ,

he w a s the s ymb ol o f he alth o f wi s d o m and o f b e a u ty ,

?
,

Whil e the r a c e wa s writhing und e r the e ff e cts o f his bite

thro u gh E ve but m o r e e s p ec i ally whil e the Is ra el it es w e re
,

dy i n g fr o m his v em on in the wilde rn es s he w a s c r uc ifi e d in ,

a braze n f o rm a s a s avi o ur fro m hi s o wn p o i s on ; and to

.

acc om pli s h this the Je ws mus t n e e ds by the e x p rem c om ,

m a n d o f J e h o vah vi olat e an o th e r c ommand o f his viz : that

, ,

which f o rb ade the Je w s tobow d o wn to gr a v e n ima g es We .

h av e alr e a dy hint e d that the s e rp ent in c o n s e qu e nc e o f his ,

“T he
5
mys t e ry rp ent and the m ys t e ry o f the
of the se

pha l l a s a re the s a m e Whil e the s e rp en t i s lift e d up it

.
”

b e c o m es a s ym b ol o f he alth vit ality im m ort a li ty a n d re

.
, ,

g e n e ra ti o n It is th e n a s ymb o l o f all that is g oo d and tru e

.
,

wi s d o m p e rs onifi e d a n d the ke y to all the m ys te ri es M os es

,
.

tau g ht thi s t o the p e o pl e in the wil d e r n e s s Wh e n thro wn .

d ow n he b e c o m es the s ymb ol o f all that is e vil the s ymb o l

, ,

o f all bitte rn es s s trife ,

a n d all t hat c o m e s und e r the w ord
,

e v il . Curs e d is he who ca s t s his s e e d up o n the ground .

M os es and the p ro ph e ts tau ght thi s m y s te ry but the p e opl e ,

 on E GYPTI AN INIT IATI ON . 9 45

f o rm ,
up er s e d e d the o th e r fo rm o f s ymb o lical wo rs hip : the
s

p ha l l i m w o rs hip o f In d ia and E gypt T he r e p til e ha s him

.
‘

s e lf b e en b o th the dr e ad and w o nd e r o f man in all ag es ,

w h e th e r c o n s id e r e d a s a n e mbl e m o f G o d o r the D e vil As .

a n e mbl e m o f the f o rm e r he ha s in s pir e d a r e ligi ou s a we

,

a n d v e n e r a ti o n a s a s ymb o l o f the latt e r he ha s e v e r b ee n

,

c ons id e r e d a s ign o f e vi l imp o rt O n the on e hand his bite

.
,

ha s pr o duc e d s p e e dy d e ath ; o n the o th e r he ha s p os s es s e d ,

vi rtu e s that h a v e arr e st e d the march o f the grim d es tr oye r

w h en all o th e r r e m e di es hav e f a il e d H e is the ge niu s o f the
.

prac titi on e r s o f the h e ali n g art s ymb olizing th eir s kill if

,

n o t th e ir s ubtl e ty ; als o the caus e o f the m o s t ban e ful d is

as t e rs th a t t orm e nt the rac e As a s era p h in h e a ve n he is

.
,

r e pre s en t e d a s unc ea s ing in his prai s es ; a s a d e vil in h ell ,

he is the u n c om pr omis ing e n emy o f G o d ; a s the chi e f o f

p olic e in h e av e n he wa s e v e r r e ady to d o the bidd ing o f
,

J eh ovah a s a lyi n g s p irit in the m o uth of Ahab s pr oph et s

,
’
,

o r to t e mpt D avid to n umb e r I s ra e l ; and a s the arch fi e nd in

Pand e m onium he is r ep r e s e nt e d a s inc o rrigibl e in his d is

,
-

o b ed i e nc e to the mandat e s o f h e av e n H e is call e d by J ohn

.

( Rev . the gr e a t D rag on that ol d S e rp ent call e d the

, ,

D e vil a n d S a ta n which d e c e iv e t h the w o rld

, ,
Th es e f our.

n am es a r e s yn on ym ou s Anci ent as tron om ers hav e give n

.

the name D rag o n to the gr e at s e rp e nt o f the p ol e ; the s am e

that r e p r es ents a s having s e v e n h e ads and te n h orns In the .
!

lan gu ag e of an oth e r writing up on the p e culi a r fitn es s o f the

,
‘
s e rp e nt a s a s ymb ol : S e rp e nt s w e r e w ors hipp e d in P e rs ia ,

and thr ough out the e as t a n d had t e mple s built to th e ir

,

ins t e ad o f lif ting up the s e rp e nt all owe d him to crawl up o n

the gr o u n d a n d the r es ult ha s alway s b e e n e vil
. T he re c a n .

be n o r eg e ne ra t ion wi tho u t the l if tin g up o f the s e rp e n t

Me n may pr e a ch a n d t e a ch what eve r th ey W is h th“e r e cann ot
.

be r e g e n e r a ti o n with o ut the lifting up o f the

”
s e rp ent .

This w a s the m ys t e ry o f i n itiati o n and the m ain s e cr e t

taught by the E gyptian Br oth e rh oo d and imm e diat ely th a t
he had l e d his p e o ple fro m E gypt he tri e d to t e ach the
m ys t e ry univ er s ally , with what r es ult s w e kn ow fr om
his t ory .
2 45 n vs rna ms or o s mx
s

h o n o r u n d e r the exp res s titl e s o f the gr ea t e s t o f all g o ds

, ,

and the s up e rint e nd e nt o f the who l e w o rl d By the ir .

truly magnific e nt a n d s il ent m oti o n in pr ogress i o n th e y ,

re pr es en t e d the e lliptical o rbit s o f the plane ts ; and th e ir

bright s cal es the c o untl es s milli ons of s tars r e v olving o rbi t ,

w ithi n o rbit yet n e ve r cla s hing ; and advancing a s o ur

, ,

wh ol e s olar s ys t e m ha s ( by the only lat e dis c o v e ri es o f

Hall e y L e m onni e r C a s s ini and H e rs ch ell ) b ee n as oe r
, , , ,
.

ta in e d to be advancing the wh ol e t o g e th e r thro ugh infinit e

,

s p ace t oward the c o n s t e llati o n H e rcules ; yet all guid e d by

o n e purp os e all with o n e life in s tinctiv e

,
Th e ir m otio n .

with out the aid o f limb o r a n y s plitting o r divis i on o f the

,

b o dy i n any p arts p res e n t e d the m os t liv e ly typ e o f the

,

uni ty o f the G o dhe ad his inde p e nde nc e o f all fo r e ign s up

,

p o rt or as s is tan c e his s tr eng th i n lif e b e ing in him s el f

,
.

By putting his tail in his m o uth the s e rp e nt is the e mbl e m

o f e t e rn ity ; by s h e dding its s ki n it is an e mbl e m o f im

m o rta lity s o curious ly a n d e nigmatically des crib e d by St

,
.

’
Paul : n o t that w e wo uld be unc l othe d but cl oth e d up o n
‘
,
.

By its hiss i ng n o i s e it re pres e nt s the v o ic e o f G o d w hi c h w as ,

n e v e r dis t inctly a rticulat e but alwa ys v e ry te rrible a s

, ,

J e re miah as s ures us that the L o rd will his s unto the m fro m

‘

the e n d o f the e a rth : a n d he will his s f or the fly o f E gypt

’
.

B ut ab o v e all its s a n itive o r h e alin g p o we rs r e nd e r e d: the

, ,

s e rp e nt the univ ers al e mbl e m o f h e alth and s alvati o n and ,

the invariably att e ndant s ymbo l o f the g o ds ca l l e d Se viou rs :

H e rcul es Ap o ll o A es culap ius B acchu s M e rcury Ado nis
, , , , ,

all a re charact e riz ed and kn o wn a s S avi o urs by the a c

”
c omp anyi n g s ymb o lic s e rp e nt .

The s e rp e nt having b e c om e a univ e rs a l s ymb ol and with ,

the tail in his m o uth r e p r es e nting e t e rnity the un iv e rs e , ,

the s un life a n d d e ath h e at an d c old etc

, s ymb o lizing
, ,
.
, ,

ind ee d a gr e a t vari et y o f f o rc es and p a ss i o ns b e cam e a

, ,

s ubj e c t o f a gr ea t vari e ty o f e nigma s O n e gr e a t art in .

ancient hi e ro glyphical w riti n g c on s is t e d in a m e ta m o r

pho s i s o f o n e b e ing int o an o th e r o r a s ys t e m o f me t onym y
.
,

by which , acc o rdi n g to Walk er, on e w o rd is p ut f or an oth er,

2 48 Mr s ra a ms or os n u
s

( buri e d ) a t the wint e r s o l s tic e By m e t onymy Saul .

( Sh eo l ) wa s the s un d e s c e nde d int o h ell s trick e n bl in d in ,

the wint e r s ols tic e an d th e n c o mi n g up fro m the l o w e r

,

r e gi o n s int o s umm e r he p r e ach es the faith the bapti s m o f ,

the H oly G h os t and fire that he att em pte d to d es tro y whi l e

in the wintry s tat e H is nam e is n ow m etem orpho s ed int o
.

P aul an abbre viati o n o f Ap oll o who und e r thi s n am e wa s

, ,

G o d in h e av e n a n d und e r the nam es Ap ol yon a n d

,
- -

Ah a d on wa s the D e vil that o l d s e rp e nt in h e ll T he fir s t

- -

, .

inklin g we h a v e o f the s e rp e nt e nd ow e d with s p e ech in the

B ibl e w a s in his c el e brat e d c oll oq u y with m oth e r E ve ( The .

w o rd E v e its e lf m e an s s e rp e nt ) In thi s d ia l o gue he affirm

.

that if o u r anc e s t o rs but tas te d the fo rbidd en fruit th e y

“
w ould be c om e a s the G o ds kn o wing go o d and ev il ” if
, .

G o d him se lf o r rath e r J e h ovah the G o d s s aid a m o ng th e m

‘
, ,
‘
s e lv es man ha s b eco m e a s on e o f us k n owing goo d and
, ,
’
e vil .The s e rp e nt is re pr es e nt e d a s the a d ve rs ary of G o d
and man fro m a d ve rs a rius o f the Latin T he wo rd s imp ly
, .

m e an s opp os it e the r e v ers e to A lin e dra wn thr ough the

,
.

L o rd o f the As c end a nt th a t is the c on s t e lla ti on in which

, ,

the s un happ e ns to be at the tim e w o uld p a ss thr ough the

'
,

D iabo lus o r Lo r d o f the O pp o s it e s ign T he t e rm a d ve rs a ry .

o f the E nglis h L e D ia bl e o f the Fr e nch D ia bol us o f the

, ,

—
t
I w e fin d the s am e myst e ry o f the s e rp en t
I e r e again .

“
Had m a n n o t, by his d es ires , fall e n into m a t e rial f orm ,
”

m a n c o uld n o t kn o w e ith e r the g oo d o r the e vil

'
W om a n .

“ ”
f ell into the mate rial f o rm a t the s am e tim e tha t man
did , it w a s n o s e rp ent that t empt e d th e m but the s e rp e n t
—
d es ire within th e m s elv es Af t e r the “
fa ll ”
. int o the
mat e rial f o rm , the y c ould n ot kn o w anyt hing with o ut the
“ ”
cr e ati o n and h e r e again the s e rp ent d es ire te mpt e d th em
a n d t hr o ugh the t em ptati o n the y kn e w g e n e rati o n and tha t
which w a s goo d o r bad , the m ys tery o f r e gen e rati o n w a s -

n o w r e s e rve d to th e m a n d thi s c o uld o nly be acc o mpli s h e d

“
by the birth o f the Chri s t which w a s t o ld th em c o uld b e
”

a cc o mplis h e d We h e r e fin d th a t the s e rp e nt o f g o od a n d
.

the s e rp e nt o f e v il a r e o n e but in d ifie re n t ma n i fe s ta tion s

’

I f the s tud en t will b e ar thi s in mind he c a n s olv e all the

m ys t eri es .
 OR EGYP TI AN I NITI ATI ON . 2 49

G ree k cam e fr om the s impl e ide a that the ge nius o f c old

,

a n d darkn ess is a ntag o nis tic to the s u n a n d is e v e r s tanding ,

o v e r a s an o pp os e r ; h e nc e all lo ve rs o f warmth n e c e s arily s

l ook up o n the o pp o ing f o rc es i n natur e a s e vil or p er s oni

s

fie d int o the D e vil An o x giv es the fav o rit e fo rm aft e r

.
,

which image m o de rn th e o l o g y paints its D e vil with his ,

h o rn s a n d cl ov e n ho o fs ; and yet thi s s am e ox und e r the ,

n a me o f ch e r ub a n d ch er ubim is r e pr e s en te d a s the b o d y ,

g uard o f J e h o vah in h e av en ; a n d the s na ke und e r h is ,

’

pr o p e r n ame o f s er a ph and s e raphim unce as ingly chant h

M
o s t o f the imp o rtant grain s —wh e at rye barl e y
,

prais es .
, , ,

e tc. d e ri v e th e ir g en e ric na m e from the s e rp ent trib e Th e y

,
.

a re ca ll e d c e r e als fr om C e r es ( V irgo ) .
the G re e k harv es t ,

qu ee n ; the wo rd C eres be ing a c omp ound o f c or the firs t ,

s yllable o f c e ra sr te s the s n a k e ; a n d es the gr e at fire the

, , ,

T he s nak e is p e c ul ia rl y a d e n i z e n of the warm r e gi o n s ;

‘
'

s un
'

j
in win t e r he b e c o m es t o rpid c ons equ entl y if he had b een '

ban i s he d to the north p ol e inste ad o f that ho tte r re gi o n

-

aft e r his r eb elli o n he w ould hav e b e e n p owerle s s f or e vil

, ,

and a l l the m a chin ery o f s alv a ti on including p op es cardi , ,

n a ls arc h bi s ho p s p ri es ts mi s s ionari es inquis i ti on s cre e d s

,
-

, , ,
'

a n d fo rmulari e s a n d e v e n the d e ath o f G od ) him s e lf w o uld

,

n e c ess arily be d is p e ns e d with and the v as t army o f n on ,

pr od uc e rs w ho n o w liv e up on the fe ar s and ign o ranc e o f the

p eo pl e w ould o f n e c es s ity h av e b e en e ducat ed to foll ow
,

s o m e u s e f ul e mpl o ym e nt and pr e ach by th e ir l iv in g , ins t e ad

o f living by th e ir p r e achin g— symb o lis m which th ey d o n ot

und e rs t a nd .

“
W e thus p e rc e iv e the D evil in the p os s e s s i on o f e very
vari e ty of n a m es that r e pr e sent inte rchange ably the m os t
e xalt e d f o rce s a n d s e ntim e nt s and a l s o the ir di r e ct op p o s it e
’
, .

H e is cal l e d Lucif e r b e ar e r o f light ; he is ca ll e d the Son o f

,

the M o rni n g ; he is a s e raph and s er aphim the ch er ub and ,

ch e rubim o f the h e a v e ns ; he is the ro a ring li o n o f the

zo d iac walkin g aroun d s e eking who m he may d ev o ur —
, be ,

ing s i mply a m etam orpho i s o f the li on o f the trib e o f s

Judah, who in his ye a rly t ravel s d ev ours or s wall ows up the

 2 50 mr srrnms or Osi Ri S

t rs
s a of the
c on s te ll a ti on s thr ough which he p a s s e s H e is .

the a ccus e r but n ot c a ll e d the fa l s e a cc us e r the sta t e s

’
-

, ,

a tto rn e y o f the u n iv e rs e wh ose b us i n e ss it w as to hu n t up

,

a n d t em pt a n d try the vill a i n s o r s u p os e d wicke d o n es o f

p
e a r th a n d r e p o rt to the Al m i ghty a s he d id wh en he p re
, ,

s e n t e d hi ms e lf with the s i n s o f G o d be fo r e his thr on e As .

‘

the a d v e rs a ry o f light he is o f n e c es s ity the pri n c e of d a rk

n e ss . As the e a rth p r es e n ts its W h o l e s urfa c e s ucc ess iv ely
to the s un the il lu m i n a t e d h a lf wa s the ki n g d om o f h e a v e n ;
'
,

whil e the d a rk s i d e be i n g a d ve rs e to the s un w a s s ym b o lic

, ,

a lly r e pr es e n t ed a s the kin g d om o f the p o wer s o f d a r kn ess ,

a n d lit e r a lly c a ll e d H ad es o r the i n vis ibl e w o rl d o r H el l , , .

o r the B o tto m l es s P i t, lit e r a lly is bott oml ess ,

th e r e b e i n g n o b otto m n or c on c e iv a ble li m it to the e xte n t o f

i n fin it e s p a c e ) t o wa r ds which the e a rth p r es e n ts its a d ve rs e
,

o r d i a b ol ic a l s urf a c e ; a n d it is n o n e o th e r th a n the l an g ua ge

o f the s un e clip s e d by the e a rth whic h we r ea d i n the a ll e

“

g oric a l c om pl a i n t o f Jo n a h wh e n s w a ll o w e d up by the
’

, _

G o etus o r fis h of wi n t e r I w e n t d o w n i nto the b el l y o f

. .

h e ll the ea rth with he r ba rs wa s a bo u t me fo r eve r

,
-

, .

T he D e vil w a s a ls o n a m e d Ab a d on i n He br ew a n d
Ap ol ly on in G r ee k T he first is a c om p o un d o f Abba f a the r
’ ~
.
, ,

a n d D on the L o r d ; o r Ab f a th e r Ad the L o rd a n d 0 91 the , , , , ,

b e i n g thr e e n a m es o f G o d the Sun ; the l a tte r the G re e k

, ,
'

is the s a m e a s the L a ti n Ap o ll o the w el l kn o wn a n d

‘
name
'

, ,

u n i ve rs a l n a m e o f the s un As in the m e d al s o f Ne r o thi s .

'
,

d i r p r t d cr w ed w ibh fl a urel s havin g his q uiver

“

go s e es e n e o n ,

up on his s h o ul d e r a n d th a t s t a r o f Pho e bus by his s i d e

'

, ,

with the G r eek wor ds Ap ol l o So tc r, th a t is Ap ol lo the

’

, , ,
’
S a vi o ur .

“
T he s erp e n t its elf w a s i m a gi n e d to be c on sc i o us o f a l l
the s ubli m e i d e a s which its p hys ic a l ch a r a ct e ris tics typ ifi ed ;
by a b o l d m et a ph o r it w a s wi s d o m its elf p ers on ifi e d It w a s
, .

the Ag a tho D e n w n o r go o d s e rp en t e n circli n g the m u n d a n e

- f
, ,

e gg o f the m o s t a n ci e n t th e ol o gy o f P e rs i a It wa s a ls o
’

.
, ,

the s e rp en t An a n d a o n wh os e m ys t e rio us fo l d s the Cr ea to r

“

o f the w o rl d ha d s l ep t up on the b os om of the oc e a n d urin g

 MY STERIE S OF O S IRI S

I ha d p e rs is t e d ha ppy ha d n o t thy pri d e a n d ,

W a n d e ri n g v a n ity wh en l ea s t w a s fit , ,

Re j e cte d m y fo r e w a rn i n g a n d d i s d a i n e d '

N ot to be tru s ted l o n gi n g to be s ee n ;,

T h o ugh by the D e vil hi m s e lf him o v e rw een i n g ,

T o o v e rr ea ch 0 why d id G o d
.
, ,

Cr ea t o r wis e th a t p eo pl e d high es t h e a v en
, ,

With s p irits m as culi n e cr ea te a t l a s t ,

This n ov elty o n e a rth this fa ir d e f e c t ,

O f n a tur e ? “

T he rli es t s ec t o f Chr is ti a n s wa s d es i g n a te d by
v e ry ea

the n a m e o f O phit es o r O phia n i on a cc o u n t o f th e ir p a yi n g ,

i
d vi n e h o n o rs to the s e rp en t I n E gypt w a s a se rp e n t .

n a m e d T he rm u this which wa s lo ok e d up on a s s a cre d ; a n d

,

the v e ry n a m e T he rm uthis J os e phu s t ell s us w a s the n a m e , ,

”
e f os t e r m o th e r o f M os e s
’
o f Ph a ro a h s d a ught e r h
t ,
-
.

T he D e vil ha s a lw a ys b e en an o bj e c t o f fe a r j us t in the
“

p re p o rtion tha t ma ha s be en ig n or a n t a n d s up e rs titio us ;

n

a nd he haslwa ys a s ought whil e in the b a rba ric s t a te to a p

p e a s e a n d brib e him Wie ha v e b e f o re n o te d th a t G o d or

.

the goo d w a s fruitfuln es s , w a r m th a n d lif e p e rs o n ifi e d a n d

, ,

th a t his gr a n d e m ble m w a s the s un which by m e t on ym y he "

b e c a m e the s erp en t who wi th his t a il in his m o uth rep re

,

*
This c om es fr om a m i sc on c e pti o n o f the
a ll f a ll «

Me n m a y p ra t e o f the b e tra ya l o f w om e n but f o r a l l th a t

.

, ,

ha d it n o t b ee n f o r her m a n wo ul d a t thi s d a y be n o m o r e
,

tha n a t the b e g i nn i n g o f cre a ti on f o r with o ut he r th e re c a n ,

be n o h a ppi n ess a n d h ea v e n its e lf c o ul d n o t e xi s t with out

he r . As to he r fa ls e n es s this is a n o th e r d oc tri n e th a t m e n
,

hol d to but n ot true m a n b e li e v es it

,
She is n o m o r e fa l s e .

“
th a n is m a n a n d in f a ct f a r l es s s o As to the f a ll it se lf
,
.
”
,

n o wo m a n t em p t e d m a n to his f a l l the f a ll o f b o th m a n a n d ,

w om a n w a s m utu a l It w a s s i m ply the d es ire o f the Spi rit

.

“
f o r e a rthly fo r m s a n d in th a t d e s ir e th e y f e ll o r in the
t ru e ve rs i o n th e y to o k bod i es or f o rm s up on the ms e l v es
,
.

T he pr e a chi n g o n the f a ll o f m a n a n d the b etr a y a l o f E ve

m a y d o f o r c re e d is m but n o true Chris ti a n m uch l es s a n y ,

i n iti a t e b e li e v es th a t E v e c a us e d Ad a m to f a ll a n d if s he
, ,

d id he d o ubly d es e rv es it f o r the m a n w ho c a n n o t m a st e r
,
‘
,

his d es ir es d es e rv es his pu n i s hm e n t T he fa ll is s i m ply .

s ymb ol i c a l a s a re al l othe r of these mys ti c al te a c hin g s .

 on E Y T G P IAN INITI ATI ON . 2 53
s en edt the d is c o f the s un T o the n a ti on s j us t e m erging .

fro m b a rb a ri s m w h e n a griculture w a s in its i n f a n cy a n d

, ,

the p e o ple ha d n ot the a rt or m e a n s to res e rve l a rge s t or es

f o r a f a mi n e s e a s o n the qu es ti on o f f o o d w a s the a l l a b
,

s o rbi n g on e a n d th e y n a tur a lly a d o pte d the m e th o d o f

,

wo rs hippi n g the p o w ers o f f e rtility a n d! a s n a tura lly d epre ,

c a ted the wr a th o f the a n t a go n i s tic f o rc es I n s ym bol ic .

writi n g th o s e a n im a l s tha t b es t r e pr es e n t e d the w a rmth o f

,

s umm e r b e c a m e s ign s o f g oo d imp o rt a n d vic e vers a T h e re , .

we re e xc e ptio n s to this rul e in c o n s e qu en c e o f s om e p e cul i ,

a rity ih the s ymb o l ; C a n c e r in s umm e r a n d Ca r ic o rn i n

p
.

w i n t e r s e e m to be o f thi s ki n d but the g o a t b e i n g a n a m ,

p hibious m on s te r on the ma p s o r r a th e r in the s ki es r e p re , ,

“
s e n ts the w i n try st a t e w h e n th e r e is a ge n e ra l c o mm i n gli n g
'

o f e a rth a n d w a te r B ut fruitful V i rg l n s twi ns l a mbs.

, , ,

ox en e tc ,
w e r e fit e m bl e ms o f s umm e r ; whil e hun t e rs
.
, ,

fis h es w a t erp o t s etc we r e i n d ic a tiv e o f w i n t e r

, , T he .
, .

s e rpe n t ( f or r e a s o n s a lrea d y giv e n ) b e c a m e the s ymb o l o f

‘

b oth wi n t e r a n d s um m ei C on s e qu en tly w e fin d him in .

he a v en a n d in the b o tt o ml es s pit As the D ra gon o f the

,
.

po le he i s the g e n iu s o f wi n t e r as the H y dr a he 1 s high up in

, , ,

the ki n gdom o f h ea v e n ; a s a p a rt o f the c on s t ell a ti o n o f the

s erp en t b e a r e r he is th e giv e r o f lif e a n d a s S c orp i o he IS
‘
-

, , ,

the w o rm th a t n e v e r d i es In the f o rm o f a s e rp en t u n d e r .
,

the n a me o f Pyth on we fin d the D e v il first p ers o n ifi e d in ,

E gypt o v e rflow i n g the l a n d s w e e pi n g a wa y th e ir la n d

, ,

ma rks c a ttl e a n d h a bi t a ti o n s ; n e xt wh e n the floo d w a s

, ,

fo un d to be a bl ess i n g in d is gui s e he is the p e rs o n ific a ti on o f ,

f ev e r pro d uc e d by the v a p o rs a ris in g fro m the m u d a n d

s lim e d ep os it e d by the N il e ; a n d a g a i n in la k e Sirbo n a mi d ,

the s t a gn a n t re m a i n s o f the floo d fill e d w ith d e c a yi n g ,

v e ge ta ti on bitum e n a n d s ulphu r e xp os e d to the thun d e r

, ,

bo l ts o f A p oll o he is c o n s ign e d to a d e a th th a t n e v e r d i e s
-

,
!
.

“
I n thi s s tygia n l a k e in E gyp t w e h a v e the o rigi n o f the
burn i n g l a ke o r h el l a n d in the a d v e rs e p o w e rs o f w i n t e r
, ,

o rigi n a t e d the i d e a o f a p ers o n a l D e vil T h a t he in h is .

se rp en t f orm w a s a n i n h a bit a n t o f h e a v e n , we h a v e s h own ;

2 54 m sm ms or o s mx
s

his f a l l fr om th a t high es t a t e is a lt o geth e r a s tr on omi c a l It .

ha s b een s h own th a t the s e rp en t w a s on c e a pa rt o f the

J e wi s h c h erubim T hi s s e rp en t whi c h f ell fro m its high
.

e s t a t e wa s o r r a th e r is
, the co n s te ll a ti o n o f S c o rpi o the
, ,

E gypti a n s e rp e n t S c o rpio ha s his d o mi c il e in O ct o b e r T o

.
.

e xpl a i n ho w th a t o l d s e rp e n t the D e v il f e ll fr o m his hi gh, ,

firs t es t a t e a n d b e c a m e the l e a d e r up o f the h os t s o f h e ll ,

k i n g o f the s c orpi on s , l o cu st s fro gs a n d a l l the s ign s o f , ,

e vil , it is n e c e s s a ry to d igre ss from the pl a i n s ubj e ct to .

e xpl a i n wh a t is te rm e d b y a s tr on ome rs the p r e ces s i on o f

the e qui n ox e s I t is k n own b y a l l tha t the s un in w i n t e r is

.

in the s outh e rn h e mi s ph e r e or s outh o f the e qui n o c ti a l l i n e

, .

I t is k n own a l s o th a t in his r eturn to the n orth ern hem is

,

p he re he cros s e s the li n e a b o ut the s e c o n d d a y o f M a rch ,

s o j ou rn s ih the n o rth e rn h e a v en s d uri n g s ix m on ths th en

'

r e cros s es the lin e a ga i n i n the l a tt e r p a rt o f S e pt e mb e r .

T h a t p a r t o f the h ea v e n s a b o v e the p o i n ts o f cro s s i n g o r ,

ra t he r the c on s t e ll a ti o n s in which the s un a pp e a rs to us to

be d uri n g the w a rm m on th s i n c lu d i n g M a rc h a n d Sep

,

t e mb e r w a s c a ll e d by a l l a n cie n t r e li g i on is ts the ki n g d om o f
,

h e a v e n ; whil e the five c ol d m o n ths o r th os e b e l ow the

’

e qui n oc ti a l w e re c a ll e d H a d es She ol the pit a n d o th e r

, , , ,

n a m es .I t wa s the h e ll o f the a n c i en ts T he s un wh e n it .

r e a ch es its c r os s i n g p o i n t d oes n ot c o m e to the e qu a tor a t

the s a m e p l a c e a t which it cros s es the pre c e d i n g y ea r but ,

p a ss es the li n e a b o ut o n e hu n d r e d r od s from the s p ot a t

which it c ro s s e d b e f o r e I t r e a c h es the e qu a to r s o on e r e a c h
.

ye a r a n d c on s e qu en tly the v e rn a l e qui n ox p a s s e s thr ough a

,
.

“ F r o m thi s we fin d
s i g n o f the z o d ia c in a b ou t 21 40 y e a rs )

“I t is f o r thi s r e a s o n t ha t it is s a i d th a t a n ew a g e s e ts in
,

a b out e v e ry 2000 y e a rs a n d th a t a t e a ch s uch a g e a n e w

S a vi our is b o rn to hum a n i ty T h er e is truth in this As the . .

v e rn a l e qui n o x p a ss es thro ugh a s ign e a ch 2000 y ea rs s o ,

a ls o in the p a s t a b o ut e v e ry 2000 ye a rs ha s th e r e b ee n b o rn
, ,

a S a vi o ur o r G re a t L ea d e r o f m a n T he l a s t o f th es e h a v i n g
.

b e en the N a za re n e A t l e as t t we n ty d iif e ren t i n c a rn a te

.

G o d s w e r e c e l e br a ted in the E a s t a n d t a ught o f in G r e e c e , ,

to e a ch o f w h om is a ttribut e d , an d jus tl y s o a his t ory ,

z 56 MYST ER IE S or 0 31 31 3

h a ppi n es s s om etim es r e turn to ea rth f or m a teri a l kn owl ed g e

,

( the Chris ta ) to s tu d y lo we r c on d iti on s o f b e i n g a n d

, ,

g a th er ele m e n ts o f us e im p a rti n g in r eturn the n o bl es t

,

te a c hin g s a n d v e ry gen e r a ll y a ss o c i a tin g th e ir mi s s i on with

,

s o m e m a s t e r mi n d ’ o f e a rth thro ugh wh o m the y b e c o m e by

, ,

i n s pira ti o n a n d he amen l y i n flu e n c e the pro m ot e rs o f ,

mighty r e f orm s gre a t uph e a v a l s o f huma n th ought c ul

, ,

m in a tin g in s oci a l p olitic a l o r re ligi ous r ev oluti on s

,
S uc h .

w e re a l l the S a v i ours .

O n e v e ry ro un d o f tha t v i s i on a ry l a dd e r wh os e foo t is ,

o n e a rth w ho s e a p e x is in h e a v en — a n ge l s who ha ve on c e
,

be e n m en s pirit s w ho h a v e li v e d a n d l a b o re d o n e a rth a n d
,

ris en fro m the a s h es o f d e a th vict or brow e d to a triumph a n t

—
-

, ,
“
i n h e rit a n c e b eyo n d ; h o us eh ol d l a res ”
h ea r t l o v es who
h a v e jus t l e ft us but s till h o ve r on the thres h ol d th ey ha v e
,

cr oss e d to s m o oth o ur ro ugh a n d rugge d p a th o v e r the

s t o n e s th e ir t o rn fe e t h a v e tro d —al l s uch mi n is te rs o f l ov e
,

a n d bl es s i n g a s th es e a s c e n d a n d d e s c en d o n this mys ti c
,

l a d d e r fo rmi n g a n i n t e rmi n a bl e ch a i n o f lo ve a n d h a rm on y
,

b e twe en the hig hes t a n d l owes t c on n e c tin g e a ch a n d a l l b y

,

the li n k s o f s ymp a thy b e a ri n g up the tir e d h a n ds th a t a re

d ro ppi n g life s burd e n s f o r v e ry w e a ri n e ss —c a tchi n g a t
,
’

the o ut s tr etch e d a rm s th a t a re to ss e d a bro a d in the a gon y o f

fr a n tic s uppli ca ti on to the G o d o f ma n y c r e ed s a n d n a ti on s ,

t en d e rly wa fti n g up to h e a ve n the p ite ou s pra ye rs th a t l o n g

a g o th e y li s p e d fo rth in a cc e n ts a s f a lt e ri n g as o ur o wn ,

a n d r e t urn in g i ns p ira tion f or a s p i ra tion p ea c e a n d bl es s in g ,

f o r the i n c o h e re n t a pp e a l s o f huma n ign o ra n c e a n d i m

p o te n c e. S uch i s th e i n n er m ys te ry o f the o ute r or ,

a s tr o no mic a l o n e .

The v e rn a l e qui n ox is n ow in the c on s t e ll a ti o n o f P isc es

‘
,

o r the fis h es o f F e bru a ry B ut whil e the a n gels o f G od

.

h a v e b e en a s c e n d i n g to h e a ve n a l o n g the l a d d e r o f the
z o d i a c a t the v e rn a l e qui n o x w h a t ha s b e e n tra n s p iri n g o n
,

the o u te r s i d e ? wh a t is t a ki n g pl a c e a t the o the r ga te o f

h ea v en ? J a co b s a w the a n gel s of G o d a s c en d i n g a n d d e
s c en d in g . D uri n g the ti me th a t the g od s o f s p ri n g h a v e
 on E GYPTIAN INITIATION . 2 57

be en cla m b e ri n g i n t o the c e l es ti a l city , the go d s of a utum n

h a v e b e e n fa llin g ; th e y h a v e l e ft th e ir firs t e s t a t e a n d n o w
,

a t the v e ry p oi n t o f tim e wh e n the l a mb o f M a rch c om e s up

to the e a s t e rn ga t e o f the N e w Je ru s a l e m S c o rpi o th a t o l d

, ,
‘
D ra gon which is the D e vil ha s s lipt o ut o f the w e s t e r n
, ,

a n d c o m e d o wn to the e a rth in gr e a t w r a th ; ha s l e f t his firs t

es ta t e b e c a us e by the pr e c es s i o n
, ju d gm en t w a s l a i d t o the
,

li n e a n d righte o us n es s to the p l um m it a n d he c oul d n o t

,

s t a n d the o r d e a l ; but s i n c e th a t tim e he ha s b e en the l e a d e r

up of the p o we rs of d a rk n es s is e n ga ge d in u n c e as i n g w a r
,

f a r e a ga i n s t the l a mb of s pri n g a n d a ga i n s t his s e e d f or ,

w i n t e r s e em s to h a v e a n e s p e ci a l s pit e a ga i n s t a l l the y o u n g
o f the l a mb s p e ci es .I f the ol d s ys tem o f a s tro n omy o r
a s tr o— theo l o w ha d b e en p e rp et u a t e d by the r e g ul a r O p e r a
, ,

tio n of n a tura l l a w in the pre c ess i on of the equi n ox es ,

S a t a n Ap ollyon B a a lz e bub S c orpi o w oul d h a v e r e ga i n e d

, , , ,

his l os t gl o ry in a b out t w e lv e th ous a n d y e a rs fr o m the

p e ri o d o f his f a ll by a r e p e n ta n c e or ch a n g e in his c o ur s e a t
,

the w i n t e r s ol s tic e ; a n d fr o m th a t time d uri n g a p r o ;

ba tion a ry p e ri o d o f a b o u t s ix th ous a n d y e a rs brin g i n g ,

forth fruits m e et f or r e p en t a n c e he w o ul d h a v e cl a mb e r e d
,

up e n t e re d in a t the s tra ight ga t e a n d t a k e n his p l a c e

,

w h ere the L a m b is n o w firmly s e a t e d in his g l o ry ; but a l a s

f o r B a a lze bub he ha d n o s o o n e r l os t his firs t e s t a te a n d
,

b e c o m e w a rmly en ga ge d in th e c onfl ic t w i th the l a mb a n d ,

b e f or e he ha d e n o ugh o f it to b e h e a rtily tir e d o f the b a ttl e ,

th e mo d e rn as tron om e rs i n t e rf e r e d a n d o rd a i n e d th a t th e

s i g n s h o ul d f ol l o w the e qui n o x a n d thus by a d e cr e e o f

,

s ci e n c e f o rb a d e the s a l v a ti on o f the a s tron omic a l S c o rpi o

( Ju d a s c on d em n e d w ith out a n y ch a n c e o f s a lv a ti o n ) ju s t
a s the Churc h ha s by a n un s ci e n ti fic d e cr ee o rd a i n e d tha t
“

B a a lz ebub s ha ll c on ti n u e the u n e qu a l c on t es t through n u

e n d i n g a ges a n d th a t a l l w ho h a v e e n li s t e d u n d e r his b a n
,

n e r t hro ugh the ir gr a n d fa th e r A d a m u n l ess th ey quit his

,

re gim e n t w ithi n a limi te d tim e a n d a c c o rd i n g to a pri e s tl y

—
pres c rib e d m e th o d e v e n if th ey h a v e n e v er h e a r d o f the
me th o d —the s a m e s h a l l n ev e r h a v e ev en a f url ou g h a n d ,
258 MYSTER IE S on OSIRI S
ne v er be p e rm itte d to quit the s e rvic e of ol d B eli a l be th ey
,

e v e r s o tir e d o f the w a r .

But n o w W h a t will h a pp en wh en the n ew e ra s e ts in a n d

the Son o f M
,

a n c om e s with his d o ctri n e o f l ove a n d d e cr e es

th a t a l l m ew — i n clu d i n g a l l E v es in the t e rm —s h a ll fin d
th e ir Chris ts if th e y will o n l y s e e k f o r him w ithin the m v

“
s e lv es a n d thus b e c o m e in truth the te m pl e s o f the l iv in g
’

”
G od .
2 60 MYS T ER IE S or os nn s

th e y w ere c a ll e d b oth go od a n d ba d
, In the w orks of
.

J a m bl ic us ( a G r e ek ) w e h a ve a s t a t em e n t o f the r e a s o n why
'

m a n y o f the c o m m u n ic a ti o n s from the s p irits w e r e f a ls e .

H e a ffirms th a t if the i n qu ire r ru s h e s i n t o the p r e se n c e o f

the d a e m o n s with o ut the pr e p a r a ti on s o f a bluti on p ra ye r , ,

he c a n n o t exp e ct truthful a n s w e rs The ph en o me n a .

o f o bse ss io n by s pirits w a s s o u n iv e rs a l in p a s t a ge s th a t it

f o rm e d a c a rd i n a l p o i n t o f b eli e f a m on g a l l the r eligi on i s ts ,

i n clu d in g Chri s t a n d his e a rli e r fo ll ow e rs ; a n d o n l y in p ro

po rti on a s the Church ha s bec o m e s em i in fid el d o th e y -

d o ubt s p iri t i n t e rc ours e u n til the e vid en c e b e c om e s o v e r

c ons c i en c e o f ma n it is the g r e a t ju d g e w ho
,
l wa y s s i ts on a
j u dg m e n t a n d m a n c a n by the pro pe r d e v e lo p m e nt be c o m e
, ,

s o c on s ci o us o f the v o ic e w i thin th a t it will s p e a k to him in

r e ga r d to a l l m a tte rs a n d w a rn him wh e n he d o es wron g .

This w a s r ea lly the d a e m o n o f the a n cie n ts but u s u a lly be

in g in a n i m c o n s c ious s ta t e th e y b e li e ve d t he m to be o uts i d e
s pirit s o r f o rc e s .

*
This ha s d ir e ct re f e r en c e to the co urs e o f tr a i n in g or
d e v e l op m e n t . T hr ough s uch a co urs e or cl e a n s i n g p roc em l
,

b oth the m i n d a n d b o d y b e c o me s purifi e d a n d j us t in p ro “

p o r ti o n th a t t hi s is a cc om pli s he d in lik e p r o p o rti on will be

, ,

the v o ic e w ithin the d a e m on o f S o cr a t es be a bl e to Sp ea k to

, ,

ma n . T his v o ic e o r c on s c i en c e is re a lly m o r e o r l es s a ctiv e

in a l l m e n e xc e p t the m os t d e pr a v e d f or n o s o on e r d o es a
,

m a n d es ir e to d o so m e thi n g w hich he kn ows to be wro n g ,

tha n his c on s c i e n ce the d a e m on within a ccu s es him This

, ,
.

c a n b e d e v e l o p e d to s uch a n e xt e n t th a t m a n c a n q u es ti on
'

it i n 1 e g a 1 d s to a l l a ff a ir s o f li f e a n d j us t in p ro p o rti o n to
his h o n es ty d e v el o p m e n t a n d pu rity o f he a rt will be the
, ,

a n s w e rs t ruthful .Thi s is o n e o f the p a ths o f true i n iti a

ti o n . In a n ci en t ti m es a n d e ve n in m od e r n m e n will try
, ,

th es e thi n gs with o ut a n y tr a i n i n g or purific a ti o n a n d the

r es ult is th a t th e y b e c om e u n c on s c i o us with a l l th e ir foul
n es s a n d o b s es s i o n t a k e s pl a c e T he tru e i n iti a t e d o es n o t
.

n e e d to b e c o m e un c o n s ci ou s in o r d e r to q u es ti o n the vo i ce
w i thin he is a c on s c ious b e i n g
,
O b s es s i o n whil e n o t a s
.
,

n u m e ro u s a t pr es e n t a s in the p a s t d oe s o fte n t a k e pl a ce
,

a n d ou r a s ylu m s a re full o f s uch This s h o ul d a ls o s e rve a s

.

a w a rn i n g to s piritu a li s t s n o t to a tt e m p t m e d i u m s hip u n til

,

a f te r th o ro u gh purific a ti on .
 OR E G YPT IAN IN IT IATION . 26!

wh e l m i n g , andth en th e y a d o pt the o l d p a ga n n oti o n th a t

th ey a re d em on i a c a l but a l l ba d ; the w o r d d a em on in its
,

m o d e rn a cc e pt a ti o n by the m a s s es o n ly i m plyin g a wick e d

, ,

Spirit The r e is a ls o a n oth e r p ow e rful re a s o n why the

“

d i ff e r en t s e ct s b e li e ve in a p e rs o n a l D evil Th e y c a n n o t
but a d m it—be c a us e their s ys te m re quires i t—th a t th e r e
.

ha s b ee n gr ea t m is m a n a ge m e n t in the a ff a irs o f thi s wo rl d

s om e wh e r e ,
and th ey m us t n e e d s h a v e a p ow e rf ul a n
ta g o n is t o f G od to f o il him in his goo d i n t e n ti on s a n d it is ,

i m m ens ely a d v a n t a g eo us to h a v e s om e s m a ll e r fry on wh om

b e lie ve rs c a n f o i s t th e ir o wn s h ortc om i n gs T he m o d e rn
.

n o ti o n in r e ga r d to the D e vil a n d his r an k a n d fil e ha d its ,

o ri gi n in the s h a d es o f p a g a n i s m a n d is p e rp etu a t e d be
,

c a u s e the s t a n d a r d s o f the vi s ible Church r eq uir e s it .

“
O u r i n t en s e ign or a nc e o n the s ubj e ct o f go v e rn m e n t
a l s o t e n d s to p erp etu a t e the i d e a o f a f a lle n r a c e fa l l en -

through p o o r m o the r E ve—w ho lik e the v e rm i n o f E gypt

s wa rm in h o rri d br o o d s a rou n d us T he s illy n ur s e or
.

p a re n t who is tr o ubl e d with a d is e a s e d o r o th e rwi s e tr oubl e

s o me chil d m us t n e e d s be furn i s h e d with the n e c e s s a ry
,

i m pl em e n t s o f t o rtur e f or m in d o r b od y with which to ,

a ss e rt a n d m a i n t a i n d o m i n i o n o v e r the ti n y s ubj e ct F ore .

m os t a m o n g the h o rri d fo rm s th a t a r e m a d e gh o s tlik e to ,

d a n c e b e fo r e the littl e s tr a n ge r is the gr e a t be a r th a t d e

,

y o ur wick e d chil d r e n o r s o m e h o rri d f or m is c o n j ur e d up

s
,

to fright e n the chil d i n t o s ub m i ss i on ; a n d wh e n th a t littl e

o n e in s o m e m e a s ur e o ut g ro ws i ts chil d i s h f e a rs o th e r ,

m o d es o f t orture a re i n v e n t e d to m a k e c ow a r d s o f us a l l .

T he gr e a t bl a c k bea r o f ou r chil d h o o d s d r e a d is tr a n s
’

fo r m e d i n to the a n ge l o f the b ott om l es s p it a n d he is e v e r ,

r e a d y re pres e n t e d a s m os t e a ge r to d r a g us d ow n w a r d to
m is e ry s o h o rri d th a t if the t e a ch e r s o f the d o ctri n e o f a
,

fire a n d brim s t on e h e ll with a l l the h o rri d p a r a ph e r n a l i a

,

o f o rtho d o x i n v e n ti on th a t r es ts e t e rn a lly u p o n it c oul d f o r ,

a m om e n t b e li e v e wh a t th e y t e a ch r e as o n m u s t r e e l a n d the
,

d a rkn ess o f i d i ot ic d es p a ir s e ttle d o w n up o n th e ir m i s er a bl e

exis ten c e . Wh en m en c eas e to l ook up on G od a s a v e n g e f ul
2 62 MY srna ms or os mi s

b ei n g ; wh en we re a l iz e th a t G worksod is l ove and we —th e

o f his h a n d s the chil d re n o f his c a re —a re s a fe a m i d the

,

wre ck o f m a tt e r a n d the cr a s h o f w o rl d s the D evil will be ,

a ll o w e d t o d ie a n a tur a l d e a th a n d be buri e d in the s a m e ,

gr a v e with the tr a ppi n gs o f s e ct a ri a n rul e a n d cr ee d s .

“
T he w a r in h ea v en o f which Milt on ha s giv e n s uch a
,

gr a phic d es criptio n is but p a rt a n d p a rc el o f thi s s tu

,

p e n d ous wh ol e o f a n ci e n t m yth o l o gy O n on e s i de w ere .

r a n g e d the g oo d a n g e l s e a ch h a vin g c l in his n a m e

,
the ,

H e bre w n a m e o f the s un O n the o the r w e re the c o h o rts o f

.

h e ll the l e a d e rs o f which a t l eas t w e re kn o wn by o n the

, ,

t e rm a pplie d to the s un by the E g ypti a ns Mich a cl f o ught .

-

a n d his a n g e l s a n d the D r a g o n fo ught a n d his a n g el s s a i d

, ,

the i n s pire d p enm a n -

J o hn t oo k f o r his s ta n d p o i n t th a t
.

V ie w o f the wh o l e m a tt e r th a t s ym b o l iz e d win t e r a n d d a rk

n e ss by the t e r m E gypt Jo h n ha d a bo ut him a l l the pro

.

c l ivities o f a Je w a n d E gyp t w a s s yn o n ym o us
,
to hi m , ,

with a l l th a t wa s d a rk ch a otic a n d vill a in o us ; h en c e th a t

,
“
p a s s a ge in the Ap o c a l yp s e An d th e ir d e a d b o d i es sha ll
,

l ie in the st r ee ts o f the gre a t city which s p iritu a lly is c a ll e d ,

S o d o m a n d E g ypt whe re a l s o o ur L o rd wa s crucifi e d

,
.

W e the r e fo re fin d th a t the n a m es of the good a n gel s w e r e

the n a m e s o f the s um m e r s ig n s o f the z o d i a c by th e ir ,

H e br e w n a m es Mi c h a e l Ab d i e l Az r a — e l etc
-

,a n d the ba d -

, ,
.
,

a n g e l s b o re the E gyptic n a m es o f the w i n t e r o r s i g n s o f ,

e vil i m p o rt as Ab a d o n
,
Apo l l y o u a n d oth e rs T he p o in t
-

,
-

, .

o f ti m e ch os e n by the gr e a t hi e ro ph a n t o r o p en e r o f the ,

s a c re d i nn e r t em pl e to the i n iti a t e d w a s th a t a g e o f the ,

w o rl d s ucc e e d i n g the p a s s a g e o f Sc o rp io b el o w the

a utu m n a l eq ui n o x .

“
B e li a l the Lo r d o f the o pp os it e is s upp os e d to h a ve his
, ,

d om icil e in th a t s ign th a t f or the ti m e b e i n g is O pp os it e to

the s i g n in whic h the s u n h a pp e n s to be H e is a l wa ys in .

o pp o s i ti on
. B a a lz ebub ha d his d o m icil e in Sc o rpi o The .

b a ttle re p r e s e n ts the c on flict b e tw e e n wi n t e r a n d s um m e r .

T he gr e a t D r a g o u o f the p ol e the r e gi o n wh e r e e t e rn a l
-

w i n te r h ol d s his c a r n iv a l wa s the p r o p e r l e a de r of the

,
2 64 a vera e ms or os mrs

the c ours e o f th a t o rb in the he a v e n s T he circus too k p l a c e

.

fr o m the e a s t to w es t till the s e v e n th rou n d w a s a e c om

,

p l is he d on a cc o u n t o f the s e ve n pl a n e ts
, ,
T he f e s ti v a l s c e l e
.

bra te d by the a n ci en t S a b ea n s in h on o r o f the pl a n et s w e r e

, ,

h e l d u n d e r the s ign o f th e ir e x a lt a ti o n T he P e rs i a n s f or .
“

m e rly c el e br a t e d the e n tra n c e o f the s un i n t o ea ch s i gn to

the s o u n d o f m us ic
'
The pl a n e ts a n d s e v e n s um m e r m o n ths
.

a r e i n t e rch a n g e a bly r e d uc e d thro ugho ut the w o rs hip o f a l l

-

a n ti q uity T he cha n d e li e r with s e v e n br a n ch es in the

.
,

t em pl e a t J e rus a l em a n d the s e v en en cl os ures o f the

,

t em pl e ; the s ev e n g a t es o f the c a v e o f Mithr a ; the s ev en

s t o ri e s o f the t o w e r o f B a byl o n ; the s e v en g a t es o f the cit y

o f Th e b e s e a ch b e a ri n g the n a m e o f a pl a n e t ; the s e v en
,

ch o r d s o f the lyr e ; the s ev e n a rch a n g els o f the Ch a l d e a n s

a n d o f the J e w s ; the s e v e n d a y s o f the w e e k o f a ll p eo pl e ;
«

the s ev e n S a bb a th s of s e v e n y e a rs ; the s e v en d a ys o f un
l e a v en e d bre a d ; the s e ven s a cr a m en t s ; the s ev en gol d e n
c a n d l es tick s ; the s e v en s p irits b e f or e the thr o n e which a re ,

s a i d to be the s e v en h o rn s a n d s e v e n e y es o f the l a m b o f the

Ap o c a lyp s e a n d c on s e q u en tly tha t th ey r ep r e s en t the

,

pl a n et a ry s ys t em th a t r e c e iv es its i m pul s i on from Ari es o r ,

the l a m b the fir s t o f the s igns o r the c on s t ell a ti on s which

, ,

O p e n s the m a rch o f the s e v en s ph e r e s An d it w o ul d s eem

.

th a t the wh ol e o f the s t a rry h ea v e n s ha d a ss u m e d a b o d y in

the i m a g e o f the g o d s ; t o w n s we r e built un d e r the ir in s p ec
t i o n ; th ey w e re i n v ok e d in e n t e ri n g the b a ttl efi el d a n d the ,

un f o rtun a te victim w a s s a crific e d on th e ir a lta rs T he ,

a n ci e n t E gypti a n s l e d the s a cr e d c ow s e v e n tim e s a r o u n d

the t em pl e in the wi n t e r s ol s tic e ; the B onz e s e v e ry y e a r -

c a rry s e v e n i d ol s i n t o s e v e n d i ff e r en t t e m pl es ; the B ra m a hn s
ha d s e v e n pr oph etic r in gs on e a ch o f which w a s e n gr a ve d
’

the n a m e o f a pl a n e t ; the Ar a b s g a v e to e a ch s ta r s e v en
r a ys ,
a n d s e v e n p ri e s t s b e a ri n g s e v e n tru m p e t s m a de of ,
’
s ev en r a m s h orn s c om p a ss c d the city o f J e rich o s e v e n
,
-

ti m e s f or s e v en d a y s a n d o n the s e v en th d a y the ma s s iv e
,

w a ll s c a m e tu m blin g d o wn to the gr o u n d .

T he n u m b e r s e v en s om e ti m es m e a ns the s e v en pl a n ets of
 on E G YPTIAN IN ITIATIO N . 26
5
the an ci e n ts s om etim es the s ev en c on s t ell a ti on s o f the ki n g
,

d o m o f h e a v e n or th os e c om pre h e n d e d in the a rch o f

‘

s um m e r r e s ti n g up on the two equi n ox es The s ev e n .

church es a n d the s e ve n go l d en c a ndl es tick s r e pre s e n t the

, ,

s e v e n w a rm m o n ths T he s e ve n s p irits b e fo r e the thro n e

.

o f O n tr a n s l a te d H im
, a n d the s e v e n a n g e l s o f the s e ve n
,

chur ch e s a re the s e v e n pl a n ets a s a re a ls o the s ev en h orn s ,

a n d s e v e n e yes o f the l a m b th a t s t o o d a s it ha d b e e n s l a i n

( Rev . It r e quir es a kn o wl e d g e o f the q u a liti es be

l on g i n g to e a ch pl a n e t a cc or d in g to a n ci e n t s ta rol o g y o r ,

a s tr o l o gy to cl ea rly d is c e rn i n e a ch c a s e in which the s e ve n

, ,

i s br o ught i n t o u se wh e th e r it r e p r es en t s the s e v e n c on
,

s tel l a tio n s o r the pl a n e t T he s e ven s e a l s the s e v en

s
.
,

trum p ets a n d the s e v e n vi a ls w e re v a ri o u s m e thod s o f

,
‘

s t a ti n g the b a n e ful e fiec ts o f e a ch o f the pl a n e t s up o n the

w o rl d u n d e r the m o s t m a lign in flu en c e o f the h os ts of

’

he a v en .

“
T he n um b e r tw e lv e wa s the m os t i m p or ta n t o f a l l
m ys tic a l n u m b e r s Tw e lv e is a d m itte d by a l l to be a p er
.

fe e t n um b e r Why ? B e c a us e the twe lve s igns o f the

.

z o d i a c a n d wh a t the ir in n e r m ea n i n g r e pr es e n t s
,
c om pr e ,

he n d the en tir e circl e o f the he a v en s Al l o f the tw e lv es o f .

th eo l o gy a re s i m ply v a ri ous f orm s o f r e pre s en ti n g the

t we lve h o us es of the s un T hu s w e h a v e tw e lv e p a tri a rchs ;
.

tw elv e trib es ; tw e lv e a p os tl es ; tw e lv e fou n d a ti on s to the

N e w J e r us a l e m ; twe lve ga t e s ; tw e lv e tr e es wh os e l e a v e s ,

a re f or the h ea li n g o f the n a ti ons ; tw e lv e B a a l s ; tw e lv e

O n s ; tw e lv e o xe n un d e r the br a z en l a v e r in the t em pl e ;
,

tw elv e riv er s in he ll ; tw el v e m a n s i on s in the m o on ; tw elv e

in Aa r on s br e a s tpl a te ;
’
s hi el d s o f M a rs 7 tw e lv e s t o n es
- “

twe lv e pill a rs in the t em pl e o f H eli op oli s ; twelv e a lt a rs o f

J a n u s ; twe lve l a b o rs o f H e rcul es ; tw e lv e gr ea t god s ;
t w elv e gre a t an gels in h ea v en ; tw elv e r a ys o f the s un ;
twe lve m o n ths o f the ye a r ; a n d twe lv e s igns o f the zo d i a c .

“
T he s e v en church e s w e r e c orr e s p on d i n gly the s ev e n
, ,

c on gr e ga ti on s o f s t a rs in the s ev en w a rm m o n ths in As i a ,

the l a n d o f fire, or the h e a t of s um m e r .

2 66 e rsrs a ms or 0 8 1318

1 . E p hesus , the G a e l is h n a m e o f
M a rs whene e the g o d ,

o ur E n g lis h n a m e f o r M a rch T his churc h Chri s t thr ea te n s .

tha t he will c ome a n d re m o ve its ca n d l e s tick out o f its

pl a c e B y the p r e c e ss ion o f the eq ui n o x es thi s c ons tel l a
.

ti o n which 38 8 yea rs b e fo re our Chr is ti a n e ra w a s the firs t

,

o f the Chu rch es , ha s be e n r em o v e d out o f its pl a c e a n d the ,

v e rn a l equi n o x which w a s the n in the firs t d e gree o f Ari es

, ,

is foun d a t pr es en t to h a ve l e ft the s ec on d o f the fis h es

2 T hyutim th a t i s —I trea d on fro/n ken c en s e—
.

'

.
,
f ra n ki n

—
n fi
c ens e b e i g o e e d to the s un w h en in the c o n s tel l a ti o n o f
,
r l
,

the bull o f April thus Ap ril

3 P hil a d el p hia —bro therl y l ove the u n eq uiv o c al ch a r
.

-
.

a c te ris tic o f the two l o vi n g bro th e rs the twi n s o f M a y th us

My
, ,

—h ig ht
o ur a .

4 Perg a m os f fire ; the el eva tio n , ma rri a g e

"

. e ,
o

s un s hi gh es t p o in t o f e l e v a ti on is in t his c o n s tell a ti o n
’
,

which d we ll eth whe re S a ta n s he a d is T he hyd ra s he a d ’

.
’

b e i ng o n the c el es ti a l g l o b e i mm ed i a t e ly u nd e r this Churc h

-

, ,

B a a l im s a ss is in this c on s te l l a ti o n ; h en c e J e s us s a ys
' ’
,
’
Th ou h a s t in th e e th os e th a t ho l d the d o c trin e o f B a a li m .

J un e
5 Sew d is a wo r d fo rm ed o f the Am m o n ia n p rim itive s a r
.
-

, ,

the r ock s t on e o r p ill a r ; a n d d is G o d a fte rw a r ds p a s s i n g

, , , ,

in t o the Co ptic o r a n ci en t Ph oe n ici a n wo r d E l e on the

,
-

s un ,
the b e i n g ; a n d n a tur a l iz e d i n t o the G ree k L a ti n , ,

F r e n ch a n d E n glis h w o rd l ion th a t is the li on o f July , ,

who h a v in g be e n the l a m b o f the trib e o f G a d o r G od o f

M a rch a pp e a rs h e r e a s the li o n o f the trib e o f Ju d a h o r
,

J ul y .

6 Son g/raw a w o r d s i g n ifyi n g a bu n d l e o f m yr rh the

.
, ,

o ffe ri n g m a de to the s un i n the virgi n o f Au g us t h a vi n g , ,

r e f e r enc e to the f ra g ra n t fi ow e rs which s he h ol d s in he r

ha n d a n d to the m ilk p a il in the h a n d o f the I s is o m n m o f

,
-

E gypt ; the In d i a n I s a a n d the G r e ci a n Cer es ; e xem plify ,

.
'

th a t a m o r ous c om pli m e n t in the s o n g o f the l o v es o f Chri s t

“
a n d his Church A bun d l e o f m yrrh is m y b el ove d to m e
,
.

7 T he s ev en th a n d l a s t of the summ er m on ths tha t is of

.
,
2 68 ur s ra a ms or o s nus
'

e x e rte d up on the ea rth a n d its p e o pl e by the s ign s of evil

i m p o rt ( a ) o r the go d s o f wi n t e r
, T he s tu d e n t of O ri e n t a l .

lit e r a ture c a n e a s ily c o n c e ive how the pr o ph et h a vin g ,

w a tch e d the s t a rry h os t s a s th ey w e r e m a rs h a ll ed up o n the

he a v en ly pl a i n s a n d o b s e rv e d the ir v a ri ou s c om bin a ti on s ;
,

a nd un d e r the i n s pira tio n a l i n flu en c es o f th ose a n g e l s ,

s p irits o r m e s s en ge rs who w e r e in a ffi n ity w ith him in his ,

a s tr o th eo l o gic a l
-
s tu d i es ; ho w he w oul d o r m ight be
wrought up to a h e ight o f p oe tic fury o r in s p ira ti on th a t , ,

c oul d o n ly fin d v en t in the m os t high wr ought l a n gu a g e

a n d s ubli m e i ma ge ry H e s a w the s un m o on pl a n et s a n d
.
, , ,

win try c on s t e ll a ti on s in s uch p eculi a r c on ju n cti on s a n d

,

r e l a ti o n s to ea c h oth e r th a t a cc o r d i n g to the s ci e n c e o f the

,
'

a g e the y p o rte n d c d m o s t h o rri d c a l a m iti es to the Je wis h

,
-

n a ti on o r a s is n ow g e n e ra lly b e lie v ed
, to the who l e e a rth ,
.

H is figur es a re d r a w n fr om the pl a n is ph e r e a n d m os tl y ,
“
fro m the z o d i a c Thus in the n i n th ch a p te r
. A s t a r f e ll ,

fr om h ea v e n ; a n d to him w a s giv en the key o f the b ott om

l e ss p it ”
This s ta r w a s Lucif e r Ab a d d on Ap ollyo n
.
,
‘

, ,

S c o rp i o This s ta r ( the co ns t e ll a ti on Sc o rpi o ) f ell fr o m

.

h e a v e n wh en it f e l l b el o w the a utum n a l e qui n ox ; f o r the

five c on s t e ll a ti o n s b el o w the e quin o x es w e r e in the b ott om
l e ss p it H e o p en e d the p it a nd a m i d the s m o ke th a t a ros e
.
,

l o cus t s th a t ha d p ow e r a s the s c o rp io n s o f the e a rth w e r e

,
.
,

p e rm itt e d to t o rm e n t m e n a s s c o rp i on s t orm en t whe n the y

s trik e a m a n a n d thi s w a s to e n d ure f o r five m o n th s
,
'
H e re .
,

th en w e ob s e rv e th a t the p o w er a n d the n a tur e o f the to r

,

m en t i n flict ed by the l ocus t s cl e a rly p o i n t to Sc o rp i o a s the ,

o n e who o p en e d the p it a n d the p e ri o d tha t th e ir p o w e r ,

c on ti n ue d v iz : fiv e m o n th s u n d e r the l e a d e rs hip o f Ab a d
, ,

d on wh os e d om icil e wa s in Sc orpi o c on c lu s iv ely p oi n t o ut

, ,

the r e ign o f wi n t e r The te rribl e i m a g e ry a tt en d a n t up o n

.

th es e c a l a m iti es w a s o f the s a m e frightful n a ture th a t w a s

th en m os t c om m on in the t ea ch i n gs o f the th eo l o gi a n s in -

the a n ci e n t n a ti on s to wh om the J eivs ha d s o fr e qu en tly

b e en tribut a ry .

a T he s t a te o f the ea rth , a tm os ph er e, a n d a r om a l em a na
.
 O R EGYPT IAN IN ITIATIO N . 2 69

ti on s giv en o ff in d i ffe r en t s e a s on s of the y e a r a l l thes e — ,

wi th th e ir ch a n gi n g i n flu e n c es co n tribut e to f o rm the ,

es s e n c e of the e m bryon ic bein g e re i t s e e s the l ig ht The .

i nh e rite d: t en d e n ci e s o f m i n d b o d y a n d s pirit i m p os e d by,

p a ren t a l l a w im p a rt to the life ge rm s the ir o wn p ec ul ia r

,

i d ios yn c ra s ie s T he phys ic a l s u s t en a n c e m e n t a l t em p e r a
.
,

m en t the v e ry em pl oym en t s a n d th ought s o f e v e ry m o th e r

, ,

c o m bin e a ls o to im p r es s with fa t e ful i m a ges th e ir un b o rn

, , , ,

o ff s pri n g but a bov e a l l the o r d e r o f the pl a n et a ry s c h e m e

, , ,

a n d the c on j u n cti o n which e v e ry s t a r s u s t a i n s firs t to the ,

s un ,
n e xt to the e a rth a n d fin a l l y to e a ch oth e r a t the
,

m o m e n t o f m ort a l birth m us t d e te rm i n e the n a tur e o f ,

e ve ry s pirit a n d s h a p e the s pri n gs up o n which hi n g e the

,

fr a m e wo rk o f hum a n ch a ra cte r .

Ad m ittin g the s oul s o rigi n in d e ity a n d the a s tra l

’
,
’
Spirit s o rigi n in the s o l a r s ys t e m how v a s tly m o m en t ous ,

up on the n ewly b o rn b e i n g s ch a r a ct e r a nd o rga n iz a ti on ’

m us t be the s ol a r a n d pl a n et a ry i n flu en c e s which pr e v a il in
the h o ur of the g e rm s i n c e pti on thro ugh e v e ry s t a g e o f
’
,

e m bry on ic lif e a n d a t the v e ry m o m e n t wh e n

,
d ra wn by ,

c o l o r a n d pl a n e ta ry i n fluen c e fro m the d a r kn es s o f its

e m bry on i c p ri s o n it is l a un che d in s p a c e as a livi n g
,

c re a ture .

Ag es a g o the a n ci en t a s tron o m e rs d i s c o ve re d th a t a l l the

,

v a s t crys t a l v a ul ts o f the s kie s the illim it a ble fi e l d s o f ,

s p a c e d ott e d o v e r with m illio ns o f fi e ry bl os so m s s ee m i n gly ,

so fiX eds s o c a l m s o i m m obile in th e ir s o l e m n s il e n c e a n d
’

, ,

m ys t e ri ous b e a uty w e r e a l l m ovi n g Mo vi n g on in c o ns t a n t

,
.

but s till e ve r ch a n gi n g o rbit s T he c e rt a i n ty o f th es e s tu

-
.

p e n d on s ch a n ges w as a bs olut ely d e t e rm i n e d by the d is

“
c o v e ry o f th a t r e m a rk a bl e m o ti o n c a ll e d the p re c es s i on o f
a m oti on which in a giv en p e ri od o f ti m e
”
the eq ui n ox es , , ,

v a ryi n g b etw een two a n d thr ee th o us a n d y ea rs s w ep t the ,

bl a zin g s un of the s ol a r s ys t e m with a l l its pl a n e t a ry h os ts

fr om o n e s ign o f the z o di a c to a n o th e r L a t e r o n —in f a ct
, ,

u p to o ur ti m e—a s tr on om ic a l o b s e rv a ti o n s h a v e d e t e r
.
,

m i n e d th a t a ll the s t a rs o f the s i d er e a l he a v en s g org eous ,

370 m m ms or 0 8 12 1 3

fi el ds of s p a c e , fil l e d with the m a rch of s uns a n d s ys tems ,

s p e e d o n with a m om en tu m s o tr em en d o u s th a t the m i n d o f ,

m a n s hr i n ks b a ck a we s truck a t the a tte m p t to tr a c e th os e

, , ,

fo o tp rin ts o f fire thr ough s p a c es wh er e i n m illi on s o f m il es

,

a re m e a s ur ed by h o urs a n d m in ut e s Whils t the e xte rn a l .

a s p ec t o f t h es e s p a n gl e d h e a v e n s ch a n g es but littl e to the

eye o f the ob s er ve r d uri n g m a n y c en turi es o f tim e the r ea l .

,

“
p e rm a n e n c e o f the sc h em e is on l y a pp a r en t O n ly c on .

m ight be tr a c e d in ev e ry glitt e r
”
s t a n t i n e t ern a l un r es t ,

in g p o i n t o f the s i d e r e a l h ea v en s E v e r the s a m e in the

.

fixid ity o f m a tchl e s s o r d e r e v e r ch a n g i n g in the s pir a l

,

circl e s o f a sc en d in g pr o g r es s This b e in g s o a s sc i en c e
.
,

p rov es it how i n evit a bly m us t the en d l ess c h a n g es o f the

,

m a cro c o s m a ff e c t the n a tu re o f the m ic roc os m a n d m a n , ,

the w o rl d in m i n i a tur e p a rt a k e o f the i n fin it e v a rio u s n ess

,

w hich d is c ours e s o e l oq u en tl ythr ough the e pic o f the s ta rry

s ki es.

“
Th e r e c a nn ot be two p l a n eta ry c on jun cti on s 1 n the fiel d
o f s p a c e whic h, in a l l res p e c t s , e x a ctl y d uplic a t e e a c h o th e r ;
.

a n d thi s is the r e a s on why thes e cr e a tur es , la u n ch ed e v e ry

s ec o n d i n t o huma n dif e , u n d er the in fluen c e o f e v e ry v a ry

-
- -
,

in g a s tr a l ch a nge s , m u s t d i d a r s o wi d ely fro m e a ch oth e r in

a ll the e s sen ti a ls o f phys ic a l , m en t a l i n tell e ctua l a n d ,

s p iritua l n atur e As the pl a n e ts s eem to r eturn to s t a t ed

.

p o i n t s a n d re en a ct th e ir m ys tic c on jun cti on s in the

,
"

s hin i n g p a thw a yo f the z o d i ac s o th e r e a re re curren c es o f

,

c e rt a i n typ es of ch ara cte r , a n d d upli c a t es of c erta i n fa c i a l

"

Th es e c on s i de r a ti o n s m a y s e em irrel e v a n t to our s ubj e ct

but the y a re n o t; th e y m u s t be tho ught o ut a n d a ppr e cia t ed
e re the u n a ccus t o m e d think e r c a n a ppr eh e n d fwhy the
m o ti on o f a s i n gl e p o i n t o f fire gl e a mi n g thro ugh the im
,

m ens ity o f s p a c e c a n a ff ec t the ch a r a c te r a n d d e s ti n y o f a n

,
.

in d ivi dua l r e mo ve d from its o rbit by i n c a lcul a bl e s um s pf

d is t a n c e ; w hy a l l n a tur e a n i m a t e a n d i n a n i m a te m ov es
, , ,

a cts a n d s p e a ks wi th a u n i v e rs a l ch o r d o f s ym p a thy c on v

n e c tin g the whol e why fli ghts o f bir d s wh ee lin g in the a ir , ,

2 73 MYSTERIE S or O S IR I S
h a pp y r a c e woul d s ucc e e d this u n iv ers a l d i s or d e r Such .

w a s the th e ol o gic a l d o ctri n e o f the s e p ri es t s to the p e opl e .

T he a s tr ol o gic a l pri es t to d e ter the m fro m c rim e pr es e n t e d

, ,

in a d va/n c e the r e pr es en t a ti on s o f th es e e vils a n d the ,

he a v en s a pp e a r e d to him to give the s e i n d ic es by th e ir

a s p e ct a n d by the pr o gn os tics which he d r e w fr om th em
,
.

It w a s thus th a t J a c ob r ea d in s uch r e pr es e n t a ti on s o f
h e a v e n wh a t w o ul d h a pp en to his chil d r en a n d gra n d
chil d r en G r e a t m i s fo rtun e s w e r e to h a pp en ; the e a rth
'
.

wa s to be s t r uck a t e rribl e bl ow ; a n d a cc o r d i n g to the T os ,

c a n s a n d the J e w s s i gn s in the h e a v e n s a n d on e a rth s h oul d

,

a n n o un c e th e ir a ppr o a ch It m u s t be r e m em b e r e d by the
.

s tu d e n t th a t wh a t a n a ti on c a ll e d the e a rth d id n o t m e a n ,

the wh ol e ea rth a s s uch b ut ha d r e f e r en c e o n ly to th ei r

,

p e o pl e ; f o r i n s t a n c e the J e ws c a ll ed the E gypti a n s o r

, ,

r a th e r E gyp t a h ell a n d th e ir p e opl e onl y w e re the ch os en

,

p e o pl e E a ch n a ti on ha d its o wn G o d ! a n d s uch G od w a s
.

n o t b e li e v ed to be the G o d o f o th e r n a ti on s It is thu s th a t .

wha t th es e a n ci en t pri e s ts f o re to l d ha s c om e to p a ss to
m a n y o f the a n ci en t n a ti ons .

“
O n e o f the m os t r e m a rka bl e re pr e s en t a ti ons in the
Ap o c a l yp s e i s the w om a n cl oth e d with the s un a n d the
,
-

m oon u n d e r he r f e e t By ob s erv i n g a m a n o f the h e a v en s

.
,

we s e e in the Vi rgi n o f Augu s t a l l the tr a it s a n d p e culi a ri

ti es a s crib e d to thi s virgin cl othe d with the s un T he two .

win gs which we s e e in o ur m o d ern pl a n is ph e res w e r e m e n

, ,

tio n e d in the a s tr on om ic a l w o rk s o f a n ti quit y m u ch e a rli e r ,

tha n the d a t e as s ign e d to the Ap o c a lyp s e She it is th a t .

,

a lw a ys g a v e bi rth to the n ew s un o r G od o f the a n ci e n ts ,

j us t a ft e r m i d n ight o n e a ch Chris t m a s m o rn She w a s .

thus clo th e d with the s un whil e the m o on w a s und e r her

,

f ee t As s he ris es a t the ti m e o f the p a ss o v e r s he is a c

.

c o m p a n i e d by H y d r a whil e the D r a go n o f the p ol H ym bol

o f wi n t e r—c a s t s o ut o f his m o uth the w a t e r s o f the e ui
,

q
n o c tia l s t o rm a s a fl o o d a f te r the w om a n
, but the ea rt h ,

h elp e d the wo m a n f o r a s s he ris es the riv e r E ri d a n u s s ets

,
‘

in the w es t , a pp a r e n tly s w a ll ow ed up by the e a rth o r John ,

 OR E G YPTIA N I N ITIATI O N . 2 73

sa ys the ea rth Op en e d a nd
w a ll ow e d up the
he r m ou th s

flo od . Thi s the e a rth a ctu a lly d o e s e v e ry s pri n g, as tr o

d o m ic a l ly by the s e tti n g o f E r i d a n u s a n d a l s o by a b s o rb
'

, ,
’
in g the l a s t o f wi n t e r s r a i n s Wh e n the m o d e rn s b e c a m e
.

t ho r o ughly i n iti a t e d i n t o a s tron om y a n d u n d e rs t o o d

,

j u d ici a l a s tr ol o gy as t a ught by the a n ci en t hi e roph a n ts ,

th en a n d n o t u n til th e n c a n the w h ol e of the Ap o c a lyp s e

, ,

be r e a d ily u n d e r s t oo d B ut m a n c a n n o w with his li m it e d

.

kn owl e d ge o f the s ci e n c e pr ov e c on c l us w e l y th a t a s tr o
,

th eol o gy forms the gr oun d w o rk o f the who l e b o ok ; th a t the

i n n er a n d the ou ter m ys t e ry is i n t e rm i n gl e d a n d the wh o l e ,

w o v en t o g eth e r a cc or d i n g to the p a tt e rn to be se en in the

h e a v en s T he wh ol e ha d r e f e re n c e to th a t i m m e d ia te a g e
.
,

a n d the c a l a m iti es th a t w e r e to c o m e to the Je w s d uri n g

tha t ge n e r a ti on a s pr e d ict e d by Chris t f o r J oh n w a s s h ow n

, ,

thi n gs th a t m us t s hortl y c om e to p a ss a n d the s i g n s a n d

-

c a l a m iti e s s o c o in ci d e with th os e m e n ti on e d by J e s u s th a t ,

th ey p o in te d to the s a m e occurren c es a n d the s a me p e ri o d

o f ti me .
 CH AP T ER X II .

B e fo r e l ea vi n g this s ubj e ct w e s h a ll c a ll the s tu d e n t s

,
’

a tt e n ti on to s e v e r a l o f the m o s t r e m a rk a ble occurr e n c es re

c o r d e d in the B ibl e T he s un a n d m o on a rr es t e d in the ir

.

’
c o urs e ; E lij a h s fli g ht to h e a v en ; a n d Jo n a h s a d ve n tur o us ’

s e a v oya ge h a ve p uz z l ed the m o d e rn th e ol o g i a ns o f e ve ry
,

s e ct a n d the g e n e r a l c o n cl us i on ha s b ee n th a t w e m u s t be
,

li e v e in the m l ite r a l ly b e c a us e G od c a n d o a n yt hi n g he
,

pl e a s es a nd it is r a n k i n fi d e li ty to d o ubt W hil e s om e o f
, .
f

the phr a s eo l o gy o f Jo s hu a m a ke s it r a th e r d iliic ul t to r ec on

'
r

cil e his m i ra cl e in al l i ts p a rts with the a s trone ni ic a l m o d e ,

if we a cc e p t the c om m e n t th a t G li d d e n m a kes i n th e T yp es
’ ‘
-

o f M a n ki n d Grl id d o n s a ys
’ ‘
th e n the d ifiic ul ty v a n is h es
, .

th a t the phra s e s ta n d s til l is n o t a cc o r d i n g to the H ebre w

'

s en s e . H e r e n d e r s the p a ss a g e s o m e wh a t a f te r this m a nn e r :
-

‘
Abid e tha n s wa i n G i be o n a nd tho u 0
,
,
val l ey
,

o f Aj a l o n be mo s t res p l e n da n t As b e f o re ,sta ted the

.
“ ’
,

t we lve co n s te ll a tio n s w e r e in the E gyptic c a l l ed O ii ; c o ns e

'

q u en tly G ib e o n a n d Aj al o n w e r e the n a m es o f two o f the

“
'
- -

c o n s t e lla ti on s f or wh e r e e ls e c o ul d t he s u n a n d m oo n be
, ,

e x c e p t in the c o n s t e ll a ti on s ? Suppo s i n g thi s b a ttl e too k

pl a c e a t the ful l o f the m oon w e c a n s ee how J os hu a in the
, ,

flus h o f vict o ry d id g iv e utte r a n c e to a n e xcl a m a ti on th a t

, ,

c om i n g a s it d id fro m th e ir G o d c ho s en le a d e r wo ul d be -

th ought wo rthy o f r e c o r d , with a l l the flouris h o f trum p ets so

2 75 MYS TERIE S or OSIR IS
chil d r e n , we a n s w e r th a t in a l l th es e a n ci en t p a r a b l es the
s a m e lic en s e w a s a ll o w e d a n d p r a ctic e d a s the d r a m a ti s t

pr a ctic es to d a y in writi n g his pl a ys the o uts i d e d r es s o r

-

ga rm e n ts w e r e purp os e ly e x a gge r a t e d in o r d e r to m o r e
e ff e ctu a lly hi d e the r e a l s en s e .

“ ’
J on a h s his t o ry wa s a n oth e r ri d d l e a n d c a n on ly be ,

s o lv e d by u n d e rs t a n d i n g the a s tr o n o m ic a l s ci en c e H is .

’
n a m e lik e E lij a h s c on s i s t e d o f thr e e o f the n a m e s o f the
‘

, ,

s un ,
i e I the o n e ; O n the b e i n g ; a n d E 3 the fir e
.
, , , H is , .

n a m e in G r e e k is lik e the n a m e J oh n s p e ll e d L e o n a s
, , ,
-
.

’
J o n a h s l e g e n d s up p o s es the s u m m e r s un i s s uin g his m a n
d a t e s to the a utu mn a l s un d ir e ctin g him to p r ea ch re ,

p en ta n c e to N in ev e h I n a n ci e n t t e a chi n gs th e r e w e re d is
.

ti n ct s un s a s th e r e is a l s o w ith the m o d e r n s J o n a h is
, ,
.

r e pr es en t e d a s fl ee i n g fr om the s um m e r s un a n d w e fin d ,

him s o on a m o n g the s t o r m s o f wi n t e r u n til he fi n a lly is ,

s w a ll o w e d up by the gr e a t s e a m on s t e r wh e r e he cri es to ,

G o d fr om the b e lly o f he ll ; a n d truly e n o ugh the win te r

s o ls tic e fi n d s him d o w n in the gre a t d e e p a mon g the fis h es ,

a n d in the l o w e s t d e p a rt m e n t o f the b o t to m l es s pit o f the

a n ci e n t s An d he is n o t o n ly a m on g the fi s h es but he is
.

c om p ell e d to l ie s till d u ri n g the thr ee d a ys th a t e n d o n

Chris tm a s m o rn e x a ctly in the b owe ls o f the wa te r go a t
, ,

a n d in cl os e p r oxi m ity to the c o n s t e ll a tio n o f the g r e a t

wh a l e the l a rges t in the h ea v e ns H e re w e s ee the r e as o n

,
.

why m o d e r n d ivi n es c a n n ot t e ll wha t ki n d o f a fis h it wa s

th a t s w a l l o wd J o n a h .

“
T he f a s ts a n d f e a s ts o f the Chris ti a n Church c o in c i d e
in r e ga r d to ti m e a n d c e l e br a t e the Sa m e e ve n ts t h a t the
,
“

a n ci e n t s c e l e br a t e d in th e ir c e r e m o n i es T he Ro m a n is ts .

a n d E pi s c o p a li a n s a dhe r e m o r e p e rti n a ci ou s ly to a n d re ,

t a in m o re o f the a n ci e n t h oly d a ys th a n d o the o the r s ec ts .

O n e r e a s on is th a t th e y a re m o r e l e a rn ed in a n ci en t re
l ig iou s li t e r a tur e a n d a re m o r e ful l y a w a re th a t the y a re
,

o n l y the o ff s p ri n g o f the a n ci en t Church a n d o n thi s is ,

fo un d ed th e ir o nl y right e ous cl a im to a g re a t a n ti quity .

“
The a n ci e nts c el e br a t e d the birth o f the n ew s un o r ,
 on E G YPT IAN I N ITIAT ION . 2 77

n ew y e a r on Chri s t m a s a n d a t e a rly m or n the H i e ropha n t

, , ,

o r p ri es t e xhibit e d a b a b e in his cr a d l e to the m ultitu d e to

,

d e n o t e th a t th e ir S a vi o ur the n e w y e a r s s un w a s b o rn
’
, , .

So d o the Ca th olic s a n d E pis c o p a li a n s c ele br a t e the Chri s t

m a s whiLe the o th e r s e ct s w a it s e v en d a ys a n d the n c e l e
,

br a t e the s a m e e v en t Tw e lv e d a ys a ft e r Chri s t m a s the

.

a n ci e n t ha d th e ir E p iph a n y ( E p i p ha n e s fr o m P l um es
-

, ,

the P e r s i a n n a m e of the s u n ) f o r o n th a t d a y it w a s m a n i
,

f es t to the n a k ed eye tha t the s un ha d c om m en c e d his

j o urn ey t o wa rd the n o rth e rn h em i s ph er e .

“
At the v e rn a l e quin o x the a n ci en ts h el d the gre a t or on e
o f the gr ea t e s t j ubil e es o f the y e a r T he p a s s o v e r a t thi s
.

p e rio d a n d the f e a s t o f ta b ern a cl es im m e d i a t ely a fte r the

, ,

a utu m n a l e qui n o x o r a s it w a s c a ll e d by the a n ci e n t s the

, ,

f e a s t o f B a cchu s b e i n g the two g r a n d f e a s ts o f a l l the

,

a n ci e n t n a ti on s a s th e y a ls o w e re o f the H e br e w s
, T he .

c ros s ific a tion o f the s un a t the p a ss o v e r wa s the s ign o f

s a l v a ti o n fr o m s t a rv a tio n ; a t thi s pre ci s e j u n c tur e the s u n

w as s upp os e d to e s c a p e en tir ely fr om the p o w e r o f the

D e vil ( the gr a v e ) a n d c om m e n c e his r e ign in glo ry
, .

“
I n V i e w o f this m a tt e r a s the pr e ci s e p e ri o d o f the birth
a n d d e a th o f Je s us —
,

f o r he d id live —is u n k n o wn ho w a p ,

p ro p ria te f o r the b e li e v er s in the a t on e m e n t to fix his birth

o n Chris t m a s the d a y in which a l l a n ci e n t go d s we r e b o rn ;
,

a n d his d e a th a t the p r e c is e p er io d wh e n the J e wi s h l a m b ,

o r the E g yp tia n c a l f w a s c r ucifi e d o n o r in the cr os s o f the

,

ve rn a l eq ui n ox T he c el e br a t e d fa s t o f L e n t a n d a l s o the
.
,

f a s t o f Ra m a za n o f the M a h om et a n s lik ewi s e b a s e d up o n ,

the s a m e s y s t em a s the o th e rs ha s b e e n thr own out o f its ,

p ro p e r pl a c e by the pr e c es s i o n o f the eq ui n o x e s o r by s o m e , ,

u n kn own c a us e T he f a s t its el f c el ebr a t es the p a s s a ge o f

.

the s u n fr om the c on s t ell a ti on Aq u a rius which is fl es h , ,

through the s ign o f the fis h es the p rop e r fo o d f or the f a ith

,

ful u n til it e n t e rs the c on s t ell a ti on o f the l a m b ; the s a m e

,

b e i n g a p e ri o d o f fo rty d a ys I n s t e a d h owe v e r o f c om .
, ,

m e n c in g a t the pr o p e r ti m e the fa s t ha s b e c o m e a m ov a bl e
,

o n e , a n d is d e p en d e n t up on the ph a s es o f the m oon o f the

2 78 MY STERIE S OF OSIRIS

eq ui n ox The a ss mn ption o f the v irg i n ta k es pl a c e on the

.

fifte en th o f Augu s t the pr e cis e pe ri od a t which the s un

,

ha s r ea ch e d the c en tr e o f the v irgin o f Au g us t a n d a ss um ed

he r—th a t is a b s o rb e d he r up in the g lo ry o f the s un the
,

, ,

he a v en o f the a n ci en ts .

“
The tivity ta kes pl a c e a s wil l be s ee n by a r ef e r en ce
na ,

to the Ca tholi c b o oks o n the s i x th d a y of S e pt em b e r a t

, ,

the p re c is e p e ri od w hen the s un , h a vi n g e n t e re d L ibra ,

p a ss e s b el o w the gr e a t to e o f the s a m e v irgin a n d the n her

e a rthl y c a r ee r c o m m e n c es , s he b e in g b o rn o f the s un —
,

th a t
is pro c e ed i n g fr om him e m e r g i n g fr om his r a ys ; h en c e
'

, ,

the s un b e in g G od the virgi n i s his o ffs pri n g c on s e qu e n tl y

, ,

d ivin e ; a n d th e r e f or e it is m o s t c e rt a in ly p r e p e r a n d ri g ht
f o r the p o p e to d e cree a s he ha s th a t the virgi n is im
, ,

m a cul a te s potl es s , pure do es n ot b e lo n g to a f a llen r a c e

, , ,

a n d is n o t of us a s the virgi n o f the p o p e m os t a ss ur ed l y

,

d o es n ot b e i n g the c hil d o f the s un

, H o we v e r he s h oul d.
,

h a ve s a id who thi s vi rgin was i n s te a d o f a llo wi n g hum a n ity

to wo rs hip the a s t ro l o gic a l v irg in thi n kin g like a l l the , ,

a n cie n ts th a t s he ha d liv ed o n e a rth a s a hu m a n

—
, .

O ur w o rk is fin is he d a n d wh a t o f the le ss on ? I n fin ity
is i n d ee d witho ut a n d wi thi n us a n d we c a n n o m o re ,

f a tho m the a bys s o f m a tt e r th a n we a re a bl e to so u n d the

d e p ths o f th o ught T he m o s t p ow e r f ul tel es c op es which
.

s ho w us the i n fi n ity o f the v a s t , a s the m icr os c o p e s o f

high es t po we r which r e v ea l to us the infin itud e o f the s ma ll ,

the mi n ut e d o but a id us to gro p e our w a y tow a rd a f a i n t

,

c om p re h e n s i on o f th a t ph a s e o f thought wh e re o f m a tt er is
but a ph e n om e n a l m a n ife s ta ti on a n d th e re is n o in s trum en t
,

i n ve n t ed th a t wil l h elp us to d e lve i n to tho s e a bys m a l

d e pth s o f o ur b e i n g the w orl d o f thoug ht wi thin us
,
.

N o th in g r a i s es the m i n d fr o m i ts g rove l in g s en s es s o -

m uch a s a c on t em pl a ti o n of the s t a rry h e a ve n s T he r e a t .

l e a s t we o b ta i n a glim ps e o f o n e of the m a n if es t a tio n s o f the

in fin itude a n d w e a re a bl e to f o rm a f a i n t c o n c e p ti o n o f
,

e t e rn ity wh en n o l o n g e r b o u n d by the f e t te rs o f gr oss

m a tter . E ter n a l a n d ete rn a l l y fr ee in c on s c i ous i d e n tity,

2 8a u vs rs a ms or O S I R I S
'

whic h w e c a n ob s e rv e e v e ry n i ght in the ye a r a n d I re ,

m e m b e r e d th a t it s hi n es e ighty five tril l io ns o f l ea gu es fr om

-

he r e a d i s t a n c e f or which a fla s h o f light n i n g tr a v e lli n g

, ,

a t the c o n s t a n t s wift n e s s o f a hu n d re d a n d tw e n ty ki l o
-
o

m e t e r s p e r h o ur w oul d r e qu ir e n o t l es s th a n thr e e hu n d r ed
,

a n d tw en ty five m i l li o n s o f ye a r s to tr a v e r se
-
e tc e tc ,
.
,
.

“
F urth e r on he s a ys : H o w e v e r d e e p the m i n d m a y d e
s c e n d t o w a r d s the b a s e o f thi s m a t e r ia l p illa r it a rriv es a t a

fi n a l p o i n t the v o i d a l o n e c a n be i n fi n it e a n d fr om th en c e
, ,

the s a i d p ill a r n o m o r e s e rv es us a s it r es t s with o ut s u pp o rt

, .

T he m o de rn c o n c e pt o f d yn a m i sm O pp os e d to the a n ci e n t
,

a n d v ulg a r i d e a o f m a t te r ha s to d a y a phi l o so phic b e a ri n g

,
-

un p r ec e d e n t e d in the e n tire hi s to ry o f the s ci e n c es It .

tea c he s , p rov es , a n d c o nvin c es i ts , be yon d a d oubt, tha t the

m a te ria l , v is i bl e, p a l p a bl e u n iv e rs e r es ts on the i n v is ibl e,
the im ma te ria l , the im p o n d e ra b l e for c e .
”

One Spirit fil l s i m m e n s ity It is the Sp irit o f G o d th a t

.
,

n o thi n g li m i t s n othi n g d ivi d e s ; whic h is a l l

,
in a l l a n d , ,

e v e rywh e r e Wh o s e life is the life o f the u n iv e rs e a n d who

.
,

c o n tr ols a n d go v e r n s a l l thi n gs by H is in d wel l in g p res e n ce .

W ho h ol d s the m ighty s un s in the ir c ours e s a n d p e rva d es ,

a n d vit a li z es e ve ry a t o m on the e a rth .

G o d is o ur a l l ; the a l l i s n o t o ur G o d G o d is e v e ryt hi n g ;
.

but e ve ryt hi n g is n ot G o d Altho ugh we w e re to s u m up a l l

.

e xis t e n c es the t o t a l w o ul d n ot be G o d ; th o ugh w e w e r e to

,

d e d uct a l l e xi s t en c e s th e r e wo ul d be n o d i m i n uti on to the

,

full n e s s o f G o d .

T he d ivin e be in g w ea rs a l l thin g s a s a ve il ; yet wo ul d be

in u n a b a t e d gl o ry w ith o ut th e m f o r the v e il d o es n o t m a ke
,

the d ivi n e b e i n g but the d ivi n e b e i n g m a k es the v e il

,
.
D e a c rd me d us mg the Bo o kk ee e
p rp
e M
Ne utra lrz mg a g nt . um O xrd e
a g ne s u

e e e
Tr a tm nt D a t D e c 2 00 4

Pre s e rva tronTec hnolo gl

A WO RLD LE AD E R IN PAPE R Pa s s e
1 1 1 Tho ms o n Pa rk Dnve
Cra nbe rry To wn s hip PA 1 6
,

(724 ) 77 9 2 1 1 1
-