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the dark
glass of the body, and beholds his Father face to face in the
invisible
realms of nature.
The church steeple is very broad at the bottom, but gradually it
narrows
more and more until at the top it is just a point with the cross
above it.
So it is with the path of holiness; at the beginning there are many
things
which we may permit ourselves, but as we advance, one after another
of these
digressions must be done away with, and we must devote ourselves
more and
[PAGE 58] ANCIENT AND MODERN
INITIATION
more exclusively to the service of holiness. At last there comes a
point
where this path is as sharp as the razor's edge, and we can then
only grasp
at the cross. But when we have attained that point, when we can
climb this
narrowest of all paths, then we are fitted to follow Christ into the
beyond
and serve there as we have served here.
Thus this ancient symbol shadowed forth the trial and triumph
of the
faithful servant, and thought it has been superseded by other and
greater
symbols holding forth a higher ideal and a greater promise, the
basic prin-
ciples embodies in it are as valid today as ever.
In the Altar of Burnt Offerings we see clearly the nauseating
nature of
sin and the necessity of expiation and justification.
By the Molten Sea we are still taught that we must live the
stainless
life that of holiness and consecration.
From the East Room we learn today how to make diligent use of our
oppor-
tunities to grow the golden grain of selfless service and make that
"living
bread" which feeds the soul, the Christ within.
And when we have ascended the steps of Justification,
Consecration, and
Self-Abnegation, we reach the West Room, which is the threshold
of Lib-
eration. Over it we are conducted into greater realms, where
greater soul
unfoldment may be accomplished.
But through this ancient Temple stands no longer upon the plains
where
the wandering hosts pitched their camps in the hoary past, it may be
made a
much more potent factor for soul growth by any aspirant of today that
it was
by the ancient Israelites provided he will build it according to
pattern.
[PAGE 59] THE NEW MOON AND
INITIATION
Nor need the lack of gold wherewith to build distress anyone, for
now the
true tabernacle must be built in heaven-and "HEAVEN IS WITH YOU."
To build
well and true, according to the rules of the ancient craft of
Mystic Ma-
sonry, the aspirant must learn first to build within himself the
altar with
its sacrifices, then he must watch and pray while patiently waiting
for the
divine fire to consume offering. Then he must bathe himself with
tears of
contrition till he has washed away the stains of sin. Meanwhile
he must
keep the lamp of divine guidance filled that he may perceive how,
when, and
where to serve; he must work hard to have abundance of "bread of
shew," and
the incense of aspiration and prayer must be ever in his heart and
on his
lips. Then YOM KIPPUR, the Great Day of At-one-ment, will surely
find him
ready to go to his Father, and learn how better to help his younger
brothers
to ascent the Path.
[PAGE 63] THE ANNUNCIATION; IMMACULATE
CONCEPTION
CHAPTER ONE
THE ANNUNCIATION AND IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
Much is said in certain classes of the Western World about
Initiation.
This in the minds of most people seems usually to be associated with
the oc-
cultism taught in the religions of the far East; something that is
peculiar
to the devotees of Buddhism, Hinduism, and kindred systems of
faith, and
which in nowise appertains to the religion of the Western
World, par-
ticularly to the Christian religion.
We have shown in the preceding series on "Symbols and Ancient and
Modern
Initiation: that this idea is entirely gratuitous, and that the
ancient Tab-
ernacle in the Wilderness pictures in its symbolism the path of
progression
from childlike ignorance to superhuman knowledge. As the VEDAS
brought
light to the devotees who worshiped in faith and fervor on the banks
of the
Ganges in the sunny South, so the Eddas were a guiding star to the
sons of
the rugged Northland, who sought the Light of life in ancient
Iceland where
the sturdy Vikings steered their ships in frozen seas.
"Arjuna," who
[PAGE 64] ANCIENT AND MODERN
INITIATION
fights the noble fight in the "Mahabharata," or "Great
War," con-
stantly being waged between the higher and the lower self,
difference in
nowise from the hero of the northern soul myth, "Siegfried," which
means,
"He who through victory gains peace."
Both are representative of the candidate undergoing
Initiation. And
though their experiences in this great adventure vary in certain
respects
called for by the temperamental differences of the northern and
southern
peoples, and provided for in the respective schools to which they
are re-
ferred for soul growth, the main features are identical, and the end,
which
is enlightenment, is the same. Aspiring souls have walked to the
Light in [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]