| The ESSENE GOSPEL OF PEACE | |
| The Teachings of the Elect | |
| Book Four | |
| The Original Hebrew and Aramaic Texts | |
| Translated and edited by | |
| EDMOND BORDEAUX SZEKELY | |
| MCMLXXXI | |
| INTERNATIONAL BIOGENIC SOCIETY | |
| Book Design by Golondrina Graohics | |
| Copyright @ 1981, by the International Biogenic Society | |
| Printed In the United States of America-All Rights Reserved | |
| Preface | |
| The Essene Communions | |
| The Gift of Life in the Humble Grass | |
| The Sevenfold Peace | |
| The Holy Streams | |
| The Illustrations are by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, | |
| Fra Angelico, Botticelli, and El Greco | |
| PREFACE | |
| It was in 1928 that Edmond Bordeaux Szekely first published his translation of Book One of The | |
| Essene Gospel of Peace, an ancient manuscript he had found in the Secret Archives of the | |
| Vatican as the result of limitless patience, faultless scholarship, and unerring intuition, a story | |
| told in his book, The Discovery of the Essene Gospel of Peace. The English version of this | |
| ancient manuscript appeared in 1937, and ever since, the little volume has traveled all over the | |
| world, appearing in different languages, and gaining every year more and more readers, until | |
| now, still with no commercial advertisement, over a million copies have been sold in the United | |
| States alone. It was not until almost fifty years after the first French translation that Book Two | |
| and Book Three appeared, and these also have now become classics of the Essene literature. | |
| Book Four, The Teachings of the Elect, will come as a surprise to those readers who are aware of | |
| Dr. Szekely's death in 1979. if I were also a philologist, or scholar, or archeologist, I might be | |
| able to provide some explanation. But I am only his faithful famulus amanuensis, and the | |
| instructions he left me were clear and explicit: "Two years after my death, you shall publish | |
| Book Four of The Essene Gospel of Peace. " That was all, and I am now carrying out his wish. | |
| This Book Four, The Teachings of the Elect, represents yet another fragment of the complete | |
| manuscript which exists in Aramaic in the Secret Archives of the Vatican and in old Slavonic in | |
| the Royal Library of the Habsburgs (now the property of the Austrian government). As to the | |
| reason for the delay in its publication, I can only surmise that Dr. Szekely wanted the vivid | |
| reality of these ageless truths to stand alone, unobscured even by the presence of the translator. | |
| He did say in his Preface to the first London edition of Book One in 1937 that "we have issued | |
| this part before the rest, because it is the part of which suffering humanity has most need today." | |
| Perhaps, in the same way, the troubled world of forty-four years later needs this fourth volume of | |
| The Essene Gospel of Peace. | |
| Again the words of Dr. Szekely: "We have nothing to add to this text. It speaks for itself. The | |
| reader who studies the pages that follow with concentration, will feel the eternal vitality and | |
| powerful evidence of these profound truths which mankind needs today more urgently than ever | |
| before." | |
| "And the truth shall bear witness of itself." | |
| THE ESSENE COMMUNIONS | |
| And it came to pass that Jesus gathered the Sons of Light by the shore of the river, to reveal to | |
| them that which had been hidden; for the space of seven years had passed, and each one was ripe | |
| for truth, as the flower opens from the bud when the angels of sun and water bring it to its time | |
| of blossoming. | |
| And all of them were unlike one to the other, for some were of age, and some had still the dew of | |
| youth on their cheeks, and some had been raised according to the traditions of their fathers, and | |
| others knew not who their father and mother had been. But all shared in a clearness of eye and a | |
| suppleness of body, for these were signs that for seven years they had walked with the angels of | |
| the Earthly Mother and obeyed her laws. And for seven years the unknown angels of the | |
| Heavenly Father had taught them through their sleeping hours. And now was the day come when | |
| they would enter the Brotherhood of the Elect and learn the hidden teachings of the Elders, even | |
| those of Enoch and before. | |
| And Jesus led the Sons of Light to an ancient tree by the side of the river, and there he knelt at | |
| the place where the roots, gnarled and hoary with age, spread over the river edge. And the Sons | |
| of Light knelt also, and they did touch with reverence the trunk of the ancient tree, for it was | |
| taught to them that the trees are the Brothers of the Sons of Men. For their mother is the same, | |
| the Earthly Mother, whose blood runs in the sap of the tree and in the body of the Son of Man. | |
| And their father is the same, the Heavenly Father, whose laws are written in the branches of the | |
| tree, and whose laws are engraved in the forehead of the Son of Man. | |
| And Jesus reached out his hands to the tree, and said: "Behold, the Tree of Life, which stands in | |
| the middle of the Eternal Sea. Look not only with the eyes of the body, but see with the eyes of | |
| the spirit the Tree of Life at a source of running streams; at a living spring in a land of drought. | |
| See the eternal garden of wonders, and at its center the Tree of Life, mystery of mysteries, | |
| growing everlasting branches for eternal planting, to sink their roots into the stream of life from | |
| an eternal source. See with the eyes of the spirit the angels of day and the angels of night which | |
| protect the fruits with flames of Eternal Light burning every way. | |
| "See, oh Sons of Light, the branches of the Tree of Life reaching toward the kingdom of the | |
| Heavenly Father. And see the roots of the Tree of Life descending into the bosom of the Earthly | |
| Mother. And the Son of Man is raised to an eternal height and walks in the wonders of the plain; | |
| for only the Son of Man carries in his body the roots of the Tree of Life; the same roots that | |
| suckle from the bosom of the Earthly Mother; and only the Son of Man carries in his spirit the | |
| branches of the Tree of Life; the same branches that reach to the sky, even so to the kingdom of | |
| the Heavenly Father. | |
| "And for seven years have you labored throughout the day with the angels of the Earthly Mother; | |
| and for seven years you have slept in the arms of the Heavenly Father. And now your reward | |
| shall be great, for it shall be given unto you the gift of tongues, that you may draw to you the full | |
| power of your Earthly Mother, and have command over her angels and dominion over all her | |
| kingdom; and that you may draw to you the blinding glory of your Heavenly Father, that you | |
| may command his angels and enter into life everlasting in the heavenly kingdoms. | |
| "And for seven years these words were not given unto you, for he who uses the gift of tongues to | |
| seek after riches, or to hold sway over his enemies, he shall no longer be a Son of Light, but a | |
| whelp of the devil and a creature of darkness. | |
| For only the pure water can mirror forth the light of the sun; and that water which has become | |
| dank with filth and murk can reflect nothing. And when the body and the spirit of the Son of | |
| Man have walked with the angels of the Earthly Mother and the Heavenly Father for seven years, | |
| then is he like the running river under the noonday sun, mirroring forth dazzling lights of | |
| brilliant jewels. | |
| " Hear me, Sons of Light, for I will impart to you the gift of tongues, that by speaking to your | |
| Earthly Mother in the morning, and to your Heavenly Father in the evening, you may go closer | |
| and closer to oneness with the kingdoms of earth and heaven, that oneness for which the Son of | |
| Man is destined from the beginning of the times. | |
| "T will make known unto you deep and mysterious things. For I tell you truly, all things exist by | |
| God and there is none beside him. Direct your hearts, therefore, that you may walk on the right | |
| paths, where his presence is. | |
| "When you open your eyes in the morning, even then before your body has been called by the | |
| Angel of Sun, say to yourselves these words, letting them echo in your spirit; for words are like | |
| dead leaves when there is no life in them of the spirit. Say, then, these words: 'T enter the eternal | |
| and infinite garden of mystery, my spirit in oneness with the Heavenly Father, my body in | |
| oneness with the Earthly Mother, my heart in harmony with my Brothers, the Sons of Men, | |
| dedicating my spirit, my body, and my heart to the holy, pure and saving Teaching, even that | |
| Teaching which of old was known to Enoch.’ | |
| "And after these words have entered into your spirit, on the first morning after Sabbath, say these | |
| words: "The Earthly Mother and I are one. Her breath is my breath; her blood is my blood; her | |
| bone, her flesh, her bowels, her eyes and ears, are my bone, my flesh, my bowels, my eyes and | |
| ears. Never will I desert her, and always will she nourish and sustain my body.’ And you will feel | |
| the power of the Earthly Mother flowing through your body like the river when it is swollen with | |
| rains and courses mightily with a great noise. | |
| "And on the second morning after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of Earth, make fruitful my | |
| seed, and with your power give life to my body.' Even as your seed creates new life, so courses | |
| through the earth the seed of the angel of Earth: in the grass, in the soil, in all living things that | |
| grow from the soil. Know, oh Sons of Light, that the same angel of Earth that makes your seed | |
| into sons also makes the tiny acorn into this mighty oak, and makes the seed-bearing wheat to | |
| grow for bread for the Son of Man. And the seed of your body need not enter the body of woman | |
| to create life; for the power of the angel of Earth can create the life of the spirit within, as well as | |
| the life of the body without. | |
| "And on the third morning after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of Life, enter with strength the | |
| limbs of my body.' And with these words embrace the Tree of Life, even as I embrace this | |
| brother oak, and you will feel the power of the angel of Life flow to your arms, and to your legs, | |
| and to all the parts of your body, as the sap flows in the tree in the spring, even as it runs out of | |
| the trunk, so will the angel of Life flood your body with the power of the Earthly Mother. | |
| "And on the fourth morning after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of joy, descend upon earth, | |
| pouring forth beauty and delight to all the children of the Earthly Mother and the, Heavenly | |
| Father.’ And you will go forth into the fields of flowers after rain and give thanks to your Earthly | |
| Mother for the sweet odor of blossoms; for I tell you truly, a flower has no other purpose than to | |
| bring joy to the heart of the Son of Man. And you will listen with new ears to the song of the | |
| birds, and see with new eyes the colors of the sun in its rising and its setting; and all these gifts of | |
| the Earthly Mother will cause joy to well forth within you, as a spring wells forth of a sudden in | |
| a barren place. And you shall know that no one comes before the Heavenly Father that the angel | |
| of joy lets not pass; for in joy was the earth created, and in joy did the Earthly Mother and the | |
| Heavenly Father give birth to the Son of Man. | |
| "And on the fifth morning after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of Sun, enter my body and let | |
| me bathe in the fire of life.' And you will feel the rays of the rising sun enter into the center point | |
| of your body, there in the center where the angels of day and of night mingle, and the power of | |
| the sun shall be yours to direct to any part of your body, for the angels dwell therein. | |
| "And on the sixth morning after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of Water, enter my blood and | |
| give the Water of Life to my body.’ And you will feel, like the rushing current of the river, the | |
| power of the angel of Water enter your blood, and like the rivulets of a stream, send the power of | |
| the Earthly Mother through your blood to all the parts of your body. And it shall be for healing, | |
| for the power of the angel of Water is very great, and when you speak to her, she will send her | |
| power wherever you command, for when the angels of God dwell within the Son of Man, are all | |
| things possible. | |
| "And on the seventh morning after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of Air, enter with my breath | |
| and give the Air of Life to my body.' Know, oh Sons of Light, that the Angel of Air is the | |
| messenger of the Heavenly Father, and no one comes before the face of God that the angel of Air | |
| lets not pass. For we do not think of the angel of Air when we breathe, for we breathe without | |
| thought, as the sons of darkness live their lives without thought. But when the power of life | |
| enters into your words and into your breathing, then for every time you invoke the Angel of Air, | |
| so do you also invoke the unknown angels of the Heavenly Father; and you will go closer and | |
| closer to the heavenly kingdoms. | |
| "And on the Sabbath evening, say these words: "The Heavenly Father and I are One.’ And close | |
| your eyes, Sons of Light, and in sleep enter into the unknown realms of the Heavenly Father. | |
| And you will bathe in the light of the stars, and the Heavenly Father will hold you in his hand | |
| and cause a spring of knowledge to well up within you; a fountain of power, pouring forth living | |
| waters, a flood of love and of all-embracing wisdom, like the splendor of Eternal Light. And one | |
| day the eyes of your spirit shall open, and you shall know all things. | |
| "And on the first evening after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of Eternal Life, descend upon | |
| me and give eternal life to my spirit.' And close your eyes, Sons of Light, and in sleep | |
| contemplate the oneness of all life everywhere. For I tell you truly, in the daylight hours are our | |
| feet on the ground and we have no wings with which to fly. But our spirits are not tied to the | |
| earth., and with the coming of night we overcome our attachment to the earth and join with that | |
| which is eternal. For the Son of Man is not all that he seems, and only with the eyes of the spirit | |
| can we see those golden threads which link us with all life everywhere. | |
| "And on the second evening after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of Creative Work, descend | |
| upon earth and give abundance to all the Sons of Men.' For this most powerful of the angels of | |
| the Heavenly Father is the cause of movement, and only in movement is life. Work, Sons of | |
| Light, in the garden of the Brotherhood to create the kingdom of the heavens upon earth. And as | |
| you work, so will the angel of Creative Work nurture and ripen the seed of your spirit, that you | |
| may see God. | |
| "And on the third evening after Sabbath, say these words: 'Peace, peace, peace, Angel of Peace, | |
| be always everywhere.’ Seek the angel of Peace in all that lives, in all you do, in every word you | |
| speak. For peace is the key to all knowledge, to all mystery, to all life. Where there is no peace, | |
| there does Satan reign. And the sons of darkness covet most of all to steal from the Sons of Light | |
| their peace. Go, therefore, on this night to the golden stream of light that is the garment of the | |
| angel of Peace. And bring back to the morning the peace of God that surpasses understanding, | |
| that with this perfect peace you may comfort the hearts of the Sons of Men. | |
| "And on the fourth evening after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of Power, descend on me and | |
| fill with power all my deeds." I tell you truly, just as there is no life on earth without the sun, so | |
| there is no life of the spirit without the Angel of Power. What you think and what you feel, these | |
| are like the dead scriptures, which are only words on a page, or the dead speech of dead men. But | |
| the Sons of Light will not only think, will not only feel, but will also do, and their acts will fulfill | |
| their thoughts and feelings, as the golden fruit of summer gives meaning to the green leaves of | |
| spring. | |
| ‘And on the fifth evening after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of Love, descend on me and fill | |
| with love all my feelings.’ For it is by love that the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother and | |
| the Son of Man become one. Love is eternal. Love is stronger than death. And every night should | |
| the Sons of Light bathe in the holy water of the angel of Love, that with the morning he may | |
| baptize the Sons of Men with kind deeds and gentle words. For when the heart of the Son of | |
| Light is bathed in love, only kind and gentle words speak forth. | |
| "And on the sixth evening after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of Wisdom, descend on me and | |
| fill with wisdom all my thoughts.’ Know, Sons of Light, that your thoughts are as powerful as the | |
| bolt of lightning that stabs through th6 storm and splits asunder the mighty tree. It was for this | |
| that you have waited seven years to learn how to speak with the angels, for you know not the | |
| power of your thoughts. Use, then, wisdom in all you think and say and do. For I tell you truly, | |
| that which is done without wisdom is as a rider less horse, mouth foaming and eyes wild, | |
| running crazed into a yawning chasm. But when the angel of Wisdom governs your deeds, then | |
| is the path to the unknown realms established, and order and harmony govern your lives. | |
| "And these are the communions with the angels which are given to the Sons of Light, that with | |
| bodies purified by the Earthly Mother and spirits purified by the Heavenly Father, they may | |
| command and serve the angels, continually, from period to period, in the circuits of the day, and | |
| in its fixed order; with the coming of light from its source and at the turn of evening and the | |
| outgoing of light, at the outgoing of darkness and the coming in of day, continually, in all the | |
| generations of time. | |
| "The truth is born out of the spring of Light, falsehood from the well of darkness. The dominion | |
| of all the children of truth is in the hands of the Angels of Light so that they may walk in the | |
| ways of Light. | |
| "Blessings on all the Sons of Light who have cast their lot with the Law, that walk truthfully in | |
| all their ways. May the Law bless you with all good and keep you from all evil, and illumine | |
| your hearts with insight into the things of life and grace you with knowledge of things Eternal." | |
| And the crescent moon of peace rose over the mountain and slivers of light shone in the waters | |
| of the river. And the Sons of Light as one man knelt in reverence and thanksgiving for the words | |
| of Jesus, as he taught them in the ancient ways of their fathers, even as Enoch was taught of old. | |
| And Jesus said: "The Law was planted to reward the Children of Light with healing and | |
| abundant peace, with long life, with fruitful seed of everlasting blessings, with eternal joy in | |
| immortality of Eternal Light. | |
| "With the coming of day I embrace my Mother, with the coming of night I join my Father, and | |
| with the outgoing of evening and morning I will breathe their Law, and I will not interrupt these | |
| Communions until the end of time." | |
| THE GIFT OF LIFE IN THE HUMBLE GRASS | |
| It was in the month of Thebt, when the earth was covered with shoots of young grass after the | |
| rains, and the covering of emerald green was tender as the fine down of a baby chick. And it was | |
| on a bright sun-filled morning that Jesus gathered the new Brothers of the Elect round about him, | |
| that they might hear with their ears and understand with their hearts the teachings of their fathers, | |
| even as it was taught to Enoch of old. | |
| And Jesus sat beneath a gnarled and ancient tree, holding in his hands a small earthen pot; and in | |
| the pot was growing tender grass of wheat, the most perfect among all seed bearing herbs. And | |
| the tender grass within the pot was radiant with life, even as the grass and plants which covered | |
| the hills far into the distant fields and beyond. And Jesus stroked the grass in the pot with the | |
| hands, even as gently as he would touch the head of a little child. | |
| And Jesus said: "Happy are you, Sons of Light, for you have entered into the deathless way and | |
| you walk in the path of truth, even as did your fathers of old, who were taught by the Great Ones. | |
| With the eyes and ears of the spirit do you see and hear the sights and sounds of the kingdom of | |
| the Earthly Mother: the blue sky where dwells the angel of Air, the foaming river where flows | |
| the angel of Water, the golden light which streams from the angel of Sun. And I tell you truly, all | |
| these are within you as well as without; for your breath, your blood, the fire of life within you, all | |
| are one with the Earthly Mother. | |
| But of all these, and more, that most precious gift of your Earthly Mother is the grass beneath | |
| your feet, even that grass which you tread upon without thought. Humble and meek is the angel | |
| of Earth, for she has no wings to fly, nor golden rays of light to pierce the mist. But great is her | |
| strength and vast is her domain, for she covers the earth with her power, and without her the | |
| Sons of Men would be no more, for no man can live without the grass, the trees and the plants of | |
| the Earthly Mother. And these are the gifts of the angel of Earth to the Sons of Men. | |
| "But now I will speak to you of mysterious things, for I tell you truly, the humble grass is more | |
| than food for man and beast. it hides its glory beneath a lowly aspect, as it was told of a ruler of | |
| old that he visited the villages of his subjects disguised as a beggar, knowing they would tell | |
| many things to such a one, but would fall down in fear before their King. So does the humble | |
| grass hide its glory under its coat of humble green, and the Sons of Men walk on it, plough it, | |
| feed it to their beasts, but know not what secrets are hidden within it, even those secrets of | |
| everlasting life in the heavenly kingdoms. | |
| "But the Sons of Light will know what lies hidden in the grass, for it is given to them to bring | |
| comfort to the Sons of Men. Even so are we taught by the Earthly Mother with this -little handful | |
| of wheat in a simple pot, even the same earthen pot you use to drink milk and gather the honey | |
| of bees. Now the pot is filled with black soil rich with old leaves and moist with the dew of | |
| morning, even that most precious gift of the angel of Earth. | |
| "And I did moisten a handful of wheat, that the angel of Water entered into it. The angel of Air | |
| did also embrace it, and the angel of Sun, and the power of the three angels awakened also the | |
| angel of Life within the wheat, and sprout and root were born in each grain. | |
| "Then I put the awakened wheat into the soil of the angel of Earth, and the power of the Earthly | |
| Mother and all her angels entered into the wheat, and when the sun had risen four times the | |
| grains had become grass. I tell you truly, there is no greater miracle than this." | |
| And the Brothers looked with reverence at the tender blades of grass in the hands of Jesus, and | |
| one asked him: "Master, what is the secret of the grass you hold in your hands? Why is it | |
| different from that grass that covers the hills and the mountains?" | |
| And Jesus answered "It is not different, Son of Light. All grass, all trees, all plants, in every part | |
| of the world, all are part of the kingdom of the Earthly Mother. But I have separated in this pot a | |
| small portion of your Mother's kingdom, that you may touch her with the hands of the spirit, and | |
| that her power may enter into your body. | |
| "For I tell you truly, there is a Holy Stream of Life which gave birth to the Earthly Mother and | |
| all her angels. Invisible is this Stream of Life to the eyes of the Sons of Men, for they walk in | |
| darkness and see not the angels of the day and of the night that surround them and hover over | |
| them. But the Sons of Light have walked for seven years with the angels of the day and of the | |
| night, and now they are given the secrets of communion with the angels. And the eyes of your | |
| spirit shall be opened, and you will see and hear and touch the Stream of Life that gave birth to | |
| the Earthly Mother. And you will enter the Holy Stream of Life, and it will carry you with | |
| infinite tenderness to everlasting life in the kingdom of your Heavenly Father." | |
| "How shall we do this, Master?" some asked in amazement. "What secrets must we know to see | |
| and hear and touch this Holy Stream of Life?". | |
| And Jesus did not answer. But he placed his two hands around the growing blades of grass in the | |
| pot, gently, as if it were the forehead of a little child. And he closed his eyes, and around him | |
| were waves of light, shimmering in the sun, as the summer heat makes the light to tremble under | |
| a cloudless sky. And the Brothers knelt and bowed their heads in reverence before the power of | |
| the angels which poured forth from the sitting figure of Jesus; and still he sat in silence, with his | |
| hands closed as if in prayer around the blades of grass. | |
| And no one knew if an hour had passed, or a year, for time stood still and it was as if all creation | |
| held its breath. And Jesus opened his eyes, and the scent of blossoms filled the air as Jesus | |
| spoke: "Here is the secret, Sons of Light; here in the humble grass. Here is the meeting place of | |
| the Earthly Mother and the Heavenly Father; here is the Stream of Life which gave birth to all | |
| creation; I tell you truly, only to the Son of Man is it given to see and hear and touch the Stream | |
| of Life which flows between the Earthly and Heavenly Kingdoms. Place your hands around the | |
| tender grass of the angel of Earth, and you will see and hear and touch the power of all the | |
| angels." | |
| And one by one, each of the Brothers sat in reverence before the power of the angels, holding in | |
| his hands the tender grass. And each one felt the Stream of Life enter his body with the force of a | |
| rushing stream after a spring storm. And the power of the angels flowed into their hands, up into | |
| their arms, and shook them mightily, even as the wind of the north shakes the branches of trees. | |
| And all of them wondered at the power in the humble grass, that it could contain all the angels, | |
| and the kingdoms of the Earthly Mother and the Heavenly Father. And they sat before Jesus, and | |
| were taught by him. | |
| Andjesus said: "Behold, Sons of Light, the lowly grass. See wherein are contained all the angels | |
| of the Earthly Mother and the Heavenly Father. For now have you stepped into the Stream of | |
| Life, and its currents will carry you in time to everlasting life in the kingdom of your Heavenly | |
| Father. | |
| "For in the grass are all the angels. Here is the angel of Sun, here in the brightness of the green | |
| color of the blades of wheat. For no one can look upon the sun when it is high in the heavens, for | |
| the eyes of the Son of Man are blinded by its radiant light. And it is for this that the angel of Sun | |
| turns to green all that to which she gives life, that the Son of Man may look upon the many and | |
| various shades of green and find strength and comfort therein. I tell you truly, all that is green | |
| and with life has the power of the angel of Sun within it, even these tender blades of young | |
| wheat. | |
| "And so does the angel of Water bless the grass, for I tell you truly, there is more of the angel of | |
| Water within the grass than any of the other angels of the Earthly Mother. For if you crush | |
| within your hands the grass, you will feel the water of life, which is the blood of the Earthly | |
| Mother. And all through the days when you touch the grass and enter into the Stream of Life, do | |
| you give to the soil a few drops of water, that the grass may be renewed by the power of the | |
| Angel of Water. | |
| "Know, also, that the angel of Air is within the grass, for all that is living and green is the home | |
| of the angel of Air. Put your face close to the grass, breathe deeply, and let the angel of Air enter | |
| deep within your body. For she abides in the grass, as the oak abides in the acorn, and as the fish | |
| abides in the sea. | |
| "The angel of Earth is she who gives birth to the grass, even as the babe in the womb lives from | |
| the nourishment of his mother, so does the earth give of itself to the grain of wheat, causing it to | |
| shoot forth to embrace the angel of Air. I tell you truly, each grain of wheat that bursts forth | |
| upward to the sky is a victory over death, where Satan reigns. For Life always begins again. | |
| "It is the angel of Life that flows through the blades of grass into the body of the Son of Light, | |
| shaking him with her power. For the grass is Life and the Son of Light is Life, and Life flows | |
| between the Son of Light and the blades of grass, making a bridge to the Holy Stream of Light | |
| which gave birth to all creation. | |
| "And when the Son of Light holds between his hands the blades of grass, it is the angel of joy | |
| which fills his body with music. To enter into the Stream of Life is to be one with the song of the | |
| bird, the colors of the wild flowers, the scent of the sheaves of grain, newly turned over in the | |
| fields. I tell you truly, when the Son of Man feels not joy in his heart, he labors for Satan and | |
| brings hope to the sons of darkness. There is no sadness in the kingdom of Light, only the angel | |
| of Joy. Learn, then, from the tender blades of grass the song of the angel of joy, that the Sons of | |
| Light may walk with her always and so comfort the hearts of the Sons of Men. | |
| "The Earthly Mother is she who provides for our bodies, for we are born of her, and have our life | |
| in her. So does she provide for us food in the very blades of grass we touch with our hands. For I | |
| tell you truly, it is not only as bread that wheat may nourish us. We may eat also of the tender | |
| blades of grass, that the strength of the Earthly Mother may enter into us. But chew well the | |
| blades, for the Son of Man has teeth unlike those of the beasts, and only when we chew well the | |
| blades of grass can the angel of Water enter our blood and give us strength. Eat, then, Sons of | |
| Light, of this most perfect herb from the table of our Earthly Mother, that your days may be long | |
| upon the earth, for such finds favor in the eyes of God. | |
| "T tell you truly, the angel of Power enters into you when you touch the Stream of Life through | |
| the blades of grass. For the angel of Power is as a shining light that surrounds every living thing, | |
| just as the full moon is encircled by rings of radiance, and as the mist rises up from the fields | |
| when the sun climbs in the sky. And the angel of Power enters into the Son of Light when his | |
| heart is pure and his desire is only to comfort and teach the Sons of Men. Touch, then, the blades | |
| of grass, and feel the angel of Power enter the tips of your fingers, flow upwards through your | |
| body, and shake you till you tremble with wonder and awe. | |
| "Know, also, that the angel of Love is present in the blades of grass, for love is in the giving, and | |
| great is the love given to the Sons of Light by the tender blades of grass. For I tell you truly, the | |
| Stream of Life runs through every living thing, and all that lives, bathes in the Holy Stream of | |
| Life. And when the Son of Light touches with love the blades of grass, so do the blades of grass | |
| return his love, and lead him to the Stream of Life where he may find life everlasting. And this | |
| love never exhausts itself, for its source is in the Stream of Life which flows into the Eternal Sea, | |
| and no matter how far does the Son of Man stray from his Earthly Mother and his Heavenly | |
| Father, the touch of the blades of grass will always bring a message from the angel of Love; and | |
| his feet shall bathe again in the Holy Stream of Life. | |
| "Lo, it is the angel of Wisdom that governs the movement of the planets, the circle of the | |
| seasons, and the orderly growth of all living things. So does the angel of Wisdom ordain the | |
| communion of the Sons of Light with the Stream of Life, through the tender blades of grass. For | |
| I tell you truly, your body is holy, because it bathes in the Stream of Life, which is Eternal Order. | |
| "Touch the blades of grass, Sons of Light, and touch the angel of Eternal Life. For if you look | |
| with the eyes of the spirit, you will truly see that the grass is eternal. Now it is young and tender, | |
| with the brightness of the newborn babe. Soon it will be tall and gracious, as the sapling tree with | |
| its first fruits. Then it will yellow with age, and bow its head in patience, as lies the field after the | |
| harvest. Finally, it will wither, for the small earthen pot cannot contain the full lifespan of the | |
| wheat. But it does not die, for the brown leaves return to the angel of Earth, and she holds the | |
| plant in her arms and bids it sleep, and all the angels work within the faded leaves and lo, they | |
| are changed and do not die but rise again in another guise. And so do the Sons of Light never see | |
| death, but find themselves changed and risen to everlasting Life. | |
| "And so does the angel of Work never sleep, but sends the roots of the wheat deep into the angel | |
| of Earth, that the shoots of tender green may overcome death and the reign of Satan. For life is | |
| movement, and the angel of Work is never still, even does he labor without ceasing in the | |
| vineyard of the Lord. Close your eyes when you touch the grass, Sons of Light, but fall not | |
| asleep, for to touch the Stream of Life is to touch the eternal rhythm of the everlasting kingdoms, | |
| and to bathe in the Stream of Life is to feel more and more the power of the angel of Work | |
| within you, creating on earth the kingdom of Heaven. | |
| "Peace is -the gift of the Stream of Life to the Sons of Light. Wherefore do we always greet each | |
| other, ‘Peace be with you. Even so does the grass greet your body with the kiss of Peace. I tell | |
| you truly, Peace is not just the absence of war, for very quickly can the peaceful river turn into a | |
| raging torrent, and the same waves that lull the boat can quickly break it to pieces against the | |
| rocks. So does violence lie in wait for the Sons of Man, when they keep not the vigil of Peace. | |
| Touch the blades of grass, and thereby touch the Stream of Life. Therein you will find Peace, the | |
| Peace built with the power of all the angels. Even so with that Peace will the rays of Holy Light | |
| cast out all darkness. | |
| "When the Sons of Light are one with the Stream of Life, then will the power of the blades of | |
| grass guide them to the everlasting kingdom of the Heavenly Father. And you shall know more | |
| of those mysteries which is not yet time for you to hear. For there are other Holy Streams in the | |
| everlasting kingdoms; I tell you truly, the heavenly kingdoms are crossed and crossed again by | |
| streams of golden light, arching far beyond the dome of the sky and having no end. And the Sons | |
| of Light shall travel by these streams for ever, knowing not death, guided by the eternal love of | |
| the Heavenly Father. And I tell you truly, all these mysteries are contained in the humble grass, | |
| when you touch it with tenderness and open your heart to the angel of Life within. | |
| "Gather, then, the grains of wheat and plant them in small earthen pots; and every day with glad | |
| heart commune with the angels, that they may guide you to the Holy Stream of Life, and you | |
| may bring back from its eternal source comfort and strength for the Sons of Men. For I tell you | |
| truly, all that you learn, all that your eyes of the spirit see, all that your cars of the spirit hear, all | |
| this is as a hollow reed in the wind if you do not send forth a message of truth and light to the | |
| Sons of Men. For by the fruit do we know the worth of the tree. And to love is to teach without | |
| end, without ceasing. For so were your fathers taught of old, even our Father Enoch. Go now, | |
| and peace be with you." | |
| And Jesus held forth the little pot with the blades of young grass, as if in blessing, and walked | |
| toward the sun-filled hills, along the shore of the river, as was the custom of all the Brothers. | |
| And the others followed, each holding to him the words of Jesus, as it were a precious jewel | |
| within his breast. | |
| THE SEVENFOLD PEACE | |
| "Peace be with you," spoke the Elder in greeting to the Brothers who had gathered for the | |
| teachings | |
| "Peace be with you," they answered; and they walked together along the bank of the river, for so | |
| was their custom when an Elder taught the Brothers, that they might share the teachings with the | |
| angels of the Earthly Mother: of air, of sun, of water, of earth, of life, and of joy. | |
| And the Elder said to the Brothers: "I would speak to you of peace, for of all the angels of the | |
| Heavenly Father, peace is that for which the world most yearns, as a tired babe longs to put his | |
| head on his mother's breast. It is the lack of peace that troubles the kingdoms, even when they | |
| are not at war. For violence and warfare may reign in a kingdom even when the sounds of | |
| clashing swords are not heard. Though no armies march one against the other, still there is no | |
| peace when the Sons of Men walk not with the angels of God. I tell you truly, many are those | |
| who do not know peace; for they are at war with their own body; they are at war with their | |
| thoughts; they have no peace with their fathers, their mothers, their children; they have no peace | |
| with their friends and neighbors; they know not the beauty of the Holy Scrolls; they labor not | |
| through the day in the kingdom of their Earthly Mother; nor do they sleep at night in the arms of | |
| their Heavenly Father. Peace reigns not within them, for ever do they thirst for that which in the | |
| end brings only misery and pain, even those trappings of riches and fame which Satan uses to | |
| tempt the Sons of Men; and they live in ignorance of the Law, even that Holy Law by which we | |
| live: the path of the angels of the Earthly Mother and the Heavenly Father." | |
| "How, then, may we bring peace to our brothers, Master?" asked some of the Elder, "for we | |
| would that all the Sons of Men share in the blessings of the angel of Peace." | |
| And he answered: "Truly, only he who is at peace with all the angels can shed the light of peace | |
| on others. Therefore, first be at peace with all the angels of the Earthly Mother and the Heavenly | |
| Father. For the winds of a storm stir and trouble the waters of the river, and only the stillness that | |
| follows can calm them once again. Take care when your brother asks you for bread, that you | |
| give him not stones. Live first in peace with all the angels, for then your peace will be as a | |
| fountain that does replenish itself with the giving, and the more you give, so the more you will be | |
| given, for such is the Law. | |
| "Three arc the dwellings of the Son of Man, and no one may come before the face of God who | |
| knows not the angel of Peace in each of the three. These are his body, his thoughts, and his | |
| feelings. When the angel of Wisdom guides his thoughts, when the angel of Love purifies his | |
| feelings, and when the deeds of his body reflect both love and wisdom, then does the angel of | |
| Peace guide him unfailingly to the throne of his Heavenly Father. And he should pray without | |
| ceasing that the power of Satan with all his diseases and uncleannesses may be cast out of all of | |
| his three dwellings; that Power and Wisdom and Love may reign in his body, his thoughts, and | |
| his feelings. | |
| "First shall the Son of Man seek peace with his own body; for his body is as a mountain pond | |
| that reflects the sun when it is still and clear; but when it is full of mud and stones, it reflects | |
| nothing. First must Satan be cast out of the body, that the angels of God may enter again and | |
| dwell therein. Truly, no peace can reign in the body unless it is as a temple of the Holy Law. | |
| Therefore, when he who suffers with pains and grievous plagues asks for your help, tell him to | |
| renew himself with fasting and with prayer. Tell him to invoke the angel of sun, the angel of | |
| water, and the angel of air, that they may enter his body and cast out of it the power of Satan. | |
| Show him the baptism within, and the baptism without. Tell him always to eat of the table of our | |
| Earthly Mother, spread with her gifts: the fruits of the trees, the grasses of the fields, the milk of | |
| beasts good for eating, and the honey of bees. He shall not invoke the power of Satan by eating | |
| the flesh of beasts, for he who kills, kills his brother, and whoso eats the flesh of slain beasts, | |
| eats the body of death. Tell him to prepare his food with the fire of life, not the fire of death, for | |
| the living angels of the living God serve only living men. | |
| "And though he sees them not, and hears them not, and touches them not, still is he every | |
| moment surrounded by the power of God's angels. While his eyes and ears are closed by | |
| ignorance of the Law and thirst for the pleasures of Satan, he will not see them, nor hear them, | |
| nor touch them. But when he fasts and prays to the living God to cast out all the diseases and | |
| uncleannesses of Satan, then will his eyes and ears be opened, and he will find peace. | |
| "For not only he suffers who harbors the diseases of Satan within him, but his mother, his father, | |
| his wife, his children, his companions, these suffer also, for no man is an island unto himself, and | |
| the powers that flow through him, whether they be of the angels or of Satan, truly these powers | |
| do unto others for good or for evil. | |
| "After this manner, therefore, pray to your Heavenly Father, when the sun is high at midday: | |
| ‘Our Father who art in heaven, send to all the Sons of Men your angel of Peace; and send to our | |
| body the angel of Life to dwell therein for ever.’ | |
| "Then shall the Son of Man seek peace with his own thoughts; that the angel of Wisdom may | |
| guide him. For I tell you truly, there is no greater power in heaven and earth than the thoughts of | |
| the Son of Man. Though unseen by the eyes of the body, yet each thought has mighty strength, | |
| even such strength as can shake the heavens. | |
| "For to no other creature in the kingdom of the Earthly Mother is it given the power of thought, | |
| for all beasts that crawl and birds that fly, live not of their own thinking but of the one Law that | |
| governs all. Only to the Sons of Men is it given the power of thought, even that thought that can | |
| break the bonds of death. Do not think because it cannot be seen, that thought has no power. I tell | |
| you truly, the lightning that cleaves the mighty oak, or the quaking that opens up cracks in the | |
| earth, these are as the play of children compared with the power of thought. Truly each thought | |
| of darkness, whether it be of malice, or anger, or vengeance, these wreak destruction like that of | |
| fire sweeping through dry kindling under a windless sky. But man does not see the carnage, nor | |
| does he hear the piteous cries of his victims, for he is blind to the world of the spirit. | |
| "But when this power is guided by holy Wisdom, then the thoughts of the Son of Man lead him | |
| to the heavenly kingdoms and thus is paradise built on earth; then it is that your thoughts uplift | |
| the souls of men, as the cold waters of a rushing stream revive your body in the summer heat. | |
| "When first a fledgling bird tries to fly, his wings cannot support him, and he falls again and | |
| again to earth. But he tries again and one day he soars aloft, leaving earth and his nest far behind. | |
| So is it with the thoughts of the Sons of Men. The longer he walks with the angels and keeps | |
| their Law, so do the stronger his thoughts become in holy Wisdom. And I tell you truly, that day | |
| will come when his thoughts will overcome even the kingdom of death and soar to everlasting | |
| life in the heavenly kingdoms; for with their thoughts guided by holy Wisdom do the Sons of | |
| Men build a bridge of light thereby to reach God. | |
| "After this manner, therefore, pray to your Heavenly Father, when the sun is high at midday: | |
| ‘Our Father who art in heaven, send to all the Sons of Men your angel of Peace; and send to our | |
| thoughts the angel of Power, that we may break the bonds of death. | |
| "Then shall the Son of Man seek peace with his own feelings; that his family may delight in his | |
| loving kindness, even his father, his mother, his wife, his children, and his children's children. | |
| For the Heavenly Father is a hundred times greater than all fathers by seed and by blood, and the | |
| Earthly Mother is a hundred times greater than all mothers by the body, and your true brothers | |
| are all those who do the will of your Heavenly Father and of your Earthly Mother, and not your | |
| brothers by blood. Even so, shall you see the Heavenly Father in your father by seed, and your | |
| Earthly Mother in your mother by the body, for are not these also children of the Heavenly | |
| Father and the Earthly Mother? Even so shall you love your brothers by blood as you love all | |
| your true brothers who walk with the angels, for are not these also children of the Heavenly | |
| Father and the Earthly Mother? I tell you truly, it is easier to love those newly met, than those of | |
| our own house, who have k nown our weaknesses, and heard our words of anger, and seen us in | |
| our nakedness, for they know us as we know ourselves, and we are ashamed. Then shall we call | |
| on the angel of Love to enter into our feelings, that they be purifiers And all that was before | |
| impatience and discord, will turn to harmony and peace, as the parched ground drinks in the | |
| gentle rain and becomes green and soft, tender with new life. | |
| "For many and grievous are the sufferings of the Sons of Men when they cleave not to the angel | |
| of Love. Truly, a man without love casts a dark shadow on everyone he meets, most of all those | |
| with whom he lives; his harsh and angry words fall on his brothers like fetid air rising from a | |
| stagnant pool. And he suffers most who speaks them, for the darkness that encloses him invites | |
| Satan and his devas. | |
| "But when he calls on the angel of Love, then is the darkness dispersed, and the light of sunshine | |
| streams from him, and the colors of the rainbow swirl about his head, and gentle rain falls from | |
| his fingers, and he brings peace and strength to all those who draw near to him. | |
| "After this manner, therefore, pray to your Heavenly Father, when the sun is high at midday: | |
| ‘Our Father who art in heaven, send to all the Sons of Men your angel of Peace; and send to those | |
| of our seed and of our blood the angel of Love, that peace and harmony may dwell in our house | |
| for ever.’ | |
| "Then shall the Son of Man seek peace with other Sons of Men, even with the Pharisees and | |
| priests, even with beggars and the homeless, even with kings and governors. For all are Sons of | |
| Men, whatever be their station, whatever be their calling, whether their eyes have been opened to | |
| see the heavenly kingdoms, or whether they yet walk in darkness and ignorance. | |
| "For the justice of men may reward the undeserving and punish the innocent, but Holy Law is | |
| the same for all, whether beggar or king, whether shepherd or priest. | |
| "Seek peace with all the Sons of Men, and let it be known of the Brothers of Light, that we have | |
| lived according to the Holy Law since the time of Enoch of old, and before. For we are not rich, | |
| neither are we poor. And we do share all things, even our garments and the tools we use to till | |
| the soil. And together we work in the fields with all the angels, bringing forth the gifts of the | |
| Earthly Mother for all to eat. | |
| "For the strongest of the angels of the Heavenly Father, the angel of Work, blesses each man | |
| who works in the way best for him, for then shall he know neither want nor excess. Truly is there | |
| abundance for all men in the kingdoms of the Earthly Mother and the Heavenly Father when | |
| each man works at his task; for when a man shirks his task, then another must take it up, for we | |
| are given all things in the kingdoms of heaven and earth at the price of labor. | |
| "Always have the Brothers of Light lived where rejoice the angels of the Earthly Mother: near | |
| rivers, near trees, near flowers, near the music of birds; where sun and rain may embrace the | |
| body, which is the temple of the spirit. Nor do we have ought to do with the edicts of rulers; | |
| neither do we uphold them, as our law is the Law of the Heavenly Father and the Earthly | |
| Mother; neither do we oppose them, for no one rules save by the will of God. Rather do we strive | |
| to live according to the Holy Law and strengthen always that which is good in all things; then | |
| will the kingdom of darkness be changed to the kingdom of light; for where there is light, how | |
| then can darkness remain? | |
| "After this manner, therefore, pray to your Heavenly Father, when the sun is high at midday: | |
| ‘Our Father who art in heaven, send to all the Sons of Men your angel of Peace; and send to all | |
| humankind the angel of Work, that having a holy task we should not ask for any other blessing. | |
| "Then shall the Son of Man seek peace with the knowledge of the ages past; for I tell you truly, | |
| in the Holy Scrolls is a treasure a hundred times greater than any of jewels and gold in the richest | |
| of kingdoms, and more precious, for surely they contain all the wisdom revealed by God to the | |
| Sons of Light, even those traditions which came to us through Enoch of old, and before him on | |
| an endless path into the past, the teachings of the Great Ones. And these are our inheritance, even | |
| as the son inherits all the possessions of his father when he shows himself to be worthy of his | |
| father's blessing. Truly, by studying the teachings of ageless wisdom do we come to know God, | |
| for I tell you truly, the Great Ones saw God face to face; even so, when we read the Holy Scrolls | |
| do we touch the feet of God. | |
| "And when once we see with the eyes of wisdom and hear with the cars of understanding the | |
| ageless truths of the Holy Scrolls, then must we go among the Sons of Men and teach them, for if | |
| we jealously hide the holy knowledge, pretending that it belongs only to us, then we are as one | |
| who finds a spring high in the mountains, and rather than let it flow into the valley to quench the | |
| thirst of man and beast, buries it under rocks and dirt, thereby robbing himself of water, as well. | |
| Go among the Sons of Men and tell them of the Holy Law, that they may thereby save | |
| themselves and enter the heavenly kingdoms. But tell them in words they may understand, in | |
| parables from nature that speak to the heart, for the deed must first live as desire in the awakened | |
| heart. | |
| "After this manner, therefore, pray to your Heavenly Father, when the sun is high at midday: | |
| ‘Our Father who art in heaven, send to all the Sons of Men your angel of Peace; and send to our | |
| knowledge the angel of Wisdom, that we may walk in the paths of the Great Ones who have seen | |
| the face of God. | |
| "Then shall the Son of Man seek peace with the kingdom of his Earthly Mother, for none can | |
| live long, neither be happy, but he who honors his Earthly Mother and does her laws. For your | |
| breath is her breath; your blood her blood; your bone her bone; your flesh her flesh; your bowels | |
| her bowels; your eyes and your ears are her eyes and her ears. | |
| "T tell you truly, you are one with the Earthly Mother; she is in you, and you in her. Of her were | |
| you born, in her do you live, and to her shall you return again. it is the blood of our Earthly | |
| Mother which falls from the clouds and flows in the rivers; it is the breath of our Earthly Mother | |
| which, whispers in the leaves of the forest and blows with a mighty wind from the mountains; | |
| sweet and firm is the flesh of our Earthly Mother in the fruits of the trees; strong and unflinching | |
| are the bones of our Earthly Mother in the giant rocks and stones which stand as sentinels of the | |
| lost times; truly, we are one with our Earthly Mother, and he who clings to the laws of his | |
| Mother, to him shall his Mother cling also. | |
| "But there will come a day when the Son of Man will turn his face from his Earthly Mother and | |
| betray her, even denying his Mother and his birthright. Then shall he sell her into slavery, and | |
| her flesh shall be ravaged, her blood polluted, and her breath smothered; he will bring the fire of | |
| death into all the parts of her kingdom, and his hunger will devour all her gifts and leave in their | |
| place only a desert. | |
| "All these things will he do out of ignorance of the Law, and as a man dying slowly cannot smell | |
| his own stench, so will the Son of Man be blind to the truth: that as he plunders and ravages and | |
| destroys his Earthly Mother, so does he plunder and ravage and destroy himself. For he was born | |
| of his Earthly Mother, and he is one with her, and all that he does to his Mother9 even so does he | |
| do to himself. | |
| "Long ago, before the Great Flood, the Great Ones walked the earth, and the giant trees, even | |
| those which now are no more than legend, were their home and their kingdom. They lived many | |
| score of generations, for they ate from the table of the Earthly Mother, and slept in the arms of | |
| the Heavenly Father, and they knew not disease, old age, nor death. To the Sons of Men did they | |
| bequeath all the glory of their kingdoms, even the hidden knowledge of the Tree of Life which | |
| stands in the middle of the Eternal Sea. But the eyes of the Sons of Men were blinded by the | |
| visions of Satan, and by promises of power, even that power which conquers by might and by | |
| blood. And then did the Son of Man sever the golden threads that bound him to his Earthly | |
| Mother and his Heavenly Father; he stepped from the Holy Stream of Life where his body, his | |
| thoughts, and his feelings were one with the Law, and began to use only his own thoughts, his | |
| own feelings, and his own deeds, making hundreds of laws, where before there was only One. | |
| "And so did the Sons of Men exile themselves from their home, and ever since have they | |
| huddled behind their stone walls, hearing not the sighing of the wind in the tall trees of the | |
| forests beyond their towns. | |
| "T tell you truly, the Book of Nature is a Holy Scroll, and if you would have the Sons of Men | |
| save themselves and find everlasting life, teach them how once again to read from the living | |
| pages of the Earthly Mother. For in everything that is life is the law written. It is written in the | |
| grass, in the trees, in rivers, mountains, birds of the sky and fishes of the sea; and most of all | |
| within the Son of Man. Only when he returns to the bosom of his Earthly Mother will he find | |
| everlasting life and the Stream of Life which leads to his Heavenly Father; only then may the | |
| dark vision of the future come not to pass. | |
| "After this manner, therefore, pray to your Heavenly Father, when the sun is high at midday: | |
| ‘Our Father who art in heaven, send to all the Sons of Men your angel of Peace; and send to the | |
| kingdom of our Earthly Mother the angel of joy, that our hearts may be full of singing and | |
| gladness as we nestle in the arms of our Mother. | |
| 4 'At last, shall the Son of Man seek peace with the kingdom of his Heavenly Father; for truly, | |
| the Son of Man is only born of his father by seed and of his mother by the body, that he may find | |
| his true inheritance and know at last that he is the Son of the King. | |
| "The Heavenly Father is the One Law, who fashioned the stars, the sun, the light and the | |
| darkness, and the Holy Law within our souls. Everywhere is he, and there is nowhere he is not. | |
| All in our understanding, and all we know not, all is governed by the Law. The falling of leaves, | |
| the flow of rivers, the music of insects at night, all these are ruled by the Law. | |
| "In our Heavenly Father's realm there are many mansions, and many are the hidden things you | |
| cannot know of yet. I tell you truly, the kingdom of our Heavenly Father is vast, so vast that no | |
| man can know its limits, for there are none. Yet the whole of his kingdom may be found in the | |
| smallest drop of dew on a wild flower, or in the scent of newly-cut grass in the fields under the | |
| summer sun. Truly, there are no words to describe the kingdom of the Heavenly Father. | |
| "Glorious, indeed, is the inheritance of the Son of Man, for to hirn only is it given to enter the | |
| Stream of Life which leads him to the kingdom of his Heavenly Father. But first he must seek | |
| and find peace with his body, with his thoughts, with his feelings, with the Sons of Men, with | |
| holy knowledge, and with the kingdom of the Earthly Mother. For I tell you truly, this is the | |
| vessel which will carry the Son of Man on the Stream of Life to his Heavenly Father. He must | |
| have peace that is sevenfold before he can know the one peace which surpasses understanding, | |
| even that of his Heavenly Father. | |
| "After this manner, therefore, pray to your Heavenly Father, when the sun is high at midday: | |
| ‘Our Father who art in heaven, send to all the Sons of Men your angel of Peace; and send to your | |
| kingdom, our Heavenly Father, your angel of Eternal Life, that we may soar beyond the stars and | |
| live for ever." | |
| And then the Elder was quiet, and a great stillness stole over the Brothers, and no one wished to | |
| speak. The shadows of late afternoon played on the river, still and silvery as glass, and in the | |
| darkening sky could faintly be seen the filigree crescent moon of peace. And the great peace of | |
| the Heavenly Father wrapt them all in deathless love. | |
| THE HOLY STREAMS | |
| Into the innermost circle have you come, into the mystery of mysteries, that which was old when | |
| our father Enoch was young and walked the earth. Around and around have you come on your | |
| journey of many years, always following the path of righteousness, living according to the Holy | |
| Law and the sacred vows of our Brotherhood, and you have made of your body a holy temple | |
| wherein dwell the angels of God. Many years have you shared the daylight hours with the angels | |
| of the Earthly Mother; many years have you slept in the arms of the Heavenly Father, taught by | |
| his unknown angels. You have learned that the laws of the Son of Man are seven, of the angels | |
| three, and of God, one. Now you shall know of the three laws of the angels, the mystery of the | |
| three Holy Streams and the ancient way to traverse them; so shall you bathe in the light of | |
| heaven and at last behold the revelation of the mystery of mysteries: the law of God, which is | |
| One. | |
| Now in the hour before the rising of the sun, just before the angels of the Earthly Mother breathe | |
| life into the still sleeping earth, then do you enter into the Holy Stream of Life. It is your Brother | |
| Tree who holds the mystery of this Holy Stream, and it is your Brother Tree that you will | |
| embrace in your thought, even as by clay you embrace him in greeting when you walk along the | |
| lake shore. And you shall be one with the tree, for in the beginning of the times so did we all | |
| share in the Holy Stream of Life that gave birth to all creation. And as you embrace your Brother | |
| Tree, the power of the Holy Stream of Life will fill your whole body, and you will tremble | |
| before its might. Then breathe deeply of the angel of air, and say the word "Life" with the | |
| outgiving of breath. Then you will become in truth the Tree of Life which sinks its roots deep | |
| into the Holy Stream of Life from an eternal source. And as the angel of sun warms the earth, | |
| and all the creatures of land and water and air rejoice in the new day, so will your body and spirit | |
| rejoice in the Holy Stream of life that flows to you through your Brother Tree. | |
| And when the sun is high in the heavens, then shall you seek the Holy Stream of Sound. in the | |
| heat of noontide, all creatures are still and seek the shade; the angels of the Earthly Mother are | |
| silent for a space. Then it is that you shall let into your ears the Holy Stream of Sound; for it can | |
| only be heard in the silence. Think on the streams that are born in the desert after a sudden storm, | |
| and the roaring sound of the waters as they rush past. Truly, this is the voice of God, if you did | |
| but know it. For as it is written, in the beginning was the Sound, and the Sound was with God, | |
| and the Sound was God. I tell you truly, when we are born, we enter the world with the sound of | |
| God in our ears, even the singing of the vast chorus of the sky, and the holy chant of the stars in | |
| their fixed rounds; it is the Holy Stream of Sound that traverses the vault of stars and crosses the | |
| endless kingdom of the Heavenly Father. It is ever in our ears, so do we hear it not. Listen for it, | |
| then, in the silence of noontide; bathe in it, and let the rhythm of the music of God beat in your | |
| ears until you are one with the Holy Stream of Sound. It was this Sound which formed the earth | |
| and the world, and brought forth the mountains, and set the stars in their thrones of glory in the | |
| highest heavens. | |
| And you shall bathe in the Stream of Sound, and the music of its waters shall flow over you; for | |
| in the beginning of the times so did we all share in the Holy Stream of Sound that gave birth to | |
| all creation. And the mighty roaring of the Stream of Sound will fill your whole body, and you | |
| will tremble before its might. Then breathe deeply of the angel of air, and become the sound | |
| itself, that the Holy Stream of Sound may carry you to the endless kingdom of the Heavenly | |
| Father, there where the rhythm of the world rises and falls. | |
| And when darkness gently closes the eyes of the angels of the Earthly Mother, then shall you | |
| also sleep, that your spirit may join the unknown angels of the Heavenly Father. And in the | |
| moments before you sleep, then shall you think of the bright and glorious stars, the white, | |
| shining, far-seen and far-piercing stars. For your thoughts before sleep are as the bow of the | |
| skilful archer, that sends the arrow where he wills. Let your thoughts before sleep be with the | |
| stars; for the stars are Light, and the Heavenly Father is Light, even that Light which is a | |
| thousand times brighter than the brightness of a thousand suns. Enter the Holy Stream of Light, | |
| that the shackles of death may loose their hold for ever, and breaking free from the bonds of | |
| earth, ascend the Holy Stream of Light through the blazing radiance of the stars, into the endless | |
| kingdom of the Heavenly Father. | |
| Unfold your wings of light, and in the eye of your thought, soar with the stars into the farthest | |
| reaches of heaven, where untold suns blaze with light. For at the beginning of the times, the Holy | |
| Law said, let there be Light, and there was Light. And you shall be one with it, and the power of | |
| the Holy Light Stream will fill your whole body, and you will tremble before its might. Say the | |
| word "Light," as you breathe deeply of the angel of air, and you will become the Light itself; and | |
| the Holy Stream will carry you to the endless kingdom of the Heavenly Father, there losing itself | |
| in the eternal Sea of Light which gives birth to all creation. And you shall be one with the Holy | |
| Stream of Light, always before you sleep in the arms of the Heavenly Father. | |
| I tell you truly, your body was made not only to breathe, and eat, and think, but it was also made | |
| to enter the Holy Stream of Life. And your ears were made not only to hear the words of men, | |
| the song of birds, and the music of falling rain, but they were also made to hear the Holy Stream | |
| of Sound. And your eyes were made not only to see the rising and setting of the sun, the ripple of | |
| sheaves of grain, and the words of the Holy Scrolls, but they were also made to see the Holy | |
| Stream of Light. One day your body will return to the Earthly Mother; even also your ears and | |
| your eyes. But the Holy Stream of Life, the Holy Stream of Sound, and the Holy Stream of | |
| Light, these were never born, and can never die. Enter the Holy Streams, even that Life, that | |
| Sound, and that Light which gave you birth; that you may reach the kingdom of the Heavenly | |
| Father and become one with him, even as the river empties into the far distant sea. | |
| More than this cannot be told, for the Holy Streams will take you to that place where words are | |
| no more, and even the Holy Scrolls cannot record the mysteries therein. | |