The divine mystery

Front matter

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CHAPTER II. 7he Universe

The Pleroma, or Universe, physical and super-physical, is composed of three worlds, of three planes which interpenetrate each other, and which are separated in the illustrations to facilitate the description.

The higher, or Celestial plane, is formed, according to the author of Pistis Sophia, of twenty-four concentric circles which he calls the twenty-four mysteries. They correspond to the twenty-four elders of the Apocalypse, and have for key the twenty-four jewels which adorn the mystic name Yod-He-Vau- He. (See on this subject the works of Eliphas Levi.)

The twenty-fourth mystery is most closely in touch with the lower worlds, and the first mystery is the most central. It is the first mystery which Jesus will describe in detail, and it is that which includes the heritage of the Elect, as well as the Force Principles, or celestial creatures.

The middle plane, or astral plane of the Kabbala, is represented by the dragon of Hermetism (ouroboros) of the Initiates, which forms a circle, since the mouth devours the tail. This dragon symbolizes the billows of fire of the astral plane, the sea of flames of Hemetic Initiation, and the pergatory of Christians.

The dragon is divided into twelve parts, or Eons. Each of these Eons has a door which opens towards the superior world, "towards the Heights," says the text. Each of these doors is concealed on the inside by a veil, and is guarded on the outside by an astral spirit, or archon, who is called the Ruler of the Door (or gate) of the Heights. These twelve Eons correspond to the twelve houses of the astrological zodiac. They serve as a place of trial for condemned souls, who enter into the different Eons through the mouth of the dragon (entrance of condemned souls.)

The physical plane, or plane of corporal humanity, is snrfHti DIVINE MYSTERY. 119

rounded on all sides by the astral dragon. No being then will be able to come from heaven on the material plane or go from the material plane into heaven without having crossed this domain of the dragon, this world of archons, filled with torments and snares. The physical plain begins at the circle of the firmament, situated within the circle of chaos, and this physical plane includes the stars and the luminaries, or planets, and at the center of the world of humanity.

In the narrative of Valentine, these three planes enclose one another, from the world of humanity at the center, to the first mystery at the periphery, and the celestial world goes even farther, with intermediaries between the different planes.

If we had followed the illustration exactly, it would be well nigh impossible to understand the construction of the first mystery and its relations with the rest of the Universe, or Pleroma. That is why, in our general illustration, we have drawn the celestial plane apart from and above the two others, although normally it should envelop them. Between the celestial plane and the astral plane there is a place of transition, the thirteenth Eon, and the astral plane is still another plane of transition where Pistis Sophia was led. Finally, between the astral plane and the physical plane exist diverse spheres (sphere of destiny or second sphere, spere of chaos or first sphere), which indicates the planes of progressive materialization of the Divine Force.

He who reads the following translation will be struck with the duties of the secondary agencies, named Receivers. There are the Receivers of Light, or the Peaceful Receivers, and the Receivers of Darkness. The part of these agents is to go to seek for souls at the moment when they are to leave the body, to conduct them across Creation during three days, and then to put them into the hands of those who must award or punish

them.

The [Messenger of 'Death.

Ancient Egypt believed in a messenger of Death who came to look for the soul at a fixed moment, and a work on Ethics, attributed to the Scribe Khonson-Hotep, tells us of it in a maxim, which I shall quote here:

The divine mystery. 12I

"Place before thyself, as thy object to attain, an old age worthy of testimony that thou mayst be found to have perfected thy house, which is in the funeral valley, on the morning of the hiding away of thy body. So when, for thee, the Messenger of Death shall come to take thee let him find one who is ready."

However, an examination of the illustration, especially of that of the Pleroma, will enable one to find in the mind this arrangement of the worlds and dissipate all difficulties.

Let us say, now, something of the inhabitants of these different worlds.

The Inhabitants of the Invisible World.

The world of humanity is inhabited by souls clothed with bodies. Though invisible beings, everywhere we shall find there above all the Pacific Receivers, appointed to receive the soul on its going forth from the body, and to carry it as far as the astral plane, where it will find a crowd of beings with whom it may have to do.

These beings of the astral plane are chiefly the receivers of the archons, the archons of destiny, and the archons in all their offices. The archons are especially enemies of the human soul and they are particularly hostile to it when initiation does not permit it to defend itself.

The Celestial Plane.

The celestial plane shows us at first the Receivers of ..Light, the Receivers of the middle plane, then a crowd of mysterious beings, classed in three great centres— the middle, the right and left. This right and left are those not of the illustration, but of the Christ of Glory, who occupies the center of the figure.

In the middle we find the Virgin of Light, appointed to seal eouls according to their exaltation. Then Iao, the great Supreme One; then the Twelve Deacons, the seven Virgins of Light, with the Receivers, the Deacons and the Angels of the midst.

At the left we find the only door by which heaven communicates with the other worlds. This door unites thirteenth Eon with the Treasury of Light, whence have come most of the emanations which adorn the celestial plane. It is, indeed, from this Treasury of Light that have emanated the nine guardians and the Savior of the twins (Jumeau), which are at the left of Christ, and the five trees, and the three amens, and the seven voices which are at His right.

The five trees have sent forth, in their turn, each a creative Light.

The light of the first tree has emanated Ieou.

The light of the second tree has emanated the guardians of the veil of the great light.

The light of the third tree has emanated Melchizedec.

The light of the fourth tree and fifth tree has emanated the Two Prohegomenes.

Finally, if we say that Ieou has emanated, in his turn, Sabaoth the Good, He whom Jesus calls His Heavenly Father, one will have a complete idea of the emanations which constitute the celestial plane, which our illustration makes clear enough. __„=__„

CHAPTER III. [Man — Constitution of [Man

The ideas already furnished will make it easy for the reader to understand the origin of the different principles which constitute man incarnate.

Composition of the Human 'Being.

The human being, as he presents himself to us on the earth, is thus composed:

1. A hylic, or corporal body.

2. An intermediary principal; the spirit of spiritual imitation.

3. The immortal soul.

To these principles it is necessary to add the forces not incarnated, which are:

A. The heavenly principle.

B. Destiny.

The physical body comes from the earth, and returns to it. It is shaped by the immediately superior principle. The Spirit of Spiritual Imitation plays an important part in the work of Valentine. It is the prinriple of attraction downward. The origin of the satanic impulses, which draw the soul to the enjoyment of matter.

The more the soul follows the impulses of this principle of evil, the more powerful will be the bond which unites her to it, and the greater will be the difficulty she will have in escaping from the torments into which the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation will lead her. This spirit, which comes from the sphere of Destiny, and which must remain there if the soul succeeds in breaking the bond which attaches her to it.

The reader will observe, also, in reading the eschatological part of Pistis Sophia, that there is often a reference to one part of the human being named the Spirit or Spiritual Imitation, in such a way that the doctrine of Valentine — man is composed of the body, of spiritual imitation, of the soul, until the soul becomes spiritual and blessed.

The spiritual imitation has the form of the body; is born with the body; is aitached to it during life, and follows it even to death; witness of all the actions of the body and of the soul; accusing the later after death and leading her to sin during life.

So, with the ancient Egyptians, man was composed of the body, of the double, of the soul, which becomes blest, or spiritual after death, if she has been found just in the supreme judgment of Osiris. It is to the double that spiritual imitation corresponds. The double was a thin image of the body, an imitation, more tenuous, more spiritual in every way, which was born with the body, grew with the body, then reviving without the body in consequence of certain magic ceremonies, continued to live after death in the place where the body was preserved.

Spirit of Imitation.

Analysis of the Author ot Pistis.

And the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation makes the soul yield, and forces her to do all sinful things, give way to all passions, commit all sins ceaselessly, and it remains opposed to the soul, and is her enemy, making her commit all these evils and all these sins. And it excites the peaceful "Liturges" to be its witness in all the sins which it caused her to commit, and, even when she would repose in the night, it excites her with worldly desires. In a word, it devotes itself to all the works which the archons had ordered it to do, and becomes the enemy of the soul, and makes her do what she does not wish to do.

The Spirit of Spiritual Imitation, destiny and the body (the mystery of baptism) separate themselves into one part, the soul, also, and the essence separate themselves into another part. The mystery of baptism remains between the two.

But to this center of attraction downwards is opposed the celestial essence, center of attraction upwards to the high and the Divine, origin of the ideal on earth, of pure desire, and of regenerating sacrifice.

This celestial virtue comes directly from the Virgin of Light of the celestial plane. It returns there immediately after death, and remains attached during the whole of the terrestrial life to the soul, to enlighten it and allow it to elevate itself by comprehending Divine Love.*

The Immortal Soul, free to follow the impulses below or the ecstasies from above, is sent on earth to gain initiation. As long as it has not penetrated the principle of creation, it is obliged to return to incarnate again.

Destiny has no part in human substance. Unmoved spectator, it is there to stop the course of physical existence at the marked day, and, that done, it returns to the first sphere, whence it came.

The reader v/ill understand, now, the following which recapitulates all this.

When the little child comes to earth, the Heavenly Essence is weak in it, the soul, also, is weak in it, the Imitation of the Spirit is feeble in it; in a word, the three are feeble together. No one knows what he will be, good or evil, and the body even is feeble, and the little child eats the nourishment of the world

* Theology has figured two principles. The Spirit of Imitation by the Angel of Darkness, and the Heavenly Essence by the Guardian Angel who helps every man in the world.

of the archons, and the Essence from the archons draws to itself the part of the essence which is in the food, and the Soul draws to it that part of the soul which is in the food, and the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation draws to it the bad part which is in the nourishment with its desires, and the body also attracts to it the insensible matter which is in the food. As to Destiny, it takes nothing from the food, because it is not mingled with it.*

Little by little the Essence, the Soul, the Spirit of Imitation, attains its growth. Each becomes conscious according to its nature. The Essence desires to seek the light of the heights; the Soul, also, wishes to seek the place of justice, which is mixed, that is to say, that it is the place of mixture; the Spirit of Imitation seeks, also, all wickedness, all desires, and all sins; the body, itself, it desires nothing, but that it may get strength

from matter.

Origin of the Soul.

The soul of ordinary men takes its first origin from the archons' own light; that is to say, from the chiefs who exercise their power in the sphere of Destiny. Thus we can understand the rage and anger of those archons when the human soul succeeds in crushing it's creators with all the superiority due to it's sufferings valiantly borne, and to it's personal initiation. Then the soul passes like a 4 'track of fire" in the midst of the archons, who draw back full of fright in their powerless hatred. All that the archons possessed of the Divine, their light, their essence, the breath of their mouth even, became the substance of the human soul, while the tears of their eyes, the sweat of their bodies, became the principle of animal souls. The distribution of the Divine substance was regulated according to astrological aspects.

Such is the explanation of the follow magnificent quotation:

"And when the time of the number of Melchizedec, the Grand

Receiver of Light, had come, he went into the midst of the

* Louis Michel de Figanieres has clearly developed the divers localization of the foods of men.

Eons and of all the attendant archons, into the Sphere and into the Destiny, and he took away the shining splendors from all the archons of the Eons, and all the archons of Destiny, as well as those of the Sphere; for he took away from them that which troubled them, and he influenced the Lord, who was their chief, to make their arches to revolve quickly, and he took from them the essence which was in them, the breath of their mouth, the tears from their eyes, the sweat from their bodies; and Melchizedec, the Receiver of Light, purified all these virtues in order to carry their light to the Treasury of Light, while the Hturges of the archons collected together with each other all their material parts, and the liturges of all the archons of Destiny, with the Hturges of the Sphere, those which are under the Eons, took them in order to make of them the souls of men, of animals, of reptiles, or of beasts, or of birds, and to send them into this world of humanity.

"And, further, the receivers of the Sun and the receivers of the Moon, having looked at the heavens, and seen the shape of the progress of the Eons, and those of Destiny, and those of the Sphere, then they took from them the virtue of light, and the receivers prepared to leave it until they could give it to the receivers of Melchizedec, the purifiers of light; and their corporal residue they carried into the sphere which is below the Eons, in order to make of it, also, the souls of reptiles, or of animals, or of wild beasts, or of birds, according to the circle of the archons of that sphere, and according to all the forms of its revolution."

The Soul After Physical "Death.

Leaving aside for the moment the part the soul plays during incarnation in this physical body, let us content ourselves with knowing that the end of this incarnation is to acquire Initiation and occupy ourselves with the important question of the evolution of the soul after death.

According to the Kabbala, the three principles of man go through evolution, attempting to regain their original place. The physical body returns to earth, the aetherial or astral body returns to the astral plane whence it came, and the immortal

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spirit tries to return to the center of its celestial origin.

This doctrine will be made clear in a very remarkable way in the following pages. We shall see, indeed, that the soul of the Initiate returns to the heritage of light after having left successively, and in their place of respective origin, the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation and Destiny. When the soul has not been able to gain by initiation the knowledge of the symbols and passwords, which open the gates of the astral dragon of the terrible place of the Eons, then the Spirit of Imitation becomes its accuser and tormentor, and the black angel comes from the world of the angels of darkness, takes possession of its victim and tortures it. But this torture is never eternal.

The Soul of the Non-Repentant and Vninitated Sinner.

Phases of Post-Mortem Evolution in General.

Now, when the time of this kind of a man is accomplished, first Destiny comes. She causes the man to be led to his death by means of the archons, and there fetters those with whom they have been associated by Destiny, and then comes the Tranquilizing Receivers, in order to lead this soul out of the body.

And then the Tranqualizing Receivers spend three days making with this soul the round of all the places, leading it to all the Eons of the world, while Destiny and the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation follow, and the essence withdraws to the Virgin of Light.

And after three days, the Tranquilizing Receivers lead this soul below, to the Hell of Chaos, and, when they have lead it to the depth of Chaos, they deliver it to those who punish it, and the Receivers withdraw to their own place, according to the plan for the work of the archons in the going out of souls.

And the Spirit of Imitation becomes the receiver of the soul, and he contends with it, and puts it again into the torment on account of the sins which he has made it commit, and it is then at great emnity with the soul.

And when the soul has finished with the punishment for the sins which it has committed, the Spirit of Imitation makes it go forth from Chaos, fighting it and reproaching it at every step (or every place) for the sins it had committed, and he leads it on the road of the archons of the midst, and, when he has reached them, they introduce the soul into the mystery of Destiny, and if it does not meet (or find) them they seek their Destiny.

And those archons punish the soul both according to its sins and that which it merits.

And I will tell you the kind of their punishment in the emanation of the Pleroma.

If it happens then that the time of these punishments of this soul, in the judgments of the archons of the midst has been accomplished, the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation leads the soul out of all the places of the archons of the midst. He introduces it into the presence of the light of the sun, according to the order of the first man Ieou, and he places it near the judge; that is, the Virgin of Light. She tries this soul to see if she finds a sinning soul. She throws into it her virtue of light to keep it with the body and the union of the senses.

Concerning all that, I will tell you the type when I speak of the emanation of the Pleroma.

And the Virgin of Light seals this soul. She send with it one of her receivers, in order to place in a body suited to the sins which the soul has committed. And in truth I tell you this. She does not leave this soul in the various transformations of the body until it has paid the last century according to what it has deserved.

And of all that I will tell you of the type, as well as of the type of the body into which they have thrown according to the sins of such souls. All that 1 will tell you when I have finished telling you about the emanations from tbe Pleroma.

(The soul who has not listened to the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation in any of its works.)

Become good, it has received the mysteries of light, is in the second stage, or has received those of the third.

If the time of this soul has come to go out of the body, then the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation joins itself to this soul, as well

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as Destiny. He joins the soul on the way by which it will enter into the heights, and, before it has gone very far into the heights, it pronounces the mystery of the dissolution of the seals and of the bonds of the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation which the archons have attached to the soul, and when the mystery has been said the bonds of the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation are dissolved, and he leaves her, according to what has been said. And immediately it becomee a great ray of shining light. It traverses all the places of the archons and all the hierarchies of the shades, until it arrives at the place of its own kingdom of which it has received the mystery.

The Revolution of the Soul of the Initiate

This soul is one who has received the mystery in the first exterior stage. If, after it has received the mysteries, and accomplished them, it returns and sins again after the accomplishment of the mysteries, and the time is not come when this soul must go out of the body, and in this hour the soul pronounces the mystery in order not to retain the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation and Destiny, or allow it to follow, but without the least power.

At this hour, the receivers of this soul with the mysteries that it has received arrived, they take this soul from the hands of the Pacifying Receivers, and the . receivers withdraw into the works of the archons, according to the plan of the going out of souls. And then the receivers of this soul, those who belong to the light, become wings of light for this soul, and a vestment of light for her, and do not lead it into the Chaos because it is not permitted to introduce into Chaos a soul who has received the mysteries; but they put it on the road to the archons of the midst, and when she has come there to the archons of the midst, the archons come before this soul, in great fear and trouble, with different expressions, all in uncontrollable fear.

Then soul pronounces the mystery of their password, and they greatly fear, and fall on their faces, fearing in the presence of the mystery which she has pronounced and of the password, and this soul abandons them to their destiny, saying to them: "Take for yourselves your Destiny. I shall never come from this time forth into your place. 1 have become a stranger to you forever. I go to the place of my inheritance."

Then the soul will have finished speaking these words, the Receivers of Light will introduce her in the plane of Destiny, where she will give the password of this place and of the seals which I shall tell you of in speaking of the emanations of the Pleroma. And she will give the Spirit of Spiritual Imitation to the archons, and say to them the mystery of the bonds with which they have attached her, and she will say to them: "Take for yourselves your Spirit of Imitation (spiritual). I shall henceforth come into your place no more forever." And she will give to each one the seal and password. And when the soul will have finished saying these words, the Receivers of Light will fly with her into the heights, and lead her into all the Eons. She will give to each her password and the password of all the places, the seals and the tyrants of King Adamas (Thirteenth Eon) she gives the password of all the archons of all the places of the left. And the Receivers will lead this soul again to the Virgin of Light, and again this soul gives the Virgin of Light the seals and the glory hymns, and the Virgin of Light and the seven other Virgins of the Light all try this soul, to find their signs in her, their seals, their baptisms, their unctions. And the Virgin of Light seals this soul, and the Receivers of Light baptize this soul to give her spiritual unction. And each of the Virgins of Light seals her with her seal, and again the Receivers ascend to the great Sabaoththe Good, who is near the Gate of Life, in the place of those at the right He whom one called the Father, and this soul gives Him the glory of her praises, of her seals, and of the passwords, and the great Sabaoth seals her with His seals, and the soul gives her knowledge and the glory of praises, and of seals to all the place at the right. All seal her with their seals, and Melchizedec, the great Receiver of Light, who lives in the place of those who are at the right, and all the Receivers of Melchizedec seal this soul, and Melchizedec leads her into the Treasury of Light. She gives glory, honor and glorification of hymns, with the seals of all the places of light. And all those of the places of light and all those of the Treasury of Light seal her with their seals, and she goes into the place of her inheritance.

He then who will receive the word only of this mystery which I have told you, when he has gone out of the material body of the archrons, when the Tranquilizing Receivers have come to untie the material body from the matter of the eons, (for the Tranquilizing Receivers are those who detach each soul which goes out of the body,) when the Tranquilizing Receivers have detached the soul which has received this one and ineffable mystery, the one which 1 just told you, when it is detached from the body of matter, it will become a great ray of light in the midst of these Receivers, and the Receivers will fear greatly in the presence of the light of this soul. They will swoon, they will fall, they will immediately cease to act, for fear of the great ray of light, and the Receivers can not touch her, and will not know which is the road where she will go, for she has become a great ray of light, that she may go on high, and no thing (no virtue) can keep her back in any degree, or even approach her, but she will pass across all the places of the emanations of light, and she will not give the sentence, and she will not give the password at all, and she will not give any symbol for none of the virtues of the archons, none of the virtues of the emanations of light can approach this soul. But all the places of the archrons, and all the places of the emanations of light, each of them will sing a hymn in their place filled with fear in the presence of the light of the ray which will clothe this soul until she has crossed all the places, and has gone to the place of inheritance of the mystery that she has received, and it is the mystery of this unequalled and ineffable being that she is united to her fellows.

Explanation on the Subject of the Receivers.

And this is the manner in which the angels of light visit a brother of good conduct, as has been revealed many times by our Lord. If it is a good man who is dead, three angels come to him, according to the kind of the conduct of the one who is dead, If he is elevated in his actions, correspondingly elevated and glorious angels are sent to him to conduct him to God. If he is little in his virtues, proportionately" inferior angels" are sent him. At the moment when the man is on the point of giving up his soul, one of the angels stands near his head, another at his feet, under the form of men, who anoint him with their own hands until the soul goes out of the body, and the other unfolds a great spiritual vestment to clothe him with its glory.

Should it be the soul of a holy man, it is found beautiful in form and white as snow.

And when the soul has gone out of the body into the vestment, the angels take the two ends of the garment, one behind, the other at the front, just as men raise a body from earth, and the other angel sings, going before, in a tongue which no man knows, not even those who saw the vision, who are our Fathers Pakome and Theodore; for they do not know that which the angels sing, but they hear the angel singing and saying "Alleluia."