Vol 4 Theosophical Fiction

8/10/2019 Vol 4 Theosophical Fiction

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Theosophical Fiction

Volume 4

[Previously "Theosophical Fables," vol. 1-3]

Contents

- The Lord of the Planet - Morris- Good-bye - Lanesdale- The Visitant - L.L. Wright- A Life's Triumph - Rensha- The Vi!tory - Morris- Mirror and Moonlight - "ilya- Apples of #noledge - Morris- $luen $lossom - %ooper- A Mad World - Leonard- The Treasure - Lanesdale- The Turn of the Wheel - &udge- ()* - ()+ - ,mall- True Gold - Plummer- lying Arros - Leonard- Philosophy of Wor - $arbora- My #ingdom - Ma!hell- $a!h's ugue - Morris- %a/e of the 0!hoes - $la/atsy

- A "ream - #ramers- Marya the ,inner - #ursy- 1ell2 1ea/en and $eetho/en - Molyneu3- The $eit!hed Mirror - T4eretelef- ,ord of Light - 5'Murnaghan- The 6pas-Tree - Landor- The ,aphire 7e!la!e - Morris- The Tentieth - 1ahn- The Temple - #ramer- 1ill of the Thrushes - Alehouse- Pathay to the 7ame of 7ames - Pederson

- The $lue Rose - Pederson- The Toy-Maer - Pederson- A Guatamalan Legend - &ones- The &eel of Atlantis - Lando- airest of the air - Aldhouse- Per-ao Li/es ore/er - $rune

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The Lord of the Planet - #enneth Morris

I: The o!

This2 then as the 0arth - that "eath Planet hereof so many tales ere told. 1emust arri/e at some !lear /ie of it2 if he as to do his duty in that state to hi!h2 for his sins2he had been !ondemned. - ,o he put it to himself8 but his sins ere not as ours8 it as amatter of o/er-impetuosity that entailed his fall or banishment8 it as his grand seeping2arardness against %haos8 and be!ause he2 the dan-!hapleted #horon/ahn2

hose #hro$e %as i$ #he Isles o& 'apricor$,hose !ra(o$ $avies cruise! #he )il*y ay,

as the most ardent of the ,tars of Morning that sang. 1e must !ertainly thin8 he mustunderstand this ne s!ene of his labors2 and 9impossible tas:;2 someho bridge the gulfbeteen his on !ons!iousness and the !ons!iousness 9as he supposed he must !all it; ofhis ne sub


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diffi!ulty. 1e had not been idle sin!e his !oming? there as no !ommunity of men that he hadnot /isited8 no indi/idual2 e/en2 that he had not in his on ay stri/en to approa!h. @oumight say? hy not sin a populous island here and there8 hea/e a mountain or to on tosome fe !ities8 rend the earth a little2 and bury re!al!itrant millions $ut e do notunderstand the gentility of godhead2 to hi!h su!h ideas seem /ulgar. What on earth shouldhe do

=t as to be supposed that they had a sort of intelligen!e? one !ould see that they hadbuilt up an order of li/ing2 - possessed hat might be !alled !i/ili4ation. $ut it as anintelligen!e to him disparate and alien8 an order of li/ing and a !i/ili4ation that no mere god!ould understand. =n his !ir!les2 to be as to be delighted to be2 and to tae delight in allbeing8 - hat e should !all lo/e8 only he2 ha/ing no !on!eption of hatred2 had none of lo/eeither2 as a thing in itself? e3isten!e2 !ons!iousness2 lo/e2 delight2 ere to him one idea2 andone only. $ut here2 these fier!e2 !unning2 !raling2 fighting !reatures2 - ell2 it as anama4ing re/elation2 undreamed hitherto in his philosophies2 - they !ould mo/e about2 buildtheir !i/ili4ations2 - they !ould be and li/e2 in short2 - and yet their being seemed to be basedon2 moti/ed by2 another name for2 non-being8 their life as the negation of life. Ah2 thata!!ounted for the name2 the +ea#h Pla$e#8 he began to understand the meaning of thate3traordinary term. ,entient e3isten!e2 as he had understood it2 as one2 and ne itselfone2 in all its embodiments8 but here it as at ar ith itself2 parado3i!al2 inspired by self-antipathies. And it as his business to mae this ne ind of !ons!iousness aare of and atone ith his on ind8 to bridge the gulf beteen himself and Man. Good Lord2 hat aproblem for a God to sol/e:

7o onder that in su!h an atmosphere2 do hat one ould2 one !ould not eep one'smind !lear. There as a drosiness2 a hea/y something - the infe!tion of this strangenegation of life....

Well8 he ould rest here2 and thin the thing o/er8 he ould at!h the sea2 and rest2and find a means ....

The mountains fa!ed the sunset2 - the plain2 about nine leagues ide2 beteen themand the sea. rom to !hasms2 ith a hill high enough to be a !hair for him beteen2 theri/er poured out into the plain2 to unite or re-unite its aters a little belo2 and then!e flo onseaard sloly and deep. 1ere he sat2 and leaned forard8 his !hin on the palm of his hand2his elbo on his nee. ,heer pre!ipi!es on either side of him2 beyond the ri/er2 themountains rose to the le/el of his head8 so narro as the gorge on his left2 that onestanding among the pines at the !rag-top there ould ha/e been ithin a stone's thro of hisfa!e. $ehind him2 range on range rose hite-peaed to the sy.

1e sat there2 brooding8 and the glo of the sunset died aay2 and the stars shone out2the grand pro!ession of them passing o/er him to sin in the sea. @es8 the air of this planetas soaed in hea/iness2 in sleep. 1o as he to mae that passage beteen his mind andthe minds of men The stars passed2 and the sun rose and san2 and the stars folloed8 thesea shone and darened2 shone and darened. 1o . . . as . . . he . . . to . . .

The sun drifting through the hea/ens to set in the sea8 the tra/eling moon ith herphases8 the multitudinous pro!ession of the stars8 the gleaming and darening bo of thesea2 - ho should one thin2 at!hing them They be!ame a onder and a /ague delight tohim8 they filled the fields of his !ons!iousness . . . in this obli/ion-laden atmosphere of theearth. True2 there as something else to be !onsidered . . . sometime . . . but !onsiderationas diffi!ult . . . in this obli/ion-laden atmosphere of the earth.... The sun and the stars entdropping into the sea8 he at!hed them2 and did not no hat they ere. A million yearspassed. Time long sin!e had turned his bodily presen!e into stone2 as the rhythm of thedrifting lights had lulled his mind into >uies!en!e.


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. . . . . . .

$ut all things gro eariness at last8 and an age !ame hen he had no more pea!e inat!hing. 1e !ould not be happy be!ause of something he !ould not remember? the memoryof his purpose2 his identity2 his an!ient glory2 ebbed long sin!e beyond the rea!h of his

!ognitions2 haunted him2 - an irsome beilderment luring in the /ast inanity of things.There as something2 formidably important2 - not the sea nor the lights of hea/en2 hi!h heought to no. 1e !ould not tell hat troubled him8 !ould formulate no >uestions2 yet as!ons!ious of >uestions enambushed beyond his /istas2 and had no delight be!ause of them.Well8 he ould rea!h out and grasp them someday? in effortless >uies!en!e2 or in the throesand agony of thought. 1e as draing nearer to that su!!ess ith e/ery dropping of thestars no8 he as draing nearer to it....

Then all drifted aay again. There !ame a humming and a drose of soundperpetually from belo8 it !aught his ear2 and as a refuge from the unnon >uestions andfrom the sea-bo and the sun and the stars. 1e ga/e himself up to the !omfort of listening2and desired only to hear. The /oi!es of millions of men2 rattle of heels in!essantly2 hoofspounding and !lattering? it as full of mystery2 infinitely !omple32 unfathomable. "ay andnight it rose to him2 intriguing as poppy fumes that minister to dream....

9At the feet of God they had built #horon/ehm2 the %ity of God8 and be!ause God asthere2 /isibly present abo/e the !ity2 #horon/ehm be!ame the mistress of the orld. They!ar/ed his temple in the hill2 and built it out to be his footstool8 his tall temple that as theonder of the orld. All of polished porphyry and ony3 and alabaster2 they flaned it ith!olumns on this side and that? a half-moon of beautiful !olumns about the temple-!ourts.Tribute-bearing ships !ame up the ri/er2 and unloaded at the temple-!ourt steps the treasuresof the orld. Very mighty ere the #horon/ehmians8 /ery mighty and religious8 theyoppressed the orld2 and the orld obeyed them8 for did not God sit /isibly in their midst;

All things be!ome eariness at last. Time !ame hen the noise of the great !ity heldhim no longer8 then beyond the hori4ons of his mind the >uestions rose again8 and !enturyby !entury he stro/e toards them more eagerly e/er. And no2 no2 no2 he as on thepoint of grasping them8 he battled against the strange and heightened turmoil from belo8 hesun his mind inard2 furiously stri/ing after the things that !on!erned him8 until at last2 yes2there as another light before him than the sunset8 yes2 he as that dan-!hapleted#horon/ahn from the =sles of %apri!orn8 he had been sent hither to be -

Lie a hea/y a/e2 sleep stru! him.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

That2 to be e3a!t2 as on the day of the full moon in the month Argad2 in the @ear ofthe %ity2 B2CD. 0/eryone nos hat happened then. There had been !i/il ar2 beteenthe fa!tions of the ings and the priests8 and God at last had made his poer non. 1ispriests had been /i!torious8 and on that day their and God's enemies2 the ing ith his familyand adherents to the number of a thousand2 had e3piated their sins on the altar. Then thegreat yearly east of the ,a!rifi!es had been inaugurated8 and e/eryone ne that upon therigid obser/an!e of that festi/al depended the fa/or of the EAlmighty and Most Mer!iful ather25ur Lord God2 "an-!hapletted #horon/ahn2 Maer of the ,tars Made VisibleE8 9= >uote fromthe oo* o& i#ur(ies of the priesthood at #horon/ehm;. ,in!e then2 God 9through his 1ighPriest; had ruled the !ity and the orld.


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II: The Pries#-Pri$ce

Rumor as2 in #horon/ehm2 that the 1igh Priests' Path as so perilous2 that2 ahundred to one2 unless you had learned the !lues beforehand2 you should tae some rongturning and drop soon and suddenly into dar aters and !a/erns >uite fathomless2 - that the

hole mountain as honey!ombed ith de/ilments2 a pla!e for nightmare to batten on. @ethere is one2 !ertainly taing that path ith no !lue or guide in the orld but trust? he is toha/e spee!h at the summit ith God8 and God2 he nos2 ill bring him past e/ery peril. =t isVahnu-ainion the Priest-Prin!e2 today to su!!eed to 1igh Priestly so/ereignty8 he goesunshod2 hite-robed8 he is asted by long an3ieties to frailty and the semblan!e of age2 butno the /astness of his hope half maes him young again? he goes up to his God.

As to the path he tra/els? his forefathers the 1igh Priests ha/e trodden it before him?ea!h on!e and on!e only2 - at his a!!ession2 hen he ent up to re!ei/e from "eity that lastsan!tifi!ation hi!h should fit him to be "eity's Vi!egerent8 - and no man else has trodden itat all sin!e sla/es of old tunneled it out under the northern gorge and the ri/er2 and up throughthe mountain2 or sometimes giddily along the fa!e of the pre!ipi!e8 and built that little shrineof alabaster2 the 1oly of holies of religion2 right on the brin of the !hasm at the top. There2hidden from the orld by !louds2 !ommuning ith God2 ea!h Priest-Prin!e in his turn hadattained infallibility and 1igh Priestly status8 for from that point the "i/ine %ountenan!e asell ithin range of a /oi!e not unduly uplifted? if God spoe2 though it ere hardly more thanin a hisper2 ho stood at the altar should hear.

Vahnu-ainion as asted ith an3ieties2 as ell he might be. After all these millenniaof triumphant domination2 disaster latterly had fallen on #horon/ehm. %ontinents had risenrebellious8 na/ies had been sun and armies slaughtered8 until no the mistress of the orld!oered ithin her alls hungry and despairing. The plain belo as hite ith the tents2and the sea ith the sails of her besiegers8 and unless God should arise and his enemies bes!attered2 help or hope there as none. And today must be the end of it8 there !ould be noholding out after today.

or that matter2 so far as he as !on!erned2 Vahnu-ainion ne2 and had ne/erdoubted2 that God ould arise2 and his enemies be turned into friends8 that as not herethe steel had pri!ed him. Though Priest-Prin!e2 he belie/ed utterly in the goodness of God.$ut he had been li/ing through all these months of gathering national gloom2 noing that thepriests 9in their minds; and the people 9often openly; attributed the hole e/il to him. 1edoubted that2 sa/e God2 he had any one friend as an offset against so many foes8 andguessed that only God and his on hereditary san!tity - the habit of mind of some tenthousand years - had ept the nife or poison-!up from doing its or on him. The#horon/ehmians ere abo/e all things religious? God delt /isibly among them2 and theyoed their pre-eminen!e to that. The 1igh Priests - their absolute monar!hs - had alaysbeen of the Vahnu family2 hose name hinted at di/ine des!ent8 and Vahnu-ainion as itsonly li/ing s!ion. =n all history2 no 1igh Priest had been deposed2 nor any Vahnu done aayith8 and for la! of a pre!edent2 deeds hose doing all desire and ould appro/e are oftenleft undone. ,o he as still ali/e....

1e as hated both as an inno/ator and as an inno/ation. All his prede!essors hadbeen great statesmen2 prin!es of the !hur!h militant2 urbane and masterful men2 ande3!eedingly !le/er. 1e2 - ell2 you shall


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This is hat = mean by saying he as an inno/ation2 or part of it8 had he left things there2 somu!h might ha/e been e3!used. $ut no2 he must be inno/ator too2 a!ti/e2 pressing his /ies.1e had set his fa!e against the sa!rifi!es2 hinted at a desirable ne dispensation8 had e/ena!hie/ed sa/ing one intended /i!tim. And he meant openly to do mu!h more? meant topetition God2 today2 and learn 1is ill8 as !ertain that God's ill !oin!ided ith his on2 andthat the di/ine !ommand ould be gi/en? bolish #hem: bri$( &lo%ers, $o# me$, #o my al#ars.

1o !ould he s>uare all this ith history 0/ery 1igh Priest before him had gone uphither he no as going2 and re!ei/ed God's mandate for the ordering of the orld8 and yetthe sa!rifi!es and pomp and domination had persisted - it !ould not be supposed but byGod's ill. = do not no ho he managed it8 but the truth is that he belie/ed in God andlo/ed and pitied man ith e>ual fer/or8 belie/ed in his religion2 and ished to !hange it8!onsidered that an =ns!rutable Wisdom might ha/e alloed mu!h of old that =t desired alteredno8 as not too logi!al to follo the urgings of his heart2 - nor perhaps so illogi!al that you!ould be sure the ground ould ne/er tremble under him.

1e as an inno/ation in another ay too8 by ill fate this time2 and not ilfully. Time outof mind the 1igh Priesthood had passed from father to son2 ea!h trained for the offi!e by hisprede!essor8 and none of them all had made this uarter hat all his life he hadla!ed2friendship. The man ould ser/e God2 and signally? that he ne. A proud seared spirit2 so


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far8 but the Priest-Prin!e belie/ed his on pity stronger in the long run than any pride.And he belie/ed in God2 and ent on and up ith


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understanding and shone into my heart8 gi/e thou no the sign and toen2 that = may go forthand thy ill be done:E

EAh2 fumes arose from belo and put sleep on me. = as.... E- EThat there may be no more !ruelty on earth8 that thy priesthood may go forth

healing and ser/ing8 that the nations may be at pea!e2 and the fire of thy being indled inmen's hearts:E

- EThere as a humming and a drose of sound from belo2 that !ame beteen mythought and.... E- EThat sorro may depart from the orld8 that order and lo/e may reign here2 as they

reign among thy stars in hea/en:E- EThere as a gleaming bo out before me afar2 and lights streaming abo/e and

sining8 and be!ause of these = !ould not.... E- E#horon/ahn: #horon/ahn 5mnipotent2 hear:E- E#horon/ahn #horon/ahn =t as the name of one that . . . !ame don out of . . .

that !ame hither to be.... EThe Priest-Prin!e's fingertips2 resting on the altar2 be!ame aare of ins!ribed letters

there8 and memory !ame floating into his mind.... of lessons he had learned long ago? anan!ient s!ript and language2 the sole sub


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III: The ve$(er

Artala!h2 aiting his moment2 has seen Vahnu-ainion dis!o/er the ins!ription2 and readit8 he2 too2 guessed that it held the se!ret that should aaen God. ,tanding behind2 he has

seen nothing of the Priest-Prin!e's fa!e as he read. What follos !onfirms his surmise. 1esees Vahnu-ainion sin don on the altar2 then rise and thro up his arms as in in/o!ation8but he has already seen2 beyond the !hasm2 the eyelids fli!er2 the lips >ui/er2 motion taingthe head2 a straining8 and no2 hen he is sure that God is at!hing2 alert2 and ill see no2as the Priest-Prin!e's arms go up2 he nos that the time is !ome. 1e nos nothing of thesudden sho! to the man long asted ith trouble and fasting2 of the rush of blood to hisbrain8 he sees but the in/o!ation effe!ti/e2 God aroused2 and in a!t to anser8 and his spearflies8 and Vahnu-ainion 9= doubt2 dead before the eapon tou!hed him; fallen2 on to the altar2on to the floor2 o/er the pre!ipi!e. ,o? he has insulted God2 slaying God's Priest8 and ithsatisfa!tion and !almness no strides forard to the brin2 that God may see him and reali4eell hat has happened2 and tae hat steps he ill.

$ut hea/ens2 hat has he done of hat mightiest magi! is he2 all unnoing2 themaster Vengean!e As if it had been God2 not the Priest-Prin!e2 his spear transfi3ed: 6pout of the !louds the !olossal breast rises2 saying2 !ra!ing2 rending2 groaning8 the armsshoot up abo/e the head8 the hole /ast mass totters2 staggers8 there is stumbling as thefeet brea through the temple-roof beneath8 rending of stone2 !ra!ing2 breaage8 noise asof thunder and earth>uae8 - and a fragmentation and a !rashing don of all2 forard2 on tothe !ity? to !rush to ruin pala!es and temples and famished pani!-stri!en popula!e - they2and the hosts that ha/e been pouring in through brea!hes in the alls an hour old. Priest2God2 and !ity8 he has destroyed them all8 grandly indeed he is a/enged. The !loud isdispersed by the fall of God8 he !an see something of the ruin he has rought. 1is or isfinished? and he turns2 and is going....

$ut here What ne3t 1is plan has mis!arried2 in a ay2 and left him ith nothingde!ided8 there is nothing further for him to do.... better follo the Priest-Prin!e2 o/er the brin2and into that beyond here....

A hand is laid on his shoulder2 and a /oi!e speas? E$rotherE 1e turns2 ama4ed2 tofa!e the speaer2 a shining figure in the dus2 shedding light on the hite pillars8 and - he hadbeen at!hing that !olossal fa!e beyond the !hasm2 and2 despite the !hange2 the humanstature2 !ould not be mistaen8 ....and2 someho2 hatred2 bitterness2 all the searedness and!onstri!tion of these last years melt aay from his heart. or moments he is silent2 and then?

- EGod:E said he. EGod : tae . . . thy . . . re/enge: = am the man.... E- EThou art man2 and = am God2 my brother. %ome ith me8 they need us2 belo

there. We are man and God2 and e must help them.E- E= go ith thee2 my brother2E said Artala!h.

. . . . . . . . . .

That e/ening the Golden Age began.

9Theosophical Pa#h2 /ol. )F2 no. C2 7o/.2 ());

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Good-Bye - Ralph Lanesdale

The night as still2 and all the house as >uiet? the room as hardly lighted by thereading-lamp on the table8 but the fire still gloed2 and there ere pi!tures in its magi!!a/erns for those ho !ould see them. $ut the old man in the big arm!hair as seeing

pi!tures of a different ind in the mysterious region e !all memory. 1e had been o!!upiedith those other pi!tures in the fire - pi!tures of a bright future2 in hi!h he as not alone2 -hen the letter !ame that no lay on the table beside him ith the nes that the boy2 hoas to share that gloing future2 as lying dead somehere in ran!e.

1e had read the letter !almly2 as if it ere merely an offi!ial !onfirmation of hat hene must happen. =t seemed to !arry ith it a deadly !hill and an e/il odor2 ith a sense ofhorror and utter misery2 a fleeting pi!ture of a man lying in the filth of that unnon field8 andthen a blan....

With !urious indifferen!e he had taen from his po!et another letter in a boyish handbeginning E"ear old "ad2E and suddenly he as ba! again in the days hen the dead soldieras a poor little ri!ety !hild2 ho had lo/ed him so unreasonably. 1is father ne/er !ouldunderstand hy the !hild should lo/e him. When he thought of the miserable little body2 andthe sinister heredity ith hi!h he had endoed a beautiful soul that had !ome to him ithlo/e and utter trust2 he as ashamed. And then the apology for a home.... poor little lad:What !han!e had he in life And yet he had ne/er !ursed his father for bringing him into theorld. =nstead2 the !hild had lo/ed him2 onderfully.

Where had he learned su!h generosity More2 the little fello had alays thaned hisfather for do!toring him in his !onstant si!nesses8 and2 hen he !ould not spea and !ouldhardly breathe in an atta! of !roup and his father as applying hot ater bandages to histhroat2 he had put up his hand and stroed his father's !hee by ay of thans. Alayspatient2 he had ne/er !omplained8 but his fa!e !ame to ear a !onstant loo of onder as tohy things should be so.

And then !ame a memory of summer days in an old garden2 and the little boy totteringalong on his shay little legs2 dragging behind him proudly a little !art that his "ad had madefor him2 and that s>ueaed and rattled gloriously. The


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!ourtesy as spontaneous.Those summer days at the old 1all ere mar/elously beautiful to the !hild2 and

seemed in some ay onderful to his grandfather2 hose rigid orthodo3y as not sho!ed asit should ha/e been to find that the boy had ne/er been inside a !hur!h nor e/er learned toEsay his prayers.E 1is grandmother2 indeed2 had tried to remedy these sad omissions in hisedu!ation. 1e made no protest2 but too it all uire2 taling nearly all the time in his !uriously 'old-fashioned ay'8 hile the old man forgot his on orries and an3ieties listening to the !hildand finding une3pe!ted happiness in the adoration of the little pagan2 ho thought hisgrandfather the isest and the noblest being on the earth.

The father of the boy had !lashed ith his auto!rati! parent2 ho despised the artisti!temperament of the son ho had disgra!ed the family by be!oming an artist. They had not>uarreled2 but the artist as made to feel that he as almost outside the pale of so!iety. $utthat as long ago2 and no as he sat dreaming of the little boy2 the artist !ould forgi/e hisfather and see him a little ith the adoring re/erent eyes of the !hild.

Poor little lad: "ead: 7o. =t as the man of forty ho lay dead Esomehere inran!e.E $ut his father sa no pi!ture of that s!ene of horror2 only a momentary sense ofmisery that faded into unreality as another memory flashed into ob


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life that had so often shut out all its natural beauty. 5n!e he looed round at his father andsmiled. And the old man remembered that he had not ept his promise - the only one he e/erbroe to the boy8 and that as to tae him for a day out in the oods of 0pping orest2 herethere ere ild !orners and strange glades2 in the days before the pla!e as made into a sortof par2 !leaned up2 and drained2 and thinned out beyond all re!ognition. 7o it as too late.The boy had ne/er !omplained8 he ne/er did. $ut his father felt that he had failed on a point

of honor2 and he began to onder if it ere indeed too late to mae good his promise. 1eleant forard to stroe the boy's head2 and noti!ed that the door as open2 and the sunshining outside.

=t astonished him for a moment2 be!ause he thought it as inter8 but no there asno doubt about it2 the sun as shining out there through the trees2 and there as no sno onthe ground. The dead lea/es ere dry and !risp2 and the little boy as folloing a butterfly."on there in the glade a deer raised its pretty head and bounded off under the lo bran!hesof the pollarded oas and hornbeams2 that are the pe!uliar !hara!teristi! of 0pping orest -trees that for !enturies ere pollarded at regular inter/als2 but that no ere left to grofreely. Their gnarled truns and eird polls seemed to be maing fun of him. 1e smiled at hison in!redulity2 and folloed the boy out into the forest that he ne so ell. The sun-raysdan!ed among the dry dead lea/es that rustled at his feet2 and a !u!oo !alled from a nearbytree. 1e tried to rea!h the boy2 but the butterfly ent faster and seemed to dra the !hildafter2 though not alloing itself to be !aught.

Then there as a hirring o/erhead2 that as not made by any deni4en of the forest.The air gre dar and the noise be!ame a roar. Then !ame a sho! as of an earth>uae orof a /ol!ano in eruption2 and the man dashed forard to sa/e the boy. $ut he !ould not rea!hhim8 the ground ga/e ay beneath his feet and su!ed him don2 hile the darness !losedo/er his head. 1e struggled to be free2 and !alled2 but no sound !ame. 1is head aseighed don and he made franti! efforts to raise it. ,uddenly he aoe2 alone in the silentstudio.

1e tried to remember hat had happened. The room as !old2 and the fire almostdead. There as a letter on the table2 and the lamp shone on it. 1e !ould read it here it lay.=t told him that his son as dead. 1e ne it told the truth. And yet his son2 his little lad2 had


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fe/er disappeared8 and the at!her ne that the boy ould li/e.Again the door of death had opened2 and again the soul stood on the threshold. This

time he ould not try to gratify his !ra/ing for !ompanionship by hindering the pro!ess ofrelease. Rather he tried to follo8 but his imagination !ould not !arry him a!ross the barrierof life. 1is feet ere rooted in the earth2 he !ould not rise8 but he looed up and sa thedarness lighten. $eneath him floed a ri/er and under the dar ater lay a body2 su!h as

his on son might ha/e gron into. $ut on the surfa!e of the ri/er as a boat and a man2 thedouble of the dead one2 as stepping aboard the boat hi!h headed toards the rising sun8and one ho stood by pointed toards the glory up to hi!h a robed figure soared ithoutstret!hed arms2 es!aping from the shado-orld of earth.

The man embaring in the boat seemed to be almost ithin rea!h2 though hasteningtoards some distant goal. Perhaps if !alled he might be hindered from embaring2 held for ahile by the strong ties of human lo/e and longing.

$ut the li/ing man as silent. The pain of parting !ould not ring from him a thoughtthat might hold ba! the tra/eler to the other shore. 7o ord as uttered e/en of fareell?but the heart spoe in the silen!e2 and its message as a /aledi!tion.

The pi!tures passed8 and ith them ent the sense of solitude and dull regret2 and allthat yearning for !ompanionship hi!h seems to be the ine/itable a!!essory of death.

The pain of parting lost its poignan!y2 and gradually as merged in the !alm!onfiden!e of unending life. Time seemed to be but the slo dropping of the stream ofindi/idual e3isten!es into the lae of 6ni/ersal %ons!iousness2 in hi!h the rushing ri/er oflife at last found pea!e in the fulfillment of its destiny and a return to its sour!e.

9Theosophical Pa#h2 /ol. )F2 no. ;

----------------

The Visitant - L. L. Wright

The young priestess stood solitary in the a4ure gloom of the temple. Without2 nightas falling o/er the an!ient opulent !ity of pleasure2 in the !enter of hi!h stood this marble4one ith its altar of perpetual fire.

,ounds of aaening re/elry throbbed against the !ool alls of the temple and stirreda relu!tant pulse in the at!her at the shrine. Pi!tures of festal pro!essions2 of lightedpala!es bursting ith musi! and laughter2 in/aded the san!tuary of her thoughts. 7ot desire2not temptation2 but onder and >uestioning - !urious2 uneasy doubts aoe the fe/er in hermind. or here2 in the fa!e of idol-orship and profliga!y and !ruelty2 lay the meaning of theaugust pageantry of her sa!rifi!ed omanhood Ti!e se/en years of de/oted ser/i!e laybehind her youthful feet as they stood here patiently before the altar. Tradition told the tale of!enturies of su!h /irginal li/es2 !ountless as the stars of midnight. @et tonight the a/es oflaless self-indulgen!e beat lie a measureless o!ean against this pearl of purity imbedded inthe !ity's mud. Wherefore and to hom this age-long sa!rifi!e of youth and omanhood

6pon the altar a !lear flame bloomed and aned in the dim mily luster of engirdlingmarbles. le!s of gold and !erulean blue ined from dome and fretted !orni!e. $efore thelofty treasure-!hest2 hi!h inshrined the sa!red /essels and the se/en holy symbols2 hung a/eil of !loudy purple lie the /ery !urtain of the night.

The priestess aoe from her re/erie. ,loly2 ith the measured beauty of the templeministrations2 she set alight2 one by one2 the !andelabra of massi/e gold.


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7ight ore on2 and silen!e2 the pea!e of the gods2 floed at last about the templepre!in!ts. As she ept sleepless at!h and ard before the altar2 she as aare - hen thenight gre deepest of a groing pres!ien!e in the air. What seemed a soundless rhythmelled up from some near but in/isible sour!e and inundated the silen!e. ragran!e2 freshand forest-seet2 sept about the pla!e2 and in its breath the lights paled and fell. A hushedand e3pe!tant tilight held alert her senses.

,loly2 in the spa!e beteen the treasure-!hest and the altar2 there gre the tall andgra!ious figure of a oman. "eep-bosomed2 ide of bro2 floing ith ample draperies thatglimmered lie foam ithin the gloaming2 she fi3ed the mysti! >uietude of her di/ine regardupon the neeling maiden.

Re/erent2 yet unafraid2 the priestess lifted her eyes. With heart beating deep and fullin sa!red ae she ga4ed ith yearning into the ise2 seet2 fathomless eyes of the goddess.

The Presen!e spoe. 1er /oi!e2 musi!al as the !aden!es of falling aters heard afar2rose and fell in the dimness.

E= am 1estia2 the ,pirit of 1ome8E= am Woman2 treasury of the di/ine fire in the heart of humanity8E= am Motherhood2 the guardian and guide.EWithin me lies the ell-spring of eternal being8EMy heart nos the far deep goal of this2 my pilgrim people.E= am 1estia2 the permanent2 the pure8EAgainst my hite2 ineffable flame the hot /apors of passion and selfishness roll their

/ain dissol/ing mo!eries. They !hange2 in!rease2 and /anish. = endure.E= am 1estia2 the stainless2 the eternal.E

,ilen!e2 lie a benedi!tion of deeper harmony2 folloed her ords. 7ight throbbedaround them. The flame on the altar burned lie an una/ering prayer.

Then rose on!e more the largo of her /oi!e.

E5h daughter of a /anishing ra!e2 forget not that the light of your soul is the eternal fire.The age !hanges. @onder steadfast flame shall i4en and be >uen!hed. ,la/ery of outardsha!les shall gi/e pla!e to the darer sla/ery of impulse and andering desire.

E=n those future days ill the orship of 1estia be forgone. @ea2 omen shall tread inthe miry paths of forgetfulness. Motherhood shall fall ell nigh to the dust. $ut2 5 !hild of myimmortal spirit: despair not at my ords. or that dar and distant hour shall pale at lastbefore a radiant dan. Then shall the souls of 1estia's /otaries des!end from the se!retempyrean of immortality to !lothe themsel/es ane in flesh. And ith you shall be reborn inthe ra!e the inspiration to spiritual omanhood. 5n!e more shall you set alight the sa!redfire not alone upon temple altars2 but upon the altars of your hearts and homes. Andseeing again the !lear sapphire flame of your souls2 men ill turn on!e more to the orship ofspiritual truth.

EThen shall a ne and ondrous motherhood spread its hea/enly radian!e o/er all theearth. The golden age of !hildhood shall burgeon e/eryhere and a godlie destiny be!onman forard to perfe!tion.

E$e faithful then2 5 stainless Priestess of 1estia: Guard ell the sa!red fires.Preser/e a halloed silen!e in your soul here = may spea and !herish you.

E= 1estia2 ,pirit of di/ine omanhood2 bless and dedi!ate you to the ser/i!e of the agesto !ome.E


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Lie e!hoes of remembered musi! the utteran!e died rhythmi!ally aay. The great!andles burned again in undimmed luster. 6pon the altar the flame no rose and selledand trembled. 5nly the fragran!e lingered2 ithdraing gradually into the in/isible !hambersof the air.

$ut in the heart of the neeling maiden there delt the light of a ne and ondrousnoledge and the sa!red sense of an immortal dedi!ation.

9Theosophical Pa#h2 /ol. )F2 no. ;

---------------

A Life's Triumph - W. &. Rensha

The great meeting had been a su!!ess2 beyond anti!ipation. The hall itself aspa!ed to the doors2 and a large o/erflo meeting had been held at hi!h the Great Manspoe for a fe minutes at the !lose of his main effort.

Momentous issues ere at stae. 1e had surpassed himself2 and none ne it betterthan he. 1e had sayed his /ast audien!e this ay and that as he had pleased. 7opleading ith sil/er /oi!e8 no denoun!ing ith brass notes8 e3horting ith a bron4e >ualityin his tone8 no threatening ith an iron ring2 heightened to the !lash of steel and the roar ofguns as he half unsheathed the sord of ar8 no only half-hispering hile his hearershung tense and hushed to !at!h the faintest ord - he used the hole s!ale and >uality oftone2 and tou!hed the hole gamut of human feeling. 1e had risen to the full height ofperhaps the greatest o!!asion of his !areer.

As the people !roded round at the end to !at!h a personal loo or maybe ahandshae he smiled a little sadly.

After the meeting2 dri/ing home ith his host and a fe pri/ileged friends2 he felt a littlerea!tion2 from hi!h he as aroused by one of the party leaning forard and saying? E=f = maybe permitted2 ,ir2 = ould lie to say hat a pri/ilege = felt it to be to listen to you tonight. =ha/e heard you spea before2 but ne/er as = so entran!ed. = am sure = spea for e/eryonein saying - Well2 = !ongratulate you on ha/ing surpassed yourself.E

1e smiled2 and !ommen!ed? E= than you2 sir. = feel indeed - E and then san ba! inthe !arriage ith !losed eyes and set lips. The uent and itty and !harming in hisresponse to hat seemed an endless and unne!essary stream of unmeaning ords. A final!ongratulation from his host on being shon to his room almost set his teeth on edge2 butith an effort he replied gra!iously2 and as left alone.

What as this stifling2 nauseating feeling that threatened to o/erhelm him1e ent to the mirror and regarded himself steadily. 1e ne his on fa!e ell. =t had

been part of his study to de/elop and regulate its e/ery e3pression. $ut no it returned hisloo - ith a differen!e. 1e ne he had been ithin an a!e of maing a fool of himself in the!arriage. 1o it ould ha/e !ome out he did not no2 but hat he had been about to sayas - ell2 some foolish boast or other in the into3i!ation of the moment.

There as the little demon hiding2 ready to raise its head2 and for a moment or to hefan!ied it as returning his loo and grinning at him from the glass.

1e did not retire. There first2 in front of the glass2 and afterards2 ith the lights


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sit!hed off2 sitting on the edge of the bed2 or rising to his feet2 he stro/e to pier!e to the /erydepths2 and to rise to the heights of his nature.

EThe orld's greatest 5ratorE he had been !alled8 Emaster of them that spea.E Andyet not master of himself: 1umiliating @es: and 7o: What as the mea$i$( of it Was hereally master in his on house or had he but polished up one little !orner of it And ho farould that !arry him

1e thought of his on !ountrymen2 of the teeming populations of the orld2 stri/ing2toiling2 li/ing for the most part patient2 humdrum2 humble li/es. What did he no of all that2but to !oin a fe ringing phrases And ere they not2 albeit un!ons!iously2 also treading thepath of mastery - or failure - in more ays than one2 maybe Truly2 this myriad-headed dumbmass ere simple-minded2 simple-hearted2 or ho !ould he and his lie2 ith their partialmastery of one or other gift2 hi!h it as their !hief pleasure to e3er!ise - ho !ould they soeasily say these8 and here ere they leading them

This /ery night he had been leading them to the /erge of ar: And for a moment hehad yielded to flattery and felt /ainglorious about his undoubted ability. '6ndoubted' @es:There the gift as. $ut ho as it being used %ould it not be used in a nobler dire!tionPea!e @es: $ut Pea!e as not enough. =t as ignoble pea!e that led many ell-meaningpeople to belie/e in ar as a toni!. All the great ars had de/eloped in a state of pea!e. $uthad there e/er really been a state of pea!e in the orld at large2 for long8 or indeed in anysingle nation What as pea!e but another method of unending ar ,o!ial !ompetition2!lass against !lass2 !reed against !reed - it seemed as though humanity ere blindlyandering2 running amo e/ery no and then2 in the darness of ignoran!e. And smallonder hen su!h as he2 ho !ould do almost hat he pleased ith them2 had no more realnoledge than they8 only a little more polish2 and /astly more assuran!e. 5n hat as thisassuran!e founded %ertainly not on noledge8 for had he not uestions to the enigmati! silen!e anddarness hi!h enmeshed him8 sear!hing ith an agony of earnest faith that light there mustbe2 and for help for a blind orld. Warring s!hools2 se!ts2 opinions2 spe!ulations2 passed inrapid re/ie before his heightened !ons!iousness2 only to be tossed aside as the froth on thea/es of human life. The resour!es of his brain and memory ere ta3ed to the uttermost.5n2 and still on - somehere beyond or ithin lay the open door he as sear!hing for.

7o2 though he ne it not2 his temperate2 balan!ed life2 his unfailing toleran!e andbrotherliness2 the supreme mastery he had made of his one gift2 the desire he had alayshad to aid his fellos2 to lead them in sin!erity only here he as dri/en by his intensest!on/i!tions and loyalties - all these stood him in good stead hile he battled onard.

Then !ame the noledge that the hole fight as in himself2 and he sa !learly thatmastery of one thing as only one step2 a small one2 on the - on the road. What road Thenhe seemed to remember2 or to hear a /oi!e saying? EThou !anst not tra/el on the Path beforethou hast be!ome that Path itself.E

Then the door he had been sear!hing for opened before him2 and he passed through.What ent on there is beyond telling. =t has been suggested2 hinted at2 symboli4ed2throughout the ages of man's pilgrimage. $ut the beginning of it as a great Pea!e2 andLight2 and &oy.

What then of his great gift More need for it than e/er no. =n the 1all herein he hadentered he sa ritten many things2 among them?


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EThe poer hi!h the dis!iple shall !o/et is that hi!h shall mae him appear asnothing in the eyes of men.... $efore the ,oul !an spea in the presen!e of the Masters itsfeet must be ashed in the blood of the heart.... All gifts are on2 all !on>uests are a!hie/ed2but to be laid on the altar.... 03!ept ye be!ome as little !hildren ye shall in no ise enter theingdom.... E

When they ent to !all him in the morning he as lying on the bed2 fully dressed2 ith

a smile on his fa!e that aed all beholders. The afternoon papers !ame out ith bigheadlines?

Tra(ic 9$! o& orl!7s rea#es# /ra#or. +ies appy o$ i(h# o& i&e7s Triumph.

The leading arti!le spoe of the great tragedy2 the irreparable loss to the nation and theorld8 the pity of it2 the aste2 the irony of it. The onderful smile on his fa!e shoed that hehad died happy2 satisfied ith his last and greatest a!hie/ement2 his life's triumph.

The soul that had passed on had indeed a!hie/ed a life's triumph2 for more thanmastery as e no it. 1en!eforth all royal poers ere open to it2 to be used in the ser/i!eof humanity. =t had passed through the portals of life into noledge2 and light2 and uite uni/ersal dominion? theing's rit running from the ,ea of ,unrise to the Waste Waters of the ,unset2 and from the"esert of Ghosts northard to the /ery foothills of those Mountains of %alamity

"%here $o ma$ came,or ha! come si$ce #he ma*i$( o& #he %orl!."


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,ome part of that great territory Pha 1edro himself had gathered in8 none of hisan!estors but had on something. They had been a line of strong !on>uerors and ueen and herladies in %ararthro ould be seeing to it that no pri4e there should aait the in/aders. Theyere to orship the Gods ith all !eremony during the morning2 and then apply the tor!hesand mae of the burning !apital their on funeral pyre.

$ut no2 in the fa!e of all possibility2 the Gods had shon their poer2 and not oneplanned or e3pe!ted thing had !ome to pass.

=t as a /ery noble !ompany that gathered no on the slope? the ing's !ousins2 of thedi/ine ra!e of Arthro8 all tall2 ell-made and blemishless8 an an!ient firm-!hinned aristo!ra!y2a>uiline and !lear-!ut featured2 men a!!ustomed to rule. All2 too2 splendid ith rainbo-!olored plumes and uadrons there dran up or !harging2 must ha/eflon: They formed their rans no2 and there as no gap anyhere8 it as only the enemyhad disappeared. As if no battle had been2 no ound re!ei/ed8 as if the last months hadbeen a nightmare from hi!h no they ere da4edly aaing. And yet hea/en ne theyhad fought....

They had fought8 and2 surely2 as men ne/er had fought before sin!e the beginning of


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time. 7ot more bra/ely2 they meant8 in !ourage there is doubtless an absolute hi!h menperhaps in e/ery generation attain. $ut this fight had been holly mysterious.... Well8 onehad to !onsider the magi! of those sor!erer-priests? a /ery great deal to !onsider indeed.or in no mind or memory of all those arriors ould e$!s mee#. They remembered thingsthat simply had not happened. 5b/iously not8 - ere they not all there in the dus on thehillside8 all there2 and all s!atheless $ut hat hideous poer had been ith those dead

sor!erers 9dead of !ourse2 the Gods be thaned:; to produ!e su!h illusions: or e/en noone !ould not rid one's mind of the impression -5f the hopeless beginning of the battle2 and the physi!al nausea produ!ed by the first

sight of the hite men - hideous2 long-toothed2 pig-eyed2 little-headed mighty masses ofbran and disgusting ignobility8 - of the fi/e hundred there ere of themsel/es in the midst ofthe narro pass2 and in front a great tide of this human 9if so to be !alled; beastlinesssinging up against them2 and o/erfloing and pouring don on them from abo/e on eitherside8 and shifting and !hanging deliriously8 and ithdran again and again hile the hitestorm of their arros dro/e in among the proud plumes and


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II.

7o = am to tell you of the end of Pha 1edro's reign2 and of the !oming of a ne ing.The 1all of %oun!il in %ararthro shone lie some /ery stately !ron high o/er the !ity.

A great ro!2 >uite pre!ipitous2 rose some four hundred feet abo/e the le/el of the streets and

s>uares8 on the summit as this hall2 four-s>uare2 ith its lofty deli!ate pillars2 its opal dome2its four giganti! !ar/ed lions at the !orners? a sa!red pla!e for the Arthroanion2 and as it erethe inmost high altar of the empire. 5ne broad flight of steps !ar/ed and built out on thenorthern side of the hill2 and flaned ith great marble gryphons and y/erns and sphin3es2as the one means of approa!h. =t as a pla!e only entered by the ing and his !oun!il. 7oguard ept the stairay8 and for that matter the ro! itself as not beyond the poer of manto !limb? an athlete2 for a ager2 might ha/e done it at more pla!es than one. 7one did2 nore/er had done. 5f old2 fear of the la and its effi!ient ministrants no doubt had been thedeterrent8 but no2 in this golden age that daned on the "ay of the Great Vi!tory - the $attleof the Pass of $nah - no la as needed beyond men's natural good ill to eep them


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of-Pea!e - Pha 1edro of $nah2 the God-lo/ed2 the Vi!tor? these to2 the $eginning and the0nd2 ere the heroes the Arthroanion lo/ed? the 5pener of the Age of =ron2 and the 5penerof the Age of Gold....

$y hose /irtue2 men said2 the purple anemone bloomed on the hillside8 the daffodil'sgra!e in the dale8 the tulip and the nar!issus under the oli/e-trees. And in the pine-oods onthe mountain2 by the sun-steeped !rags up-uids are not to be reprodu!edin 0nglish2 and ithout them the magi! is gone. All the battle is there told? the minor ey anddespair at the opening8 the solemnity of the dedi!ation of heroi! li/es !hanging throughmoments of een pain2 a!ute tragedy2 into the grandeur of the sound of in/isible !hariots2 into


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the seep of dragon ings2 the onslaught of august /i!torious God-s>uadrons8 - into theserenity of an e/ening beyond all e/enings2 the outpouring of a bird's song propheti! of pea!ethat might only sloly gro to be understood.

They had !ome to the a!me of the tragi! part2 here the poem tells ho the last-leftelders sa the arro strie and !ried The i$( is !o%$0 - hen2 >uite suddenly2 they sa thaton Pha 1edro's fa!e hi!h arrested them. =t as a light of onderment2 a glo of strange

pride2 a fi3ed ga4e upon a point uite unnon8 the fa!edran as in pain8 the eyes gla4ed somehat2 and ithout spe!ulation. The /ery ghost of aman8 and yet ob/iously real2 of flesh and blood lie themsel/es - though at first they ere notsure of that. And2 ob/iously2 familiar8 and yet2 not to be re!ognised.... at on!e8 - though one!ould be positi/e that the ing re!ognised him.

1e as speaing2 and in the Arthroaeg - but ith a differen!e8 as of some diale!t fromthe far pro/in!es hard to !at!h at first - but from hat pro/in!e $ut there as something inthe hole apparition that !ompelled silen!e2 e/en mental? a surprise and apprehension not tobe e3plained by the mere presen!e of a stranger. They began to mae out hat he assaying in that somnilo>uisti! /oi!e of his?

E=t as the ,ong of $nah8 my poem2 that = made for my broen people. = heard it inthe midst of.... thatE - this ord long delayed2 and spoen !uriously2 ith horror2 ith pitying!ontempt - Eand !ame.... And !ame. or = no that that poem !annot be illed. They ha/e itby heart8 they sing it in se!ret2 in the mountains. Their rising may be !rushed this time8 butthe song ill eep the people from sleep. White men2 you may ill me8 ah2 hat if = amalready....E

Pha 1edro's tears ere falling2 though a glo of immense


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son:E Then he turned to his !ompanions the Men of $nah. - E@es2E said he8 Ethat is hat itmeans:E The laughter in his eyes !ommuni!ated itself to them8 and hile Pha erbaun asaing from his 'terrible dream' they ere fain to laugh a little to themsel/es8 it as sostrange to thin that they ere . . . hat on!e they ould ha/e !alled the "ead8 that they hadbeen - as the saying as - slai$.... that Great "ay.... in the Pass of $nah.... The holemeaning of it as not yet to be re!ognised2 e/en by the ing. $ut something gloed in his

and their !ons!iousness that had not been there before? a strange restlessness andimpatien!e of serene things? as it ere a ne boyhood2 and a far !all audible in the spirit2ith in!itement to stirring a!tion....

9Theosophical Pa#h2 /ol. )C2 no. );

--------------

Mirror and Moonlight - ,ors "ilya

1igh up in the midnight sy2 the big feathery !loud that hid the Moon suddenly sailedaay2 and the full2 round lamp shone out among the stars. The flood of moonlight sept o/erhouses and fields and highays and byays2 and fell in little soft splashes through thesaying tree-tops on to the shadoy ground beneath. =t poured out o/er e/erything in !ityand !ountry2 on the rippling laes and floing ri/ers and far2 far out to sea.

7o it happened that on the !orner of 5bser/atory ,treet2 in 1omeopolis2 themoonlight poured through a high indo and !ame up against a fine2 tall Mirror.

EWhat is this = seeE it !ried out2 startled.E#eep !alm2 my friend2E said the Mirror. E= am only shoing you yourself. = am the

Mirror2 you no2 a distant relati/e of yours in the Refle!tor-amily.EE@es2 yes2E said the Moonlight2 brightly. E1o fortunate to find you. "on't mind my

paleness it's not fright2 - only my !omple3ion. = ne/er thought of seeing myself2 alays beingso busy helping people to see.E

EGlad to ha/e your !ompany anyay2E murmured the Mirror. E='m a bit lonesome thise/ening. =t is rather


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,yland. As to Time - ell2 no2 you 0arthlings mae me smile. Why2 bless your bright fa!e2the Moon is the old 0arth's Primiti/e Progenitor in the !osmi! genealogy. The 0arth as mybaby2 some fe aeons ago. =t asn't a tar-baby2 either2 as you might thin from the bla!shado it !asts on me8 it as a soft2 floating2 fu44y-u44y mass of beginning stuff2 at first2ith no solid bone or firm sin to it2 at all. $ut for all that2 it had to li/e its on life and learnho to gro up2


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- #enneth Morris

This is the story of the rise of Gonmar2 - imperial Gonmar2 mistress of the orld at onetime2 though no broen fragment lies in any desert no to re!ord the eternal fame of her great54ymandiases2 ings of ings. $ut there ere many of them8 and they ere longer li/ed ofrenon than ,esostris or ,emiramis or 7imrod. - 7ine/eh and $abylon and Thebes8 the

Medes and Persians2 and Ma!edon8 Rome2 and then ,pain2 and 0ngland? e thin e ha/eheard of some great things in empires. Tush: in these last fi/e thousand years it is but thepale ghost and e!ho of the olden thing that time has non. Tramped their phalan3es ne/erso far8 thundered their legions ne/er so loudly8 broe the loneness of hatsoe/er seas theirhaughty innumerable galleons? - there ere those that ent before them that ere mightierthan they2 and dominated /aster regions ith a more embla4oned pomp. 5f hi!h lostsplendors among the mightiest as this Gonmar8 that lay midmost of the orld2 and sayedin its heyday - some tenty thousand years - all earth's !ontinents and promontories andislands? no ing reigned anyhere2 but had his !ron2 and lea/e to li/e from the #ing of ingsin Gomnar. $ut of all that = shall say nothing? here is but a tale to tell from days earlier yet.rom days before Gonmar had risen to those heights of poer8 and long before the orldas !ir!ums!ribed as it is no2 and ith boundaries set to e/erything.

0nough to say2 then2 that at one time there ere those to ingdoms2 Targath andGonmar8 ea!h so poerful that there as no room in the orld for both. And e maysurmise 9man being man; that ea!h as the '!hampion of human liberty2' and the 'protagonist'or 'guardian' 'of !i/ili4ation'8 and that ea!h had long !ulti/ated a 'manifest destiny' and a -some ind of !olored - 'man's burden'8 that ea!h lo/ed pea!e profoundly2 and asdetermined to end ar fore/er8 that ea!h as e3tremely !ons!ious of its on inherent 9andintense; righteousness2 and regarded ith horror the abysmal i!edness - the ambitions2!ruelty2 perfidy2 and designs - of the other8 ith hom2 indeed2 - no doubt2 in order thatfreedom2 !ulture2 and generally the human soul2 might be preser/ed2 - it had been at ar2more or less all don the !enturies2 and /ery mu!h so during the last ten years. The date ofall this = ill be a!!urate? $.%. to the poer of n. =n that pre!ise year the "ruids de!idedthat2 cou#e ;ue cou#e2 the ar must end8 and too their steps a!!ordingly.

,o mu!h for introdu!tion8 no you are to thin a year and a day passed sin!e theytoo their steps8 and to loo out upon the sea beyond the rim of the orld2 and to behold2 inthe midst of that sea2 the island-mountain Tormathrannion2 the Mountain of Wonder2 lappedround ith foamless tur>uoise aters. The sun is estering8 the la4y a/elets fli!er andsparle2 and2 for the roar or hispering of the eel-!lo/en o!eans of earth2 breathe up amurmur of tune2 harp-lie or bell-lie? the sleepy sea !rooning melodies out of the greatsatisfa!tion in its heart. As for Tormathrannion2 it is all !reamed and foamed o/er ithblossom2 gloing in the mello radian!e of late afternoon8 and the perfume of the blooms ofits roses and magnolias is o/er the sea for leagues around. Reinaa the Valiant2 ing ofTargath2 breathes it as he leans against the pro of the dragon boat that dras so siftly2from the east and south2 toards the mountain2 and gi/es himself up to a tumult of e3ultantthought.

$eyond doubt2 he thins2 his >uest is near an end. =f there is any MountainTormathrannion - as holy religion de!lares there is - it is that mountain yonder8 and there onits breast2 at a thousand feet or so abo/e the sea-le/el2 those stars2 those rubi!und diamondsand strange flashings of topa4 lights2 are the fruit on the Appletree of 0nlightenment2 hi!h hehas but to taste and the orld is his. or he ill no all that is to be non2 and man norgod able to ithhold se!rets from him8 and ith su!h noledge in his possession2 ho shallstand against him 7or $ortin ing of Gonmar2 ith all his stubborn armies8 ho shall pay2


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no soon2 for his ini>uities.With the thought of $ortin his mind is >ui!ly in a hirl? the name is flame tou!hed to

the poder there. Tha# ma$0 - ho robbed the orld of pea!e.... hose ild ambitions....hose /ile !ruelties:.... i/e million arriors2 the floer of Targath2 slain sin!e he2 Reinaa2!ame to the throne2 be!ause that doomed man !ould not rest ith hat he had: $ut notuna/enged? the Gods be thaned2 !old hell as peopled ith some fi/e million or more of the

trea!herous Gonmariaid. And they should ha/e their ing ith them soon8 ay2 they shouldha/e their /ile ing ith them: - 1e de/ised ugly deaths for $ortin2 and ished that there erespeed ith the dragon boat.

After all2 hy eary his mind ith su!h thining There as no doubt of it? ho !ouldone doubt that mountain looming up from the sea lie a burst of grand musi! - lie a suddenshout from the ,ons of God - lie a proud signal to the sies or days he had non he ason the /erge of another orld2 holier and more mysteriously beautiful. Let him fill his beingith infe!tion of it2 and hate grandly and !almly2 unperturbed. The ,ea of ,torms as longpassed - no longer had the dragon boat to spread dominating ings o/er aters obsessedand ra/ing2 and beat don for itself a narro path of pea!e. 7o longer the bla! billos rose2on this side and that2 ith demon fa!es grinning and holing2 and impotent !laed handssung out to !lut!h and tear. Huiet as here2 and lo bells tinling in the !risp of thea/elets2 and andering spirits2 beautiful as floers2 that rose to glide singing along theripples2 and /anish8 - beings shadoy as e/ening2 shot through ith apri!ot and /ioletsplendors of the sun. 1ere one as half a god already2 immortality thrilling through one'sbeing at its or of transmutation. Let one hate as the gods do2 ithout an3iety.

0/en the 7ine Roers of the boat - those mysterious silent ings of aerie he hadbeen ith a year and a day sin!e his druids ith their magi! e/oed them from their!ustomary !ommer!e2 the portage of the dead2 to !arry him beyond the limits of the orld2 -e/en they2 he thought2 had !hanged a little in these ne august surroundings. Though theyere silent still2 and as e/er seemed unaare of him2 a light had gron in the ins!rutableblueness of their eyes8 the dar flame that embodied them gloed more ri!hly8 the stars thattinled and /anished about their heads shone ith a larger rhythm. or here as MountainTormathrannion ithin the borders of the World of the =mmortals8 the light and odor of the

Apples of Tormathrannion thrilled all the air of these onderful regions. 5ne breathed here asthe gods breathe2 - !onfident2 e>ual-hearted ith the stars? let one's mind be ithoutperturbation2 one's hatred - or that matter2 hy hatred at all 5r one might eep the seetof it and let the bitter go by. The bitter as gone by8 for there as no un!ertainty no2 norla! of poer. 5f !ourse he ould !rush Gonmar. #noledge being poer2 he2 ha/ing allnoledge2 ould be all-poerful? the orld ould be his2 and there should be pea!e in it.,e/ere so far as Gonmar as !on!erned8 gentle for the rest of men. or Gonmar as theone thing that spoilt the beauty of the orld8 or $ortin of Gonmar as2 the root of Gonmari!i!edness. 1e should be punished8 slain8 in an e3emplary manner2 to mae ambitiouspea!e-breaers tremble fore/er.

With long oars the 7ine #ings dro/e forard8 the melody of the a/elets gre alaysseeter2 their glitter and uietness near. Glory2 honor2 poer2dominion should be ith Targath fore/er and e/er? ith Targath8 ith the ,uperior People8the one ra!e on earth that ne ho earthly affairs should be ordered. 7o anthem that ase/er sung so thrilled2 so surged2 so fountained splendid as no the soul and the blood in the/eins of Reinaa? ere there dragons beteen this and the tree8 ere there furious lions2 orspirits armipotent assembled2 it should go hard ith them all2 he thought2 but he ould !ometo his goal.... magnifi!ently !ome to his goal. ,o ith sord dran he leaped from the boat2


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and ne/er glan!ed ba!2 but passed the shallos and the et sands and the dry2 and by thepath up beteen the !liffs began the as!ent2 of Tormathrannion. There ere no dragonsthere2 no lions8 no armed spirits opposed him. Through the >uiet of prime/al orlds8 througha foam and o/er-!reaming of roses8 by thyme-seet hollo and bluebell gloom2 and nolls ofa4alea2 magnolia2 rhododendron? he !ame up at last to the le/el spa!e here the Tree gre.

The sun hung lo in the hea/ens2 and all the aters ran sil/ery and golden and

li>ues!ent rainbos2 and the sy as a mute musi! of the !olors of the dreams of God. Trunand boughs and leafage of the tree stood out against those gleaming onders8 and the threeripe apples he had been gi/en to no ould be there shone as large and luminous as thelo sun2 but ith ri!her2 rosier !rimson. They ere translu!ent2 and odorous2 and per/adedthe e/ening8 no least bree4e stirred any leaf or tig8 the hush of God as upon the orld8the far-!rooned melody of the sea no louder than a heart-beat. Glory2 honor2 poer2dominion.... $ortin ing of Gonmar2 tremble on your throne: 5n tiptoe2 >uiet as the stars ithe3ultation2 he !ame to the tree2 and plu!ed an apple2 and ate.

And the hush broe into sudden musi!2 and he as aare of all %osmos and itssystems as song. The ground on hi!h he stood2 and the tree2 and the ide shining atersand the sun and his on being2 ere but the o/ertones and e!hoes2 the far pulsings andultimate /ibrations2 of a song. Myriads upon myriads of !onstellations2 outard and outardand yet ithin and deeper ithin2 - the musi! of myriads on myriads of ,ingers2 themsel/esthe musi! of other myriads on myriads. Abo/e2 around2 ithin him2 lo2 orlds upon neorlds? e3isting2 springing into e3isten!e2 aning aay lie the dying notes of a song8 and alltossed up into life2 and held stati! in tensest motion2 by a een into3i!ation of delight. 0ternityburned in e/ery moment? no atom of time but as pregnant and /ital ith the hole. Theglory of the sy as ithin him8 the lo sun s>uandered its beauty from some not remoteregion in himself. 1e as the gleaming sea2 and he as the mountain8 he as the Tree oftrees and its magi!al fruit. The noledge that inhered in those apples floed out from the!enter of him through the infinite !hannels of his !ons!ious thought.

Gradually parti!ularity and defined /ision gre? phrases2 rhythms2 and motifs be!amedistinguishable in the paean that is time and spa!e and the luminous greatness beyond. Thesea2 that had seemed empty at first2 as gemmed ith many islands8 but they ere lie noislands in the orld of men. 0a!h as as a !ron of million-!olored


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embodied2 might he rea!h the islands? hi!h ere the reser/e and holding of the immortaldead. 7o8 he must go ba! and re-assume his inghood8 that grie/ous burden must betaen up again. Were it not so2 he per!ei/ed? ere he2 li/ing2 not in his pla!e at his or2there ould be a note in the song left unsounded2 a fla in the immense design hi!h is God.$ut noledge !onstantly gre in him? he ould go ba!2 and bring pea!e and nes of hathe had seen into the orld8 and naught else !ould e/er be so ell orth doing. or more

and more2 as his /ision !leared and settled2 the pea!e and the song and the delight of Godbe!ame also !ognisable as ar2 groth diffi!ultly attained2 !ontinuous meeting ith andtriumph o/er resistan!e. 0/er and e/er2 he per!ei/ed2 at the rim of things !herubim andseraphim did battle. The %enter being pea!e2 the !ir!umferen!e as ne!essary onset ande3pansion8 and on that !ir!umferen!e2 the pla!e of honor2 the prin!ipalities and poers thatfought2 the thrones and dominions that pushed forard2 ere the ,ouls of Men2 the obs!uredprin!es of beauty.... With them2 ith them he ould be: 1e ould !ome ith all noledgeau3iliar into their !onfli!t2 a harbinger and turner of their !ourses to /i!tory. ,ift no be hisfootsteps don to the sea-bea!h2 and to the dragon boat that should bring him ba! into theorld:

,o he turned8 and in a dus still radiant2 sa the boat in the bay2 and approa!hing.The same boat or another? shaped lie a dragon !ertainly2 and ith nine ings of aerieroing. 1e had no time to ponder that8 for there at the pro2 here lately he himself2 stoodno one ho2 of all the possible inhabitants of all possible orlds2 he ne to be $ortin ingof Gonmar2 the man of all manind hom he - 2 1ated The ord !ame into his mind2 andpu44led him8 the sound of it as familiar2 but the se!ret of it gone. 1o in hea/en's name!ould one loo on.... the lie of #ha#.... and not be stirred to lo/e - and !ompassion

1e at!hed him !ome to land and !ross the bay and begin the as!ent8 but ith eyesmu!h more for his mind than for his body. or there2 !oming up the path in the tilight underthe early stars2 as.... himself again8 or it as the e3traordinary glory of the uni/erse2 thebeauty of the orlds ithout end8 a god !rested in the hea/ens ith plumes of !onstellationsand stellar fire. $ut himself2 depri/ed2 hemmed in and in anguish8 the glory and the beautydimmed ith obli/ion8 a god pier!ed through ith a poisoned arro2 absorbed in the agony ofa little fire that burned ith mu!h smoe and sten!h in the loest rea!hes of his being. Ande/ery throb or fume as as it ere ords /isible for Reinaa to read8 thus? -

EThat man:.... ho robbed the orld of pea!e.... hose insatiable ambitions.... hose/ile !ruelties.... i/e millions2 the floer of Gonmar2 slain sin!e = !ame to the throne of myfathers8 be!ause a fool lusted to mimi! demigod !on>uerors of old. $ut not una/enged2 thegods be thaned8 !old hell is peopled no.... E

And so on. EPoor heart of a god:E thought Reinaa. E$ut he ill eat the apple2 andno8 and all this mortality ill be !ured.E Then it flashed upon him that indeed mortality aslie that8 and in the orld the minds of men e're so suffering or liable to suffer. And hehimself2 hile he as human - hile a man's body as on him2 - of the orld of menines!apably he ould be2 - part and par!el of it2 flesh of its flesh and spirit of its spirit8 and allthat misery2 that eating disease - possessed he ne/er so mu!h of isdom and


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- EAy2 e !an.E $ortin's sord as dran.- EPi! the apple >ui!ly2 my brother8 and - eat: =t ill - E- E@our sord: your sord2 Targath: "ra2 and >ui!ly2 before = - E- E,ord "raE With all his noledge he had ne/er thought of this2 and smiled

ith surprise at the strangeness of it. E7o2 but eat the apple2 dear brother2 and - E- Eour times this 'brother2' insolent: "og2 ill you draE

Then Reinaa sa hat ould be2 and laughed a little at the impasseand be!ause itould be happy to be dead8 and sobbed on!e be!ause of the great sorro he !ould notpre/ent8 and put a hand to his sord-hilt to dra and brea the /ile thing if he should ha/etime8 but had not time8 Gonmar as >uite insane ith hatred8 and in a flash the thing asdone.

$ortin iped his blade on the dead man's !loa and resheathed it. =t as ten years toolate in the day to try tri!s ith him. 1ad he but turned to the tree8 had he lifted a hand toplu! the apple2 Targath's sord2 he ne ell2 ould ha/e been in his side and Targath'slaugh of triumph in his dying ears. 1e ent toards the tree8 >uite !arelessly2 for there aslittle to be gained no by eating the fruit. 1e had attained8 he had a!hie/ed the purpose ofhis /oyage8 his druids had been night. 1e had gone as they had bidden him go8 and no hisenemy as dead2 and he had but to tae in Targath at his pleasure. ,till2 religion asreligion8 and it said that this mountain as2 and this tree2 - and the apples on it2 so and soand so and so. And anyho2 apples >uen!hed thirst.... 1e plu!ed one of the to that hungthere2 and ate....

=n the song2 in the uite filled ith his renon2 and e/en his sub


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men2 and beyond them a !a/al!ade of nights. ,loly they gathered about her and >uietlythey taled amongst themsel/es. E=t is the maid2E said one. E,he ho as the Priestess ofTre-5gis hen e ere still as men. Ah: little daughter2 thou ert the !hild of ,pring then2 a!hild of pure hite blossom2 that neest the /oi!es of oods and didst eep thine altar-fireburning. $ut thou didst !hoose to be lie unto the ,pirit of the Ages and !ross the Mead of$luen $lossom to sear!h the deeper ays of ,ummer and lea/e thy life of simple isdom. All

is as thou ouldst ha/e had it8 and in repayment for thy !hoi!e thy isdom has gone fromthee2 and tomorro thou shalt be!ome the ife of a #ing2 ith ui/ered and then as lost to sight and then !ame on!e more2 as faintand elusi/e as that =nner World she had seen8 and then Penedri fell upon her nees ith asob of sudden


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here/er Hueen Penedri ent2 there as the unseen ,tar-%hild hispering to her of theAn!ient People of the ,pring2 of the rites and temples of the olden days2 of the great White,pirits and the silent spee!h of all the things around her2 till the Hueen si!ened for herfreedom.

And then of a sudden great !hanges !ame for all one bitter month8 the young #ing2Penedri's Lord2 fell ill and died2 and the Hueen si!ened and lay e3!eeding near to death.

Light first broe hen ord as spread throughout the ingdom that an heir as born2 bute/en then men feared that the Hueen must pass aay2 folloing her Lord.All through those long su!!eeding days of her si!ness the Hueen lay !alling2 !alling

for the floery deeps of the $luen Mead2 and !rying to the %hild of "reams to !ool the a!hingof her heart ith the light of its starry eyes.

$ut at last the fe/er ebbed and the Hueen !rept ba! into life2 a life that filled from hourto hour ith a thousand strange ne hopes and


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silen!e fell around her lie the falling of de2 and hushed her to sleep2 and then there !ame afigure blon lie a aft of moon-lit mist among the trees2 that bent and issed her on thebro.

And in the early morning2 hen the frightened huntsmen !ame sear!hing through theorest2 they found the still !old body of the Hueen2 resting amid the floers2 and a little tenderleaf !lasped in her hand.

9Theosophical Pa#h2 /ol. )D2 no. *;

---------------

A Mad !orld - Per!y Leonard

E6nbrotherliness is the insanity of the age.E - #atherine Tingley

E'Tis a mad orld2 my masters.E - ,haespeare

=n a bright summer's morning2 high o/er shining ri/ers2 sno-!apped mountains2 and a/ast !he!ered plain2 a radiant presen!e nely-!ome from Venus suddenly appeared. 1isgodlie form of purest ether !ast no shado2 for the sun-shine glan!ed ith undiminishedbrightness through his !lear outlines.

,ensing a ne arri/al2 one of the /ieless guardians of the 0arth2 impelled apparentlyby sheer /olition2 glided aloft2 and aited ith respe!tful deferen!e su!h as is due to onearri/ing from a planet more ad/an!ed. As in a detailed lands!ape painted by a master-hand2the 0uropean !ountries lay in e3tension far belo2 and the /isitant hung poised at su!h adi44y altitude it seemed as though he only had to ga4e ith fi3ity at any gi/en spot2 to ha/ethe details suddenly enlarge before his eyes.

Thus !almly stationed in the !old !learness of the upper air2 they at!hed the tinyfigures as they mo/ed beneath. Many ere o!!upied in building houses2 others ere oringin the fields2 and as high noon ad/an!ed the smoing fa!tories poured forth their !rods ofbusy orers2 blotting the streets from /ie ith streams of mo/ing spe!s.

,outh of the Polar %ap of sno lay forests of dar pines2 here the tall trees totteredand fell beneath the stroes of ,!andina/ian oodmen. Loaded on /essels2 the huge logsere !arried south2 hile from the armer !limates fruits and spi!es2 oli/e-oil and sils2 ereshipped to the in!lement regions of the north. Worers in fa!tories ere maing shoes and!lothes for toilers in the fields8 and garden-produ!e2 hauled by straining horses2 !ould beseen !on/erging sloly toards the sarming populations of the tons in friendly inter!hangefor arti!les of lu3ury and use. =n the ide range of strenuous a!ti/ities lying outspread beforetheir ga4e2 mishaps o!!urred from time to time2 and it as good to see ho tenderly theinuely tinted ith the soil in hi!h they ored2 ere maing tren!hes tore!laim a samp2 hile others in industrious gangs ere laying out superb and spa!iouspleasure-grounds for publi! use. Ri/ers ere being spanned by bridges2 piers rose from thetossing a/es2 lighthouses sloly reared their tapering shafts toard the sy8 hile o/er allthe sunshine poured2 and flee!y !louds thre shifting shados on the /aried s!ene.

EWhat is the meaning of this restless hurry and e3ertionE ased the /isitor. EWhatmoti/e urges on the deni4ens of 0arth to su!h toilE


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E,ire2E ansered the attendant2 Eour humanity is so defenseless and so frail2 that if it isnot draped in o/en fabri!2 sheltered by masonry2 and fre>uently supplied ith nourishment2it /ery soon ould perish from star/ation and the !old. To eep themsel/es supplied ith!lothes2 to build them shelters and pro/ide their food2 un!easing labor is re>uired8 so that the/ast mauestioning2he let the matter drop. The lengthening shados and the gold and purple glories of theestern sy2 ga/e timely arning of the !lose of day2 so ith a gesture of fareell and as itseemed in a rosy glo that issued from the region of the heart2 he shot aloft and /anished inthe still2 blue depths.

Par# II.

,ome de!ades passed aay and on!e again at a high /antage-point belo theindsept sheet of !irrus !loud2 a /isitor from Venus !he!ed his impetuous des!ent and itha penetrating glan!e ga4ed on the lands!ape as before. The faithful guardian from beneathagain as!ended and remained attenti/e by. 1umanity belo as in state of fier!e a!ti/ity2destroying lie a foolish !hild hat it had labored to produ!e.

Great !ities2 shattered by e3plosi/es2 poured forth their !rods of terrified inhabitants2running for shelter from the falling bri!s and slates. Grain in the heat fields2 no long o/er-ripe2 as shaen from the rustling ears ith e/ery breath of ind. Turnips and beets ploedunder by the heels of field-artillery8 forests transformed into bare mountain-slopes ofbla!ened stumps2 and flattened fields of barley stren ith the dead2 lay in the ghastly!learness of the morning sun. The ateray !ut through the isthmus as no !hoed iththe desert-sand and all humanity seemed dominated ith a !ommon fury to destroy itself.


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Peasants from idely distant points ho formerly had ored to ser/e ea!h others'needs ere no dran up in line of battle ith intent to ill. Air!raft ere letting falle3plosi/es of high poer that shoo the air lie muttered thunder as they stru! on pala!esand toers belo2 !on/erting noble stru!tures into heaps of stones and !louds of flying dust.1uge battleships2 a ma4e of intri!ate ma!hinery2 the fruit of years of patient toil2 ere lifted inthe air and s!attered in !ontorted fragments all around2 hile human truns and limbs fell

through the mury air lie dreadful rain upon the sea.Astounded and ama4ed2 the /isitor in>uired ho it had !ome to pass that 0arth'sinhabitants had been surprised by e3tra-planetary foes2 and ho ere the in/ading poers.

E7o foreign enemy intrudes upon our globe2E replied the guardian ith a sigh. EThehuman ra!e has simply turned upon itself2 its separate members rending one another e/en asmadmen tear their on flesh. These many years they sloly reared a so!ial fabri! intri!ateand strong2 then of a sudden they be!ome possessed ith fury and destroy the or of theiron hands.E

E= had imagined2E said the /isitor2 Ethat 0arth as the abode of men endoed ithreason8 but it appears lie an asylum for the deranged.E

E=n sober truth2E !onfessed the guardian of the 0arth2 Eour people are not holly sanenor e/er ill be till they reali4e and a!t in harmony ith 6ni/ersal $rotherhood as 7ature'sfundamental la.E

,addened and sho!ed past all e3pression2 the illustrious /isitant ithdre8 not2 let ushope2 in horrified disgust2 but to de/ise some s!heme for helping those ho seem soin!apable of managing their on affairs.

9Theosophical Pa#h, /ol. )(2 no. )2 Aug.2 ()C;

---------------

The Treasure - Ralf Lanesdale

1afi4 the fruit-/endor as dis!ontented ith his lot2 for he felt that he as born to fill abigger pla!e in the orld than the one that he had fallen into. 1e fell into the position of fruit-/endor more by !han!e than by design of his on8 it as a distin!t fall in his eyes2 though itas a fall from most profitless ambitions to a pra!ti!al subsisten!e for himself and family. ,o2on the hole2 it might be !onsidered a soft fall from the !louds2 su!h as some soaring a/iatorsof other lands and other times might en/y. ,till he as distin!tly dissatisfied2 and his familytoo note of the fa!t8 they !ould hardly do otherise2 for he ne/er spoe of anything elsehen he as at home.

This habit of !omplaining !aused his ife to thin that he ould be better for a !hangeof o!!upation8 and2 for herself2 she as prepared to submit to parting from her lord for aspa!e of time2 feeling herself >uite !ompetent to pro/ide for the family2 if only her husbandere out of the ay. ,o she had a dream. =t happened so8 and she a!!epted it as ananser to an unspoen prayer. The dream as simple2 and she hastened to tell it to herhusband. =t as a promise of ealth to be had by maing the uite plain8 and she made it !lear to 1afi4that no diffi!ulty ould be put in the ay of his lea/ing home pro/ided that he returnedealthy. 7othing as said to indi!ate any desire on her part that he should return ith unduehaste2 or that he should return at all2 unless he a!>uired the promised ealth and brought it


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ith him.,o 1afi4 set out on his uiries as to the most liely means of se!uring ealth ith ease and !elerity2 he as notable to see that his !han!es ere any better in %airo than they had been in &erusalem.

7aturally he drifted again into the business of a fruit-/endor2 and in that !apa!ity hemet many men lie himself2 men ho felt that they ere destined to some great !areer butere temporarily !ompelled to adopt a humble mode of life.

To one of these he !onfided ith some pre!iseness the nature of his hopes2 and aslaughed at more s!ornfully than he thought ne!essary or be!oming. The other e3plained hislaughter by saying that he himself had dreamed a similar dream last night2 but he set so littlestore by dreams that he ould mae his ne friend 1afi4 a present of the ealth he hadseen. Then he pro!eeded to details2 and !arefully des!ribed the treasure that he sa!on!ealed beneath the floor of a poor house2 hi!h he also des!ribed minutely.

1afi4 listened in ama4ement8 for the des!ription of the house and its surroundingse3a!tly fitted the one he had o!!upied in &erusalem and in hi!h he had left his family. =t ashard for him to restrain his astonishment and delight. 1e as uiet in the street2 1afi4 gently opened the door and put out his head!alling his ife in a hisper. ,he rose at on!e and >uieted the !hildren8 then 1afi4 let themin one at a time2 as if he ere afraid a stranger might slip in ith them. When they ere allinside he bolted the door and embra!ed his ife and all the !hildren. The floor as dug upand a great hole as gaping in one !orner2 but it as dar. 1e lit a lamp and !losed theindos more se!urely. Then he un!o/ered a !opper /essel2 su!h as they had ne/er seen in


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the house before2 and displayed to their astonished eyes the hoard of gold that the fruit-/endor of %airo had so minutely des!ribed.

Then the re


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first short pilgrimage to a !elebrated shrine had been made /ery early by his on re>uest2and he began to tae part in the administration of the affairs of the old and no feeble raues inlaid ith enamel and representingdifferent gods and heroes. 1e enters and goes up to the all in front of one of these pla>ues- #rishna. The strange loo in his eyes gros deeper2 stronger2 and a stream of light seemsto rush from them to the obue /ibrated2 and a subtile s!ent spread from it o/er thehole room. The air seemed to /ibrate sloly2 undulatingly2 and then a da44ling shape of ayoung man seemed to form itself upon the floor2 hile the /ibration !entered in the form andthe s!ent turned into light. Rama looed steadily at this being ho stood there ere!t andterrifying2 yet !alm and strong ith pea!e all about it. =t as the !almness and poer of it thatterrified. As Rama looed2 it spoe?

E"o you forget the 6panishad2 'To birds sit in one tree8 the one eats the fruit and theother loos on'E

E7o2E said Rama2 E= forget not. They are the personal and uni/ersal. The one holoos on is my higher self - Atman.E

E= am thy higher self. = !ome to tell thee of three ords. orget them not2 forget notme. They are? A!tion2 La2 The fruit of a!tion.E

EThese2E said Rama2 E= ha/e heard. A!tion and La = no2 but the fruit of a!tion2 is itthat hi!h eats ithinE

The form of beauty replied? E=t is the ignoran!e of it that hurts thee. Thou art bound inthy future. This present birth of thine is to allo thee to mae the #arma for thy ne3t birthbetter in the end2 but hi!h ill be e/er dar and painful if not no ameliorated. =n thispresent is thy future. Potential no lies the effe!t in hat !ause you mae.E

Then ith one straight arro-lie glan!e into the fa!e of Rama2 the form faded2 and thepla>ue rang a note of fareell. A!ross the all there seemed to pass a pi!ture of po/erty andri!hes2 of huts and buildings of stone.

Rama left the room the ne3t day2 and ne/er after seemed to sorro or to be annoyed.1is old father died2 and he !arried on the go/ernment for many years2 s!attering blessings ine/ery dire!tion2 until a ri/al ra


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III.

The heel of time rolled on and Rama as reborn in a ton go/erned by the Ra


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9Theosophical Pa#h2 /ol. F2 no. *;

----------------

"ineteen-Tenty-#i$ - "ineteen-Tenty-#e%en

- 0mmett ,mall2 &r.

= as toiling along the road as = had been toiling along it many a day2 hen = beheld atall figure ith his ba! to the great dropping ,un8 and = mar/eled that one should thusantonly turn his eyes from su!h glory2 nor desire his soul to see repose among the hea/en-flo!s that roamed in the sunset-pastures of the West. And = hailed him2 ha/ing in mind theoddness of this?

EWho are youEE= am 7ineteen-Tenty-,i3. = am ise8 tarry here ith me2 for = ha/e li/ed long and

no mu!h and !an tell you all the se!rets you ish to no.EAnd = looed on his fa!e and thought it old and isdom-tired. And so = held further

parley and sought to no hy he did not mo/e on but stood statue-stru! in the middle ofthe road.

ELoo:E = urged2 Ethere are great sunny stret!hes yonder here the grassy prairie-landslaugh in the sunshine beneath the brooding purple mountains8 and already the pageantry of0/ening is as!ending from beyond the sea-rim2 and soon 7ight ill !ome riding in. %ome onith me8 for ='ll be hitting the onard road:E

EAh2 !hild:E he murmured2 Eyou dream8 and hat you say is ords = ha/e heard on thelips of other !hild-men !aught in the ebs of "ream. There is nothing beyond me. = standith my ba! to a great all and all beyond is a depthless abyss. ,tand here and fa!e ithme the things that ha/e been2 for = am the end of all: = am ise2 tarry here ith me:E

And the hile he spoe = looed on him2 but his eyes seemed alays to be fi3ed onthings beyond me as though = as of e>ual importan!e ith the turnstile = had passed a milebehind. 1is ga4e as alays on the past. And =2 !oming out of the past2 had had enough of itand ished to mo/e on8 for = !ould see the great fields ahead running out and stret!hing theirarms to the in-dan!ing sea.

And yet = thought that his fa!e as good and old and ise. ,urely = ould be rongnot to heed his ords.... And he had said that there as nothing beyond him.... And so myperple3ity as su!h that = sought to see things as he did2 and = turned round and put myshoulder to his and sa the hole of nineteen-tenty-si3.

And in this great ba!ard seep = beheld terrible2 pitiful2 degrading things8 things that!ould only ha/e been born in the shado of the Lost ,elf. And as they flashed by it as asthough all the Winds of 1ea/en had been e3iled and ere eening for their andering souls.

And of hat = at!hed = remember this? = sa a boy steal8 and he as not the soul ofone2 but the shado of a million. And = sa him shut in a dar big house2 and = sa Re/engepress through the bars and sup ith him8 and presently they staled out together? and then =beheld Murder2 and it as not the murder of one2 but the murder of a million. And = sa "eath!lut!h a million li/es and = beheld the eariness of despair on the orn-out bodies of them all.

And = sa War slip in to the home of a family and sear its heart-ties ith the fire of Ambitionand &ealousy8 and it as not the hearth of one home but the hearth of a million that fell in theflames that leaped up.

And = heard the ords of the 5ld @ear again - E= am ise? tarry here ith me:E and =shuddered that su!h sights should ha/e fed the isdom of 7ineteen-Tenty-,i3.


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And then = beheld things that ere splendidly and royally performed2 things that !ouldonly ha/e been done under the aegis of the 1igher ,elf2 and they ere as the breath of holefields of la/ender and the lutings of a great !ompany of lutists. And of these = remember an

Artist at his !an/as8 and here too2 it as not the soul of one that spoe through his brush-stroes2 but the soul of Many. $ut sorro !ame o/er me hen = sa his pi!ture finished andpla!ed in a great gallery. or one of fame and importan!e in the orld ent by and stared

and did not understand8 and it as not the ,oul of one that !ould not understand but the=gnoran!e of Many. And so = beheld the Musi!ian and the 0du!ator2 the Poet - but = dared notprobe too far2 for = had a fear of their passing by unre!ognised as ell.

,o = stood there a hile shoulder to shoulder ith 7ineteen-Tenty-,i38 but = !ould notfeel that the Past as all? that it held the ey to Pea!e. or as = stood there = had enteredinto the hearts of a million people as they had pressed on toards the last day of the year8and = found that those that looed only ba!ard - no matter hether it as ith pride orpleasure or sorro or ueried. EWhat as that laughter Whose as that /oi!eEE= do not no2E he ansered.

And =2 mar/eling still more2 looed up2 and !ried out. Was this the fa!e that had stayed


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me but a fe moments before2 eighed don by its /i!tories and eighed don by itsdefeats2 full-blon ith its self-importan!e and deeming mu!h a failure that as in reality asu!!ess and gi/ing a false /alue to hat he in his poor perspe!ti/e deemed ad/an!ement? ablurred-eyed and tired old man ith no /ision but a ba!ard stare Was this the same2 heho had boasted2 E= am iseE . . . And = looed again2 and indeed it as a fa!e of youth andradian!e. Perhaps - perhaps....

EWho are youE = demanded2 not sorry nor glad2 but longing for e/en


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!ausing it to thro off great >uantities of thi! bla! smoe. The room as soon filled2 so that= !ould no longer see the furna!e nor the gold. The heat be!ame intense2 and hen = !ouldstand it no longer2 = begged him to open the indos and let in some fresh air. Within a feminutes the room as !leared2 and the sunlight streaming in2 fell on the gold2 and it shone as= ha/e ne/er seen gold shine before.

= sa that he had !alled me in to tea!h me a lesson that = needed to learn. = felt great

humility and2 on e3pressing my thans for his indness2 as preparing to lea/e2 hen heased me to stay. 1e had something interesting to sho me.1e raised the heat of the furna!e till it gloed red2 and applied more !leaner to the

gold. Again the smoe rose2 but it as dispelled by the fresh bree4e bloing in2 before it hadtime to form a !loud and obs!ure the gold from my sight. When the smoe !eased to rise2and the dross had been simmed off2 my friend made the third and final test. 1e raised theheat of the furna!e until = thought it too ould melt2 and put in a double dose of !leaner. =thad no effe!t2 but rose to the surfa!e to be simmed off again. My friend merely said? ETruegold fears no fire. Loo ithin:E

= ga4ed into the shining lae of gold. =t as a most beautiful sight. %olors playedabout the surfa!e and shone ith da44ling light. As = at!hed2 my friend too from a shelf asmall i/ory bo3 hi!h2 hen opened2 as seen to !ontain a large diamond. = ha/e ne/erseen a gem to !ompare ith it for si4e2 purity2 and brillian!e. =t sparled and flashed ith lightof its on.

My friend pla!ed it in my hand2 bidding me thro it into the gold.When the ripples had subsided the diamond floated in the !enter of the lae of gold. =

at!hed it2 and suddenly it broe in to. 0a!h part then di/ided2 and again and again tillthere ere a myriad of tinling points.

7o longer sa = the surfa!e of the gold2 but seemed to loo don2 don2 and allaround me ere these tinling spars. And they ere all mo/ing. 1ere and there theyhi44ed past2 and no a !omet trailed sil/er a!ross the sy2 and far2 far aay2 great sunsgloed2 and ga/e life to solar systems. And as they mo/ed on2 onderful musi! filled thespa!e around me. And the notes !ame from the stars themsel/es as they sped on theirappointed !ourses. =t as so onderful that my head gre giddy. = !lut!hed at flying parti!lestill my senses left me2 and = fell on the floor of the orshop.

When = as able to regain my feet2 my friend bade me loo again into the molten gold.= did so2 holding his hand2 feeling a sense of se!urity in his grasp. This time2 the diamondagain floated on the surfa!e of the gold2 but around it as a strange design. =t as lie ase/en-pointed star. And all about it ere strange symbols and figures.

After a fe moments my friend dre the diamond from the golden lae and set it in ani/ory slab about si3 in!hes on a side. 1e then poured the gold into a !ontainer hi!h formeda part of the ma!hine to the right of the dooray of his orshop. 1e set this ma!hine inmotion and soon had se/en fine strands of pure gold. Then ith the strands he o/e aroundthe diamond on the i/ory slab2 the same se/en-pointed figure = had seen in the !ru!ible. 1isdeft fingers mo/ed rapidly2 and it as lie a or of magi! hen he had finished. 1e pla!edthe hole in my hands2 saying? ETae it? a gift from a friend.E

When = had re!o/ered from my ama4ement2 = ased him to e3plain the meaning of thesymbols.

1e said? EThere is little = !ould tell you2 and that ould but !onfirm hat you alreadyno. All noledge !omes from ithin. The uni/erse as brought into being for thee/olution of man2

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Vol 4 Theosophical Fiction