Communions

And it was by the bed of a stream, that the weary and afflicted came again to seek out Jesus. And like children, they had forgotten the Law; and like children, they sought out their father to show them where they had erred, and to set their feet again upon the path. And when the sun rose over the earth's rim they saw Jesus coming toward them from the mountain, with the brightness of the rising sun about his head.

And he raised his hand and smiled upon them, saying, "Peace be with you."

But they were ashamed to return his greeting, for each in his own way had turned his back on the holy teachings, and the Angels of the Earthly Mother and the Heavenly Father were not with them. And one man looked up in anguish and spoke: "Master, we are in sore need of your wisdom. For we know that which is good, and yet we follow evil. We know that to enter the kingdom of heaven we must walk with the angels of the day and of the night, yet our feet walk in the ways of the wicked. The light of day shines only on our pursuit of pleasure, and the night falls on our heedless stupor. Tell us, Master, how may we talk with the angels, and stay within their holy circle, that the Law may burn in our hearts with a constant flame?"

And Jesus spoke to them:

"To lift your eyes to heaven

When all mens' eyes are on the ground,

Is not easy.

To worship at the feet of the angels

When all men worship only fame and riches,

Is not easy.

But the most difficult of all

Is to think the thoughts of the angels,

To speak the words of the angels,

And to do as angels do. "

And one man spoke: "But, Master, we are but men, we are not angels. How then can we hope to walk in their ways? Tell us what we must do."

And Jesus spoke:

"As the son inherits the land of his father,

So have we inherited a Holy Land

From our Fathers.

T'his land is not a field to be ploughed,

But a place within us

Where we may build our Holy Temple.

And even as a temple must be raised,

Stone by stone,

So will I give to you those stones

For the building of the Holy Temple;

That which we have inherited

From our Fathers,

And their Fathers' Fathers."

And all the men gathered around Jesus, and their faces shone with desire to hear the words which would come from his lips. And he lifted his face to the rising sun, and the radiance of its rays filled his eyes as he spoke:

"The Holy Temple can be built

Only with the Ancient Communions,

Those which are spoken,

Those which are thought,

And those which are lived.

For if they are spoken only with the mouth,

They are as a dead hive

Which the bees have forsaken,

That gives no more honey.

Communions are a bridge

Between man and the angels,

And like a bridge,

Can be built only with patience,

Yea, even as the bridge over the river

Is fashioned stone by stone,

As they are found by the water's edge.

And the Communions are fourteen in number

As the Angels of the Heavenly Father

Number seven,

And the Angels of the Earthly Mother

Number seven.

And just as the roots of the tree

Sink into the earth and are nourished,

And the branches of the tree

Raise their arms to heaven,

So is man like the trunk of the tree,

With his roots deep

In the breast of his Earthly Mother,

And his soul ascending

To the bright stars of his Heavenly Father.

And the roots of the tree

Are the Angels of the Earthly Mother,

And the branches of the tree

Are the Angels of the Heavenly Father.

And this is the sacred Tree of Life

Which stands in the Sea of Eternity.

 

The first Communion is with the Angel of Sun

The Angel of Sun,

She who cometh each morning

As a bride from her chamber,

To shed her golden light on the world.

O thou immortal, shining, swift-steeded

Angel of the Sun!

There is no warmth without thee,

No fire without thee,

No life without thee.

As green leaves of the trees

Do worship thee,

And through thee is the tiny wheat kernel

Become a river of golden grass,

Moving with the wind.

Through thee is opened the flower

In the center of my body.

Tnerefore will I never hide myself

From thee.

Angel of Sun,

Holy messenger of the Earthly Mother,

Enter the holy temple within me

And give me the Fire of Life!

The second Communion is with the Angel of Water

The Angel of Water,

She who makes the rain

To fall on the and plain,

Who fills the dry well to overflowing.

Yea, we do worship thee,

Water of Life-

From the heavenly sea

The waters run and flow forward

From the never-failing springs.

In my blood flow

A thousand pure springs,

And vapors, and clouds,

And all the waters

T'hat spread over all the seven Kingdoms.

All the waters

The Creator hath made Are holy.

The voice of the Lord

Is upon the waters:

The God of Glory thundereth;

The Lord is upon many waters.

Angel of Water,

Holy messenger of the Earthly Mother,

Enter the blood that flows through me,

Wash my body in the rain

That falls from heaven,

And give me the Water of Life.

The third Communion is with the Angel of Air

The Angel of Air,

Who spreads the perfume

Of sweet-smelling fields,

of spring grass after rain,

of the opening buds of the

Rose of Sharon.

We worship the Holy Breath

Which is placed higher

T'han all the other things created.

For, lo, the eternal and sovereign Luminous space,

Where rule the unnumbered stars,

Is the air we breathe in

And the air we breathe out.

And in the moment betwixt the breathing in

And the breathing out

Is hidden all the mysteries of the Infinite Garden.

Angel of Air,

Holy messenger of the Earthly Mother,

Enter deep within me,

As the swallow plummets from the sky,

That I may know the secrets of the wind

And the music of the stars.

The fourth Communion is with the Angel of Earth

The Angel of Earth,

She who brings forth corn and grapes

From the fulness of the earth,

She who brings children

From the loins of husband and wife.

He who would till the earth,

With the left arm and the right,

Unto him will she bring forth

An abundance of fruit and grain,

Golden-hued plants

Growing up from the earth

During the spring,

As far as the earth extends,

As far as the rivers stretch,

As far as the sun rises,

To impart their gifts of food unto men.

This wide earth do I praise,

Expanded far with paths,

The productive, the full-bearing,

Thy Mother, holy plant!

Yea, I praise the lands

Where thou dost grow

Sweet-scented swiftly spreading,

The good growth of the Lord.

He who sows corn, grass and fruit,

Soweth the Law.

And his harvest shall be bountiful,

And his crop shall be ripe upon the hills

As a reward for the followers of the Law,

The Lord sent the Angel of Earth,

Holy messenger of the Earthly Mother

To make the plants to grow,

And to make fertile the womb of woman,

That the earth may never be without

The laughter of children.

Let us worship the Lord in her!

The fifth Communion is with the Angel of Life

The Angel of Life,

She who gives strength and vigor to man.

For, lo, if the wax is not pure,

How then can the candle give a steady flame?

Go, then, toward the high-growing trees,

And before one of them which is beautiful,

High-growing and mighty,

Say these words:

'Hail be unto thee! O good, living tree,

Made by the Creator!'

Then shall the River of Life

Flow between you and your Brother,

The Tree,

And health of the body,

Swiftness of foot,

Quick hearing of the ears,

Strength of the arms

And eyesight of the eagle be yours.

Such is the Communion

With the Angel of Life,

Holy messenger of the Earthly Mother.

The sixth Communion is with the Angel of Joy

The Angel of Joy,

She who descends upon earth

To give beauty to all men.

For the Lord is not worshipped with sadness,

Nor with cries of despair.

Leave off your moans and lamentations,

And sing unto the Lord a new song:

Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

Let the heavens rejoice

And let the earth be glad.

Let the field be joyful,

Let the floods clap their hands;

Let the hills be joyful together Before the Lord.

For you shall go out with joy

And be led forth with peace:

The mountains and the hills

Shall break forth before you into singing.

Angel of Joy,

Holy messenger of the Earthly Mother,

I will sing unto the Lord

As long as I live:

I will sing praise to my God

While I have my being.

The seventh Communion is with Our Earthly Mother

Our Earthly Mother,

She who sends forth her Angels

To guide the roots of man

And send them deep into the blessed soil.

We invoke the Earthly Mother!

The Holy Preserver!

The Maintainer!

It is She who will restore the world!

The earth is hers,

And the fulness thereof the world,

And they that dwell therein.

We worship the good, the strong,

The beneficent Earthly Mother

And all her Angels,

Bounteous, valiant,

And full of strength;

Welfare-bestowing, kind,

And health-giving.

Through her brightness and glory

Do the plants grow up from the earth,

By the never-failing springs.

Through her brightness and glory

Do the winds blow,

Driving down the clouds

Towards the never-failing springs.

The Earthly Mother and I are One.

I have my roots in her,

And she takes her delight in me

According to the Holy Law. "

Then there was a great silence, as the listeners pondered the words of Jesus. And there was new strength in them, and desire and hope shone in their faces. And then one man spoke: "Master, we are filled with eagerness to begin our Communions with the Angels of the Earthly Mother, who planted the Great Garden of the Earth. But what of the Angels of the Heavenly Father, who rule the night? How are we to talk to them, who are so far above us, who are invisible to our eyes? For we can see the rays of the sun, we can feel the cool water of the stream where we bathe, and the grapes are warm to our touch as they grow purple on the vines. But the Angels of the Heavenly Father cannot be seen, or heard, or touched. How then can we talk to them, and enter their Infinite Garden? Master, tell us what we must do."

And the morning sun encircled his head with glory as Jesus looked upon them and spoke:

"My children, know you not that the Earth

And all that dwells therein

Is but a reflection of the

Kingdom of the Heavenly Father?

And as you are suckled and comforted

By your mother when a child,

But go to join your father in the fields

When you grow up,

So do the Angels of the Earthly Mother

Guide your steps

Toward him who is your Father,

And all his holy Angels,

That you may know your true home

And become true Sons of God.

While we are children,

We will see the rays of the sun,

But not the Power which created it;

While we are children,

We will hear the sounds of the flowing brook,

But not the Love which created it;

While we are children,

We will see the stars,

But not the hand which scatters them

Through the sky,

As the farmer scatters his seed.

only through the Communions

With the Angels of the Heavenly Father,

Will we learn to see the unseen,

To hear that which cannot be heard,

And to speak the unspoken word.

The first Communion is with the Angel of Power

The Angel of Power,

Who fills the sun with heat,

And guides the hand of man

In all his works.

Thine, O Heavenly Father!

Was the Power,

When thou didst order a path

For each of us and all.

Through thy power

Will my feet tread the

Path of the Law;

Through thy power

Will my hands perform thy works.

May the golden river of power

Always flow from thee to me,

And may my body always turn unto thee,

As the flower turns unto the sun.

For there is no power save that

From the Heavenly Father;

All else is but a dream of dust,

A cloud passing over the face of the sun.

T'here is no man that hath power

Over the spirit;

Neither hath he power in the day of death.

Only that power which cometh from God

Can carry us out from the City of Death.

Guide our works and deeds,

O Angel of Power,

Holy messenger of the Heavenly -Father!

The second Communion is with the Angel of Love

T'he Angel of Love,

Whose healing waters flow

In a never-ending stream

From the Sea of Eternity.

Beloved, let us love one another:

For love is of the Heavenly Father,

And every one that loveth

Is born of the Heavenly Order

And knoweth the Angels.

For without love,

A man's heart is parched and cracked

As the bottom of a dry well,

And his words are empty

As a hollow gourd.

But loving words are as a honeycomb

Sweet to the soul;

Loving words in a man's mouth

Are as deep waters,

And the wellspring of love

As a flowing brook.

Yea, it was said in the ancient of days,

T'hou shalt love thy Heavenly Father

With all thy heart,

And with all thy mind,

And with all thy deeds,

And thou shalt love thy brothers

As thyself

The Heavenly Father is love;

And he that dwelleth in love

Dwelleth in the Heavenly Father,

And the Heavenly Father in him.

He that loveth not is as a wandering bird

Cast out of the nest;

For him the grass faileth

And the stream has a bitter taste.

And if a man say,

I love the Heavenly Father

But hate my brother,

He is a liar:

For he that loveth not his brother

Whom he hath seen,

How can he love the Heavenly Father

Whom he hath not seen?

By this we know the Children of Light:

T'hose who walk with the Angel of Love,

For they love the Heavenly Father,

And they love their brethren,

And they keep the Holy Law.

Love is stronger

Than the currents of deep waters:

Love is stronger than death.

The third Communion is with the Angel of Wisdom

The Angel of Wisdom,

Who maketh man free from fear,

Wide of heart,

And easy of conscience:

Holy Wisdom,

The Understanding that unfolds,

Continuously,

As a holy scroll,

Yet does not come through learning.

All wisdom cometh

From the Heavenly Father,

And is with him for ever.

Who can number the sand of the sea,

And the drops of rain,

And the days of eternity?

Who can find out the height of heaven,

And the breadth of the earth?

Who can tell the beginning

Of wisdom?

Wisdom hath been created

Before all things.

He who is with out wisdom

Is like unto him that saith to the wood,

'Awake', and to the dumb stone,

'Arise, and teach!'

So are his words empty,

And his deeds harmful,

As a child who brandishes his father's sword

And knoweth not its cutting edge.

But the crown of wisdom

Makes peace and perfect health

To flourish,

Both of which are the gifts of God.

O thou Heavenly Order!

And thou, Angel of Wisdom!

I will worship thee and

The Heavenly Father,

Because of whom

The river of thought within us

Is flowing towards the

Holy Sea of Eternity.

The fourth Communion is with the Angel of Eternal Life

The Angel of Eternal Life,

Who brings the message of eternity

To man.

For he who walks with the Angels

Shall learn to soar

Above the clouds,

And his home shall be

In the Eternal Sea

Where stands the sacred Tree of Life.

Do not wait for death

To reveal the great mystery;

If you know not your Heavenly Father

While your feet tread the dusty soil,

There shall be naught but shadows for thee

In the life that is to come.

Here and now

Is the mystery revealed.

Here and now

Is the curtain lifted.

Be not afraid, O man!

Lay hold of the wings of the

Angel of Eternal Life,

And soar into the paths of the stars,

The moon, the sun,

And the endless Light,

Moving around in their

Revolving circle forever,

And fly toward the Heavenly Sea Of Eternal Life.

The fifth Communion is with the Angel of Work

The Angel of Work,

Who sings in the humming of the bee,

Pausing not in its making of golden honey;

In the flute of the shepherd,

Who sleeps not lest his flock go astray;

In the song of the maiden

As she lays her hand to the spindle.

And if you think that these

Are not as fair in the eyes of the Lord

As the loftiest of prayers

Echoed from the highest mountain,

Then you do indeed err.

For the honest work of humble hands

Is a daily prayer of thanksgiving,

And the music of the plough

Is a joyful song unto the Lord.

He who eats the bread of idleness

must die of hunger,

For a field of stones

Can yield only stones.

For him is the day without meaning,

And the night a bitter journey of evil dreams.

The mind of the idle

Is full of the weeds of discontent;

But he who walks with the

Angel of Work

Has within him a field always fertile,

Where corn and grapes

And all manner of sweet-scented

Herbs and flowers grow in abundance.

As ye sow, so shall ye reap.

The man of God who has found his task

Shall not ask any other blessing.

The sixth Communion is with the Angel of Peace

The Angel of Peace,

Whose kiss bestoweth calm,

And whose face is as the surface

Of untroubled waters,

Wherein the moon is reflected.

I will invoke Peace,

Whose -breath is friendly,

Whose hand smooths the troubled brow.

In the reign of Peace,

There is neither hunger nor thirst,

Neither cold wind nor hot wind,

Neither old age nor death.

But to him that hath not peace in his soul,

There is no place to build within

The Holy Temple;

For how can the carpenter build

In the midst Of a whirlwind?

The seed of violence can reap

Only a harvest of desolation,

And from the parched clay

Can grow no living thing.

Seek ye then the Angel of Peace,

Who is as the morning star

In the midst of a cloud,

As the moon at the full,

As a fair olive tree budding forth fruit,

And as the sun shining on the temple

Of the most High.

Peace dwells in the heart of silence:

Be still, and know that I am God.

The seventh Communion is with the Heavenly Father

The Heavenly Father,

Who is,

Who was, and

Who ever shall be.

O Great Creator!

Thou didst create the Heavenly Angels,

And thou didst reveal the

Heavenly Laws!

7'hou art my refuge and my fortress,

Thou artfrom everlasting.

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place

In al l generations.

Before the mountains were brought forth,

Or ever thou hadst formed the earth,

Even from everlasting to everlasting,

Thou art God.

Who hath made the waters,

And who maketh the plants?

Who to the wind

I Hath yoked the storm-clouds,

The swift and even the fleetest?

Who, O Great Creator!

Is the fountain of Eternal Life

Within our souls?

Who hath made the Light and the Darkness?

Who hath made sleep

And the zest of the waking hours?

Who spread the noontides

And the midnight? Thou,

O Great Creator!

Thou hast made the earth By thy power,

Hath established the world By thy wisdom,

And hath stretched out the heavens By thy love.

Do thou reveal unto me, O Heavenly Father,

Thy nature,

Which is the power of the

Angels of thy Holy Kingdom.

Immortality and the Heavenly order

Hast thou given, O Creator,

And the best of all things, Thy Holy Law!

I will praise thy works

With songs of thanksgiving,

Continually,

In all the generations of time.

With the coming of day

I embrace my Mother,

With the coming of night,

I join my Father,

And with the outgoing

Of evening and morning

I will breathe Their Law,

And I will not interrupt these Communions Until the end of time "

And over heaven and earth was a great silence, and the peace of the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother shone over the heads of Jesus and the multitude.