Man is lord even of the Sabbath

Christian Hermeticism itself can only be knowledge of the universal which is revealed in the particular. For Hermeticism there are no ‘principles’, ‘laws’ and ‘ideas’ which exist outside of individual beings, not as structural traits of their nature, but as entities separated and independent from it.

For Hermeticism there is neither a ‘law of gravitation’ nor a ‘law of reincarnation’, there is only the attraction and repulsion of beings (atoms are beings also) in so far as gravitation is concerned, and only the attraction of beings to earthly life, with its joys and sorrows, in so far as reincarnation is concerned.

Laws are immanent in beings, as logic is immanent in thought, being part of the very nature of thought. And true progress, true evolution, is the advance of beings from life under one law to life under another law….it is thus that the law ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ is in the process of gradually being replaced by the law of forgiveness. It is thus again that the law ‘the weak serve the strong, the people serve the king, the disciple serves the master’ will one day give way to the law shown by the Master through the act of the Washing of the Feet.

According to this higher law, it is the strong who serve the weak, the king who serves the people, the master who serves the disciple – just as in heaven, where Angels serve human beings, Archangels serve Angels and men, Principalities serve Archangels, Angels and human beings, and so on. And God? He serves all beings without exception.

Thus the ‘law’ of the struggle for existence that Darwin observed in the domain of biology will one day cede its place to the law of cooperation for existence which exists already in the cooperation of flowering plants and bees, in the cooperation of different cells in an organism, and in cooperation in the human social organism. The end of the ‘law’ of the struggle for existence and the future triumph of the law of cooperation for life has been foretold by the prophet Isaiah:

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
And the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
And a little child shall lead them.

This will be, because the new ‘law’ – ie, a profound change in the psychic and physical structure of beings – will replace the old ‘law’, firstly in consciousness, then in desires and affections, then lastly in the organic structure of beings.

‘Law’ succeed one another and change. They are not immutable metaphysical entities. It is the same wiht respect to ‘principles’ and ‘ideas’. The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath (Mark ii, 27028) – here is the relationship between beings, on the one side, and laws, principles and ideas, on the other.

Meditations on the Tarot, Letter IX, The Hermit

Secret Signs for Soul’s Revival

‘Hermes watches, like a hermit
Shrouded by the cap of Hades,
Lest should be revoked his permit.
‘Time to heal’, he vows; she heard this.

‘‘Lord and Brother, how I love thee!’
Smiles Queen Isis, burning brightly,
‘You have framed the night with pagans,
Set them in our skies, quite nicely.

‘You have made such fitting fates for
These, the ones who stole our thunder,
Yet I heard the one forgotten
Part, the silver-quickening wonder.”

‘Lord of charm, the cunning Hermes
‘Touched your pride and so discreetly:
Whilst the sun of life is fettered
All his children grow up freely!

‘‘Thus, Apollo’s light shall profit
Those who measure seasons, cycles.
I, alone, shall not reposit
Secret signs for souls’ revival’.

An Itinerant Hermit

The heart itself, or the twelve-petalled lotus, which alone of the centres is not attached to the organism, and which can go out of it and live – by the exteriorisation of its “petals”, which can be rayed outwards – with and in others, will become a traveller, a visitor and anonymous companion of those who are in prison, those who are in exile, and those who bear heavy loads of responsibility.

It will be an itinerant Hermit, traversing ways leading from one end of the earth to the other, and also ways through spheres of the spiritual world – from purgatory to the very feet of the Father. Because no distance is insurmountable for love and no door can prevent it from entering – according to the promise which says: “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew xvi, 18).

It is the heart which is the marvellous organ called to serve love in its works. It is the structure of the heart – simultaneously human and divine, a structure of love – which by way of analogy can open our understanding to the significance of the meaning of the following words of the Master: “And lo, I am with you always, to the end of time.” (Matthew xxviii).

Unknown Author, Meditations on the Tarot, Letter IX, The Hermit

Meeting of Saints and Angels

We quickly passed through the entrance and hallway of the mountain, which seemed to be well enough lit but we were moving so fast that I had no time to look out for any kind of décor or other details. However, it was clear even from fleeting glimpses that the interior of this place was awesome in the true sense of this word, appearing to be of huge proportions for one thing.

Although it was ‘natural’ – ie, of the mountain – it looked as if it had been hewn out by hand and was clearly magnificent. There were various colours on the walls, presumably from paintings.

The further into the mountain we went, the darker it became and, though we still moved very swiftly indeed, I was increasingly struck by the totally unique surroundings I’d found myself in. This helped to assuage the mounting unease I felt, because it was evident that an occasion of some import was taking place therein.

I noticed that the further we went inside, the more people there seemed to be, until we stopped at an immense cavern that was so large it did not even appear to be deep underground. There was a sombre and powerfully sanctified air.

I must have been asking questions because I was told numerous times by my guide that an assembly meeting of the saints with the angels was taking place. One can scarcely imagine this spectacle.

Filling the cavern/hall, forming a winding line hundreds strong that moved up the passage/path running around and through it, were people dressed identically who I assumed to be the Saints. Each was dressed in classic ‘hermit’ garb in dark sackcloth-type, belted, hooded robes and holding up a lantern in one hand. All had their backs to me and I saw none of their faces.

Although I was specifically told the angels were present (maybe further up towards the front of the line?) I do not recall seeing any, being totally absorbed in the sight of all these saints/hermits. The sight of the hermits’ lamps lighting the way prevented any further fear from entering my mind.

It was an awesome sight. I am not sure what the subject of the meeting was but I ascertained that those standing in line were waitig to meet some hugely powerful figure who was located out of sight at the apex of the stairs.