CHAPTER VII.
1. The Anubi's labor on earth was to win the disaffected of the kings' peoples intoassociation; and as far as possible bring them to the rites of Faithism.
2. Anubi sent tens of thousands of angels into all the regions of the earth. By inspirationand otherwise these angels established the rites of Anubi.
3. By these rites even kings were converted to Faithism and the full ceremonies of thebrethren.
4. And by the same means were the Maichung, of Jaffeth, made into Faithists; and by thesame rites were the Effins, of Vind'yu, converted into Faithists, adopting all the rites and ceremonies of Emethachavah afterward.
5. And it came to pass in course of time that there were no suffering poor in all theworld. The Faithists had gathered them all up and made brethren of them; and thecontributions to the Faithists by the kings' peoples rendered all the people comfortable.
6. For the degree of Anubi any one (who desired to learn heavenly things) waseligible. The rites and ceremonies were in dark chambers; and the angels of heaven,clothed in sar'gis, took part therein. And the angels taught mortals by the voice themysteries of spirit communion; how to sit in circles and in crescents; taught the fourdark corners, and the four bright sides; taught them how to ascertain from what gradein heaven the spirits came; how to keep off evil spirits; how to attract righteousspirits; taught them how to develop in su-is and sar'gis; the secrets of falling water;the application of lotions to the skin, that would make poundings and rappings.
7. The second degree taught the people of the Great Spirit and His secret names; taughtthem His high holy heavens, where all is rest and happiness forever. Whoever took thesecond degree had to live one year with the poorest of the poor, going about solicitingalms, reserving only the poorest of things for himself. And if he found a person naked hemust take off his clothes and give them to that person. Men and women alike served thesame conditions.
8. The third degree taught the dominions of God and the Lords, and the place of theirabiding, and the irrespective labors in heaven. And the members must learn the names ofthe God or Gods, Lord or Lords, and the Divan laws; the words of salutation; theanthems; the prayers; the praise; the positions of utterance; the orders of marching; towrite sacred names; the secret of begetting pure offspring, and the key to the twopreceding degrees.
9. The fourth degree taught the arrangement of the heavens; the places of the sun andstars and moon; the places and grades of the unseen worlds; the localities of the lower andhigher heavens; the places and dominions of false Lords and false Gods; the places inhada, and of hells and knots; of familiar spirits, and also of fetals, both the harmlessand the destructive vampires, that live on mortals and in swine and cattle, that inducemortals to eat flesh food for that purpose; the key to the place of the north star; theposition of the earth's vortex; the vortices that move the corporeal worlds, and hold themin place; and the rules for building temples and pyramids, with their spirit chambers.
10. Besides this there was the fifth degree, which reached the secret of life in the flesh;the power of will and how to use it far and near; how to rule over others without theirknowing it; to cast spells; to enter the prophetic state; to estimate numbers withoutcounting; to find proportions and distances without measuring; to forecast the time ofthings; to find the weight of things without weighing; to find the power of thecapstan before it is made, and of the lever and screw; to find the friction of things beforethey were moved, in order to know the power required. The fifth degree was calledthe degree of prophecy; and the place of initiation was called the college of prophecy.
11. In this degree the angels came in sar'gis and taught these things orally, and mortalsinitiated thus learned them. But no one could take the fifth degree without having becomeproficient in all the four preceding degrees, and without the recommendation of therab'bah (or priest) who had charge of the college.
12. And such was the wisdom of God that only Faithists could receive the degrees, savethe first degree; and, therefore, the greatest knowledge of the earth was kept in secret withthe Faithists. And the kings' people, even the richest and most powerful, were beholden tothe sons and daughters of the Faithists. To build a palace or a temple, or an aqueduct orcanal, or a ship or any great affair, the kings and the kings' people were obliged to employFaithists of the fifth degree to superintend the work.
CHAPTER VIII.
OF ANUHASAJ; WHO, BY TREACHERY, BECOMETH LORDGOD, SECOND IN RANK TO GOD, SON OF JEHOVIH.
1. Jehovih spake to God in Craoshivi, his heavenly place, saying: Behold, I have givengreat light to the earth and her heavens hundreds of years; and My Gods and Lordsare becoming conceited in their own power and wisdom to rule in heavenly places.
2. Now will I try them for a season, by sending them a'ji'an darkness; for MyGods and Lords must learn to master the elements I have created in the firmament.
3. So Jehovih brought the earth and her heavens into a dark region for a season.
4. Anuhasaj, a one-time sub-God under Ahura, the false, was cast into hell, andthen delivered out of hell, whereupon he repented, and became a Faithist in heaven;serving many years in holy works in Ailkin, a heavenly place of great wisdom.
5. And it came to pass that Ailkin was raised into a new heavenly place, calledVara-pishanaha; and in the removing, behold, Ahura ordered Anuhasaj from the linebecause of his inharmony. And Anuhasaj suffered himself to become angered.
6. Satan (self) said unto Anuhasaj: Who art thou, that one of less wisdom ordereth thee?Anuhasaj said: Alas, I am a fool, and without will to assert myself.
7. For many years Anuhasaj became a wandering spirit in heaven, going from kingdom tokingdom, doing nothing; and at times descending to the earth, observing the kingdoms ofthe earth.
8. Satan came again to him and said: Hear thou my voice, and thou shalt triumph over allother Gods. Anuhasaj said: What shall I do? And satan said: Go thou to Ahura, whooffended thee in presence of the Chieftainess, Cpenta-armij, and say to him: O God, Icrave thy forgiveness. Thou wert right, and I was wrong. I have repented most bitterly. Now I come to thee, with faith in Jehovih. Him will I serve forever. Turn me not off, OAhura; remember thine own one-time shortness; and the high Gods above thee acceptedthee.
9. Satan continued: Ahura will delight in thee and take thee at thy word. And thou shaltenter Vara-pishanaha, asking for the lowest of places; practicing humility in all thybehavior. But be thou fruitful in making acquaintances with such as shall serve theeafterward.
10. Satan continued: And whether it be fifty years, or a hundred, or two hundred, bidethou thy time. But the time shall surely come when thou shalt be exalted; and thou shaltsolicit and accept a place in the dominions of the Lord God in the Lord-dom of heavenand earth, Maitraias.
11. Satan continued: And whether it be one hundred years more, or two hundred years, itmattereth not to thee; but thou shalt finally attain to the Lord-dom, and be duly installedand crowned Lord God of heaven and earth.
12. And when thou art thus exalted, thou shalt seek to have appointed such Lords to theten divisions of earth as are thine own special friends. And it shall come to pass that thewhole earth and her heavens shall be thine, and thy title shall be Lord God, and all peopleon earth and in heaven shall be thy servants.
13. Anuhasaj said: Thou art the wisest of Gods, O satan. All thou hast advised will I do;neither shall any one in heaven or earth know my designs.
14. And it came to pass in course of another hundred years, Anuhasaj was promotedon the staff of the Lord God, the guardian, where he served the Lord God onehundred and seventy years. So the Lord God named Anuhasaj for his successor.
15. So God came from Craoshivi and crowned Anuhasaj Lord God of heaven and earth;with great pageantry and display, God gave him a throne and placed him upon it. Andfrom this time forth Anuhasaj was known and saluted as Lord God, which is the first rankbelow God.
16. The Lord God said unto satan: Who first shall I bring into my favor? Satan said: Thou shalt first bring into thy favor Anubi, MASTER OF THE SCALES OF HEAVEN, andwhen thou hast this to thy liking, thou shalt call him THYSONand SAVIOR OF MEN!
17. The Lord God said unto satan: Who next shall I bring into my favor? Satan said: Thoushalt next bring into thy favor the ten Lords of the heavenly kingdoms of the earth. Andwhen thou hast them to thy liking, thou shalt exalt the chief one of them to be above therest; and him that thou exaltest thou shalt call Osiris, for it is a name loved on earth and inheaven.
18. Satan said: Thou shalt re-establish thy Lord-dom and call it Hored, and it shall be thecentral kingdom of all the heavens belonging to the earth.
19. And Anubi shall send the spirits of his department to thy heavens; and Osiris and allthe other Lords shall send the spirits of their departments to thy kingdom. And in no caseshall any more spirits be sent to Craoshivi; for all people in heaven and earth shallbe taught that thy kingdom is the All Highest Place; and that thou art the All HighestGod, even the Creator of all things; and all angels and mortals shall be thy servants.
20. Then went the Lord God to work earnestly, but slowly and surely. The Lords of all thedivisions of the earth were his special friends, and of such kind as would willingly do hisbidding. And they were learned and of high grade of heavenly experience of more than athousand years.
21. And the Lord God told no one in heaven or on the earth of his designs; gave no signor token in his behavior that would make messengers or swift messengers look at him toread him; and he passed for the meekest and holiest of Gods.
22. But the time came at last for which the Lord God had labored hundreds of years; andhe gave a festival in his heavenly place, inviting the Lords and captains and generals andmarshals, whom he knew would willingly do his bidding.
23. And they came even as the Lord God had planned, and it was a time of great joy. Andwhen the feast was ended, then spake the Lord God before them, spake as one moved insorrow to do a solemn duty for the sake of Jehovih.
24. The Lord God said: O my brothers, hear the words of your Lord God! Behold, I havecharge of the Lord-dom of heaven and earth, I am as a guardian that standeth by a cornfieldto see the corn grow unmolested. My experience is not of a year, nor of a hundredyears, but of thousands of years.
25. In Jehovih's name I speak before you; for the love I bear for the souls of men andangels. I belong not to the Diva as do ye Lords; my voice findeth vent in the fullness ofthe Father in me.
26. Who is here that hath not seen great decline, during the last hundred years, in theseheavens, in the faith of angels in the All Person? Speak then, O ye Lords; and if ye havehearts for more energetic service for the Father and His kingdoms, now let your tongueshave full liberty, as becometh Gods.
27. Anubi said: thou art wise, O Lord God. God of Craoshivi layeth the blame on a'ji.
28. Then spake Hi-kas, whose heavenly place was over Jaffeth, he said: My Lord Godand my Lords, before your wisdom I bow. I am but as a child in heaven, little more than athousand years. My tongue should be silent before you, my long experienced Lords. Hearme though in my little wisdom, and pity me for it.
29. To the east or west, or north or south, all things grow, in heaven and on the earth; Ihave seen no greater wisdom than this. One thing groweth not, the Diva. Behold, theDiva made laws hundreds of years ago, and they were wise laws in the time they weremade. Ye and I, all of us, are bound by the old Divan laws. The laws have not grown.
30. Gods older than I am, and Lords also, tell us that the All Light is a Person and hathVoice; and moreover that long ago He spake to high-raised Gods, saying: These things,shall be thus and so.
31. I appeal to your judgment, O my Lord God and My Lords, was that not a wisedoctrine for the ancients? For on this authority angels and mortals fell down andworshipped Him they saw not. And they were obedient to do the will of their masters andteachers on this self-asserted authority of a Person no one had seen!
32. Which is to say: It is wiser to worship Him we know not, and cannot comprehend,and is therefore as nothing before us, than to hearken to the words of most wise Gods andLords.
33. If to worship that which we are ignorant of is the highest of worship, then the fool isthe greatest of worshippers. For he is ignorant of all things. And by virtue of this reason,he who is the wisest must be the poorest of worshippers. And of a truth, is it not so, bothin heaven and on earth?
34. With the acquisition of knowledge, they all put away the Unknowable; the ignorantare devout worshippers. Shall we hold our tongues, saying: Wh-ce, Wh-ce! The ignorantmust not know the truth; the whole truth!
35. To do this, are we not hypocrites? Some have come to us from far-off regions, sayingthere are more delightful heavens, much higher! Why, then, shall we not all run away andleave this?
36. My Lord God, and my Lords, these heavens are good enough, if improved. The earthis good enough, if improved. We want larger kingdoms and more adorned thrones in ourheavens and on the earth.
37. Next spake Che-le-mung, whose heavenly kingdom was over Arabin'ya. He said: MyLord hath spoken soul words. With knowledge, what more need angels or mortals? Whatvalue to them is it to say: Beware! The Unseen heareth and seeth? Or, halt and considerthe Divan laws?
38. My Lord God, for the wisest and best and most honest to assume dominion, this Ihave not seen. Thy kingdom should be the largest and most adorned of all kingdoms. Andthou shouldst have, to labor with thee, Lords with kingdoms greater than all Craoshivi. Cannot our Gods and our Lords make these heavens the greatest of all regions in theuniverse? Shall we and our people forever run off to etherea in search of higher heavens? And not improve our own? To exalt a place by going away from it, who hath seen thisdone?
39. Arc-wotchissij spake next: his heavenly kingdom was over Vind'yu. He said: O that Ihad not struggled so long to put away wisdom like this! All that hath been spoken I haveunderstood. But I curbed my soul; I thought I was alone in such reason. Now, sosuddenly, I have not words well schooled. I speak little, lest I trip myself up afterward. It is the joy of my life to listen to such wise arguments. Another time I will say more.
40. After him spake Baal, whose heavenly kingdom was over Heleste and the south endof Jaffeth to the sea, a young Lord of great promise. He said: How shall one of myinexperience speak before such Gods as are here! But because ye have touched upon amatter dear to my soul, my words will forth. I have seen all these heavens, and evenCraoshivi, waning for hundreds of years. Our kingdoms are like old women, resigned toroutine, living, but dead.
41. We have the same rites and ceremonies as the ancients; parades and salutations andanthems sung for thousands of years; and to whom? A figure-head that is void of shapeand person and sense. Who is here that hath not deserved honor more than such a being? My Lord God hath labored two thousand years! I have seen him in Vara-pishanaha formore than a hundred years, stooped to the vilest labor, over bad-smelling drujas, teachingthem, washing them!
42. The Lord God should have a kingdom wide as the earth, and a million attendants todo him honorable parade. And when he goeth forth he should have hundreds of thousandsof heralds and trumpeters to proclaim he is coming. We need such. We need wider fieldsand more pomp and glory in our heavens; and kingdoms with great capital cities, andthrones arrayed in splendor.
43. Then rose Ashtaroth, assistant to Baal, and Lordess of the East Wing of his heavenlyplace. She said: Here are other Lordesses, can speak wisely. As for me, my words arefew. The ancients have taught us to be plain in all things. And we have made our heavenslike orchards stript of leaves and blossoms. As fast as angels are made bright and useful,they are persuaded to become Brides and Bridegrooms to Jehovih, and fly off to remoteworlds. Our own beloved earth, that brought us forth, together with her heavens, are thusforever stript of the most valuable fruitage and ornaments.
44. We all know that atmospherea is extensive enough to contain all the angels the earthwill bring forth in millions of years! I appeal to thee, my Lord God, and to ye, most wiseLords, are not these Brides and Bridegrooms hoodwinked by the tales of the ethereanGods? And by the parade and pageantry of the marriage ceremony? And by the fire-ships,and pomp and splendor of the marshals, and trumpeters, and music, and the high-raisedGods?
45. Behold, we have here one who can invent all these glories, even our Lord God. Heshould have such a heavenly place of splendor that the Brides and Bridegrooms would flyto him instead of the far-off heavens.
46. After this manner spake the Lords and Lordesses, and when they had all spoken, thererose up Anuhasaj, now lawfully anointed Lord God. He said:
CHAPTER IX.
1. Most wise Lords, in words ye have done me great honor. There let the matter end. Iperceive what any one can understand, which is that the center of the heavens should behere. The heirs of the earth and atmospherea, why should they be carried off to otherheavens? Sufficient is it for us that we cultivate our own. I am not competent for sogreat a work. Rather shall ye choose from amongst yourselves the highest, best, wiseman, and make him your God. I will be his servant to do whatsoever he putteth upon me.
2. I have traveled far, and took the measure of many worlds. I declare unto you there areno glories in the far-off worlds, but what can be built up in these heavens, and even on thevery earth.
3. Hear me then and judge ye, not for my fitness, but for my unfitness, and so dismiss mesave to make me your servant.
4. Send not off the highest raised angels, but make these heavens suitable unto them.
5. Make this kingdom the All Highest heavenly kingdom; and make your God the highestof all Gods, even the Creator. Him shall ye surround with a capital city, a heavenly placepaved with diamonds and most precious gems. And his throne shall be the most exalted,highest of all glories. To which none can approach, save by crawling on their bellies. Yea,such majesty shall surround your God as becometh a Creator; and such newly-inventedrites and ceremonies, dazzling beyond anything in all the worlds!
6. The rites and ceremonies should be carried to the highest. Without rites and ceremoniesa people are as a dead people; they are as an army without discipline. In fact, discipline isvoid without the formalities of rites and ceremonies. To not have these is to have everyone do for self, which is the dissolution of all union. Baal hath spoken wisely on this; weneed new rites and ceremonies, adapted for the highest grades. We shall no longer bow toa God we know not, a scattered substance wide as the universe!
7. Because ye have spoken, I am pleased. Because ye have come to my feast, I amdelighted. To be with one's own loves, what is greater than that? It hath been said, manshall love all alike; but I say unto you that that is impossible. We have our preferences,and we delight to come together. Who shall say us nay?
8. And yet, my Lords and Lordesses, shall we not deliberate on these things? And councilwith our best loves upon it; for such is the construction of the mind that it oft seeth betterthrough others' eyes. And, above all, shall we not mature the subject to know if in ourown souls we are sincere, doing all things for the good of heaven and earth, and not forourselves.
9. Ye know how Ahura's kingdom prospered until he began to work for his own glory; letus not, then, fall into his errors, but from his errors learn to avoid similar ones. And now,since the time of the feast is ended, and our respective kingdoms waiting us, I declare theassembly dissolved. Arise, then, my Lords and Lordesses, and go your way. Andwhatsoever ye may have on this matter, desiring to commune with me, do ye even sothrough messengers, which ye already have.
