Skip directly to:Main content Main navigation

University of Virginia Library

The light of Egypt; or, The science of the soul and the stars

CONTENTS The Science of the Soul and the Stars VOLUME II

PUBLISHER'S PREFACE

INTRODUCTION TO VOL. II

1.

CHAPTER 1 THE ZODIAC

collapse section

2.

CHAPTER II THE CONSTELLATIONS

1.

1. Aries [?] "First Aries, in his golden wool.''

2.

II. Taurus [?] "He (Aries) turns and wonders at the mighty Bull (Taurus).''

3.

III. Gemini [?] "He (Taurus) bending lies with threatening bead, and calls the Twins (Gemini) to rise. They clasp for fear and mutually embrace.''

4.

IV. Cancer [?] "And next the Twins with an unsteady pace Bright Cancer rolls.''

5.

V. Leo [?] "Then Leo shakes his mane.''

6.

VI. Virgo [?] "And following Virgo calms his rage again.''

7.

VII. Libra [?] "Then day and night are weighed in Libra's scales; Equal awhile, at last the night prevails.''

8.

VIII. Scorpio [?] "And, longer grown, the heavier scale inclines, And draws bright Scorpio from the winter signs.''

9.

IX. Sagittarius [?] "Him Centaur follows with an aiming eye, His bow full-drawn, and ready to let fly.''

10.

X. Capricorn [?] "Next narrow horns the twisted Caper shows.''

11.

XI. Aquarius [?] "And from Aquarius' urn a flood o'erflows.''

12.

XII. Pisces [?] "Near their loved waves cold Pisces take their seat, With Aries join, and make the round complete.''

3.

CHAPTER III THE SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION OF THE TWELVE HOUSES OF THE HOROSCOPE

collapse section

4.

CHAPTER IV ASTRO-THEOLOGY

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD

THE SCHEME OF REDEMPTION

5.

CHAPTER V ATSRO-MYTHOLOGY

6.

CHAPTER VI SYMBOLISM

7.

CHAPTER VII ALCHEMY—PART I

8.

CHAPTER VIII ALCHEMY-PART II

9.

CHAPTER IX TALISMANS

10.

CHAPTER X CEREMONIAL MAGIC

11.

CHAPTER XI THE MAGIC WAND

collapse section

12.

THE BOOK WHICH IS CALLED THE TABLETS OF ÆTH —— THE SACRED SCROLL WHICH IS CALLED THE TABLETS OF ÆTH NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ASTRAL RECORDS AND DONE INTO A BOOK, By ZANONI, [?] TO WHICH IS ADDED A SERIES OF INTERPRETATIVE REFLECTIONS FOR THE SPIRITUAL MEDITATION OF THE FAITHFUL.

collapse section

FOREWORD Thy temple is the arch Of yon unmeasured sky; Thy Sabbath the stupendous march Of grand eternity. To my Brothers and Sisters of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor:

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK WHICH IS CALLED "THE TABLETS OF ÆTH,'' WHEREIN ARE DESCRIBED THE FORMULAS OF MEDITATION. THE FORMULAS OF MEDITATION, TO THE DRAGON, FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. "When first, a musing boy, I stood beside Thy starlit shimmer, and asked my restless heart What secrets Nature to the herd denied, But might to earnest hierophant impart; When lo! beside me, around and o'er, Thought whispered, `Arise, O seeker, and explore.' ''

collapse section

1.

PART I ——— OF THE TWELVE MANSIONS —— Here beginneth Chapter I of the Book which is called "The Tablets of Æth,'' wherein is transcribed the First Quadrant of the Twelve Mansions. —— "I sent my soul through the invisible, Some lesson of that after life to spell; And by and by my soul returned to me And answered, `I, myself, am Heaven and Hell.' '' —— "The moving finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on; nor all your piety nor wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a line, Nor all your tears wash out a word of it.''

collapse section

TABLET THE FIRST Aries I REFLECTION TABLET THE FIRST

TABLET THE SECOND Taurus REFLECTION TABLET THE SECOND

TABLET THE THIRD Gemini REFLECTION TABLET THE THIRD

collapse section

2.

PART I —— Here beginneth Chapter 2 of the Book which is called "The Tablets of Æth,'' wherein is transcribed the Second Quadrant of the Twelve Mansions. —— "How they struggle in the immense Universe! How they whirl and seek! Innumerable souls, that all spring forth From the vast world-soul. They drop from planet to planet, And in the abyss they weep For their forgotten land. These are thy tears, O Dionysus, O Spirit vast, Divine One, Liberator. Draw back thy daughters to the breast of light.'' —— "Ah, love! Could you and I with him conspire To grasp this sorry scheme of things entire, Would we not shatter it to bits? And then Remould it nearer to the heart's desire.''

TABLET THE FOURTH Cancer REFLECTION TABLET THE FOURTH

TABLET THE FIFTH Leo REFLECTION TABLET THE FIFTH

TABLET THE SIXTH Virgo REFLECTION TABLET THE SIXTH

collapse section

3.

PART I —— Here beginneth Chapter 3 of the Book which is called "The Tablets of Æth,'' wherein is transcribed the Third Quadrant of the Twelve Mansions. —— "To know what really exists, one must cultivate silence with ones self, for it is in silence that the eternal and unexpected flowers open, which change their form and color according to the soul in which they grow. Souls are weighed in silence, as gold and silver are weighed in pure water.'' —— "The worldly hope men set their hearts upon turns to ashes; or it prospers, and anon, like snow upon the desert's dusty face, lighting a little hour or two, is gone.''

REFLECTION TABLET THE SEVENTH

TABLET THE EIGHTH Scorpio REFLECTION TABLET THE EIGHTH

TABLET THE NINTH Saggitarius REFLECTION TABLET THE NINTH

collapse section

4.

PART 1 —— Here beginneth Chapter 4 of the Book which is called—"The Tablets of Æth,'' wherein is transcribed the Fourth Quadrant of the Twelve Mansions. —— "A hair, perhaps, divides the false and true. Yes, and a single alif were the clue— Could you but find it—to the treasure house, And, peradventure, to the Master, too. —— `Beware, O my son, of self-incense. It is the most dangerous on account of its agreeable intoxication. * * * Learn, O my beloved, that the light of Allah's truth will often penetrate an empty head more easily than one too crammed with learning.''

TABLET THE TENTH Capricorn REFLECTION TABLET THE TENTH

TABLET THE ELEVENTH Aquarius REFLECTION TABLET THE ELEVENTH

TABLET THE TWELFTH Pisces TABLET THE TWELFTH

collapse section

2.

PART II of The Book which is called THE TABLETS OF ÆTH —— OF THE TEN PLANETARY RULERS

collapse section

1.

PART II Here beginneth Chapter I of the Second Part of the Book which is called "The Tablets of Æth,'' wherein is transcribed the First Trinity of the Planetary Rulers. —— "The human heart is the true temple of God; enter ye into your temples and illumine them with good thoughts. The sacred vessels, they are your hands and your eyes. Do I say that which is agreeable to God—doing good to your neighbors? But, first embellish wherein dwells He, who gave you life.'' —— "How small soever your lamp be, never give away the oil which feeds it, but only the light and flame, which crown it.''

TABLET THE FIRST The Sun REFLECTION TABLET THE FIRST

TABLET THE SECOND Mercury REFLECTION TABLET THE SECOND

TABLET THE THIRD Venus REFLECTION TABLET THE THIRD

collapse section

2.

PART II —— Here beginneth Chapter 2 of the Second Part of the Book which is called "The Tablets of Æth,'' wherein is transcribed the Second Trinity of the Planetary Rulers. —— "Thou art called forth to this fair sacrifice For a draught of milk; with the Maruts Come hither, O Agni! They who know the great sky, the Visve Devas without guile; with those Maruts Come hither, O Agni! They who are brilliant, of awful shape, Powerful, and devourers of foes; with the Maruts come hither, O Agni! They who in heaven are enthroned as gods, In the light of the firmament; with the Maruts Come hither, O Agni!'' —— "Let us meditate on the adorable light of the Divine Rulers. May it guide our intellects.''

TABLET THE FOURTH The Moon REFLECTION TABLET THE FOURTH

TABLET THE FIFTH Mars REFLECTION TABLET THE FIFTH

TABLET THE SIXTH Jupiter REFLECTION TABLET THE SIXTH

collapse section

3.

PART II Here beginneth Chapter 3 of the Second Part of the Book which is called "The Tablets of Æth,'' wherein the Third, and last, Trinity of the Planetary Rulers is faithfully transcribed. —— "Thou hast entered the immeasurable regions. I am the Dweller of the Threshold. What wouldst thou with me? * * * Dost thou fear me? Am I not thy beloved? Is it not for me that thou bast rendered up the delights of thy race? Wouldst thou be wise? Mine is the wisdom of the countless ages. Kiss me, my mortal lover.'' —— "Thus man pursues his weary calling, And wrings the hard life from the sky, While happiness unseen is falling Down from God's bosom silently."

TABLET THE SEVENTH Saturn REFLECTION TABLET THE SEVENTH

TABLET THE EIGHTH Uranus REFLECTION TABLET THE EIGHTH

TABLET THE NINTH Neptune REFLECTION TABLET THE NINTH

TABLET THE TENTH The Cypher -the unknown REFLECTION TABLET THE TENTH

collapse section

3.

PART III of The Book which is called THE TABLETS OF ÆTH —— OF THE TEN GREAT KABBALISTICAL POWERS or ANGELS OF THE UNIVERSE

collapse section

PART III VISION

THE TWO SEALS OF THE EARTH

13.

CHAPTER XII PENETRALIA THE SECRET OF THE SOUL

collapse section

Collapse All | Expand All expand section

IX. Sagittarius [?]
"Him Centaur follows with an aiming eye,
His bow full-drawn, and ready to let fly.''

Deeper and deeper sinks the soul into material forms. The evolution of sex has produced the necessary avenues for the entrance of countless forces, and the soul is now rapidly losing the last vestiges of its spiritual conscience. In other words, Sagittarius symbolizes that state of the soul wherein it is descending to its polarizing point, and is, therefore, the vortex of innumerable opposing forces, seeking expression in different forms.

"It is the bow (strength or force of the soul), FULL-drawn and ready to let fly'' its arrows (of energy) in any direction that may afford proper opportunity. Here we see the expression of that deathless, fiery force, and imperious daring and courage, within more material states; the primal fire reflected from another angle.

But everything is unsettled. It is a masculine force, and restless, and is represented under the allegory of the "Tower of Babel'' and the utter dispersion of the people (entities) to the four corners of the Earth, and finally becomes involved in dense matter, and its migrations are at an end on this side of the Cycle of Necessity.

Upon the astrological plane, the zodiacal sign Sagittarius rules the motive forces and the pedestrian instinct, the thighs, or basis of locomotion; hence, we see, even here, a most perfect analogy. This sign symbolizes, also, the governing forces of humanity, which see the necessity of law and order; hence government. In this expression, we find the bow (strength or force) ready to let fly its arrows of energy in any direction the opportunity may afford; when refracted upon the human organism and reflected upon the external plane, these forces manifest as the restless spirit, that ever impels onward, seeking new fields of expression, out of which develops a sense of order, restraining and training, or the governing of self and control of others. When we reflect upon these symbols of starry truths the mind bows in reverence before the wisdom that created them.