Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. III — G. R. S. Mead (1906)

Marino Sanuto, and a multitude of others fixed this view in men's minds, and doubtless discouraged during many generations any scientific statements tending to unbalance this geographical centre revealed in Scripture."

So much for the righteous indignation of modern physical science ; now for cryptology and mysticism. M. W. Blackden, in a recent article on " The Mysteries and the ' Book of the Dead/ " writes as follows l :

" One other key there is ... without which it is useless to approach The Book of the Dead with the idea of discussing any of those gems of wisdom for which old Egypt was so famous. . . . The knowledge of its existence is no recent discovery : it is simply that ancient nations such as the Egyptians, Chaldees, and Jews, had a system of symbolic geography. . . .

" The Jewish and Egyptian priestly caste endeavoured to map out their lands in accordance with their symbols of spiritual things, so far as the physical features would permit. This symbolism of mountain, city, plain, desert, and river extended from the various parts and furniture of the Lodge, to use Masonic phraseology, up to the spiritual anatomy, as it were, of both macrocosm and microcosm.

" Thus in the Jewish Scriptures it is not difficult to distinguish, in the prophetic battles of the nations that were to rage round about Jerusalem, the same symbolism as we have more directly expressed in a little old book called TJie Siege of Mansoul, the author of which was the John Bunyan of The Pilgrim's Progress, a man who could well grasp the excellence of geographical symbolism.

" I cannot, of course, here enter at length into the geographical symbols of Egypt, it would take too long ; but as I have given Jerusalem as a symbol, I may say

1 The Theosophical Review (July, 1902), vol. xxx. pp. 406, 407.

further that Jerusalem as a symbol corresponds to the Egyptian On, or Heliopolis, and so astronomically to the centre of the world and of the universe, and in the microcosm to the spiritual Heart of Man.1

" But there is one difference between the Hebrew and Egyptian city ; for whereas the actual Jerusalem corresponds among the Hebrew prophets to that Jerusalem that now is, and is in bondage with her children, Heliopolis corresponded among the Egyptian priesthood to that city which was to come, the Heavenly City, the New Heart, that should be given to redeemed mankind."

Here then we have a thesis that deserves a volume to itself ; and so I leave it to him who has a mind to undertake the labour.

1 " There is an old map of the world in the British Museum which demonstrates both these significations. See also Mappa Mundi, 'Ebsdorf,' 1284, and that in Hereford Cathedral made by Richard of Haldingham, one of the Prebends, 1290-1310."

EXCERPT XXVII.

FROM THE SERMON OF ISIS
TO HORUS

(Patrizzi (p. 34b) runs this on to the last without a break.

Text : Stob., Phys., xli. 68, 69, under heading, " Of
Hermes: A Sermon of Isis to Horus"; G. pp. 476-481;
M. i. 342-352 ; W. i. 458-472.

Menard: Livre III., No. iii. of "Fragments," etc., as above, pp. 209-221.)

I.1 IN wondrous fashion — (Horus said) — hast thou explained to me, most mighty mother Isis, the details of God's wondrous soul-making, and I remain in wonder ; but not as yet hast thou told me whereto the souls when freed from body go. I would then thank thee for being made initiate by word of mouth 2 into this vision of the soul,3 0 only mother, deathless one !

2. And Isis said :

Give ear, my son ; most indispensable is this

1 I have numbered the paragraphs for convenience of reference.

The mystes, speaking generally, was initiated by word of mouth, the epoptes by sight or vision.

3 Oeupla.

research. That which doth hold together, doth also have a place which doth not disappear. For this is what my sermon will set forth.