Invocation

I sing of that shining one, Apollo,
whose marriage with blessed Mnemosyne
brought forth nine daughters, whom we call Muses,
who gave to Man: music and epic poems,

dance, history, hymns, love songs, tragedy,
comedy, and astronomy science.
He sired Asclepius, him who heals,
whose snake-and-rod is rosy pharmakon.

With help from the prophetic Omphalos
and a lyre from Hermes, he sings Truth,
cries omens like a poison that renews,
and his light touch resurrects the dead.

Though his name means Destroyer, he fulfills;
the Brahmins call him Rudra the red-faced.

The Invisible College

In God's imagination, Man was born

female and male, partners in gardening,

unashamed in nudity and in sex,

the peak form above rocks, plants, and creatures.

The world was a good place, to be enjoyed

and renewed by work, later a burden,

when Mankind turned arrogant and wicked,

when they were corrupted by craft and tools.

They learned the dark art of weapon-making,

and they became greedy and murderous;

deputies of the Most High made their stay

in the City and searched for Men of virtue.

If they found ten righteous men, they could save

Mankind from the falling tower and flood.

Secret of X

A treasure passed from the neutral angels,

disguised as Faerie Creatures with a King.

They gave blessings to a secret Order,

whose inheritance was stolen by kin.

In the Land of Nod, the masons and smiths

built a City for all the Sons of Cain.

The seven tribes of Giants, Nephilim,

were killed, and their memory blotted out.

The gods warred amongst themselves and with Man;

Extraterrestrials felled the Tower;

the House of the Rising Sun was flooded;

the slave revolt in Egypt birthed a Prophet.

To Man, he is like a singer of love songs,

whose voice is sweet but whose words are unheard. 

The Craft

In the beginning, Mankind knew not Death,

though Death was sure to destroy everything.

It was that Grigori called Penemue

who first taught Man that which she did not know.

He showed us the Truth of Joy and Sorrow,

and revealed all the Secrets of Wisdom.

He taught us reading and writing, and more,

he gave us the immortal Eye.

But we are born ignorant, not knowing,

and born not to know, save for ink and pen;

Not knowing, we go astray, and knowing

does not save us from dreamless sleep and Death.

So, dream: dream vanity under the sun,

for Death comes both to the Dull and the Wise.

The Grigori Genocide

The extraterrestrials split in three:

the neutral angels, allies, and rebels.

The two-hundred posted on Earth took wives

from the daughters of men and bore children,

giants called Nephilim, who warred with Man.

They hid their secret science in Egypt,

in Babalon, and the Most High was grieved.

"I will cause them to destroy each other,

but not until they witness their children

struck down by the armies of the Most High,

and memory of this deed blotted out

and hid for seventy generations.

For they gave tools and craft to the mortals

who were too young, and they were corrupted."

The Call

I saw in the night-visions: a ladder

from a City on the Hill to God's Throne.

There I stood naked and said, "Woe is me,

for I live among those who've gone astray,

and though my mouth is crude, I've seen the King!"

An angel touched my lips with a hot coal,

and said to me "Your sin is blotted out."

Then I heard the Lord ask, "Whom shall I send?"

To which I replied, "Here I am; send me."

The Lord told me, "They will look but not see,

and they will keep looking but never know.

They have not eyes to see nor ears to hear."

I asked, "O Lord, how long?" and the King said,

"Until the land is wasted and empty."

Rebuke

In those old extraterrestrial wars,

Michael, as chief command of the army

of the Most High, struck down the Red Dragon

whose tail fell a third of the stars to Earth.

The Snake chased women and searched for the Queen

in exile, pregnant with a child:

the last Messiah who would walk with God.

The Serpent gave his throne and power

to a roaring lion to rule the waves,

and while uttering arrogant phrases,

seduced the whole world for forty-two months,

until Michael bravely lifted his sword

and with a stroke that need not be repeated,

beat the Deceiver and bound him for years.

Zoroaster

After the Flood, Man migrated from Ur
to found Egypt and Persian Babylon,
Atlantis on the plains of the Mayan,
and Arabia, famous for its tar.

The Brahmins said, “Let us build a City,
for our protection and to unite us.”
The tribes of Abe and the sons of Masons
sent the survivors to work in the fields

and with many tasks in brick-and-mortar.
Then was born Nimrod, a man of power
who dared wear a crown and rebuked the Lord,
who could not again destroy the mortals.

“They are of One Word, but I will frustrate
their knowledge and cause confusion,” said God.

Promised Land

An Oracle predicted that Pharaoh
would lose in magic wars against a slave
who could make a rod into a serpent,
turn rivers to blood, and waste the garden.

The Pharaoh ordered the first-born males dead,
but by chance, a young lad was adopted
by Court, where he learned the forbidden arts
then stole a Treasure from his Grandfathers' grave.

With that Great Stone, he was invincible,
and led Pharaoh's workers to the Desert;
the Prophet conspired with the Most High
to steal land from the children of the gods.

King Og, the last of the Giants, was killed,
and lo, his memory was blotted out.

Sapphire and Emerald

When the Lord exiled Eve and Adam,
the good angel Raziel gave a book
of magic and a Stone glowing with Light
that fulfills wishes for food, wealth, and more.

The Treasure passed from Seth then to Enoch,
and to Noah, who hung it on the Ark,
and when he was drunk, lost it in a cave,
where it was later found by Abraham.

When Jacob wore it, he saw the angels,
and Joseph used it to interpret dreams.
Moses stole it from his Grandfather's grave,
and some say it was given to Isis.

It was last in the hands of Solomon,
then lost in Babylon or the ocean.




The Rise of David

The King of Israel abdicated
after he failed to kill the Egyptians,
as he was commanded by God Most High,
who sent a Giant to trouble the land.

A plain boy offered service to the King,
whose son dared to taste forbidden honey;
then, by a stone struck upon the forehead,
Goliath was dead, and the people freed.

The King's son swore his love to the victor,
and this angered the King, who plotted death
to the daring challenger to his throne.
He hated his son for eating honey.

No multitude of cut foreskins or dead
could moderate the rage of the mad King.




The First Temple

King Solomon had seven-hundred wives,
and three-hundred mistresses; too many,
for they turned him from his God, the Most High,
to earthly lust and Egyptian idols.

Yet, he was world-famous for his wisdom,
and his guests brought gifts of spice, gems, and gold
to pay tribute; his architect was killed
by three workers seeking passwords and gain.

There were rumors of a ring and a book:
tools for talking to angels and demons;
he knew magic to control animals,
to make people into zombies and slaves.

The Lord blessed all his days, but after death,
the House was divided, and treasures lost.




The Stranger

The children of Solomon had no wit,
and the new kings did not know the prophets;
worse, they stretched their hands against the seers,
who were deceived and eaten by lions.

They were evil, and warred among themselves;
each generation was worse than the last.
Then came Elijah, the wonder-worker,
who cried, "I am worse than my ancestors!"

Yet, he conjured a permanent table,
called down fire from the sky, parted the sea,
revived the dead, humbled corrupt priests,
and flew to the heavens in a whirlwind.

He passed on a double-portion of strength;
he returns as the Messiah's herald.




The Teacher

A woman of the Valley saw a man,
and she was certain he was a prophet.
So, she set a small room for him to rest,
with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp.

When she saw him coming again her way,
she fell flat on her face and touched his feet;
a crowd gathered round him with offerings:
barley, wheat, oil, first fruits, and silver.

Soon, the seer had a large company
who built a new place in a distant land.
They returned the money from the tithe tray
to the workers to repair their houses.

They paid the carpenters and the masons,
and with great trust, they asked no accounting.




Nebuchadnezzar

The Babel King made war on Media,
and he declared he would conquer the West
from Egypt to Assyria, and more:
he vowed he would take Solomon's Temple.

The people of the sea coast were afraid,
and they fell on their faces in defeat:
they offered their buildings and all their land;
they gave their flocks and towns, and men as slaves.

The God of the ancestors sent prophets,
because he had mercy on his people,
but they mocked the messengers of the Lord,
and their scoffing kindled the Most High's wrath.

There was no remedy to the evil;
and, the Prince of Persia sacked the Temple.

The Order

Six-thousand years ago, a group of priests

discovered knowledge that was partly lost,

largely corrupted, and hidden in hoax.

It was printed only to survive wars.

This impossible puzzle to the dull

was a mystery to the City’s scribes,

and the Truth was exclusive to scholars

who were strict guardians of the Secret.

They knew geometry, astronomy,

and the smart art and craft of herbs and stones.

They kept time, performed rites, and saw omens

while working as doctors and traders.

Raziel’s word passed from Egypt to Greece,

from Babel Kings and Arabs to Germans.

The Detective

There was a lady, chaste and full of grace,
and all the people in town adored her,

especially two priests, who conspired

to sate their hot lust as she bathed alone.

Anybody could be consecrated
in those days, and the Order was wicked:

full of hypocrites, cheaters, and evil.

These two vile men hid in her garden,

and they demanded her consent or else
they would ruin her good reputation.

Her scream saved her from them, but not from folk

who were nearly fooled by false witnesses.

Before he became known as a prophet,

clever Daniel exposed the elders’ crime.

The Shining Son

There was a garden on the Shinar plains,
the largest empire of ancient times
built by the Babel King to please his wife,
and the place was named “The Gate of the Gods.”

He stole the Temple treasures, enslaved folk,
and he took for himself four fine young men
to learn the words and books of the Wise Ones
so that they might interpret dreams and signs.

They would not eat the King’s meat, nor drink wine;
they took only bitter herbs and water.

Yet, they prophesied the fate of the world,
and the madness, fall, and death of the King.

He dared to make himself like the Most High,
who struck him down to a commoner’s grave.

The Apocalyptic Insight

The Babel King was troubled by his dreams,
and in a confused rage, he declared death
as punishment to his royal council.
Then, Daniel said, "Stop! I will interpret!

There was a huge statue, with feet of clay,
its legs were of iron, its hips of bronze,
its chest and arms were silver, its head gold.
A stone not of mortal hands struck its heel,

and broke it into pieces that scattered.
You are now King of Kings, but after you,
the Empire will be smashed by lesser
rulers, until the Messiah's advent."

Nebuchadnezzar fell flat on his face,
and promoted the prophet to chief priest.

The Succession

The prophets did not bow to gold idols,

nor were they wasted by the great fire

of desire, the cause of suffering:

ignorance, confusion, and attachment.

They were safe, protected by the Most High,

even when they were thrown to the lions;

and, the Grigori plotted against Kings

who had not the wisdom to read omens.

Though Empires would rise and fall in time,

and thrones could be stolen by rude schemers,

each worse than the last, they would be beaten

by the Beloved of the Ancient One.

Until that day, the wicked will not rest,

and the secrets are sealed up to the end.

Beyond the River

The Persian Prince freed the slaves of Babel,

and sent word to the People of the Book

to build a new Temple in Israel,

for which he gave back their stolen silver.

They set the foundation for a new House

so that they might return from exile,

though they were greatly troubled and accursed

from long rebellion against the Most High

and their betrayal against kith and kin,

especially in taking interest

on borrowed money and taxing the land;

they were wicked and deserved no tribute.

Yet, the Lord showed them justice and mercy

after the wrath known to the ancestors.

Uriel

Yea, the Grigori who watches the world

and defends the gate to the Tree of Life

came to me and said, "Your mind has failed you,

and you don't know the ways of the Most High.

This corrupt age moves swiftly to its end,

and the days of great terror are coming,

when Truth will be hidden, and confusion

shall reign until the land is desolate.

Lo, the storehouses will be found empty,

and there will be chaos upon the Earth.

There will be calamities and famine,

and the people shall be like maniacs.

A child will be born, whom none expect:

the Messiah who reveals and then dies."

The Vow

"I will come and live among you," said God.

"I will silence the consort of Shinar,

and I will bury her in a casket

beneath the cornerstone of a Tower."

Thus saith the Lord: "I will keep my Plan,

and I will remove your filthy garments

to promote you as priest-king of my House;

Yea, you will be the Christ, Lord of the Earth.

You shall sit on the throne and reign in peace;

The poor, injured, and orphaned shall be glad

for the abundance of food and kindness.

Be a shepherd to a flock that is doomed!

In those days of panic, there will be no trade;

merchants shall weep on the Bank holiday."

The Second Temple

Though the Urim and Thummim were long lost,

the freed slaves of Egypt and Babylon

restored their house of worship amidst strife

and much opposition from their neighbors.

They yielded in war to Alexander,

whose kingdom stretched as far as India,

but his successors looted the fortress

and dedicated the shrine to idols.

Then, Rome elected a "King of the Jews,"

an overlord who defeated the Greeks,

rebuilt the City, sponsored games and art,

and posted his own priests in the council.

Herod burdened the people with tribute;

when the peasants rebelled, he killed thousands.

The Imposter

He was a bastard son born in a barn,
an unruly child hated in town
who ran away to India to learn
secrets from Brahmins, Buddhists, and Taoists.

When he returned home, they did not know him;
he spoke in riddles and could heal the sick,
but he was also a drunk, smoked hashish,
and slept with prostitutes and naked boys.

He insulted the priests and governors,
who feared him and conspired against him.
They falsely accused him and murdered him;
their guards felt remorse and stole the body.

When his followers found an empty tomb,
they spread many legends--none of them true.