Touchstone
by Arrow
"Never
give a sword to man that cannot dance."
African Proverb
~~~
Science may
describe to us what constitutes the physical make-up of a flower but,
it is through the poetry of the heart that ones' soul understands
the flower.
Science may describe to us the molecular constiuents of water but,
does that slake our thirst?
Science may describe the thermodynamic qualities of the sun but, does
that rouse our hearts to the beauty of dawn?
The exact moment in time may be given for the vernal equinox but,
does that instill in us what that very moment does when our senses
become aware of the new life that is stirring around us, even as late
winter snows yet linger on the ground: that quality in the air and
earth that carries the breath of spring upon it?
That quality of nature, that character, that moves our hearts, is
the Sulphur of the alchemists; the Divine soul that expresses itself
in creation, giving meaning and definition to our world, and to the
alchemists' work. It is the passion of the Creator expressed throughout
creation.
Once again I quote Sendivogious. In his dialogue between Saturn and
the alchemist, the voice of Saturn has this to say about Sulphur:
"Voice:
...... he produces all the odours and paints all the
colours in the world......
Know, friend, that Sulphur is the virtue of the world,
and though Natures' second-born-yet the oldest of all
things.... He is most easily recognised by the vital spirit
in animals, the colour in metals, the odour in plants.
Without his help his mother can do nothing."
Yet, how much
easier it seems for the heart to recognize the beauty of a flower
than it is for it to know itself. But, in that recognizing has not
the flower become an extension of the heart, so that the heart sees
something of itself in that? And, is not our vision of the character
of the world around us also a reflection of the hearts' knowing of
itself? All of Creation acts as a looking glass for the heart, where
it preceives its' own self. Because our hearts are, we are, the very
sum of that Creation, we are able to recognize our own deepest selves,
the soul of the Creator, within the manifested world around us. Whether
we take the time to understand that, or not, nature still replies
to us, heart to heart, and soul to soul.
The entire zodiacal wheel of the Cosmos spins within us, and the luminaries
are our make-up. Yet, we are so much more than just "star stuff":
the congealed matter of our sun. We are the very luminaries themselves,
in extension, and reflection: the celestial planets of the Creator,
as the ancients knew them, comprise our being. Modern science has
only recently touched upon the gross/physical aspect of this truth,
it has yet to understand the subtle.
As our physical bodies are an expression of creation, within us our
minds and souls equally reflect the complexity of the entire panoply
of characteristics of creation, of the Creator. In all the vast and
various aspects that are our making, both dominant, and sub-dominant,
each according to individual, we tend to lose ourselves in a sea of
passions.
When we are born into this world our souls are fairly pure, and innocent.
They are more aligned with the purity of the Divine soul before its'
scattering, as though through a prism, to be manifested in its' various,
individual characteristics. We are, in a sense, more whole through
our innocence. Though we may have certain predeterminations, if you
would, they are centrally coupled to the purity of the Divine source.
But, as we mature, our own souls resonate with and are apt to reflect
our enviroment. That is a conditioning of the soul, of the heart.
As I have stated, though, those aspects of Sulphur are already present
within us, they are merely stimulated and surface to become dominant
according to our enviromental conditioning and reaction, and our own
will, or lack of will, to bring them into a harmonious state. If they
are not brought into a harmonious balance by the action of the will
then we are blindly led by our passions, and that can lead to misfortune,
and even ruin.
As we mature, others may come to call us soft-hearted, or hard-hearted;
warm-hearted, or cool-hearted; big-hearted, or mean-hearted, etc.....
Those are all aspects of Sulphur, the expression of our soul.
Isn't it best to be even-handed, and to possess a just-heart?
It is a discipline of the cabalah to develop equilibrium, and that
is centered at the heart: the sphere of Tipereth. Sin (error) is seen
as an imbalance in ones' nature. Whether that be expansive force (mercy),
or contracting form (severity), a surplus of either swings the pendulum
wildly off center, and sets the wheels of chaos in motion. The crook
of the benevolent shepherd must be balanced by the threshing flail
of the harvester. Between that mercy and severity lies the straight
path of the arrow, of devotion.
Centered along the pillar of severity on the cabablistic tree of life
is the sephirah known as Geburah. It is the manifestation of the Divine
aspect of the Creator, Elohim Gebor, the God of war, that is paralleled
in the ancient God, Mars.
Geburah emanates from Chesed, the sphere of mercy, known as Love,
benevolence. Chesed is centered along the pillar of mercy, and is
Geburahs' counterpart. In perfect balance they temper one-another:
Chesed stays the warriors' hand from wanton blood-shed. Geburah stays
the heart from spoiling the child. Geburah is the sphere of true discipline,
that is also titled Justice. But, Justice will only prevail when Geburah
and Chesed are unified, in harmony.
When not tempered by Chesed the Geburah within us is the source of
hatred, and cruelty. From that imbalance stems persecutions, unjust
wars, murder, rape, and rage, etc. Mars run amok is the great destroyer;
savage, and unforgiving but, when balanced by Chesed/Love within our
hearts, the noble warrior is born into the world. That warrior is
the righter of wrongs, that wields the sword of valor, and abides
not the evil thing, with a just hand and heart. That is the warrior
that is, to cite Dion Fortune, "The Celestial Surgeon",
the curer of disease that establishes health, and order, so as the
kingdom may be at peace. The gaurdian of the kingdom; that warrior,
that Mars, whether noble or cruel, is our Emperor, enthroned in our
hearts.
The alchemists considered that there was but one Sulphur that was
best to use in the creation of the Stone: the Sulphur of Iron, the
Iron of Mars. The Divine warrior whoms sword seperates the Gold from
the dross but, first must be bound to the service of the Divine.
Iron: the metallic source of weapons, and tools; its' Sulphur is expressed
in their use. Those tools may be put to the task of righting the world
around us, and to the work of the Divine within us, or to serve destruction.
That is our choice.
It
is Iron that colors our blood red.
The blood of our hearts.
~~~
"He who conquers others is strong:
"He who conquers himself is mighty"
Tao Te Ching xxxiii
