Opening Remarks
These are the radiant gods who are masters of Thought in those realms above the human mind. They cast their influence upon earth bringing our thoughts a step closer to the Ultimate Mystery.
Interpreters between man’s mind and God’s
The prophet hierophants of the occult Law,
The flame-bright hierarchs of the divine Truth,
Interpreters between man’s mind and God’s,
They bring the immortal fire to mortal men.
These luminous intermediaries know the hidden truths through a prophetic insight going to the heart of things. They intuitively interpret the secret truths and the subtle mysteries of existence. Thus they bring the immortal fire closer to man and ignite the flame of aspiration towards Godward knowledge in him.
Guardians of the Eternal’s bright degrees
Iridescent, bodying the invisible,
The guardians of the Eternal’s bright degrees
Fronted the Sun in radiant phalanxes.
Their luminous iridescent bodies gave form to the Invisible forces of that greater Mind world. Their faces turned towards the sun these beings guarded the realms of the luminous higher worlds.
Gods and living Presences
Afar they seemed a symbol imagery,
Illumined originals of the shadowy script
In which our sight transcribes the ideal Ray,
Or icons figuring a mystic Truth,
But, nearer, Gods and living Presences.
We think of these gods as symbolic images and an effort of our mind’s vision to transcribe the Ideal in illumined forms or icons of mystic Truth. But when we get closer to them on these higher planes we discover them as living Presences and real beings called Gods.
A march of friezes
A march of friezes marked the lowest steps;
Fantastically ornate and richly small,
They had room for the whole meaning of a world,
Symbols minute of its perfection’s joy,
Strange beasts that were Nature’s forces made alive
And, wakened to the wonder of his role,
Man grown an image undefaced of God
And objects the fine coin of Beauty’s reign;
But wide the terrains were those levels serve.
The early steps were marked with relatively less plastic and moving forms. Rich and ornate they were deeply symbolic. Strange beasts were there representing forces of Nature and human–like forms that were near perfection and undefaced by the touch of rigid earthly matter. Objects were shaped by the hand of Beauty reigning in this world. Wide and beautiful were these terrains.
King-children
In front of the ascending epiphany
World-Time’s enjoyers, favourites of World-Bliss,
The Masters of things actual, lords of the hours,
Playmates of youthful Nature and child God,
Creators of Matter by hid stress of Mind
Whose subtle thoughts support unconscious Life
And guide the fantasy of brute events,
Stood there, a race of young keen-visioned gods,
King-children born on Wisdom’s early plane,
Taught in her school world-making’s mystic play.
These lords and Masters of time who created things and objects by thought were enjoyers of the play of creation and favourites of the Bliss that built the worlds. Playmates of material Nature these gods of the material world support the formations of material existence and material forms with their subtle energies. They stand behind great and tremendous movements and upheavals of material Nature as if it were a play. This race of young keen-visioned gods, children of Wisdom working in matter as kings, They have the knowledge of occult mystic processes that have gone into the making of our material creation and the material universe.
Closing Remarks
The gods are arranged in a hierarchy. Here Aswapati encounters the young gods who drive the forces of material nature.
