Hermetic Wisdom Liturgy III With Sidney Lanier

Transcript (PDF)

Dead Sea Scrolls
Presentation 8 of 15

Hermetic Wisdom Liturgy 3 with Sidney Lanier
Presented by Roger Weir
Tuesday, May 23, 1989

Transcript:

This is our attempt to show and tell an ancient ceremony from Alexandria from about 2,000 years ago. And those people are very close to us because they face the same conundrum that we face. We're in a box canyon. We have all kinds of capacities for individual development but we're foundering because we cannot find community. And there is no way that the individual can make an ecumenical burrow without going through the phases of community. And so, relationship and community really turn out to be the problem at the end of our century.

The great solution 2,000 years ago to find community was to find a common ground of doing. And the most important doing was to bring from the depths of the person the realizations which you individually have and bring them out in a more communal format. and find a way to inter share the deep person, the inner person. And it was that weaving together in common, of the many inner persons into a single voice of the community that was successful at that time 2,000 years ago. And gave us the chance for a renewed history.

As far as we can tell this has occurred several times in the past. Perhaps in cycles of 2,000 years. And certainly 2000 BC there was another crisis, another learning to weave the inner realization, the inner personal experience, with each other. so that one has a community which the were that we use today is a spiritual community. And this must be done somehow in our time. And we do not know how to do this.

And so, this ceremony is an attempt to deliver to your experience a victorious example from about 2000 years ago. The way in which it was done in ancient Alexandria. And it was the common found out of which Christian and Jewish and Mahayana Buddhist, and eventually religious Daoist and even Islamic religious practices and community ideals and understanding were drawn.

So, the ceremony has the title The Hermetic Wisdom Liturgy because in the very real sense it belongs in the old Hermetic tradition. A tradition which was discounted by Western scholarship in the 17th century. And we have slowly come around to understand that the 17th century had misunderstood. Its scholarship was not quite as good as they thought they were. And indeed, the Hermetic tradition goes back as far as the origins of written records, about 5000 years ago. This liturgy has been reconstructed over about six years of pioneering and delving to try and put together the actual practice.

Just a few words about what doing really is. the structure beneath an image base is your ritual comportment. And at that level the structural apperception of what you're doing bares I think the classic description of bare attention. It's a Saudi Fathanah yoga technique of being conscious, what am I now doing. And it's like the American Indian prayer where one can say, I am holy standing here. I am holy when I move. I am holy sitting here. I am holy when I rise. That is not a naive statement but is the most sophisticated of all possible statements. It is turning language back upon the existential actual present, as you do. And to call language out not descriptively of an event but expressively of an actuality. Now this may seem like hair-splitting to you. But I assure you that the words are carefully chosen and ground out painstakingly over a long time.

So that what this ceremony is. It's not to present a mythology. It's not to present a symbolic fait accompli. It's to present a ritual in its barest present tencial qualities. So that there is, if we are successful, there'll be a sense that you in fact are remembering this. For this ceremony is not something just in the past. We know now from modern psychology that the past is with us. it's within us. it's simply the deeper structures. And so, a ceremony like this is not to pick the imagination, but to call out the memory. And for us to remember on this level is everything. Because we will remember when our ancestors were able to really be together in a community.

And it's those communities, that met in houses very much like this in Alexandria, that were the fulcrum of the change. In the B.C. centuries there was no interior person. The Gods were outside. Or even God was outside. But at the turn of the millennium 2000 years ago in Alexandria, human beings like ourselves were able to come together and realize that there is an inner person. And that that inner person is not isolated but is a shareable realization. And thus, as real as the inner person is, so to the community is real. Not a political structure. Not a sociological epiphenomenon. But a human realization that we are a community. So, this liturgy is toward that end.

And we're very fortunate to have my dear friend Sidney Lanier come down from San Francisco from his center there, A New American Place. Where once a month he does his best to shepherd some 60 or 70 or 80 people to, to consider our present predicaments and possibilities. So, I'm very glad to have Sidney come and be the elder for the evening for us. So, I'm going to turn this chair and the microphone over to him. In order to give us a little bit of a space between my words and his activity, if we could just for a minute allow the resonance of this bell to fade away.

**inaudible few words**

I feel very much a part of this community. For many months and years, I have been in touch with you and your shepherd through notes and through individual opportunities to be here.

In some peculiar way and perhaps some of you share this circumstance, I was, and this is what I, how I qualify as an elder in your community and in our community. I was baptized the Roman Catholic. Christened a Methodist. Immersed as a Baptist. My first love affair would, was, was I tried to pretend I was Jewish and live within, and, and got to school. I didn't succeed. I was ordained an Anglican priest. I've been part of the Gnostic tradition. So, what that can tell you is not hopefully that I'm totally confused but that we are all totally confused. We live in a scattered and fragmented and pluralistic society and desperately looking for an opportunity to be together.

So, this liturgy, which literally means as Roger so eloquently pointed out is, is the work done by the people. This is not an imaginary trip. This is a presentational moment. And frank, and your it. There is no elsewhere. This is it. And you, and I, and we are the one contemplating the one.

We'll go through this wonderful recovery from the ancient past that Roger in his meticulous scholarship and his poetic ability to sense just where the treasure is buried. And I so much appreciate that Roger that somehow, you've led us with that enormous insensitivity you have to just where we need to go. Back to a source of our, our civilization where we need to clear that well out from the tangled roots and find ourselves again aligned to that source, so we can be together as sisters and brothers. As the human family. The one chosen people on the planet, the promised land.

So, we'll go through this now. and you know we'll have a bubble or two. So, don't worry about that. We can we can handle it. We will do our best. We haven't had a chance to do this together very often. So, when we need to holler for help. And when you need to some of you who were elders, when suddenly I saw Roger telling you some last-minute information and the power of brows, well I mean we'll talk to you through it as we get there.

But the main thing is that that we that we act, that we decide to be present. And what I'd like to do now is I think I'll I will sit down myself. for one thing I can see a bit better. And the other is, we are now let's imagine this is a great round table. It's essentially what we would like to have the feeling of. A table that joins us both by its intimacy and its distance. And can you reach out and just let's make a human contact with one another's hands and hold them for a moment. And make that make this contact. It's been important as we recognize in the warmth and the reality of this flesh and blood. It's not imaginary. We are not imaginary. We are real persons.

Oh Lord of all worlds be with us now. Amen.

Holy spirit of wisdom flow through our persons with your person freely. Express within our images your deep remembrance. Truth. Coherent light. The unseen, unveiled. The seen, perfected. Come Holy Spirit be here at home. From the full to the full. All is full.

Will the men able to be fully present signify by saying aloud yay in assent of their willingness.

Yay.

Will the women able to be fully present signified by saying aloud yah in assent of their willingness.

Yay.

Hereby is this community assembled. We'll all confirm this by saying aloud for the third time together, yay.

Yay.

This action is called sojourning. The self-existent and holy spirit rests within this assembled community. Together sojourning in this world placed in this star system. Now the very focus of right speech. May Kyrios freely speak through our offered sight and condition. May the Lord and open speech bless this sacrificial way. May the true nature nourish these shapes of doing and saying, Lord be within us. Purer than the one and more primordial than the monad. Maranatha.

Vision we desire to see beyond this imaged world. our sight perfected to discover the existent soaring above the star of our senses. Staying with this company enfolded by the holy spirit to carry us whole, through wholeness indeed.

Lord most high wisdom, here are we wrapped and ready yearning, still yearning.

This section is the consecration of the oil dish and the oil. This action is a sacramental sealing of the community. The community has been gathered, acknowledged and now this is part of the ancient tradition of anointing. The very word Meshack Messiah comes from this action of the prophetic tradition.

Through the Holy Spirit we are indeed begotten again. that we are begotten through the Lord in the tomb. We are anointed through the spirit. When we were begotten, we were from the two. Begotten again we must first accept the oil of gladness. Preparing us for a mystery. Jesus, Yahushua is a mysterious person that knowing discovers. Prepare us to find.

This is the oil dish. What is within hold space and time and form in this world. What is hidden as their inner parts stands upright and lives. This dish is able to hold within it an oil of gladness. The free fluidity of this plasma of oil, at this consecration, and this spirit is able to hold within it the sealing shape of the wisdom life.

There will be as we pass this around, this oil is now consecrated. It is a representation of all of us. It will seal us and each of us has a part in this now. What we do is I'll, I'll indicate, we'll pass it around. And I've put some on, on each side of the head and say this inner horizon awake. And then I do the same with the brow and the throat. And I say this inner person awake. This, the act and the recognition of what this means as we awaken one another and plead that we stay awake with one another. The words are can be changed but the action is what we must what is to focus on. The recognition, the re-cognition of the who it is we are.

This inner horizon awake. This inner person awake.

This inner horizon awake. This inner person awake.

This inner horizon awake. This inner person awake.

This inner horizon awake. This inner person awake.

This inner horizon awake. This inner person awake.

This inner horizon awake. This inner person awake.

This inner horizon awake. This inner person awake.

This inner horizon awake. This inner person awake. **inaudible several sentences. Presumably it is these phrases repeated over and again for several minutes.**

This is an opportunity, a section for hymns and sacred poems. This community has sealed itself. Has consecrated itself. Has recognized itself.

Are there hymns or sacred poems from individual experience to offer? Words from individual contemplation for shared experience in this self-sealed and deceiving community. Those who have bought something please share it with us. One at a time.

To you which is the source of all. The gentle kiss of eva, everlasting love. The passion of a eternal orgasm. A snowflake on a tongue. A marshmallow roasting and a fresh cut green tree. Mother. Father. Mother, all-in-one. The wisdom of all ages. Compassion in them now. Anoint our overshadowing souls with undying love. Envelope us in holy intimacy. Arrest heart caress us heart to heart. Explore our soul to **inaudible word** the Guru within. For wisdom. For love. For our victory dear world will not **inaudible word**.

Under the deepest rock and over the highest mountain there is not wisdom. But roll the stones from my heart, oh Lord, and there we shall find the jewel of hope. All this world. Let us cherish this forever. Let it be a beacon to lead us on our journey to be. Though we see it not, it brings us to understanding. And **inaudible word** fruit of thy everlasting love. **inaudible several words/singing for a few minutes**…God is not creating in very small ways. **inaudible several words sung**. Days are numbered, one by one. **inaudible several words/few sentences being sung**

Silence is not enough. Words are not enough. **inaudible word** is not enough. Thou art a mystery. Alluring yet distant. Present yet receding. The goal rewarding. **inaudible word** seeking. Calming. Harmony. Harmony seeking movement. Life in search of perfect expression.

I dream. I dream of **inaudible word or two**. I dreamed that **inaudible word** an ancient song of love. And then I heard, awaken. The dream is real.

I wonder far and wide. Wisdom, wisdom I cried. Where oh where do you hide? Will I discover you or die? Deep, deep within my **inaudible word** expanding all I know. Here the Lord I, I see you with understanding I will grow.

You don't have to have prepared anything. It's not required. It was nice to have that because we could depend on it. But I mean those of you who like something that you'd like to share, just a phrase or sentence or thought.

Yes.

It is wiser to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak ones thoughts and to be known as one .

my mother used to tell me that. Thank you.

Yes.

There is no gold, but it's got from Earth. And evil and good have an ending. Putting on new **inaudible word**, a wedding comes to pass. There is brightness on all the land. The tree shining with pleasure. Remembering itself the old becomes new and goes forth transformed by his plan. A new creature following his ways.

I might just say for those who are unfamiliar with the technique, these are not poems written out of the imagination. These were students of the regular Tuesday night. The ancient technique was to take the bed with you some sacred poem or some prayer, some meditations. And to read this through before you went to sleep. After you've practiced your retrospection for the day. Read them through. And to try to be aware of the feeling tones that are brought out.

We use two classic prayers from The Old Testament. Both of them written in the 2nd century B.C. Chapter 28 on The Poem of the Inaccessibility Wisdom in The Book of Job. And the chapter 24 of The Wisdom of Ben Sira, also a poem on the inaccessibility of wisdom. Inaccessible from a natural standpoint. Inaccessible from the kind of mythic language that imitates. And the best that one can do with that just to engender feeling tone, which then deepens as it interiorizes into a sense of meaning or meaningfulness. And that meaningfulness, the most that it can do is to come to a focus in an inner sense of presence. We sometimes call that the deep self. But that that is not a **inaudible word**. At this point it's not a mask(?). It's like a star that having received its energy gives it back out in the form of light.

And so, in the following morning, as soon as one rises to try and remember the integration of the feeling meaning as it came to one during sleep. And in that remembrance to then write a new kind of language, a magical language, which makes manifest what it says. What it says is.

And so, these prayers, these offerings from these members of the Tuesday night class come from their own experience with this technique. If you get interested in this, you can follow it for yourself. And what comes out is poetry rather than just a **inaudible word**. It's quite a difference.

Thank you, Roger.

So, you know that this technique has been followed and however I think there probably some of you here who did not. And actually, Roger in the actual gathering of a community and its own self remembrance, it's the power of it. One of the powers of it is bringing to focus. Well the power of this communal coming together is bringing the one to focus. And as you well know. And it's why we're doing it. This is like a; I don't know the analogy is. In Alexandria when this was done this as he described this was an opportunity for the. It was like a cyclotron, a spiritual cyclotron.

So, when it works, and it can work, and it can work, and it is working. So those of you who right this moment have something to offer from your hearts, do not be inhibited by the fact that you didn't follow that particular pattern. You are in this pattern.

If there is no other offering, verbal offering, I will continue.

It's, it's a wonderful experience that we have an opportunity to re-cognize and remember. These are very important words. And they, they can even get to the point you hear them and use them that they lose their meaning. But don't ever let them lose their meaning. Because what we are, what Roger is doing here and helping us all to do is to work our way back through the disaster that has already occurred. This incredible collision of cultures and consciousness that we called the 20th century. And find at that **inaudible word**, that space where we retrospect to and at the same time go forward with. Is that, is from that energetic, that radiant heart, that is, that we are. That we are.

And I'm going, there's a passage here that from The Odes of Solomon I'll just share with you. And then a moment that we thought about it and then we'll go on to. Normally in this path what happened at this point was, the there was a either something the, the elder would offer an original thought, a poem or whatever. And an interpretation. Or he would say take something from the scripture.

Roger would, would this have been possible to have been used in the therapeutae community?

This is the ode of, one of The Odes of Solomon. And it was written at a time when it was couldn't have been used in this incredible community of the therapeutae. Men and women on the shores of Lake Mareotis, in which I'm sure all of you know about. If you don't, you're going to know more about it because it's a very crucial. It's a very sensitive part of our history. And we will, we will rediscover and reclaim it.

This Ode says,
Behold the Lord is our mirror. The Lord is our mirror. Open your eyes and see them in him. And learn the manner of your face then announce praises to the spirit. And wipe the paint from your face. And love his holiness and put it on. Then you will be unblemished at all times with him. Hallelujah.

What an, what powerful alive language. And this process we're all talking about of finding,
finding how to find the words that that we can call forth that call us forth. This is a particularly powerful and beautiful example. Words that we find that give…

END OF SIDE ONE

Vectus… Judi, a Judy on this period of Hellenistic Judaism or Jewish Hellenism. That is one of the most, well it is, it, it is, it was, it is the matrix of our lives. And we are in the process of perhaps rediscover, rediscovering it. And, and allowing ourselves to hear these. We are yearning for true community now. And we are looking back to where it once existed. It fragmented. It fibrillated and self-destructed for various reasons. But we can find it again and be it again.

In a sense we have imploded into the self to this extent the self has become God and died. This God has died. The self-God has died by the implosion into ourselves. And through its only imbalance. And now we are about to explode to, it, it's the breathing in and the breathing out. The pulse of the universe. We're about to move on a great journey. And we must be prepared for it. And the only way to be prepared for it is to come together in community. If we do not hang together, we will hang separately as our friend Benjamin Franklin said.

But we must have true community. And it has to be the kind of community that sees itself in the mirror of the law of the Lord. That opens its eyes and sees itself in him. And who is that him? Kurios. Adoni. Consciousness itself.

So, it seems that an era, this era of restless adolescence that we been through as, as a ratio, as a race is about over. And the young, a young humanity is about to be called to its maturity. We are planetary humankind. We will be cosmic humankind.

Now we struggle to understand and receive the gift of godhood. The birth and remembrance of consciousness itself in human history. Not a myth. Not in ritualized myth or mythologized ritual. Not in imagination but in reality. In history. Through remembrance, remembrance and actuality. They all awakens to know itself as the one. The one as the all. It is a breakup. Not a breakthrough but a total break out and dangerous. A dangerous time of vulnerability for this all-inclusive new life that we are.

Now we can lighten up and say well, I mean I just said some pretty heavy solemn words. And I believe every one of them to be true about where we are and where we're going. But on the other hand, we don't have to get all bent out of shape as they say. Is this we have to take it profoundly seriously with a light heart. And I feel that everyone in this room knows exactly what I mean. So, I am very pleased to be here in your midst. To open to the mirror and to look with you into the mirror of consciousness together. To see myself and yourself. To be astounded and moved. And finally, to laugh together. And share some wine and bread together. And that's what we're going to do as we move on to a community prayer, which I'll say for all of us.

At the beginnings light of the world shine for all. Those in need. those giving. Give for us the fine brightness of heavenly light illumining our minds, ourselves and our lives. May the quest for truth continue and continuing thrive to our nourishment. We thank openly for this radiance that we are and that we do.

Now we have a community Psalm here, which if you can make it out, you're lucky to be near enough light. Roger said that we can do this alternatively men and women. I thought it would be pretty good if we did that. But he'd made, he made he, he hung on in there. We're gonna do it the way he said we gotta do it. So, what we do. Let's see well let's start with the with the with the women to indicate, the gnosis is indeed them completely inclusive of all sexuality at all levels of power and, and force. So, the women will begin with the first sentence.

And this is, by the way, this is from by the way The Poimandres. The Poimandres, the, the mind shepherd. The, the Hermetic literature. This is some of the material was found and preserved.

And so ok ladies who wants to, which lady would like to start? And then, then the men will take the next sentence and so on.

**inaudible question from the room**

No, it none. We are on now fix your thoughts upon the light. I think. I hope so.

If the ladies would read the first sentence. And then the men the second. The ladies the third.

That's right.

So, we're going to alternate sentences and see how it goes.

Alternate.

**inaudible comment from the room**

So, if you ladies will start.

Now affix your thought on **inaudible word or two** and learn to know it.

And when he had thus spoken, he gazed long upon thee. Eye to eye so that I **inaudible word or two** at his aspect.

And when I raised my head at him, I saw in my mind, a light that consisted of innumerable powers. And had come to me in an ordered world but a world without problems.

This is I received in thought. seeing it by a reason of the word, which Poimandres
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had spoken to me.

And when I remained, he spoke again and said to me, you have seen in your mind the archetypal form which **inaudible word** to the beginning of things and is limitless.

Thus, spoke Poimandres to me.

Now we will have the elders for the **inaudible word**, the persons who are in the Rota. Rota

I think, here we are.

Our ritual comportment is a little shaky right here. So, we'll figure out what we're going to do.

We have the wine and the water. And the cups that we can pass out. Now let's see. I'll just break this up and then pass it to you. And then I'll pour. I guess I'll….

Now if there's any **inaudible word**

Alright.

Now, if you'll just. Let's see. Take one of those.

In the old liturgy a work of the people, the old liturgy a work of the people and the Hermetic from the tradition that we're in. the meal was not the central, sacra, sacrifice of a mythical God but it was coming together in community with the bread and wine at the end. It was the **inaudible word or two**, the love feast. And so that's what we're doing here. Not putting it to the center but to conclusion.

**inaudible few words** Why don't we do this. You do some of the filling.

I picked a heavier wine and that's why it was done with the water. We, we have a different kind wine and we don't tend to add the water now. this is symbolic. A spirit. Maybe emotional **inaudible word**

This is a, this is the wine called Elysium appropriately. It is from California. It's Black Muscat. It's a ceremonial, a sweet ceremonial wine.

Coincidentally the music that was played was Havanas. And it was.

**inaudible few words**

What was it?

Upon Enchanted Ground.

Upon Enchanted Ground. And it was due to some of his own particular musical archaeology that this music is more than likely has the format of the music of the time that we are remembering.

**inaudible few words**

All right we have another. there's a bottle of water in the **inaudible few words**

I think it's only. **inaudible few words**

You can pour directly if **inaudible few words**

Those of you lucky if we get the last part of the wine, you get stronger wine.

**inaudible background chatter & movement**

You can see why they need twelve elders. I mean, this is hard work.

Thank you.

Anybody got some. Now and every, let's be sure we were all included. You have about piece of the, what we thought was as appropriate as we could get, unleavened bread, masa. And you have the, the wine. And at this point, I as the, the elder, we poured it out together we shared it with the Rota together. And I say and we, and then as I say this, we consume it. The substance of life and the spirit in life, eat and drink together.

The, the final or the closing hymn, we'll use this one. Is that right? You like this one? Is I don't know what it's from to tell you the truth.

It's from the deep experience of one of the students.

Uh-huh. So, we would say this together. It will be nice. If you get it so you can see it. And before we start let's see what we do so that we can organize ourselves without too much awkwardness. After we say this together. the elder, that's me, goes around the community laying and my hands on all of your heads. So, look out I'll be around. And then after that we, I don't know we better leave the community outside ringing the bell. We're likely to break a leg on the stairs out there.

Out the back.

Oh, go out back. **inaudible few words** and then, then the, it just says kisses on cheeks and wishes of good cheer. Which is the pox which is a traditional last bet. Well we all know those of us who have a Mediterranean background no but it's what people do when they wish one another well. And then we the whole idea, eka Mesa esta, the experiences we've had, we've shared it together. And we take this, this gathered radiance this energy that we've taken from one another and from the cosmos and we radiate it out into the world. So, it's not only a beautiful conceit, it's the truth.

Let's say this them together, the Hermetic wisdom liturgy.

Silence is not enough. Words are not enough. Bliss is not enough. Thou art the mystery, alluring yet distant. Present yet reseeding. The goal, the reward. dissonance seeking calming harmony. harmony seeking movement. Life in search of perfect expression.

**inaudible few words** if I may. **inaudible few words**

This is about the whole community. It isn't just about **inaudible few words**
It's all of us. I'm not the eldest elder here. In fact, you should put your hands on my head. The way it should be. **inaudible word** whole community **inaudible several words/sentence or two**

Did I miss anybody? **inaudible few words**

And to our guru. our dispeller of darkness. Isn't that what he is?

Let's then, I'm going to ring this bell and we're gonna walk outside and have a party or something. And there is more wine if we want it. So, we if this is the end of our gathering together. And we'll walk out.

END OF RECORDING