MAGIC AND MYSTERY: STRANGE VISIONS
Magic is limited to no race, age, or condition. Whatever the religion or
ethical system of a people, there are—underlying and intermingled—many
intangible and occult elements that are common to humanity. Often the
modern world comes into recognition of some veiled principle or
potentiality, and marks and christens it _de novo_, believing it to be an
original discovery. A deeper investigation, however, reveals evidences of
its power and presence, extending backward indefinitely. Both the real
mysteries and the superstitions that prevail during successive epochs
change their form of manifestation, but a slight excavation shows that the
same psychical germs and roots are indigenous to every soil.
The Hebrews, like other races, made research among all that is latent and
mystical in nature and man. Although more has been written regarding the
magic and occultism of the Chaldeans, Persians, and Greeks, yet a search
in the light of the Present, through the ancient Hebrew writings, shows
them to be crowded with accounts of psychical phenomena, though expressed
in historic terms. These were counted as supernatural, which signified
beyond the realm of law, and outside of the logical relation of cause and
effect. This view has continued in large degree down to the present time.
It was supposed that Jehovah was constantly revealing himself by special
volition through dreams, visions, trances, voices, and signs; and spirits,
both good and evil, are of frequent mention. Their chronological distance,
together with a preternatural glamour which has been cast upon them, has
caused their recorded phenomena to seem unique or special, rather than
universal. But they are intermingled with every system of worship which
the world has known.
Even the revelation of the divine has come through inward states of
consciousness rather than by outward observation. This is its orderly
method. The mind of man is ever sounding its own hidden deeps, and
striving to bring to light its infinite wealth of fundamental and occult
mysteries. It instinctively feels that there is a divine inlet at its
profound centre.
Creative art is ever transcending the real in its search for the coming
ideal. Even Nature herself is subservient to the mastery of Mind. A true
magic is divine; while its inversion and abuse,—sometimes called black
magic,—in the very nature of things, kindles Tartarean pains and
penalties.
Genius can never be satisfied with the world as it is, therefore it can
and must make a new one. Science discovers and classifies; while art,
which is but the name for active human imaging, is divine in that it
creates. Next in value to a seen Utopia is one which can be conjured into
existence, and such is awaiting every one’s command.
But magic, as commonly defined, is a two‐edged instrument. Misused, it
becomes evil _genii_, who summon foul shapes, and clothe them with
realism. Passions, hates, and evil imagings in the mist of mind sometimes
become solidified embodiments that haunt and persecute their creators. He
who peers into the raging billows of a disorderly imagination beholds
monsters into which he has breathed the breath of life.
The secret society of the _Urim_ had assembled, and the doors were closed.
Their meeting‐place was a remarkable occult study, for every decoration
and furnishing possessed some mystical or symbolic significance. In each
of the four corners, upon an elevated pedestal of white marble, stood a
tall brass candelabrum of beaten work, containing seven branches upon its
shaft, each having a lamp filled with pure olive oil for the light, with
knop and cup fashioned like an almond‐blossom. At the east end of the room
there was a heavy table of acacia wood, the top of which was curiously
engraved, and upon each corner was a horn of one piece with it. Just over
its centre, and suspended from the ceiling by a silken cord, was a large
quartzoid of transparent rock‐crystal. It was believed that at certain
seasons a steady, concentrated gaze into its pellucid depths would produce
visions, or at least symbols of future events, and sometimes there was
included glimpses of things distant. The table was enclosed by a curtain
of blue, gold, and scarlet, held in place by ouches or sockets attached to
a finely woven band supported by standards of beaten brass.
At the opposite end of the room were small wheels, cunningly devised of
dark steel mirrors, made to revolve, section within section, mystifying
and trance‐producing in their occult power, and held to be symbolic of the
wheels of the prophet Ezekiel. The walls and ceiling were bespangled with
tracings, emblematic of prophecy, miracle, sacrifice, circumcision, and
the covenants.
In the centre of the room there was a small brazen altar, consecrated to
the burning of stacte, onycha, frankincense, and other aromatic spices.
Near the entrance stood a cabinet of olive‐wood containing flagons and
bowls from which wine was served, and also platters containing thin
wheaten wafers.
The rites of the society were commonly a matter of somewhat formal
routine; but on special occasions or anniversaries they included revels,
psychic agitations, disorderly and ungoverned excitements, trances, and
enchantments. At times the Jew, with all the weight of the Covenant upon
him, gave himself up to those things which corresponded to the orgies of
the neighboring religions. But his excesses, though violent, were far less
gross.
With the rapid growth of sectarian bigotry among the disciples of
Gamaliel, the antagonism of the hyper‐Pharisaic faction had become
exceedingly bitter. This was embodied strongly in Saulus, as the natural
leader; and his followers were wont to glorify him without bound. His
release from the Tower through the intercession of the Rabban, being
misunderstood, greatly emboldened them.
After the society had convened, each young Jew donned the insignia of the
order, and appeared in his place. At a given signal, all arose, formed in
procession, and passed slowly around the room, each in turn quaffing a
small flagon of wine, which was the opening act of formal ceremony. After
the last had been served, the column began a stately march around a large
circle, which was symbolically marked upon the floor, falling into the
rhythm of a spirited chant dedicated to their leader, in which all joined.
“Saulus we praise,
Our defender is strong,
His standard we raise,
His days shall be long.
The Roman we dare;
The apostate we hate;
Ho! brothers, we swear
By Israel’s fate.
The mystical _Urim_
Will care for its own;
We chant our bold hymn
Through night until morn.
Judea will rise,
Her natal fires glow,
Her fame reach the skies:
Woe be to her foe.”
At length, after the observance of an imposing ritual according to the
order of the society, the chairman, who had been chosen for the occasion,
mounted the tribune, and made an address.
“Brothers of the _Urim_! Hebrew princes of the East and of the West, of
the North and of the South! Warders of the mysteries of our noble order!
We have met to engage in the exercise of our secret rites, and also to
honor our most worthy Dictator, Saulus. O sons of prophets! It belongeth
to our brotherhood to establish a sovereignty among the disciples of
Gamaliel, and to discomfit the destroyers of our Judean traditions, who
deceitfully continue to wear our name and covenant. Our adversaries are
near. Even the worthy Rabban scents not their plottings, so disguised are
they with professions of good‐will and liberality. The Roman is an open
foe whose courage wins respect; but they who betray our doctrine,
covenant, and circumcision are the real enemies of the Most High and of
the Chosen People. Honor to Saulus! Guides of the Inner and Outer Circle!
Present our special guest of the night for our welcome!”
Saulus was conducted with much ceremony to a seat raised upon a dais which
was canopied with an elaborate baldachin, and which was used only upon
rare and notable occasions. A crown of laurel was placed upon his head;
and a dance in slow rhythm, which was emblematic of laudation, was
performed in a circle about him. At length the ceremony ended, and Saulus
arose and addressed a few words to his fellow‐members.
“Guides and guardians of the _Urim_, and comrades! I am thrilled by your
unwonted devotion, but accept it as a tribute to our worthy cause, which I
would faithfully serve. May the mysteries and visions of our prophetic
ritual this night be propitious!”
The formal exercises were ended.
Saulus lightly laid aside the laurel wreath, and descended to the midst of
his fellows. The members of the Outer Circle then withdrew; while those of
the Inner, among whom was Saulus, remained to seek for signs and
wonders.(5)
After the doors were rebarred, a flame was lighted upon the small brazen
altar, and aromatic spices were placed upon it for slow consumption. The
members then seated themselves around it, with hands joined, and remained
silent for some time, breathing in deep, concerted, rhythmical measure. A
pungent but fascinating odor gradually filled the room, and a charmed
exhilaration stole by degrees upon the minds and senses of the brotherhood
of the Inner Circle. A subtle enchantment, delightful in quality,
transported them to empyrean heights of consciousness, so that the every‐
day world of objective events receded and became distant and misty. They
craved some prophetic symbolism of the future.
After a short sitting they arose, and four of the number, Saulus being
one, passed to the acacia table, where they seated themselves, each
grasping one of its horns, and turning a fixed gaze into the transparent
deeps of the great crystal which hung in their midst. The others seated
themselves in a semicircle facing the revolving wheel of mirrors, and
yielded passively to such impressions as might float in upon them. Soon
there was a change, a peculiar abstraction being apparent.
For a full hour a delicious ecstatic consciousness prevailed, and perfect
silence reigned. The room seemed like a bower of roses. Fruits were heaped
in golden baskets, and fine sprays of perfumed water from invisible
fountains filled the air. Jasper floors stretched away in the distance,
and upon them were spread mats of shining crystals of variegated hues.
Life, action, color, and warmth pervaded the atmosphere so thickly that
one could float in their shimmering wavelets. Reverberations of unearthly
music flowed gently in, as if a myriad of Æolian harps were hung above,
below, and on all sides, which were swept by heavenly breezes. The
energies of Nature were melted into an impalpable but all‐embracing
voluptuous harmony.
But at length there were symptoms of discord, and a gradual transformation
began to be manifest. Harshness and disorder slowly emerged in uncanny
shapes from the dim background. The psychical intoxication which prevailed
was perceptibly embittered, and subtle forms of mysterious portent crept
in. The ambient air became streaked with dark patches which grew thicker
and wider. The night‐winds sprang up, and muffled mutterings from without
were borne in with sullen discordance. The erstwhile film of iridescence
shrivelled and parted, and flitting out from behind were grim faces of sin
and crime, anon hiding behind clouds of blackness. The blood‐streaked moon
that had arisen in a brazen sky poured forth a flood of wan, sickly light
which entered the casement and seemed offensive. The vapors that ascended
from the altar were resolved into a semblance of moving figures of dark
and gloomy mien, with hollow and gusty voices, and eyeballs which glowed
like living coals. Suddenly a bluish flash filled the room, and upon the
walls letters of fire were traced without the aid of mortal hand. Then it
seemed as though the room were fissured and rent by a strange and
resistless pressure from without. Deep, jarring sounds rumbled below like
the mad bellowing of an unborn earthquake. The black shadow of a Great
Hand moved slowly across the ceiling.
* * * * * * * *
A living Shape emerged through the wall, and seated itself in the chair
upon the dais which Saulus before had occupied. It was thickly veiled, and
appeared more like some misshapen reptile than a human form. Its
intolerable eyes looked out with an appalling stare of hate and mockery.
It was a nameless Horror, with an aspect of deadly malignity, and a wreath
of fire, shaped like the laurel chaplet that Saulus had worn, was upon its
head.
* * * * * * * *
A crackling explosion! Then passing directly through the barred door, a
procession of foul dancing figures entered in pairs, and tripped lightly
around the larger mystic circle which was marked upon the floor. Hatred
and Revenge led the way, each with his name in letters of flame upon his
forehead. Treachery and Conspiracy followed, arm in arm, and next,
Persecution and Slaughter, with a host of lesser imps bringing up the
rear. They wheeled about, and with ever‐quickening step, each in turn
bowed to the Nameless One who occupied the chair upon the dais. Another
blinding crash! and the whole scene was dissolved into the blackness of
darkness.
* * * * * * * *
Every member of the Inner Circle was suddenly awakened from a heavy sleep.
The lamps had been extinguished, and the flame upon the altar had expired.
The lights were soon rekindled, and everything was found as had been wont.
The ashy pallor and cold perspiration which was upon every face gradually
passed away, and courage and calmness resumed their sway. Each had dreamed
a dream of delicious enchantment, followed by a visit to the Tartarean
regions, but no two saw them quite alike.
The chairman of the session, with a bewildered look, turned to Saulus.
“Most worthy Dictator! Perchance thou canst interpret the mystery of these
unwonted visions?”
A shade of perplexity passed over the face of the son of Benoni; but after
a brief wavering he replied,—
“Comrades of the _Urim_! Awake and arise! The signs are propitious! It
hath ever been so, even in the days of the patriarchs and prophets. The
chosen and righteous call out burning enmity, which is made known through
ghostly and malignant shapes. We must exorcise the unhallowed Phantom
which would thrust itself into our Covenant and Tradition. Brothers of the
Inner Circle! we incarnated the spirit of prophecy, and must needs look
upon the ghostly symbolic visions of warfare. They crowd themselves upon
us as mystical revealers of those who wickedly betray the doctrine of
Israel. Only by glimpses of such shades of Tophet could we be forewarned.
They are sent to fire us with a holy zeal in overcoming the false‐hearted.
The vengeance of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob waxes against all
who burn strange fire upon our sacred altars; and we must needs have signs
of their abomination brought before our eyes.”
The comrades of Saulus were reassured by his eloquence, and his
interpretation found favor.
“Victor Serenus is the arch adversary,” cried one.
“The hand that smiteth him shall be blessed,” added another.
“He deceiveth the disciples of the Rabban, and is not worthy to live,”
cried a third, and there was a mingling of voices.
“Woe to Serenus!”
“Spoil his house!”
“To Gehenna with him!”
Saulus waved his hand for silence, and then said, with a violent gesture,—
“Comrades of the _Urim_! If ye will, ye may smite him before the cock‐
crowing, for the Lord regardeth him not.”
There was a general clamor to be led against the apostate.
“Members of the Inner Circle! I wot we may take him unawares while
darkness is still over the Holy City.”
After further taking counsel together, all descended to the street, and
made their way through a narrow lane to a place beyond Hezekiah’s Pool,
which was near the house where Serenus lived with his mother. Though
within the city walls, the locality was remote and lonely. Arming
themselves with stones as they passed along, Saulus commanded that, when
they arrived at the house, they should surround it and make some outcry.
Serenus would then appear, when they could smite him, and flee in the
darkness, with none to witness against them.
“He shall lick the dust like a serpent,” said Saulus; “yea, as the Lord
liveth, he shall fall and not rise again.”
All then joined hands in a small circle, and made a solemn vow of secrecy
and service.
“By the stones of the Holy City, we swear that the God of Israel shall
accomplish his fury and pour out his fierce anger, through us, his chosen
servants, for we do his bidding.”
Unclasping hands, they again gathered up the stones which they had laid
down during the ceremony, and made their way to the house.
The moon had gone down, and the first flush of dawn was faintly visible
over the eastern mountains. A sullen chill pervaded the air, and the
boundless Impalpable which surrounds the earth seemed filled with a life
which needs not breath. Nature was in a mood of gloom and distemper. The
very leaves of the trees, invisible in the darkness, rustled a chorus of
Sibylline sighs and hisses; but the comrades heard and saw nothing.
At a given signal an outcry was made, and Serenus looked down from a
window to make inquiry concerning it.
“What would ye? Doth a stranger need succor?”
Straightway a volley of stones were hurled at him; but as it was yet dark,
Serenus suffered no harm, though they fell thick about him. But one
glanced, and falling, struck Saulus full in the forehead, and he fell down
as if he had yielded up the ghost. Those who were near lifted him up and
quickly bore him away.