Greetings! Some of you here are familiar with the "Enochian Temples" system, and I thought you might like to read an account of a working with the Temples. An interesting phenomena associated with the Temples is that a lotus of power forms itself around the base of a fully charged temple. Each petal of this lotus shows a unique sigil, and each of these sigils is in turn the key to some celestial "zone", usually a star-system. I have been working with these sigils recently, and the vision that follows is fairly representative of those I have gotten so far in my explorations. Sorry you can't see the diagrams -- hope the descriptions are sufficiently clear that you don't need them. Enjoy! 1/30/93 Even before I called up the temple, I got a vision of the sigil. What I saw was a tree with a thick trunk, and from the top of this trunk rose three fan-shaped groups of leaves. Each group had tips of green, centers of white, and bottom portions of black or very dark brown. They looked somewhat like feathers. The trunk itself radiated an aura of immense solidity and connectedness; one could feel the flow of life-force going unobstructed and without effort from its roots to its top. Within the trunk of the tree was the image of some spheres connected together in a way unlike those of our own Tree of Life. These connections are as shown in the diagram. [The spheres are arranged as the first six sephiroth of the standard Tree of Life diagram. The paths between these spheres are the same, except that the paths that would normally connect Binah with Tiphereth and Chokmah with Tiphereth instead connect Binah with Chesed, and Chokmah with Geburah. Also, a path ascends from each of the upper three spheres, passing out of sight. The path from Binah extends up and to the left, from Chokmah up and to the right, from Kether going straight upwards. Each follows the centerline of one of the three fan-shaped groups of leaves.] I called up the Temple and created the Lotus. Then stood on the petal with the sigil and invoked it again. The sigil also showed itself at the same time in the King's beam. After a few moments I was again at the place where the Tree stood, without any passage or transition between; the change from one place to the other was instantaneous. Now I looked at this Tree for a time. While I was doing so, an angel appeared to my right, and made the LVX signs without waiting to be asked. I tested him with the pentagrams of Earth and of Spirit, and he grew larger and engulfed both of them before returning to his original size. The angel said: "This is a Tree of the place of the sigil you have invoked. It is a star-system of three stars, each of them of a higher order of evolution than Sol, each of them well on the path that will take them into the yet higher orders that stand beyond incarnation in the stellar realm. About that higher place we can not say a great deal; little enough of even that would be comprehensible to men." "As you know, as the ages pass and the worlds within a solar system develop and evolve, certain "planes" of existence fall below the level of significance, each in turn becoming irrelevant to the work currently being done there. These planes embody principles so well built into the substance of the solar systems that it need not be developed or evolved further. These constitute the invisible "roots" of the Tree of Life being expressed in that system. "Similarly, as this evolution goes on, certain other "planes" suddenly come into manifestation, so that there are always a certain number being worked at a given time. This number is not always the same; for your own system, there are always seven planes, for this one at which we look there are four or five, depending on how you choose to interpret the topmost paths, which pass out into another realm all together. The influences or spheres at the top ends of these paths are outside the work being done here, yet they continue to have some influence on events there, notably through the energy and stimulation they provide. "Each of those top three paths leads to one of the stars, one of the circles within the sigil. And each of those by itself contains its own modes of working and defined area of creation. But together these stars have created an area of joint creation, wherein certain parts of their mutual schemes may be developed and manifested in concert. That area is what is expressed by this sigil and this Tree of Life before you. "You will see, as you look closely, that the "planetary" natures of the spheres in this Tree, its stable emanations, are of an order higher than those of your own. They are all of a kind that is manifested in your system in Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune, those three planets whose relationship is greater towards the outer universe than it is towards the inwardness of the system. There is no personality in these spheres, no mundane realm, no ego or soul as you would know it. There is only cosmic substance and energy, passed beyond the need for focused, personal, expression." "Now look closely at the Tree, beginning with the lowest sphere." At first I saw nothing there. But after a while the sphere took on a shimmering almost-green color. Then out of it burst a bird-like being, which rose up over my head, came down and around behind me, and up beneath me so that I ended up sitting atop it. This bird reminded me in some way of Quetzalcoatl, the winged serpent of Aztec myth, though there was no physical resemblance between them. The bird's tail raised up and fanned out like a turkey's, so that I felt as if I were seated on a throne. The plumage changed color very rapidly, running through a great number of hues and shades from the blue-green-violet end of the spectrum. Then it was as if I split from the being seated on the bird, as if I moved away leaving behind an image of a man. Turning back to look, I saw the man seated cross-legged on the back of the bird, naked save for a loincloth decorated with bird-like designs, and a headpiece of fanned-out feathers, which mimicked both the bird's tail and the fan- shaped leaves of the Tree. His posture was regal, and he held in his left hand something like the Tree itself, reduced to the size of a scepter. His hand was at shoulder height and slightly forward, as if in the act of wielding the scepter. The angel said: "Unlike the Solar system, here the man-like beings are the lowest expression directly connected to the divine; that is, to the three stellar gods creating this area of work. And even though the image shows a man, they are not really man-like in the way the spirits of men are in your system. For where your Tiphereth is a central passage point between higher and lower, here this sphere, its nearest equivalent in the local system, is itself the lowest point. These kings never touch the elemental worlds; the powers coming down from above stop here, showing a perfect reflection of that from whence they came."1 The rest of the angel's words were lost, but I got an impression from him that filled it in. It is important to recognize that all the elements of this image must be taken together as an expression of the nature of the sphere. The bird is the sphere as basic energy, a reflection of its divine sources; because it flies, it never touches the elemental worlds, but is itself the endpoint of creation. The man shows that there is within this sphere an expression that appears to show individuality, but these "individuals" are all directly connected to the divine and are part of it, as shown by the headdress. And these individuals wield the power of the divine, as shown by the scepter. Here the Will of the divine (scepter) acts upon the substance of the divine (bird) through the divine Son, all of them within a single sphere, all of them separate and unified at the same time. I felt the energy of the vision weakening, and so I returned to the Temple. The angel followed after, saying: "I know that you are weary, but I would like to encourage you to look at least a couple more of these spheres before you quit for the day." I took a few moments to absorb some more energy from the Temple. Invoking the Names of God and the King, I returned to the lotus petal and got back in tune with it. Returning to the place of the Tree, I willed the power of the bird- image to return to its sphere, and it did so. Next I concentrated on the sphere to the left in the row above. The circle of this sphere expanded into a window, through which I saw an old man, bearded and muscular like Odin, wearing a dark blue, almost violet, robe. The robe had no hood or collar. In his right hand he held upright a spear with a leaf-shaped blade bound to the shaft with silver wire. In his left hand, held down at his side, he held a square cap or hat, somewhat like those some Roman Catholic clergy wear. The angel said, "Action in righteousness is the key to this sphere, for here are the Mercy and Severity one; action or will is combined, merged with the manifest pattern upon which action must be based, so that there is no question of morality or ethics, no separation between Thought and Deed. This sphere is easy to understand, as it is close to the two natures of your Chesed and Geburah. But always remember that this is a single sphere with a single nature, not a duality. If one should seek to understand it by holding those two in mind at the same time, then one will go amiss. See it in its own way, take its nature as it presents itself, and seek to merge with that nature to attain to true understanding of it. Now go on to the next sphere, which is not so simple." I relaxed my attention to this sphere, and it returned to its original size in the image of the Tree, with its own image still shown inside it. I turned to the next sphere in the same level. I concentrated on this sphere for a time, and saw little except a roiling of colors, as if it could not manifest itself within the limits of my perception. Then suddenly, exploding outwards from a point in the center of the sphere, a great mandala unfolded. This mandala had five great spokes or sections, and within each section were twenty lesser spokes. And each of these spokes was itself an entire world, seen edge-wise in some higher dimension. The center of the mandala was a black-filled circle, surrounded by a ring of lighter color, a powdery gray-blue. "This is the focus of nature in this world," said the angel, "for herein are all things in touch with the center, and all patterns of activity derive directly therefrom. And the worlds within this mandala are the potential manifestations that are to be made real, in something resembling sequentiality, in that lowest sphere at which we first looked. Here they are arrayed in their relationships to each other, as they are in the minds of those who created this place. And the plan of their unfolding is held here as well. Each unfolds at the "same" time as the others, but each unfolds within its own, internal, sense of linearity and sequentiality and is separate in some sense from those that come "before" and "after" it in the rounds of the mandala." Again I relaxed my attention, and the mandala retreated into the limits of its sphere. Looking to the next, to the left in the next row above, I concentrated again. "This sphere" the angel said, "is the expression of one of the three stars that created this place. His expression within his own great sphere of working is here concentrated, summed up, sketched in miniature. Look ye to the west." I turned around, assuming the Tree was in the East, and saw the star in question. It had sort of a maroon cast to its light. The color deepened, and there burst out of the star images of three armored kings, one coming directly towards me, the others moving out at angles to either side. And each of these kings stood astride three animals. The one coming towards me was astride three lions; the one on my left had three jaguars; the one on the right had three taurines of some sort, whose exact image changed from one species to another as I watched. And each of these animals was three-legged, having only a single leg centered at the back of their body, so they each stood upon three points. Spoke the angel, "This great star is represented by three ministers within this area of mutual creation. And they, with their ministers, and their ministers' ministers, number thirty-nine, who are unity expressed in triplicity. And these act upon the five and twenty in such a way as to define their center, their point of contact with the divine."2 I felt there was more to be said, and waited. The angel continued: "All of these are in their own way an expression of the original plan of this Tree of Life, as was shown in the way of their bursting forth from the center." [That is, the pattern in which they came forth resembled the three fans of leaves at the top of the Tree.] "And each of these three legs of the animals, these minister's ministers, controls in his turn the manifestation and organization of thirteen forces, so that within the worlds below there are three hundred and fifty-one major forces to be dealt with, each with its own expression, each with its own place within the pattern of the creation, each of which is the embodiment of a divine principle in activity. Add to these the original 39 and they become 390, giving a full manifestation of the original potential. Thus is the divine made manifest in this place."3 "Now look ye back to the next sphere." The images of the kings returned to their place. I turned back to the Tree and looked at the next sphere in turn, on the right in the same level. I looked for a while and there gradually appeared a shadowy image, seeming to be in some way connected with the rightmost circle in the original sigil, as if that portion of the sigil had been clothed in an image. And the image was of a hooded monk, kneeling and hidden within his robes, contemplating an image in a sphere. He appeared to be facing a point about 45 degrees to my left. I could not see the image within the sphere he held, and moved closer. In the process I entered into and merged with the monk in the image. Within the robes there seemed to be nothing but the barest outline of a body, a simple sketch, sufficient to hold the robes in their form, but little more. Looking at the sphere he held, the image within was of the old priest-warrior within the earlier sphere. The angel said, "This one gives of himself directly into the lower world previously seen, and leaves little of himself in this level save a shadow. His manifestation in this place is of the nature of a channel for his original force, his true nature, which is reflected in miniature down into that lower sphere. But even in this there are secrets to be known, if one wishes to extend one's stay and concentrate on this one part of the Tree of this place. Now to the highest sphere." I removed myself back to my "outside" viewpoint, and let the residual force from the last sphere dissipate from my body. Then I looked at the highest of the spheres in this Tree, and saw therein a little child, scarcely born, like Hoor-pa-krati without the forelock. He sat in a lotus position and held the thumb of his right hand to his lips. I saw him as from his left side. Looking closer, I saw that held within the curled fingers of his right hand was a small talisman or coin, upon which was graven a figure that at one moment seemed much like the Sanskrit figure for the OM, and the next moment appeared to be an abstract glyph of a bird in flight.4 "This one, in his miniaturization into this area of creation, has taken on an image much like that of your Thelema, in that he is like a babe, silent in the womb, and yet forth from him comes all the power and activity manifested in the lower spheres. That king of the lowest sphere is to him much as Ra-Hoor-Khuit is to Hoor-Pa-Kraat. But in this case, they are not a dual manifestation of something greater, as those two are of Heru-Ra-Ha, but instead is the lower a direct reflection of the power of this sphere, only extended and also indirectly accessing some of the power of the other two stars, through their control on the lower worlds." "He is the silence at the end of the OM, but in his silence is the bird brought forth into flight." "Now I think we have seen enough for this time, and you should return again to your temple, waiting a moment for me." I did so, and stood just outside the limits of the Temple's lotus while I waited for him. After a moment he also appeared, and said "My name is Kaph, Yod, Nun, Daleth, Teth, and in my nature I am a reflection of those thirty-nine whom ye saw in the fourth sphere of your vision.5 Thus I have a nature of sufficient generality to speak to you of the things shown and yet to be found within the compass of the Tree with which we have been dealing. I am in myself a symbol of that work, and am the link between that world, and this solar system of yours, which link was created by the resonance between the schemes of our two areas of creation. Now take ye this." He handed me a talisman, as had the angels in the previous visions. This one showed the original sigil upon one face, with a couple of minor modifications (short "tails" sticking up from the rightmost curve). On the opposite side was the usual table, this one showing the words GEL, DALPA, FORTN, DES, with the word "boni" at the bottom. [Each talisman given by angels in these visions of the lotus sigils had such a table on the back, showing lines of 3,5,5, and 3 characters, arranged so that the centers of each line are aligned. The names of power to be derived from these tables are found by reading the downwards, taking the two two-letter columns to be the halves of the fourth name. Thus in the present case, the names of power are GAOD, ELRE, LPTS, DFAN. Underneath each table, following the lower edge of the talisman, is shown either "bona" or "boni", which I assume have something to do with the Latin word for "good".] "This one ye shall keep" he said, "and let it remain as a reminder and link into the place where we have been, for this contact is an important one within the many that can be exercised with the Temple you have built. It is through the paths from this place to that, and from that place to the places of the Three who created it, that one set of persons from your Earth would easily find their way into the larger universe, free forever of their ties to your world. This is one of the purposes for which this Temple was given, and it is one that shall be accomplished, without doubt or uncertainty." I asked if I should place it in the beam of the King, as the others had bid me do. He said, "Do so." I entered the Temple and put the talisman in its place, stepping back out afterwards. In a moment an image like the first I saw of the other Tree formed within the beam. And a sound like a wordless choir came forth, swelled, and diminished again. I saw that the image of the sigil in the beam was no longer there, and the sigil on the petal soon faded back to an inactive level. As it did so, the image of the Tree also gradually faded, or rather collapsed back into the talisman. "And in this is the work done," said the angel, "and another link made in the Great Scheme of the Cosmos. Take ye the talisman, and save it in your storage place. And I am done." The angel bowed his head for a moment, and then disappeared. I retrieved the talisman, stored it away, and closed the Temple for the day. Footnotes 1 The equivalent of Tiphereth is the lowest emanation in this scheme. The "man-like" beings are perhaps closer to what we would call "avatars", individualized manifestations of divine force, rather than ordinary human souls. 2 3 Kings + 9 animals + 27 legs on animals = 39. 39 = 3 times 13, and 13 = AChD, unity. The "five and twenty" are the five sections of the mandala seen earlier, with their twenty divisions each. 3 27 times 13 = 351. 351 + 39 = 390. 390 = 39 times 10, number of full manifestation. 4 The OM is of course the Swan in Hindu symbolism. 5 K + I + N + D + T = 20 + 10 + 50 + 4 + 9 = 93. 93 is the reversal of the digits of 39, so the angel is numerically a "reflection" of the forces of that sphere. None of the Hebrew words in my database seem to relate, but among Enochian words we have VPAAH, "wings", perhaps relating to the bird and feather symbolism, and BALTAN, "His justice." - Josh Norton