Goat Foot God
Page 36
Hugh offered no explanation, and Mona offered no comment. Neither were needed. He placed her at one end of the enclosure, and took up his own position at the other, the new-risen moon behind them. Then he waited for inspiration, for he had no idea what a rite of Pan might be.
Silently they waited, and time went by, but it did not seem to drag. Both were thinking of the ancient rites of Eleusis, and wondering in what form the power of the god would come upon them. Once only Hugh stirred, to raise his arms in invocation. Mona never moved. The turf beneath their feet retained the heat of the day, though the air was slowly chilling with the evening damp.
Hugh's thoughts went back to his dream of the hills of Greece: perhaps there he would pick up the trail. He followed in his mind the path of the dream, up the steep hill-side, through the sparse wood, and then, almost involuntarily, he entered the deeper wood and felt the cold pang of fear that lurked there waiting for him. He felt it in the solar plexus, like a hand gripping, and a shudder went all over him. He saw the hanging points of Mona's drapery flicker, and knew that she had shuddered too. Then he saw that between them was a path of pale gold light, and it was not moonlight.
A breath of wind began to stir in the narrow space between the encircling yews, a little cold breath of air that moved softly over them, as if feeling them, paused, and moved again and was gone. Then the temperature began to rise. It rose steadily, rapidly, till Hugh wondered when it was going to stop, and whether they had indeed landed themselves in the Hell the parsons prophesied; he felt the sweat break out on his chest, left bare by the fawn-skin; he found it hard to breathe. and his breath came short and quick. The band of light across the turf rose hip-high. It bound him to Mona as the current binds a man to the live rail.!t was far stronger than he expected, and again came the pang of fear.
Then the place began to fill with light. overpowering the oppressive heat so that they thought only of the light and forgot the heat. It was a curious light, neither of the sun, nor of the moon, nor of the stars; more silvery than the golden band that still shone amid it; less silvery than the pale moon-glow and the stars. And in this light all things were reflected. The earth spread away into space in a great curve, with their grove upon it. It swung through the heavens in a yet greater curve, the planets circling around it, and it was ringed like Saturn with luminous bands. This was the earth-aura, and within it was lived their life. Their psychic selves breathed in those bands of light as their physical selves breathed in the atmosphere. And within the earth was the earth-soul, all alive and sentient, and from it they drew their vitality.
Mona knew that these things were there all the time, though in their normal state they were unaware of them; but Hugh thought that they had come at his invocation, and felt that the whole swinging sphere circled about him, and for a brief moment knew godhead.
Then the light returned to focus on the glade, leaving behind, like a receding tide, the memory of the environing infinity, never to be effaced. For ever alter Hugh would live his life against that background and measure all things by it.
The glade was softly luminous, very hot, and a band of glowing gold, like illuminated smoke, stretched from Hugh to Mona, flowing around the pillar, whose conical top rose just above it. Behind Hugh was the newly-risen moon and his face was in darkness, but Mona's showed clear in the moonlight. He could see her eyes, but she could not see his, and her look had a blankness in consequence, as if she were looking beyond him at something that stood behind. Perhaps she was: for at that moment a gradually dawning awareness made itself felt, and Hugh knew that something was behind him, vast and overshadowing, and that from it emanated the band of light that passed through him and fell upon Mona. He felt himself getting vaster and vaster, and about to burst with the force that was upon him. He was towering up, his head among the stars; below him, Mona and the earth lay in darkness. But over the earth-bend the advancing line of dawn was creeping up. Dimly he wondered if they had been in the grove all night, unconscious of the passage of time; then he realised that this was no earthly dawn, but the coming of the sun-god.
Yes, it was not the goat-god, crude and earthy. It was the sun! But not the sun ofthe sophisticated Apollo, but an older, earlier, primordial sun, the sun of Helios the Titan. Hugh had not known what Freudian deeps they would work through in the name of the goat-god, and was prepared for anything; but this golden exaltation ofhigh space took him completely by surprise. Then he remembered the favourite phrase of old Jelkes: ‘All the gods are one god, and all the goddesses are one goddess, and there is one initiator.’ The All-Father was celestial Zeus—and woodland Pan—and Helios the Life-giver. He was all these things, and having known Pan, a man might pass on to the heavenly gate where Helios waits beside the Dawn.
Hugh felt his feet winged with fire, and knew that he was coming as the Angel of the Annunciation came to the Virgin: he was coming as the messenger of the Life-giver. Far below him Mona waited in the earth-shadow, and it seemed to him that she was in some way lying back upon the earth and sunk in it, like a swimmer floating in water.
And he knew that he was coming swiftly on the wings of the dawn, coming up with the dawn-wind as it circled the earth. He could see the line of golden light advance, and knew that his return to the grove would coincide with its coming.
Then he found himself standing in the grove, in his own body, clad in the fawn-skin, and the line oflight was just beyond his feet. For the first time since the vision began he moved, taking a step forward. The line of light advanced with him. He took another step forward; it advanced again. Mona also had taken two paces forward. He moved again, and the light and the woman moved also.
Now they were standing face to face upon either side of the pillar. Hugh raised his sinewy bare arms and stretched them over Mona's head, and the light that had enveloped him spread over her also. Then, raising his right hand in the Salute of the Sun as the Roman legions raised it, he lowered the left, tingling and burning with a strange heat, and laid the flat palm between Mona's breasts and cried the ancient cry-” Hekas, Hekas, este bibeloi I Be ye far from us. 0 ye profane,”
A MAGICAL INVOCATION OF PAN
I AM She who ere the earth was formed Rose from the sea.
O First-begotten Love, come unto me,
And let the worlds be formed of me and thee.
Giver of vine and wine and ecstasy,
God of the garden, shepherd of the lea—
Bringer of fear, who maketh men to flee,
I am thy priestess, answer unto me!
Lo, I receive the gifts thou bringest me—
Life, and more life, in fullest ecstasy.
I am the moon, the moon that draweth thee.
I am the waiting earth that needeth thee.
Come unto me, Great Pan, come unto me!
(from “The Rite of Pan.”)
Dion Fortune (1891-1946), founder of The Society of Inner Light, is recognized as one of the most luminous and significant figures of 20th-century esoteric thought. A prolific writer, pioneer psychologist, and powerful psychic, she dedicated her life to the revival of the Mystery Tradition of the West. She left behind a solidly established system of teaching and a school of initiation based on her knowledge of many systems, ancient and modem. Her books were published before World War II, and have been continuously in demand since that time.
The Society of the Inner Light, founded by the late Dion Fortune, has courses for those who wish seriously to pursue the study of the Western Esoteric Tradition. Infonnationabout the society may be obtained by writing to the address below. Please enclose British stamps or international postal coupons in your letter if you wish a response.
The Secretary
The Society of the Inner Light
38 Steele's Road
London NW3 4RG, England
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