His decision made, he summoned one of his members, Milo, an ex-warrior who had endorsed the Pythagorean way of life. Considering the high level of crisis, Milo appeared unsurprised by the request of his Master. His mission, in fact, transpired as a natural causatum of the looming danger. To reorganize and train the army became his fervid focal point. The peaceful man he had become in the Fraternity beckoned, at last, the meaningful purpose of his past. At this very moment, the fate of Crotona, and eventually of the White City, its members, and families, rested in his hands! That was indeed a huge responsibility he pledged to undertake to the last detail.
He, therefore, embarked on the sacred mission entrusted to him for his warfare expertise. With a fierce determination to carry it through to fruition, he strove for days and nights in training the army, and all those who volunteered to join in. In his Pythagorean spirit, one main aim dwelt all along; to save the innocent population from a bloody onslaught that was about to unleash on them at any time. In a few weeks, he throve in the organization of an army of hundreds of soldiers; all geared up to defend their beautiful city, their beloved homes, their peaceful wives, and their innocent children.
While the specter of death edged closer, and accelerated the beats of every Crotoniate heart, Milo explained calmly its inevitability. He reassured them that death was, simply and mainly, a means of access to a more sublime reality. There, in the middle of the city square, he stood on the podium, a blatant reflection of a powerful and fearless warrior. His feet apart and his shoulders straight, his eyes infused his army with bravery, as did his confident words. His voice, dominant and firm, addressed the men he had molded into perfect soldiers during the recent arduous weeks.
“Soldiers and people of Crotona, listen to me! Those who die for a higher cause, like this one, shall be honored. They shall be remembered as heroes, saviors, and men of valor! I ask you, what could be more praiseworthy on this earth than saving human lives? Can you deem, in truth, any deed to be more principled than such an exploit?”
There was no answer. The plaza vibrated with anticipation. Eyes reflected a unanimous fierce pledge of resistance against the attackers to rescue, at all cost, what was most precious to them.
Time was running…
…and running too fast until obscurity broke through, darker than ever. The stars hid their lights behind peculiar clouds that swirled above Crotona like an ominous presage. On that early winter night of the year 510 BCE, blasts walloped in repetitive strikes that propelled the citizens out of their beds. Mothers scuttled to their kids in wails, and men to their weapons in angst. The ferocious attack shook the borders of Crotona. The ground quaked. Massive dust clouds were formed by the hooves of hundred of horses slashing the wind in their course. Women cuddled their children tighter to them. Younger men charged out to help the soldiers.
Crotona resisted with courage.
The assault persisted for days and nights yet the strong Sybarite army failed to score any advance into the territory of Crotona. Their front-line soldiers broke down in a matter of days. Milo did not hesitate. He retaliated with an offensive blitz on the city of Sybaris. His masterly tactic aimed at paralyzing any possible, and further, onslaught from the backup positions, as well as from the defensive lines of the enemy. His martial strategy took the Sybarite Generals by surprise. They had assumed that their front-line troops would have already conquered Crotona. The fury in which Milo retaliated confused their alignments.
The battle raged in the heart of Sybaris for weeks, until Milo and his fearless army overpowered the Sybarite military completely. A wrecked city surrendered in total defeat. The sound of the battle waned to the stillness of wretchedness. The streets and alleys pervaded with the smell of destruction and death. Soon the sinister sobs of the women gushed out as they mourned their bereaved. Children cried. The wounded moaned.
The Crotoniate soldiers could not show but sympathy to the sufferers. They acknowledged them in fairness for being the victims of the greediness and cruelty of their ruler. Telys attempted to flee with some of his close associates. Caught at the outskirts of the city, he came to experience the humiliation of defeat and the bitter taste of captivity.
That day, the astonishing victory of the Crotoniates that crashed down on the powerful, and once unbeatable, army led by Telys, with naught but a hundred fierce men, was written in the pages of history. As a result of that unmatched success, Sybaris became an integral, and official, part of the State of Crotona.
* * *
Spring came with a renewed vigor that year. Flowers bloomed all over the fields in multicolor splendor. A brisk fragrance suffused the air of Crotona to the delight of the citizens and residents who enjoyed the restored order in deep gratitude. War had ended, never to return again, just as they had hoped and prayed for.
In the White City, inside the cave of the Initiate, the group of 10 mathematikoi huddled with patent enthusiasm as they waited for their Master. They had finally attained the final level of their Initiation, and gained in consequence the rightful access to the Fourth Degree, known as Baptism.
The grotto enfolded them in a sense of security akin to what must have been felt by those cavemen who had resided, in similar caves, at the dawn of humanity. Yet, unlike their ancestors, who had feared the unknown while evolving from the animal-human species into the humanoid complete form, these young Pythagoreans faced their evolution with strong confidence. Today, fate would make history.
After having confronted the mystical obscurity with their power of will and their years of education, the mathematikoi readied to join, at last, the Divinity that glowed inside their minds.
The moment their Master stepped in, with his usual serene confidence, his vibrations of glory imposed silence on them. Theano smiled; her eyes in adoration. The hearts of the other disciples pounded faster. The crucial time had arrived. They all stood set for their Baptism.
With that assertive, yet soft, tonality that characterized his voice, the Great Master summoned the first mathematikoi in this group, Aristaeus of Crotona, in private, to be baptized.
“Stand in the darkness of the cave, there, so I can see you clearly,” he uttered the strange words with authority. “Stand with your feet closely together so as to form with your body a vertical line. Now, stretch your arms to the sides to beget a horizontal line,” he guided him into the required body position. “Behold my friend that you are now the representation of the Number Four. You are the cross in which you have been crucified. This crucifixion is of your lower-self, and by that I mean, the four elements that have formed you in the scheme of existence. You are now dead!”
Time stood immobile for a few moments.
“I now command you! Walk out of the darkness and into the light!” At that, he pointed to a spot lit by the sunrays seeping from an aperture in the rocky roof. “Now, stand there with your legs and arms spread out to your sides. Stand still!”
The radiant beams of Al-Apollo shone upon the head of the mathematikoi, and bathed him in glorious light.
“At present, you have grown to be the revelation of the Number Five, a Pentad, which resonates in the whole universe through the power of the Dodecahedron, the Heavens. You have become the Keeper of Justice, just like the salt preserves from decay the food it touches. The truth I tell you, the new element of Ether has permeated you in order to resurrect you to your higher-self. Therefore, I hereby baptize you in the name of the Central Fire, the Great Monad!”
“My brother, at present you hold the Truth. Comply with its light that glimmers in the depth of your being. Hold on to it as your daily guide in life. Practice it to its full extent. Be wise and prudent in the use of the powers you have so deservedly gained. Remain at all times conscious of your deeds and endeavors. Preserve forever your good will. Abstain, at all costs, from using these powers in moments of anger or hatred, for those negative emotions perturb your better judgment, and evil would persist in haunting you. Heed my warning brother, for such misuse would cause those pow
ers to rebound on you many times and destroy you!”
“Maintain a perfect equilibrium in your life, within the harmony of the truth that shines in your intellect, the virtue that vibrates in your spirit, and the purity that dwells in your body. You must never forget, not even for a moment, the Macrocosm that beats inside your inner realm - the Microcosm that you are. Also, heed its beats in the heart of life itself. Only then, at that stage of permanent attainment, will you come to realize the presence of God, and sense Him in a transparent way; Him, the Universal Mind, who lives in the whole of existence.”
In turn, the other 9 mathematikoi there present undertook the private rite of Baptism, one after the other. An atmosphere of peace and serenity invaded the cave. From far above, a subtle music reached their inner ears. A new aura of wisdom and enlightenment wrapped each one. The place appeared radiant as never before.
Master Pythagoras smiled with a great sense of exaltation. His customary modesty failed to overcome the irresistible pride he felt for them; having achieved that stage, after so many years of study and Initiation.
“My dear mathematikoi,” his voice surged husky with deep affection. “You have made it so far, and I am, indeed, very happy. Yet, my teachings do not end here. Behold, now and forever, the three most important Laws that rule us. The Truth I tell you! Evolution is the law of life. Number is the law of the Universe. Unity is the law of God!” He imparted in such a solemn tenor that the walls of the cave seemed to vibrate.
“Verily I say unto you my last words, engrave them in your hearts! The Eternal Truth resides higher than any matter conceived, or yet to be conceived, seen or unseen. Lofty, it reigns far above the act of marriage between a man and a woman, or any union of the opposites. Eternal Truth is the Great Monad, the One to whom you cannot unite, unless you eliminate the devious work of dualism. Such exploit depends strongly on the power of your minds; your own Individual Monads.”
Pythagoras needed, ipso facto, to ascertain that his sacred teachings would prevail unscathed by his recent compliance to the work of dualism through his earthly union with Theano. Dualism, in his sensible perception, remained the work of evil. It was an obstruction to holiness and to the heavenly union with the One… although he had truthfully achieved oneness with the One, earlier in his life.
And so, in the concealment of their Initiation, the Disciples of his Inner Circle received the final teaching of his hieros logos. With the Baptism and his last recommendations, the Mathemagician ended their edification on the Mysteries of the Universe, and the secrets of the gods.
Truth be told, Pythagoras, had entrusted the keys of his White City to these few mathematikoi whom he now beckoned Masters like himself. Their new sacred mission was to teach, and Initiate future disciples into the esoteric knowledge of the Philosopher.
Hence, proclaimed masters by the Great Master himself, they joined him behind the curtains to attend to the akousmatikoi, when gathered in the evergreen Sacred Garden. Eagerness vibrated in the air as hearts and minds waited for the knowledgeable thoughts of the day. Yet, that particular day differed from all the other ones. The strong emotion of farewell oppressed their hearts.
“Brothers and sisters, allow me to express my sincere gratitude for the strong commitment you have proven to our Fraternity,” Pythagoras spoke from behind the curtain. “My dear akousmatikoi, I shall leave you, in a while, in the righteous hands of your fellow brothers and sisters, the new Masters. From here on, they will take charge of the remaining portion of your Initiation. As for now, I shall impart you with the last three recommendations of importance that you must never forget.”
He went into a silent minute of contemplation in which he gazed pensively at each one of the new masters around him. He then reverted back to, what turned out to be, his last speech ever given in the White City.
“Listen and listen well, my friends! First, hold on to the philosophy that no one must take away from you. Verily I say unto you! Your inner-selves enclose what is similar to the Universal Mind. Therefore, make of your bodies temples of God! Finally, if one day you decide to honor God, and pay Him homage, then you must know Him, and imitate Him.”
He breathed deeply and then uttered, “Stay in peace!”
With that heartfelt wish and blessing, the Great Initiate finished his brief discourse, fulfilling, by it, his final akousmata.
* * *
Pythagoras, in his early sixties by then, weary of the hard long path he had chosen to tread, sighed in great relief at his decision to relinquish his responsibility as head of the Society. His heart ached for a family life in which he would devote all his time and energy to his wife Theano, and to his future children.
Pythagoras might have ended his mission, yet his humble house in the White City remained his abode. And there, life pounded with another strong rhythm, as his family grew and developed. From his seat at the window, he felt overwhelmed with a peaceful joy. Damo[44], his first daughter, cried for her meal in the arms of her mother; his beautiful and beloved Theano.
He observed them with that compassionate heart of a god, or simply of a fine, married man. Delight invaded him upon the realization that he and Theano had de facto succeeded in creating a life. Hence, they had participated, with God, in the great work of creation.
Soundless, he stood up to approach her. His arms wrapped around her waist to enfold her backside to his chest. His mouth to her ear, he whispered softly, “What could be more honorable than the miraculous accomplishment of creating a life?”
Theano leaned on him, “Nothing, dear, in truth, nothing could ever be more divine,” she murmured, with affection, and granted him a radiant smile and a look of pure love. Their baby girl went silent, all of a sudden. They both turned their immediate attention to her. As if she had understood their statement with joy, she beamed at them.
That peaceful happiness would, however, wane at nights when his beloved Sofia harassed him about the illusion of such a dream.
A fantasy! He would heed her protest. This is but a fantasy of your unconscious mind. This is but a deception meant to reassure you that this union is simply an imitation of the work of God!
One of these perturbed nights, Sophia whispered to him in his dreams. She awoke him to assert her rightful position in his mind. She explained to him that his marriage, and ultimately the procreation of their daughter, could not be the labor of the One. She insisted that it was mainly, and truly, the reproduction of the work of the Dyad; the essential divinities that had created the physical world.
At that, Pythagoras concluded, not without a great sense of relief that the previous harassments had not actually transpired from Sophia, but from the evil exertion of the number Two! And that night, although still perturbed by the recent assumptions of his failure as a holy man in the act of duality: marriage; he slept in peace with himself.
* * *
Months sped through the year. The Pythagorean Society, led by the new Masters, lived well and in peace. The White City kept to its bright and enigmatic existence, each and every day. The smooth modus operandi accounted to the fact that the keys of its unremitting success subsisted in the good hands of the best Philosophers.
The Society lived on the goods the members shared in a genuinely fraternal way-of-life. They also relied on the generosity of the people of Crotona who never ceased to provide them with aids and provisions. In truth, their gratitude for their victory against Telys prevailed deep and solid, for Crotona had developed into a powerful and rich state ever since its victory!
Unquestionably, the new Masters, the Philosophers, preserved Pythagoras’ accomplishments as sacred. They carried on their new positions based on his method and philosophy. They strove so religiously to imitate their Master that the Kosmic music of Heaven, the Music of the Spheres, appeared to duplicate itself in the White City.
Upon their own achievement, they pondered amongst themselves on the prospect of having that Kosmic replication manifested in other adjacent cities and beyond. In their mind
s, they conceived the idea that such a potential success would give rise to the creation of a homonoia, a union of minds and hearts, all through Magna Graecia. For them, the great Master Pythagoras embodied the perfect prototype of the Kosmic man. He, the Philosopher, personified the supreme status of man. Ipso facto, all Philosophers represented the finest guides of Society.
Yet, their project of expansion remained impossible since Pythagoras had solemnly bound them to the secrecy of his Initiation. Consequently, the Inner Circle could never divulge any of the Inner Secrets to the outer world, regardless of the pressure, or reasons. The ox of utter secrecy had sealed their tongues for evermore.
As a matter of fact, this form of arrangement had constituted one of the most sacred rules enforced on every Initiate of the Ancient world. Confidentiality prevailed, for all such Societies of Initiation, as the best policy of protection, against all blasphemous violation.
Never surrender the Heart of Mystery to the vulgar, for it would break down and shatter in ways in which the beasts of illusion could consume.
Every time the Mathemagician had issued that warning, they had always replied with their oath of steadfast silence, and avowed their loyalty to the secret doctrine entrusted to them. They would also pledge commitment to his name, their Master, the extraordinary man who had imparted them with the Sacred Four; the Tetraktys, High and Pure, the root and source of ever flowing Nature, and the Model of the gods.
And secretive they prevailed, despite the difficulties that eventually ensued while assuming their mission. Sooner or later, mistakes would crop up while someone strove to teach without delving into the essence of Truth. Hippasos of Metapontium, one of those recent masters, faced such an issue when instructing a group of Listeners on moralities. While some of the Masters handled the teachings of the natural sciences, and others the social problems within the Society, Hippasos tackled the topic of moralities.
Pythagoras the Mathemagician Page 33