Cicero - Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition_Part 01

TheTheoricus Grade 309
enters the chamber from the dark hole in the wall. The boat made from reeds, is
light and slender. Thoth, the ibis-headed god of Wisdom stands at the bow, to guide
the vessel. At the center of the craft is a shrine where the Sun-god sits enthroned. He
has the body of a man with the tawny head and piercing eyes of a hawk. A large
Solar disc crowns his nemyss, and he holds an ankh in one hand and a phoenixheaded
staff in the other. The scarab, Khepera, surmounts the crown of the figure
like a halo. But the god is old and has the pallor of death about him.
The god Horus stands at the rear of ship as an escort. At this marvelous
sight, a roar of praise erupts from those assembled in the chamber.
At the center of the room, the boat stops and is boarded by the Souls who
have stood waiting for it. Anubis leads you to the craft. "You must continue your
journey under the protection of Ra," he tells you. "1must return to give guidance
to the dead. Have courage. The Tuat is filled with sights both wondrous and terrible.
Fear nothing and your strength shall see you through."
From the boat, a hand is offered. You take it and climb aboard, giving a
final farewell to Anubis, who is already on his way back to the surface-the light
from his lamp bobs through the cavern tunnel. Finding a seat with the other passengers,
you settle in for the ride. The apes you saw earlier pull on the ropes
which open the great stone doors leading to the Tuat. Slowly the Sektet boat
moves forward and enters the underworld.
The place called the Tuat is so enormous that it is difficult to tell whether it
is enclosed under the earth or if it exists at some point in space beyond the earth.
The stream has widened into a river in the middle of a valley, on either side of
which is a mountain range. It is a noisy place inhabited by many creatures. Monstrous
beasts rummage about in the muddy shores. The Souls of the dead are
everywhere, milling around along the river bank and swimming alongside the
boat. A few are permitted to climb on board, but others are turned away, because
each Soul must spend a certain amount of time in the underworld before re-entering
the land of the Living.
The ship continues to travel through the twelve divisions of the Tuat,
known as the twelve hours of the Night. Twin Pylons with serpent guardians
mark each division. So many incredible sights appear that you can only sit and
watch as gods battle hostile Spirits, evil serpents and crocodiles. There are great
pits of fire that appear in the middle of the river. Hostile Spirits harangue the dead
who walk along the shore. There are also benevolent and helpful creatures whose
bodies are formed from many different animals. At times it seems like many lesser
gods appear from nowhere to pull the ship forward with serpents instead of
ropes. Sacred animals such as bulls, winged cobras and baboons join in the processions
through the Underworld. And at one point, the great goddess Isis
appears on the boat to utter magical words to repel the enemies of Ra.
At the sixth division of the Tuat, the Sektet boat stops at a great stone
shrine topped with spearheads. Inside, the god Osiris is seated upon the summit
of a flight of nine steps. He wears a double crown and holds in one hand a scepter
and in the other an ankh, the symbol of Life. Before him is a pair of scales and a
company of lesser gods. The Sektet boat pauses in homage to the god who reigns