Cicero - Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition_Part 01

310 SELF-INITIATION INlO ras GoLDEN DAWN TRAomON
over the Underworld-osiris, he who judges the dead. The Lord of Life, triumphant
over Death.
After leaving the shrine, the journey continues as before, until eventually,
the Sektet boat reaches the eleventh division of the Tuat-and the eleventh hour of
the night. At this point, great pits of fire-e-each attended by a goddess-appear
ahead of the boat, and the battle between gods and demons becomes decidedly
more intense. The voices from your past which had earlier harassed you in the
cave return to bother you now at this crucial moment. But you have already won
over them in the knowledge that they are merely programmed archetypes within
your own psyche, which do not wish to lose their position of prominence within
your mind. In this last-ditch effort to force you to feel weak, inane, and guilty, the
voices are desperate in the attempt to make you fail to complete this voyage.
The god Horus takes command of the vessel and orders all the demons
and enemies of Ra to be consumed in the blazing fires. The attendant goddesses
see that it is done. At this point, you also will your own personal demons into the
purging flames. The ghostly voices are silenced. A sense of great relief and calm
overtakes you, as the Sektet boat glides into the Twelfth Hour of the Night.
Twelve gods, all loyal servants of Ra, now pull the ship, which is no longer
sailing on the river, but through the belly of a sacred serpent. In this surprisingly
tranquil division of the Tuat, you hear in a whisper, the serpent's name, "Ka-en­
Ankh-neteru, the Life of the gods." The circle of the Tuat is near its end, but there
is utter darkness in the bowels of this serpent. There is also a feeling of nervous
excitement among the Souls aboard the vessel. The horrors of the Tuat are in the
past now, and a great transformation is about to take place.
As the ship enters the throat of the serpent, the enormous jaws begin to
open. Beyond them is the indigo of the night sky, speckled with stars. As the boat
slides off the tongue of the animal, the stars and Planets themselves erupt into a
song of praise for the reborn Sun god. Twelve goddesses pull the ship into the sky.
The Sektet boat of the night is no more. It is now the Matet boat of Day sailing into
the Eastern part of the sky. Ra himself has transformed before your eyes. No longer
pale and old, the god glows with the life of youth. His Solar disc lights up the countryside
far below in all directions.
Of the fortunate Souls who have traversed the terrors of the Tuat in Ra's
ship, some are rewarded with a new birth upon the earth, while others remain in
the sky journeying at will through the universe. You, too, feel reborn and strengthened
with the dawning of the sun upon the skies over the earth. The grass is wet
and glistening with morning dew. Humans and animals below are just beginning
to stir from their sleep and go about their daily activities. You realize that your
journey upon the Path of Tau is nearing its end, but for the Sun god this journey is
a nightly occurrence. Silently, you thank the god for helping you travel this path.
The warmth of the Sun lulls you into a restful meditation.
When you open your eyes again, you see that an entire day has passed
while you meditated. The last rays of light are fading as Ra's boat enters the Western
sky. Under the earth, the ship again enters the dark Arrit, the antechamber to
the Tuat. This is the end of your journey through the underworld. You realize that