Chapter II (Cont.): The Holy Eucharist (Pages 120 to 129)

¹²⁰this, and their right or positive sides towards the Angel, for handing it on to him.  Of course, there is at the same time a continuous and concentrated stream flowing from the Angel down through the three of them, but not only is this smaller in volume than the stream which comes in from the people, but also it flows straight through without any difficulty, whereas the larger quantity has to be sorted, sifted and purified; therefore the main work is one of receiving material from the body of the church, and we are not so concentrated on what comes in from beyond the Altar, as that will take care of itself.  Hence the negative side is turned not towards the east, but to the west.

      The alternative arrangement is that the deacon should stand just behind the subdeacon, so that a line drawn from the celebrant to the deacon, and thence to the subdeacon, would not be a straight line, but would make two sides of a triangle, the third side the hypotenuse, being made by the direct line from the celebrant to the subdeacon.  With this formation, the celebrant often faces west just as does the subdeacon, though the deacon still looks north.  Some of the lines of force between the Epistles and the officiant flow directly from one to the other, and some via the deacon--thus making the triangle in lines of light.  With this arrangement, the flow of force is mostly outwards-- the celebrant being directly towards his congregation and after being swirled round and worked up for somewhat longer, it is poured in again during the gradual.  Each scheme seems to work well, and from the occult point of view there is not much to influence one's choice.  It has been thought that the triangle, being a living symbol, would act as a great channel, but this form of magic--making connections in this way with the archetypes--belongs more to the Egyptian form of ceremonial, and is not needed so much in the Christian scheme, where we have the Host which seems to make all necessary connections.  Moreover, at this particular part of the Service there is no special call for such a channel.

      Whichever plan be adopted, the celebrant should remain in the centre of the Altar, as he, like the Angel, has to gather forces from both sides of the Altar to send down and out through his assistants.

      The Epistle is not accompanied by the same tremendous outrush as the Gospel, nor has it the same mechanical arrangements connected with it, but, it is, nevertheless, a definite outpouring, and naturally, as it is a part of the Bible which is read, it is in touch with the body of thought behind that Volume of the Sacred Lore.

          ¹²¹

GRADUAL
ROMAN	LIBERAL
The Gradual varies.  That which follows is of Trinity Sunday.	The Gradual varies only on Christmas, Easter, Ascension, Whitsunday and Trinity Sunday; also on Festivals of our Lady or of the Angels.  That which follows is used throughout the rest of the year
Blessed are thou, O Lord who beholdest the depths, and sitteth upon the cherubim.     Blessed are thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven and worthy of praise for ever.  Alleluia, alleluia.     Blessed art thou,  O Lord God of our fathers, and worthy of praise for ever.   Alleluia.	He that loveth wisdom loveth life and they that seek her early shall be filled with joy.     Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes: and I shall keep it unto the end.     Give me understanding, and I shall keep Thy law: yea, I shall keep it with my whole heart.     The path of the just is as the shining light: shining more and more onto the perfect day.

      The Gradual is one of the oldest parts of the Service, and is so called from the Latin word Gradus, a step, because it was sung from the lowest step of the ambon or rostrum form which the Epistle and Gospel were chanted.  In the days of many lessons there was always a psalm sung after each; this which is called the Gradual came originally between the Prophecy and the Epistle, while the word "Alleluia," many times repeated, was sung just before the Gospel to express the thankfulness of the people for the good news which it brought to them.

¹²²  The habit arose of prolonging the last syllable of that word, and making it wander up and down over many notes (not infrequently extending to three or four hundred, and in one case at least reaching to as many as seven hundred!), this vague inarticulate noise being somehow supposed to symbolize the inexpressible joy of the Saints in heaven.  As some rudimentary musical sense slowly developed among the early Christians, it occurred to them that it would be better to substitute a hymn for this curious meandering; and when that was done the hymn was called a Sequence, because it followed the Alleluia.

      On occasions when it was desired to give a mournful air to the Service, as in Lent or at funerals, they substituted for the Alleluia a psalm to which they gave the name of Tract, because it was sung straight through (in uno tractu) and not in alternate verses.  The Tract and Sequence are still to be found in the Roman Liturgy, but we have thought it unnecessary to perpetuate them, as a large number of small passages which are constantly changing cause confusion, and make it more difficult for the congregation to follow the Service.  For the same reason we use one Gradual all the year round, except for those great festivals for which Proper Prefaces are appointed.

      As in this part of the Service we are concentrating on the vivification of mental matter for the edifice, the Gradual advocates the love of wisdom, and explains the need of instruction in order that real progress may be made--that we may thereby grow in understanding, ¹²³and so become a steadily increasing light and help to the world.  The Angel of the Eucharist uses the matter given to him by the singing of the Gradual for the strengthening and enriching of his edifice, and especially for the division of each of its four walls into panels by the erection of half-pillars.

      At a Low Celebration, when the Gradual is omitted, columns and decorations do not appear, though there is usually a faint indication of the panels.  Naturally the form made at the Low Celebration is not only much smaller than that of a full musical Service, but also in every way plainer and less ornate.  Another factor which makes a good deal of difference in the form is the intelligent co-operation of the Priest.  In the Churches where this branch of the subject is not studied, all the work of designing and building the edifice falls entirely upon the Angel of the Eucharist (or, when he is not invoked, upon the Directing Angel); he can and does make the labour far easier by supplying material exactly when and where it is wanted.

NOTE


      At this point the subdeacon stands in the middle, on the lowest step, or else, in the Roman working, over on the Epistle side, waiting for the candle-bearers to come and form the procession with the book of the Gospels.  In either case, he leaves the way open for a direct connection between the deacon and congregation by which the deacon receives the mental matter now being vivified by them without its coming through the subdeacon, who represents the emotional side of things.  He hands this on to the celebrant, who passes it on, and then the response comes back, again in terms of mental matter, which all helps to prepare the deacon for the distinctly mental outpouring of the Gospel.

¹²⁴  The deacon represents the more mental side of things, and his side of the Altar is that which in the Ray influences is predominantly masculine; it is on his side that we have the scientific ruling Rays.  The subdeacon's side of the Altar represents more the emotional approach, and has the Ray of devotion on it.  This is the more negative or feminine side, and it was at one time the custom for the women in the church to sit on the subdeacon's side, and the men on the deacon's side.  An interesting exception to this is found in the curious old Sarum rite, where this was reversed.

      Meanwhile the subdeacon has been receiving all the people's emotions, which, after transmuting them, he discharges.  Some of this goes up to the celebrant, and much goes out to his left and straight up.  This the Angel uses for the decoration of the walls of the form, and I am inclined to think that he reserves this for decorating the western half, and uses that which passes through the celebrant for the eastern half.  The subdeacon also has certain lines going from his to the deacon, and it looks as though he were giving the deacon the benefit of some of the higher emotions which are more specially stimulating to the mind, before passing them on.

MUNDA COR MEUM
ROMAN	LIBERAL
Cleanse my heart and my lips. O God almighty, who didst cleanse the lips of the prophet Isaiah with a live coal: vouchsafe of thy gracious mercy so to cleanse me that I may meetly proclaim thy holy gospel. Through Christ our Lord.   Amen.      Pray, Lord, a blessing.      May the Lord be in my heart and on my lips, that so I may meetly and fitly proclaim his gospel.   Amen.	Cleanse my heart and my lips, O God, who by the hand of Thy Seraph didst cleanse the lips of prophet Isaiah with a burning coal from Thine Altar, and in Thy loving kindness so purify me that I may worthily proclaim Thy holy gospel. Through Christ our Lord. R.   Amen.      May the Lord by in my heart and on my lips, that through my heart the love of God may shine forth, and through my lips His power be made manifest. R.   Amen.

      This prayer is said as above at a Low celebration or Missa Cantata only.  At a High Celebration the first ¹²⁵part is repeated by the deacon, who then kneels before the celebrant (or before the Bishop if present) and the latter recites the second part of the aspiration, substituting the word, "thy" for "my".  It is a fervent wish on the part of the reader that he may be so purified as to do his work properly and to be a suitable cannel for the power which is to be poured forth; and a very real response is received through the blessing of the celebrant or the Bishop, who thereby bestows upon him a portion of the electrification which was produced at the censing, and includes him temporarily within the magnetic field, thus admitting him to the Holy of Holies in order to do this special piece of work.

NOTE



      The deacon's prayer that his heart and lips may be cleansed directs his own attention to these centres, i.e., the heart and throat, and so stimulates them.  This renders them more receptive to the power which is about to be poured into them by the celebrant.  Because the work done in connection with the Gospel is mainly on the mental plane, the deacon's brain centres must also receive attention, and therefore the centre at the pituitary body is similarly made to glow.  A further effect of the prayer is seen on the people, who, if they have been following what the deacon has been saying, have had the same centres in themselves quickened.  This is not only the result of following him, but is also due to the direct effect which he is able to produce on them as a result of the connection made between himself and the people at the Gradual, so that when his own centres are brought into activity, the corresponding chakras in the people are affected in the same way.

      The deacon should bear in mind that, as it was he who gathered in all the people's "mental aspiration," it is he who is to hand on to them the power which comes down as a response to this.  He is thus an intermediary for the people, and, like an agent in physical-plane matters, he must remember their interests.  In short, he must not forget that he is to be "cleansed" merely for the sake of his duty to the people, and is therefore representing or ¹²⁶speaking for them as well as for himself.  There will be two results from his recollecting this; the link between himself and the people will be stronger, and he will be able to do much more when reading the Gospel, and also the people's centres will have been much better prepared for the Gospel outpouring.  However, the result on both the deacon and people is but slight during the prayer; it is only at the celebrant's response that anything definite is noticed.

      With the words "May the Lord be in thy heart," a beautiful golden stream is poured out which largely affects the deacon's heart, and when the celebrant says: "and on thy lips," a gleaming silver flashes out which is chiefly attracted to his throat-centre.  At the words, "that through thy heart the love of God may shine forth," the deacon is surrounded by a beautiful cloud of rose-colour, with a glowing nucleus at the chakra in the breast.  The clause: "and through thy lips His power be made manifest," sends a stream of the wonderful pale blue power of the first Ray--which is always sparkling with flashing silver--into the deacon at the throat.  By means of the Minor Benediction, he immediately shares this blessing with the people and receives their response, thus completing his link with them.  The effect on the congregation of this close harmony is largely in stimulating its members mentally; the awakening of their centres is only a secondary consideration, useful inasmuch as it helps in quickening the faculty of receiving and understanding; therefore, in all this preparation for the Gospel, the deacon should have in mind the general enlivening of the power of comprehending and assimilating, rather than be concentrating too much on the people's centres.

      To make this point clear, it will be well to see how the outpourings of colour affect the deacon.  The heart centre has to do especially with the expression of the nobler emotions, and there is a direct connection between the upper astral and the buddhic, or intuitional levels.  Now the golden power which is first poured on to the deacon's heart is buddhic, and thus stimulates the intuitional side of the higher powers of understanding.  The pink of affection, which is later concentrated in the deacon's heart, ensures that the Gospel shall be interpreted in the spirit of pure love--the astral sensation which is most akin to anything buddhic--which on the higher planes is not only love, but wisdom, the right understanding of things.

      The throat, being the centre through which we have a direct touch with the higher astral levels--where we find the loftiest and the most buddhic form of love--is, for this reason, also vivified.  But is not only for the sake of that higher touch that this chakra is quickened, but also because we are about to hear a ¹²⁷reading--to listen--and the throat is the physical receiver for astral sounds.  But in the case of the deacon there is yet another reason for this.  The silvery electric blue of the first-Ray powers are given to him in order that as the words pass his lips--the lips are an extension of the throat chakra--they may receive the most powerful possible impetus.

      It will be seen that all that happens to the particular centres is only of subsidiary importance to the necessity of awakening the faculties of comprehension and understanding--and, in the deacon, the power of delivery.  Thus it is sufficient if these general ideas be borne in mind by the deacon, and he simply thinks of the quickening of these things in the congregation, as well as in himself, during his prayer for purification.

      This is a principle which apples throughout all ceremonial.  It is always better to try to get the central idea, the dominant purpose of a prayer or a paragraph, and hold this firmly in mind, rather than to be distracted by each individual sentence.  If this be done, each separate clause goes to build up a strong clear-cut thought-form, which then discharges itself with great effect; whereas, of the piece of ritual be done without this forceful conception of its direction and intention--if the mind simply passes on from sentence to sentence--the form produced is markedly less clear-cut and tends to look wooly, which renders it much less effective; and this is so, however clear the thought may be about the individual sentences.  The reason is that the gripping of the central idea involves the use of the synthesizing powers of the higher mind, and so brings down much more of the individual.

DOMINUS VOBISCUM

ROMAN	LIBERAL
V.  The Lord be with you.     R.  And with thy spirit.	P.  The Lord be with you.     C.  And with thy spirit.

      Immediately the deacon turns and shares this private benediction with the people (except that of course he cannot include them within the field), and is placed closely en rapport with them by their ready and earnest reply.  Their aspiration should of course be that their hearts may be so cleansed from lower emotions that ¹²⁸they may be able worthily to receive the teaching and profit by it.

THE GOSPEL

ROMAN	LIBERAL
The Priest announces the portion of Gospel to the read, making the sign of the cross on the book with his right thumb.	The Priest announces the portion of Gospel to the read, making the sign of the cross on the book with his right thumb.
	C.   Glory be to thee, O Lord.
He reads the gospel	He censes the book thrice and reads the gospel.
R.   Praise be to thee, O Christ.	C.   Praise be to thee, O Christ.
The Priest kisses the book, saying:>      By the words of the gospel may our sins be blotted out.

      The gospel has always been regarded as the most important of the readings.  Since it was supposed to contain the words of Christ Himself, or the account of some incident in His earthly life.  From this point of view the book in which it was written was surrounded with the greatest reverence; it was censed and kissed by the reader, and attended by acolytes with candles.  We are now well aware that historically most of these reasons for special respect have no existence; many critics think that these books are for the most part not the work of those to whom they are attributed, that many of the words which they assign to the Christ were probably never spoken by Him, and that in any case they were not intended by their writers to be ¹²⁹taken as an account of historical facts, but merely as the casting of the great eternal facts of human progress into the form of an allegory, just as was done in other great mystery-dramas by the ancients.  This was perfectly understood by the great Gnostic doctors of the early Church, though forgotten, with so much else, when the dark ages of ignorance and barbarism descended upon the world.

      Origen, the most brilliant and learned of all the ecclesiastical Fathers, teaches that "the Gnostic or sage no longer needs the crucified Christ.  The eternal or spiritual gospel which is his possession shows clearly all things concerning the Son of God Himself, both the mysteries shown by His words and the things of which His acts were the symbols.  It is not so much that Origen denies or doubts the truth of the gospel history, but he feels that events which happened only once can be of no importance, and regards the life, death and resurrection of the Christ as only one manifestation of a universal law, which was really enacted, not in this fleeting world of shadows, but in the eternal counsels of the Most High.  He considers that those who are thoroughly convinced of the universal truth revealed by the Incarnation and the Atonement need trouble themselves no more about their particular manifestations in time." (Christian Mysticism, by Dean Inge, p. 89.)

      Origen speaks plainly with regard to the difference between the ignorant faith of the undeveloped multitude and the higher and reasonable faith which is

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