Oahspe Study and Faithism
From the Darkness into Light Part 2
How did the races of man help man move from the darkness into light? What was their role and heritage for man on his way toward Kosmon. And what does their legacy presage for man in Kosmon?
The Beast-Man
At the time of Sethantes, the I'hin received at his conception an animal and beast inheritance from Asu. From Es (the Angels of Innocence) the I'hin received a concentrated spirit centered within him along with an intellect unfettered by "instinct", and importantly, a quickened soul capable of unlimited growth. And from both Asu and the Angels of Innocence the I'hin received a predisposition to follow Es. This last trait made it rather easy to obsess the I'hin to righteousness. So that when it came to choice, the angels of Jehovih obsessed the I'hin to choose Es over the beast. But the I'huan was not obsessed to that end by the angels of Jehovih, neither was the Ghan nor Man[1], save for certain brief exceptions (see e.g., Zarathustra's mother Too'che, 21/2.4).[2]
Because the sum total that Jehovih gave man was choice and liberty (34/13.27), and because liberty implies / can be defined as: the power to choose, so the most important thing that man has that the beasts of the field do not is Choice---choice to follow Jehovih or not. Man can thus use his intellect, soul, and spirit to choose his paths and reactions. To follow the ways of Jehovih and His kingdoms of Es is the path of the Es-man aka Es-oriented man. Or man can choose to follow the ways of the beast which is the path of the beast-man aka the beast-oriented man. Or man can fluctuate between the two in his choices. This would be the path of the es-man who tends to respond to spirit virtuously or with good intent. Because he fluctuates, the es-man can be persuaded by the beast or by the Family of the Universe (see e.g., i028, 36/0.1-10; all of the Book of Ben and the Book of Knowledge).
Between the animal in man and the other beasts, another important difference though subtle at times, exists. Yet it is potent. Both the beasts of the field, air and water, along with the races of I'hin-I'huan-Ghan-Man received an intellectual and spiritual center, and a self. But even with those blessings, the beasts of the field / air / water have only limited capacity to intellectually abstract to concepts. In contrast those races of man have had capacity for unlimited abstraction. The limitation stems from the beast of field / air / water, as well as the animal nature of man all viewing experiences only subjectively, with little to no objective overview. That is, the beasts cannot perceive themselves as though removed from the situation and seeing it from afar, which the objective view / abstraction can do. Whereas the es-man can view experiences subjectively and objectively --- and from various levels of objectivity.
The beast in man takes advantage of the es talent to view experiences more objectively. This gives the beast-man greater potency to attain his beastly ends. While in that labor the beast-man believes his own view to be objective. Yet the beast-man cannot remove himself from his self and thus limits his view to a skewed perspective biased toward and based on self (this is true even if the beast-man tries to abnegate his self in order to achieve a greater goal which is nevertheless selfish even though it may not seem so to that individual. For example, Anuhasaj had an ambition to be Lord God because he thought he would do better than anyone else in that position, and so he spent many years in patient preparation to be worthy of the office). In contrast, the Es-man tends to base his objective view from the standpoint of Jehovih, with the Es-man's objective view being limited only by his perception of Jehovih. The es-man, on the other hand, is inclined toward Jehovih but is not yet grown constitutionally to remain within Jehovih's parameters (think of the fete symbol in Se'moin and how it provides the parameters for Isu[3]). Yet the es-man's move to identify himself with his animal nature (gained from his Asu heritage) rather than identify with his beast nature (inherited from his Druk heritage[4]), will help him gain objectivity and thus move more securely toward becoming an Es-man.
In contrast, the es-man (the undeveloped or immature spirit in man) allows his animal nature to be served at the expense of his Es. That is, through the es-man the beast can choose to go against Jehovih; and if such times become a habit, the person becomes known as a beast-man.
To the es-man, the beast in man can seem at times to be intellectually on the same level with or even seemingly above, the es within the man. In other words, the beast can reason objectively and this allows him to confound the reason of man by creating sa-gwan---the Black Doubt (21/8.12-14). The conundrum thus created for man is depicted in the condition of Hiss shown in the Tablet of Se'moin (i033, 35/D.22). There the serpent, although situated below, is able to express through the upper corners of the lodge (also experienced / shown as the upper corners in the Wheel of Life).
As important as the beast reacting is the beast expressing, usually through Su-tau (assertion without offering proof, 35/D.71; bear in mind that an assertion may be false or true, or partly true or partly false). Here again the beast expresses to man at man's level and seemingly somewhat more advanced than him as well, but sometimes as beneath man, depending upon the tack of the beast. But Jehovih has so constructed His creation that the beast expressing or responding to man, is not beyond the comprehension of es-man's intellect---yet may be beyond man's es knowledge and light. In other words, the beast speaks to a person and otherwise inspires a person, according to their capacity to comprehend and according to the interests of the self (the animal) in that person.[5]
With those differences between animal and es and as the foundation, the angels of Jehovih were guiding man toward Jehovih and the heights.
In Part 3 we will consider the role in man's progression that the Yak provided. The Yak was the living example of the extreme of the beast as it moved toward destroying itself as a race, i.e., toward dissolution.
[1] The entire span of races from Asu forward are called man. But the word Man is also used to refer to the race that developed after Ghan. This race came about during the Bon cycle when man was able to sustain the Tree of Light during the whole of the cycle. Man is the synthesis of Ghan and M'ghan as he was able to more closely balance his masculine and feminine sides.
[2] It may seem that Jehovih's angels obsessing the races other than I'hin would be hard to do because these races listened more to corpor than to Es. But such thinking might overlook the power of Jehovih's Lords and their kingdoms (see, e.g., 14/5.11; 29/20.8-9). These could easily obsess mortals to some objective. But, while it is easy to obsess mortals, it is rare for Jehovih's angels to do so---for the object is not to obsess man to do something or other, but a much more challenging objective---to induce man to desire a righteous result so as to voluntarily work for it. By inspiration and various stratagems that preserve free will, the angels thus induced man to rise to his inheritance.
[3] The Es-man tends to base his objective view from the standpoint of Jehovih. The es-man is inclined toward Jehovih but is not yet grown constitutionally to remain within Jehovih's parameters. The process of es-man moving toward Es-man is shown in the Tablet of Se'moin, especially of man moving from the soul condition of Isu (35/D.34) toward the Fete condition of soul (i033, 35/D.67).
mIsu (Se'moin i033), being the true inner cross of light, signifies the condition or state of a sustained inner righteousness toward each of the four sacred directions. Isu also signifies the sustaining in light of the inner ideal. A person attaining to Isu is able to rest in the center of that inner cross of light; that is, he is receptive to the light of that cross, that inner ideal. But it takes practice and mastery to carry forth (Na activity, do things, move forth) in that cross of light while yet remaining within it and without losing any of its light. Such a person is then called (has attained to) the state called Iesu. And if he has attained to radiate it while in Iesu, then he can be called a Son of Eolin.
Before the radiating talent can manifest, however, when such a person in practicing Iesu, learns to carry forth that light to its fullness, he will have attained to the fullness of the inner ideal. This condition of fullness is called Uhk'sa (i033). But because so relatively few mortals can attain to that fullness of light, the unripe ones instead see signs of evil within others when they are in Uhk'sa---that is, these other's inner ideal not only lacks sufficient light, but its fullness (such as it may be) reveals its flaws for all to see (which was how man was taught to recognize this condition of Uhk'sa---see, e.g., 35/D.35). Now in Kosmon we can perceive the higher manifestation of Uhk'sa, which is, without negating the possibility of the lower interpretation:
An unripe person's inner ideal, (whether ripe or unripe, good or evil, well-intended or ill-intended) gained when he was in the condition (environment, influence, vibes, pulse) of Isu (35/D.34), gets sustained by that person toward its fullness as he moves into the next condition, being Uhk'sa. All three: Es-man, es-man, and beast-man, perceive the sign of evil, but react differently to the person emitting those unripe ideals written in their words and actions. The Es-man learns to recognize this expression of Uhk'sa in others' unripeness and tends to hold his tongue and look to Jehovih. In contrast the es-man if he prefers ascension, tends to see the potential evil as evidenced by the other's words and actions, and thus attempts to avoid them or somehow meliorate the situation. But if the beast within him gains temporary influence, the es-man tends to react as the beast, but, generally unwilling to become ruthless, limits himself to complaint and fault-finding. Still others also unripe, being beast-men, react according to the tetracts with a tendency to use for self-advantage the weaknesses displayed by the others unripened in Uhk'sa.
All three types of man can gaze upon the unripe person in Uhk'sa, but only the Es-man can most clearly, fully and accurately take the measure of these words and actions being written by the unripe soul. The beast-man of high intelligence (an inheritance) can read and measure the writing better than can the es-man. That occurs because the es-man tends to become more easily confused by Hiss and Sa-gwan, whereas the lesser intelligent beast-man tends to more readily follow the beast's promptings from a lower "gut level".
But not in any case is all lost, for in the next condition which comes upon man, Git (35/D.36) the Moon resuscitates man in his darkness so that he may continue to carry forth toward his destiny or fate.
And so it goes in progression for man after Isu: to Uhk'sa, then Moon and so on through the rest of the 33 conditions or steps to when man reaches Fete. Along the way man increasingly learns how to radiate (administer light) wisely. So that by the time man reaches Fete, he has learned the fundamentals. Although he as yet has much to learn, he gains much foundation in that regard from Fete itself.
Fete provides the parameters for man as well as for Iesu. Those parameters are identified as the boundary of the inner True Cross. Inside the boundaries is a vast area of space where the righteous reside. If a person falls outside those parameters, he enters the condition of Fate. That is, when he falls outside the vast area of (space within) the cross, see i033) he becomes subject to Fate with its dark corners (i022, 21/9.15-16).
The Es-man (dedicated to following Jehovih and His ways) tends to be located nearer the center of the Fete or its arms than to its boundary. Accordingly the Es-man usually has ample space to recover from an almost always minor fall before reaching or without reaching the boundary of the Fete Cross. That space between a person's position (Um) within the Fete and the boundary of the Fete is the cushion gained by that person.
As a rule, the beast-man is outside the Fete boundary and so has no space (leeway) to stop or cushion his fall. And so the beast-man is mostly found living in Fate rather than Fete, and oriented toward, and moving toward, the corners. But at times, the beast does seek out the center (see, e.g., Ugh'sa 35/E.4 of Bienei i034), and at times seems to possess it (see, e.g., Ugh'gad 35/E.5, & Eoi'm 35/E.6 of Bienei), Although the beast cannot ever wholly attain the center, it can come very close to it, even to blotting it out; for instance, at the end of Neph's cycle immediately prior to the Flood, and with the Wars Against Jehovih during Spe-ta's cycle, and during the Bon cycle the Beast was able to establish a (beastly) second resurrection (37/0.2-3) and even an inner temple.
The es-man, fluctuating as he does between (Es-)man and beast, is no stranger to Fete or Fate. When in Fete, his Um in general lies closer to the boundary of Fete than to its center. That same distance marks the greatest extent of his fall into Fate. The es-man generally sets those leeways depending upon the ethe'ic weather---if the ethe'ic solution is rarefying or condensing, so the es-man reacts---he rises during rarefying times and falls toward or into the beast during condensing (falling) times. For the es-man is a great believer in the middle way (which first came forth in Spe-ta and was brought to its extremes in Bon.) Said another way, the es-man is a fruit of the Me-de-an way, as is the Republic Social Order under which most of mortal man lives in these early days of Kosmon.
If the es-man stays within the parameters set by Jehovih and upheld by Fete, then he blossoms toward his destiny. It he falls to Fate, then he gets pushed by his surroundings (circumstances, the beast, "impersonal" nature of Creation, etc.).
The parameters of Fete are set by Jehovih through the Brotherhood of Iesu. For most of man's existence the Brotherhood of Iesu have been virtually all spirits with few mortal members. Yet as with other things in Jehovih's kingdom, there are degrees of attainment and mastery, and it is a path all people walk, knowingly or otherwise. Even as man is tethered to the red star we call earth and her heavens, and he has no choice but to learn how to navigate the path, even so is the journey from Isu to Fete. Each and every person shall walk it till risen in Fete. As always at any given time there are those closer to fulfilling that talent. Thus these are those who have developed from Isu (35/D.34) in the capacity to carry forth the true inner cross of light within them through all the 33 conditions (35/D.34-67) leading to and culminating in Fete. And if that person has sustained the light of his inner ideal signified by the true cross of white soul light within him, he enters the Brotherhood of Iesu and joins his or her brethren who had already attained to that talent, Together they sustain the space within parameters of Fete. These parameters uphold the leeway granted man to develop in his inner life and light while in the outer realm.
The beast in man does not like to own that a greater person or thing than himself can exist, and so cuts himself off from this space offered by the Brotherhood of Iesu. Yet, if man---beast-man or not) steps outside the bounds of Fete, he enters the condition of Fate. That is, the dark corners come upon him. In that regard, see, e.g., the four dark corners in the Tablet of Ancient Egypt (i046), or see the M'hak ceremony of Emethachavah (35/AA). The Iesu who has attained to Fete has been able to not only transcend the darkness in the corners, but because he will have learned to radiate, he will be on the path to bring wise and effective light to the corners. He will learn to do this latter on his way toward Chine (35/D.99). For as revealed in Se'moin, the 67th pulse or condition of the foundation system and order of creation, Fete, signifies that man has either attained to or failed to transcend the beast (66th pulse) or 2/3rds of 99 pulses (99 being the highest grade of man).
In summary, in conditions 67 through 99, being conditions transcendent above the beast, there man learns how to effectively bring light to the corners. (The light in the corners can be seen represented for example in the Emethachavah i058 and in i037 Emp'agatu's Dan'hiss 35/H.5.9.). And if man cannot yet transcend the beast, but he is an es-man, i.e., in ascension, he could fall only to within the given parameters of Fete. But if he has the beast in ascendancy, he will surely fall to his fate. The parameters (limits) of Fate are upheld by Uz, Son of Jehovih. Within Fate the parameters of the True Cross of Light (the Fete) are set by Elohim and upheld by the Brotherhood of Iesu through their communion with Seffas, Son of Jehovih. Seffas in his true (a higher) interpretation, sustains the ways of Jehovih and His kingdom. One of Jehovih's ways is to not come against anyone or anything (see e.g., 25/17.2; 28/16.43). The Es-man, being constitutionally oriented to Jehovih, thus tends to avoid falling to the darkness of Fate, and thus protected from falling outside the parameters of Uz, Son of Jehovih.
[4] The I'hins also had a beast nature, but the difference was that the I'hin early on was taught and obsessed to follow Es rather than the tugs of the beast, whereas the Druk reinforced the dominion of the beast within him by unrestrainedly following the beast, thus passing a deeply ingrained trait to his heirs.
[5] A person who enters the inner temple begins to lose the animal behavior and afterward transcend the animal mind (for an ancient depiction of this see, Anubis Tablet i051). Certainly by the time a spirit is ready to resurrect into etherea as a Bride or Bridegroom to Jehovih, he or she will have wholly transcended the animal mind, or more properly, transcended his or her identification with corporeal-as-foundation and replaced it with eternal-soul-as-foundation. By that time, too, the Brides and Bridegrooms have already been delivered from the conditions (darkness) where the tetracts have strength (see. e.g., 23/1.21).
All Oahspe references are from the modern language edition: Oahspe Standard Edition
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From Darkness into Light Part 3 - Yak the Degenerated Beast-Man