The Wisdom of Hypatia: Ancient Spiritual Practices for a More Meaningful Life (34 page)

168 the macrocosm

Journey to the Central Fire (continued):
You open the door and step through. Or you may imagine entering a door in a pyramid. It is your choice, but imagine yourself entering a sacred portal into the earth. You descend down long, dimly lit

stone steps. Finally you come to a large chamber; the walls are so far away you

cannot see them in the dark. Just inside the door is an altar and upon it there

is a golden oak branch or wand. Instinctively you pick it up, and it begins to

shine, giving some illumination. You are shocked to see some very old bones

lying about, and you have an inexplicable feeling they are your ancestors, but

you cannot imagine how they got here. You go forward slowly and come to

a shallow, slow moving stream or canal. In the distance to your left you can

see ghostlike apparitions of the dead, waiting to ferried to the other side, the

land of the dead. In the distance on the right you see a vast swarm of glowing

butterflies, crossing from the other side to yours, where they disappear in the

distance; they are newborn souls entering incarnation. The light of your wand

shows you that there are some step stones immediately in front of you, and

you use them to cross the stream into the other world, where you come to a Y

in the path. The branch to the left leads to a white cypress, where the souls of

the dead who have crossed are drinking from a spring; it flows from Lêthê, the

River of Forgetfulness, where Sleep and Death dwell. This is not your path, so

you take the branch to the right, which leads to a black cypress; you drink from

the spring by it, which flows from the Lake of Memory. The cool refreshing

water wakes you up, and you notice that behind the black cypress is a passage

into the hillside. This short passage through the hill takes you into a complete-

ly different world, the Elysian Field or Isle of the Blessed. It is sunny and a gen-

tle breeze is blowing. It is an idyllic setting, with many flowers, soft grass, and

trees for shade. All around are men and women—or perhaps ghosts—it’s hard

to tell—dressed in the clothing of many times and places. Some of them are

talking together; others are engrossed in engaging activities. This is the land

of blessed spirits and daimons, the saints, wise, and holy people of all cultures.

As you pass through you recognize a few—perhaps Pythagoras and Plato, or

Moses and Jesus, or Mohammed and Rumi; perhaps Buddha, Kuan Yin, or Lao

Tzu—many others are unknown to you. Some of them notice your glowing

wand and smile benevolently at you.

the macrocosm 169

Journey to the Central Fire (continued):
On the opposite side of the valley is a magnificent temple built into the side of a mountain; four rivers flow quietly from the

mountain in the four directions. You cross to the temple, leave your golden

bough or wand as an offering on the altar in front of the temple, and go inside.

It is so bright inside that at first you are blinded, but as your eyes adjust, you

discover that you are within a huge circular chamber and filled with many

shining figures. They are immobile like statues, but they seem full of life and

power. You may recognize them as gods, such as Zeus, Athena, and Apollo, and

all the rest, in their typical poses. Or they might be choirs of angels, including

perhaps the archangels, such as Michael, in recognizable forms. Or they might

not be easily identifiable; in any case they shimmer, and the glare is so bright it

is hard to see them clearly. Ethereal music fills the interior. You proceed slowly

down a labyrinthine walkway that winds ever towards the center, and as you

do so the forms become less distinct, more like abstract forms and indistinct

lights. At the walkway’s end, in the center of the hall, you come to a golden

dome embedded in the floor; it is the inner sanctum, and you know that within

it is the Holy of Holies. You pull open its door, but the light is so blinding that

you close your eyes. Nevertheless you can “see” that you are peering into a

huge spherical chamber. At its very center is a point of light infinitely brighter

than the sun. It fills the cavity with such brilliance that nothing else is visible.

But amazingly, the intense light is not harsh; rather it is comforting and filled

with life, which permeates your body and soul. Nevertheless the light is so

intense that you are forced to withdraw and close the door. Having journeyed

to the Central Fire, you now retrace your steps past the divine beings, back to

the temple entrance. Retrieve your wand and let it guide you back through the

peaceful realm of the blessed and wise, past the dead and unborn, and finally

again to the river that separates the divine realms from ours. Cross the river

and return to the stairs. Leave the golden bough or wand on the altar, ready for

your next journey. Climb the steps and return to your everyday world. When

you are ready, open your eyes and record any impressions you may have.

170 the macrocosm

The Golden Chain

Here is another way to look at the central light. Think of the rays emanating from the central One to all things in our world. Each of these rays may be traced back to its source, The One. Neoplatonists talk about rays, but also cords or chains, suspended from The One. The image of the Golden Chain has its origin in Homer’s
Iliad
, where Zeus (Jove) says of himself:

And know, the Almighty is the god of gods.

League all your forces, then, ye powers above,

Join all, and try the omnipotence of Jove.

Let down our golden everlasting chain

Whose strong embrace holds heaven, and earth, and main:

Strive all, of mortal and immortal birth,

To drag, by this, the Thunderer down to earth:

Ye strive in vain! if I but stretch this hand,

I heave the gods, the ocean, and the land;

I fix the chain to great Olympus’ height,