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Forlong - Rivers of Life

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Serpent and Phallic Worship.<br />

married. After the worship <strong>of</strong> the heavenly stone—the Sāligrāma, the youth or child<br />

takes a branch <strong>of</strong> the Vilwa tree in his right hand, and a mystic cloth-bag in the<br />

left, when a Poita is formed <strong>of</strong> three fibres <strong>of</strong> the Sooroo tree (for the first cord must<br />

always be made <strong>of</strong> the genuine living fibres <strong>of</strong> an orthodox tree), and this is hung to the<br />

boy’s left shoulder; he then raises the Vilwa branch over his right shoulder, and so stands<br />

for some time, a complete figure <strong>of</strong> the old faiths in Tree and Serpent, until the Priest<br />

<strong>of</strong>fers up various prayers and incantations to Soorya, Savitri or Sot, the Eternal God.<br />

The Sooroo-Poita is then removed as not darable enough, and the permanent thread<br />

is put over the neck. It also is formed <strong>of</strong> three threads, each 96 cubits or 48 yards<br />

long, folded and twisted together until only so long that, when thrown over the left<br />

shoulder, it extends half-way down the right thigh, or a little less; for the object<br />

appears to be to unite the Caput, Sol, or Seat <strong>of</strong> intellect with that <strong>of</strong> Passion, and so<br />

form a perfect man.<br />

Syrians, as well as all other nations, connected the Serpent with Fire. Thus the<br />

Jews had their fire altars, on which the holy flame must be pàr ¥sbestoj, ever burning and<br />

“never go out” (Lev. vi. 13); and they carried about a serpent on a pole as their healer.<br />

So also the writer <strong>of</strong> “the Acts <strong>of</strong> the Apostles” speaks <strong>of</strong> the Christian Holy Ghost<br />

as having Serpent-like “cloven tongues <strong>of</strong> fire,” which the margin <strong>of</strong> Orthodox Bibles<br />

very properly connects with Isaiah’s Seraphim, vi. 6. It was the “wavy tongues <strong>of</strong><br />

fire” which struck life and animation into that young faith, and convertcd its runaway<br />

disciples into fanatical followers (I am supposing that they are historical persons),<br />

just as Holy Ghosts or fiery Serpents have done in all creeds.<br />

Both Python and Pythoness were severe Deities, requiring enormous, costly and<br />

cruel sacrifices, which however neither men nor women have ever shrunk from:<br />

crowds in every land and in all times have waded through blood, and tried to excel<br />

each other in giving all that each held most precious to their Deities, but especially to Sol<br />

and Siva. If the pious Origen, the priests <strong>of</strong> Kubele, and tens <strong>of</strong> thousands <strong>of</strong> others<br />

in the western world have made themselves eunuchs, aye, and far worse, “for the<br />

kingdom <strong>of</strong> heaven’s sake” (Matt. xix.), so have millions in the East dedicated health<br />

and wealth, and yielded to every degradation <strong>of</strong> soul and mind and body for years and<br />

years; and finally cast thcmselves, like the Edomites, from the tops <strong>of</strong> l<strong>of</strong>ty rocks.<br />

Lucian writes that crowds did this at the festivals <strong>of</strong> the Syrian goddess Hea, 1 near<br />

the Euphrates, first singing, dancing, and rejoicing, and then before the final leap<br />

crowning themselves with garlands. Mothers used then to put their children “into<br />

sacks at home” and fling them from the giddy heights <strong>of</strong> the temple, whilst others<br />

beat and vociferated at them all the way to the precipice, and finally drove them<br />

over these deadly cliffs. These were days <strong>of</strong> strong faith and unbounded belief in<br />

miracles and sacred writings, and therefore ahow us clearly what “strong faith” leads to.<br />

Phenicia sacrificed her fairest children when war, pestilence, or famine urged her;<br />

1 No doubt Haiya or Hiya, a male and female god, and third in the Trinity <strong>of</strong> Asyrian gods.<br />

241

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