Forlong - Rivers of Life

Fire Worship.
Fire descends from heaven at a stated season into the dark Adyta of the Sacred Shrine;
all old fires must be extinguished at this, the season 1 of Sol’s renewed vigour, so when
the Priest emerges from the adytum with the new fire in his hand (and Christian priests
have often done this, if they do not do so still), crowds of every hue and creed rush
towards him, light their tapers, and bear away the new fire to their homes.
The Hebrew term for fire is As or Ash, ca, which also signifies MAN, ADAM, A
STEM, and the ESSENCE of a subject. We see the signifieation of such words as As, or
Ash combined in the following. which should be borne in mind:
Asha, or Asher,
Assir, Asar, or Aser, } The Maha Deva of Western Asia, Priapus of Greece,
and first great God of Kaldia and Asyria.
Ashera, or “The Grove,”
or Ishtar or Astarte } Parvati, Lakshmi, Yoni or Sakti, &c.—the organ.
Ash-ban, or Esh-ban, … … … The Son of Fire.
Ash-ba-al, or Ash-Bel … … … The Lord of Fire.
Ashi-El, or Asi-El, … … … The Creating El.
Ashah, Isha, Isa and Isis, hca. … … Woman, Eve, and Yoni.
Ishi and Ishi-Jah, … … … The Upright one—Jah.
Ishma-el, … … … … … El is high, or shines.
Ishtar (cuniform), … … … The Celestial Queen.
Ishua (Gen. xlvi. 17) … … … The Erect One.
Is-ra-el, larcy … … … … Man of El, or Saturnist.
Ra and EI each signify Sun and fertilising heat, and Is, its fire, the whole giving
the idea. of a Sivaite, or one worshipping the fertile force of El.
Isui ywcy (Gen. xlvi. 17) … … The Comforter—Victory.
Ishai, ycy, (usually called Jesse), … A Stem or Root, the Druid Criewy.
Tas, Ta, and Ap-tas, were all titles of Amon as Fire, and every place in the
composition of whose name these words are found, has reference to procreative
or fertilising fire. Thus, Apitis was the name of Amon’s very ancient oracle in
Thrace; Aphaka was the temple and oracle of Venus Aphakitis in Mount Libanus, and
was “so denominated from fire;” Castor and Pollux were Aphe-terioi; Mars was
amongst the Arkadians Arkites called Aphæus; Apollo was Aphe-tor, which Dorians
properly translated Fire-Tower, a name of Siva as the Lingam, fire-stone or Sunstone,
and which Latins continued calling Pur-tor, from which we have Prutaneum
or Pry-taneum, the shrine of Vesta, whose priests were Aph-etæ. Prytanis was the
title of the Governor of Athens, as well as of the Curia of Rome, which gave birth to
our Parish Offficial, still connected with religion.
That Fire and flame still forn a not inconspious part in the devotions of British
Christians may be seen from the statement of the Rev. C. Maurice Davies, 2 where in
1 Newton’s Appen. to Inman’s Symbolism, p. 112, Ed. 1874.
2 Unorthodox London, p. 386.
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