Forlong - Rivers of Life

Sun Worship.
implements used to be then gaily decked out, to which women were yoked as “the
bearers of the race.” Hindoos and Boodhists have about this time their great water
fretes, and the former pray to Siva as Saviour of the world. Romans used to madden
themselves at this Bacchanalia and Lupercalia; the priests of Pan brought forth two
white goats (Siva’s emblems), and having sacrificed them, sprinkled the elite of their
young men with the blood and some milk, and then cutting up part of the skins into
thongs, wrapped the other parts over the youths and despatched them all about the city
to whip the women in order to make them more fruitful. 1 The women eagerly came
towards the youths, fully believing that whipping and even laceration facilitated or led
to the more energetic performance of sexual duties, as when Apollo’s altar was circumambulated
and he himself whipped by those who desired more energy in his early vernal rays,
or when devotees whipped and cut themselves with the view of attaining greater spirituality,
or leading (as was taught in later times) a more self-denying life—a meaning which
the originators of the fetes would have utterly rejected. The early February fetes, which
the ChrilItian Church hands down as the “purification,” meant I suspect, with these
old people, quite another thing, as the “whipping” fete immediately follows this.
We can scarcely exaggerate too much the important part which Light, Fire, and
Candles have played in Christian worship. The Chnrch has had special prayers for
all of these, especially for Candles, during nearly all her lifetimo, and with these has,
ever since the fifth or sixth century, conjoined the Cross as the Emblem of Life. I
may here quote a prayer in regard to candles for the benefit of those who are not in
the way of seeing the worship of these:—“We implore Thee, by the invocation of Thy
holy name, and by the intercession of the blessed Virgin, the mother of thy Son, whose
feast we this day celebrate with the highest devotion, and by the intercession of all
thy saints, that thou wouldst sanctify these candles to the good and profit of men. . . .
O Lord Jesu, I beseech thee that thou wouldst bless this thy creature of wax, and
grant it thy heavenly benediction by the power of thy holy CROSS, that as it was a
gift to men by which the darkness might be driven away, so now it may be endowed
with such virtue by the sign of the holy cross, that whithersoever it may be lighted and
placed, the evil spirit may tremble,” &c. 2
No onc will surely fail to see in this, a true Phallic and Fire-worship, especially
when conjoined with the Phallic cross. If my readers make for themselves the real
rude emblems here mentioned, they will better understand the undisguised symbolism
of ancient Egypt and modern Europe. The art ornamentation of such articles in
civilised times hides very much the old coarseness of the ideography.
Henry VIII. particularly excepted this day in condemning many Roman practices—such
as those instituted by Pope Sergius of 684, who, as we have seen, directed
all persons to carry candles at religious festivals, but especially at Candlemas. Henry’s
ministers, Wolsey and Cranmer, declared that candles on that day signified “Christ
1 Danet’s Clas. Dict., “Luperci.” 2 Brand’s Ants., 221. Hospin. de Test. Purific., 53—italics mine.
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