Forlong - Rivers of Life

Sun Worship.
sacrificial wafer, shall be elevated or “waved” as did the Jews, and that all may frequently
make the sign of Sol’s cross, sing the Agnus Dei, and kiss their sacred book.
England, we are told, does not acknowledge an Ark, but only “the Holy Table,” which
her laws have defined “when not moveable, to be an altar;” yet the Church says, this
“Holy Table” shall stand in this midst of the altar “against the east wall,” at the time
of the Eucharistic sacrifice, that is, when the real presence is held to more especially
active.
“In 1662,” says the able and very moderate Dean of Chester, 1 “the communicant (of
the Church of England) was told to connect part of his meditations with the actual
sight of the fracture of the bread” (the italics are the Dean’s), and we know what bread
meant in ancient Solar faiths. The very reverend writer continues: “It appears to me
historically inaccurate to say that the Church of England has connected no doctrinal
meaning with the eastward position, or . . . orientation. . . . The eastward position has
been adpted, insisted on, and claimed by many, as a privilege which cannot be given
up, because it has a high and solemn, doctrinal and devotional meaning.” Of course
it has, and all England listened to this “Master in Israel” thus describing the Eastern
symbol to which his followers still cling, and towards which they therefore justly turn;
and none denied their Lord, or contravened these views of this good churchman. It
would have delighted the heart of Vitruvius—the great architect of so-called “Pagan
Rome”—to have heard this language from those officating at his altars. His numerous
writings on the Orientation of shrines and altars, and the proper Easterly position of
those who sacrifice and pray at these, is deserving of more attention, now that people
are reverting to the old Faiths. The new shrines and ornation of the old ones, in the case
of many British Protestant, not to any Roman Catholic churches, would certainly
have pleased Vitruvius and the warmest votaries of Solar symbolism.
I lately inspected such an one in a very fashionable but staid and orthodox watering-place
in the south of England, which surpassed in its Sabean ornation all I have
ever seen in the East combined in one building. Every nook and corner was
literally crammed with the most allegorical symbolism possible, and this in the
eastern and western windows became perfectly grand and gorgeous, and closely
touching on matters Phallic. The whole of the chancel was replete with solar emblems
of every hue and character. Over the centre of the altar or ark was a most
resplendent Sun, from which streamed in expanding radii bright lines of light culmmating
in great circles representing the apostles or rather Solar signs, for there was
little disguise here. Suns and planets, and astronomical signs were abundant; and the
old Tree-faith, or Soma of Bactria and India, was represented in the Life-bearing Vine,
emanating as from a great circle, and distributing itself luxuriantly over all “the twelve
signs,” in accordance with the old Eastern idea: “unless ye abide in me and I in you, ye
can have no light” and therefore cannot be the true twelve signs. Solar and Lunar disks
in gold and silver were nuemrous throughout this temple, but near the altar they were
1 Letter to London Times, 12th July 1875, with remarks on Mr. Gladstone’s famous article in the
Contemporary Review of same month. I did not notice any contradiction of the Dean’s assertions.
475