Copyright (C) 1996 by William Mistele. All rights reserved.
Note: this story was originally suggested to me by the undine Isaphil.

The Fall of Atlantis

A goddess I met on the north coast of the Isle of Iona said to me, "Speak of He'adra. Like Solomon of old, God had granted He'adra a wish. And tell of He'adra's beloved Le'ah'e, for in love is the Mystery disclosed. In their love for each other, they shaped the fate of the world sacrificing themselves that the keys might be concealed rather than destroyed. For under the law of Love, the keys to wisdom previously found may be preserved to be revealed in another age and another world when mankind is once again ready to receive them."

This fable raises these questions: How and in what manner are wisdom, power, and love joined as one? What is the Spoken Word? What is our part in the Act of Creation and what is our place in the divine workshop? What must we do now during our own time on earth so that truth, justice, and love are preserved in future ages? And what is the asking price for such wisdom?

To answer these questions, we must pass beyond the boundaries set by religions and all known mythologies of the earth. This fable is best understood as fiction, as an entertaining story of mystical exploration. But let us see if we can craft an image from out of creative imagination to serve as a cup we can dip into the well of archetypal inspiration. Perhaps we can gain a taste of the unknown treasures yet to be discovered at the core of the human spirit.

The Fall of Atlantis

Late at night a darkness comes upon me in a strange vision which lasts for two days. Why, I ask myself, is it that when love, sweet love and happiness are closest to me, just then a dark vision also comes seeking, seeking to take hold and bind me? But I already know the answer--those who would sing of the Light must also enter the darkness and sail upon its high seas.

For if we would make within ourselves a womb--a dwelling place within our souls for the act of creation--we must prefer darkness along with the light. Hidden beneath the ocean, an ancient and forgotten civilization once witnessed a word of power cloaked in the full majesty of light and darkness joined.

And though this tale is fantastic and certainly not a small controversy, do not fret those of you who love to argue. I have nothing to defend. If you press me, I will tell you outright that I care not at all for the past, for the past is forever gone. And those of you whose minds easily mistake visions for reality, do not dare say to me that I have unleashed a whirlwind of dazzling images within your soul which have taken possession of you. For know this--I am the enemy of illusions.

And do not say to me, "Finish what you have begun. We would know the exact coordinates on the map where the pyramids of Atlantis may be found beneath sea or perhaps under the sandy ocean floor within the Bermuda Triangle." No, do not be confused. I am not writing this to torment anyone. This is a bardic song. Its magick, if any is to be found, reveals ultimately what is to be, for fate and destiny have and always will turn upon the desires hidden in the depths of our hearts.

He'adra and Le'ah'e

In our world, physicists beginning with Einstein have forged theories of matter, time, space, and energy. But, as with Einstein, they have failed to attain their goal--there is as yet no unified field theory relating the fundamental forces of nature to gravity's pull. But Atlantis mastered gravity long ago. Their airplanes could fly as fast as the speed of earth's rotation all without gasoline or jet propulsion. Yet the science of Atlantis did not stop there. They turned their quest for knowledge toward the power within crystals, such as crystal balls which were used within pyramids. For them, the mind and its powers were also a worthy object of exploration. Their wisdom penetrated the veils separating the inner and outer worlds. And so, in Atlantis, the Guardians of the world (which we have not yet come to know) walked beside human beings so that Atlantis had a destiny ablaze.

He'adra

Within this ancient civilization was born a man named He'adra and a woman he would one day meet named Le'ah'e. The story of these lovers is, of course, a book in itself, but I will keep it brief. Let us begin with He'adra.

One day not long before He'adra met Le'ah'e, God came to He'adra in a dream. And God spoke and said, "Of all those who dwell on earth it is within your heart that I am free to appear. Ask of me, therefore, whatsoever you will in the heaven above, upon the earth, or beneath the earth and I will grant your request."

And He'adra replied, "Grant that my will may be in harmony with Your own--that all my actions and deeds in service to others may serve the purposes of Divine Providence and arise from the One Light."

And God replied, "Because you do not seek power for its own sake nor do you ask anything for yourself at all but only to be of service to others, I shall grant you power without limitation. Your voice shall be like unto my own. Your power will be such that there shall be none like you, neither before you nor after you in the history of this world upon which you dwell."

He'adra was empowered by God beyond all other men. But this gift was not a finished product. It was not like a tool that could be immediately set to use. King Solomon, your recall, had also been granted a wish by God. And that great king asked for wisdom. And yet Solomon, according to his own words, had to explore and discover on his own the nature of this wisdom and how it could be applied. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon recounts the many ways he studied and examined the nature of human desire and mind. Combining the arts of the social scientist and the sage, he presented his conclusion: "To everything a time and season. A time to be born and a time to die...."

I previously have told the tale of how the gentile prophet Balaam discovered a way which leads directly into the Divine Presence. Like Balaam, He'adra had an impeccable comprehension of the energies within and behind nature. And He'adra was also trained in the traditional manner of the priests/scientists of Atlantis.

Yet there came a time when He'adra's path led him beyond the knowledge and wisdom of his day. In order to explore the will God had given him, he had to cross beyond the boundaries separating human history from other evolutions and spiritual domains.

For example, one way He'dra sought to master the power within him was through extensive dialogues with the great spirits of the earth and of our solar system. First and foremost of these beings was the spirit who we might call the Goddess of the Earth. She has many names and appears in many religions.

I have also related elsewhere He'adra's encounter with a great being of fire, one of the kings of the salamanders named Pyrhum, who dwells within the depths of the earth.

Another great spirit He'adra confronted is named Malchjdael. Malchjdael is perhaps the most powerful spirit within our solar system. He dwells amid a sea of fire greater in size than the earth in a place which exists upon the planet Jupiter.

And the question He'adra posed to Malchjdael was: "What is the first, the original Light as it manifests from the Unmanifest? Is it right for men to call and name this light God Himself? And can it be known or not? Can it be found or not within one's own heart? Or is it our fate that we can neither taste nor create after the manner of God? Are we left and destined to be poor imitators, plagiarizing His beauty and fashioning impoverished likenesses like unto his handiwork for the rest of eternity? Are we apprentices in the workshop of the Divine Mysteries who are forbidden forever to acquire true mastery?"

And Malchjdael, whose voice is like the sound of a great arch of fire exploding from the surface of the sun, replied, "The first light from out of which creation originates burns so hot that all matter is dissolved in its flame so only light remains.

"It is consciousness omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and from the resources it provides all that exists has come to abide. And yet it is neither outside my creative will nor the magical will which you seek to perfect. It is indeed found hidden in the depths of every heart. Through example and prophets God shall reveal to mankind in the fullness of time a Presence which is sovereign and eternal--that the human race might learn to engage and embrace its own high calling. The destiny of the human race, if it is carefully sought out, shall shine like the very grace of God Himself. You shall walk among the stars and create new worlds greater in wonder and beauty than anything which has gone before.

"Come. I will unfold for you this mystery. It is time to activate your magical will for otherwise you would not have sought me out. Touching on the issues and mastery of power both natural and divine, there is not my equal within this solar system, neither archangel nor celestial being other than Divine Providence itself.

"All planets and moons with fire at their core, all planetary auras ionizing and burning in magnetic fields, the sun itself and all electrical storms, all spirits as well including those shining with the light of the sun follow the lead of my will. I maintain and sustain the balance of power throughout the entire solar system--concerning the physical manifestation of the planets as well as the ultimate spiritual destiny of developing spirits--all of this falls under my dominion and authority.

"The will of a mage who trains under the guidance of Divine Providence is beyond understanding. His will derives and proceeds from the Unmanifest, the unrevealed, from behind the veils which can not be pierced by mortal will.

"And his mind is like a sun itself--it is enlightened. Like a star, it creates from out of its own visions and shares original joy and love which enriches the universe.

"His life is a source of inspiration illuminating whatever world in which he chooses to dwell. Animating, reviving, sustaining, renewing--he is a world teacher in disguise if he so chooses, a silent watcher and guide over entire evolutions. Or else, assuming the role of a mortal, he enacts the pageantry of one who attains universal and cosmic wisdom so that others might follow his lead and celebrate with him the mystery for which the universe was created to engage.

"But in physical manifestation, he is also the agent of Divine Providence, its representative and presence on earth. Burning within with the original light of creation, within his awareness he is like unto God Himself: comprehending all, embracing all, one with all, he is a flame burning so intense and bright none may look upon his light in its fullness and live to tell the tale. Such as these I exist to instruct. For as they are and are meant to be, so am I now--a servant of the Greater Will."

[Note: The Jews in the Quabalah say that the name of God which pertains to the earth is called Shadai El Shai and the archangel who is associated with that name as Sandalphon. Also in the Quabalah the feminine side of God is referred to as the Shekinah. But there is another Divine Presence which the Jews, the Arabs, and the Christians do not name and are unwilling to claim when they lay out their theologies and expound on their doctrines. But among those deities known in the Hindu religion and noted also in Buddhism--the planet earth itself has a living soul and spirit.

And this spirit by some is named Gaia, the first spirit after the birth of Chaos in Greek mythology and from whom all gods and goddess arose. It is She who appears in the stories of Buddha and who was first to acknowledged the Buddha's enlightenment. And She appears in the great epic of India written by Viyasa, the Mahabarata, which includes the famous text of the Bagahvad Gita.

And this spirit, the Goddess of the Earth, must first give her permission before any religion or any world teacher may appear or take incarnation on this planet. This is the being who now came and spoke with He'adra face to face--the feminine aspect of God manifesting through the spirit of the earth.]

And so one day as He'adra journeyed moved as a spirit through the inner planes, he listened and heard the voice of the Goddess speaking to him. The Goddess said,

Who can strive with me 
Or search out the secrets of my heart?
What mortal listens when I speak?
Thunder, the mountains exploding, and earthquakes 
Are my consonants,
The sounding sea, the mountain falls, 
And the howling wind are my vowels.
Who can feel through their feet my heartbeat
Or taste in their breath my spirit?
Does your passion flow like mine?
Does it combine the light of the sun, moon, and stars
In one elixir divine?
Can your body 
Give, sustain, and nurture life
Through all ages of time? 
And then with a softer voice she said:
He'adra, your desires for love
Are the same as my dreams: 
To have children 
Who see through the eyes of the stars
And in their hearts
They shall fuse all opposites,
The constellations themselves,
Into one Song of Love.
Of all the children of the earth
You alone feel the feelings flowing through my heart
And you alone are prepared to be my champion.
Therefore, I grant you this boon: 
A woman shall love you with the same love
With which you love me. 
She will say to you these words: 
"I will die and be reborn for you"
Even as you have died and been reborn many times
Listening to my many Songs. 

Though I am unable at this time to describe in detail He'adra's world and time, as always, I am permitted to share poems which offer a glimpse into He'adra's and Le'ah'e's souls. In spite of He'adra's incomprehensible powers of mind, in matters of love I think he was not so different from you or I. That is to say, he felt happiness, pleasure, and satisfaction and also loneliness, pain, and isolation just as we do.

He'adra wrote this poem for Le'ah'e a few days after they first met. Never in his deepest dreams had he imagined a woman could exist who combined such sensuality and art with spiritual power. And never in his deepest dreams did he imagine another could love him so that no part of their life, souls, or essence remained separate and apart.

A Path of Light

                                                            
Dream images flowing between our minds                      
Our hearts searching for a higher love, 
A path of pure light
But one holding the needs and passions 
Of our bodies within it
I feel so naked and lonely                                  
Wrap me about with your love                                
With your sensual beauty                                    
That I can touch with my hands                              
As I search for you amid                                    
The hills, ravines, and valleys of your skin                
One I can taste with my lips                                
As I float in lakes and rest in meadows                     
Hidden within the reaches of sacred mountains 
As my mouth burns with ancient hungers                      
And is soothed by your softness                             
As you allow yourself to burn                               
As my lips join with your breasts                           
One I can smell as I lose myself in your hair               
Your arms, your thighs                                      
The aroma of liquor                                         
Flowers of delight within the oasis                         
Within the gardens where you are the goddess                
One I can enter                                       
A moist wetness I can slide down into                       
And forget my sorrow,                                       
One so caressing, so gentle, so tender                      
You are willing to bind together the flames              
Rising, exploding, and imploding within our desire           
The Northern Lights, the stars and moonlight,                
Dawn and twilight,                                          
Green leaves, magenta sunsets, the darkest nights,                  
A sea with a thousand rainbow colors dancing upon it 
That all those journeys I took where I lost my way          
Will now dissolve                                           
They will be afraid of this love and flee                   
They will depart from me forever                            
As I touch your body and your skin                          
As I touch your soul and the light within                   
As our hearts reach out and shelter each others.

He'adra actually wrote quite a few poems to Le'ah'e. But this poem was the first. He did not feel it was a very good poem, but it accomplished its purpose--when Le'ah'e read it, she saw the soul within He'adra and offered He'adra her love forever.

But there was a problem as there usually is in this type of story. Le'ah'e belonged to a great House of Atlantis. She was the daughter of a great and high noble. He'adra was a complete unknown. He'adra was a mere acolyte who had barely, just barely, been able to gain entrance into one of the Mystery schools. The chance of these two lovers sharing a life together was virtually impossible.

Two years later, Le'ah'e was killed by an assassin's knife. He'adra rushed to her side and placed his hands upon her body. And then so great was the force of will He'adra put forth, the Angel of Death himself appeared visibly within the room for all to see. And then the Angel surrendered his prize, the soul of Le'ah'e, into He'adra's safe keeping without remorse or regret.

The Angel of Death then spoke aloud for all to hear, prophesying: "I will not come again for her nor will I disturb the love the two of you share until that very day Atlantis itself is destroyed and sinks beneath the waves forever." Le'ah'e's relatives and father witnessed the Angel and his words of prophecy. They did not pursue any questions the Angel's words raised. They were intelligent enough to recognize that this was something best left unchallenged.

And so this miraculous healing was justification enough for even the most noble house to break with tradition. Le'ah'e's father declared He'adra an national treasure having just witnessed a small demonstration of his power. Le'ah'e's father and relatives willingly and with great delight accepted He'adra into their family. Even the most recalcitrant, stubborn, and obstinate are willing to change their minds if the situation and the price are right. Le'ah'e and He'adra then married with their blessing.

Many years later, He'adra was chosen by the High Council to become the next High Priest of Atlantis. When He'adra was told of this decision, he counted the honor and the prestige that went with it as nothing at all. The information flashed through his mind like some distant sound in the night, a gust of wind or a single note sung by a bird, which rises up for an instant and then dissolves again into silence. For He'adra, power was not what he sought. He never gave it a second thought.

Instead, He'adra went out and sat on his balcony. He thought of the years of love he had spent together with Le'ah'e. As he gazed out upon meadows and hills lit by a full moon, he wrote this poem:

                          To My Beloved 

When you are in my arms
My wounds are healed
My dreams fulfilled
Our lips touch
Moonlight illuminates your naked skin
I no longer know who I am
The sun glides through the sky
Deer graze in the meadow
I am mesmerized 
The present moment fades 
The moon sets her sails to the solar wind
My hands glide upon your skin
The sun drowns as we kiss 
In the darkness of night and is reborn at dawn
Our hips join
As the stream winds through the crevice of the valleys
Mirth and laughter splashing down
As the sea enfolds the mountains in her depths 
The whale's song echoing through the hills 
Geese fly across the moon
The leaves of birch trees shiver
A solitary bird sings 
Cats' paws ripple upon the lake
The gusts of wind pulsate 
Your breasts pressed against my chest 
Your love shapes my life 
As the hands of the sculptor 
Mold the clay,
Closing her eyes
The harpist plays
The notes of the song within her heart.

For many years, He'adra served Atlantis faithfully as the High Priest. The service of He'dra was recorded in the book called, The Works of He'adra. But unfortunately, like many books the Bible refers to in its texts such as The Acts of Solomon, this book also was lost.

But under He'adra's leadership, He'adra insituted many innovations in science, technology, education, and government. To say the least, he was creative and accomplished many things. But toward the end, many priests began to abuse their power, calling out to celestial beings beyond Earth's spiritual boundaries.

In doing this, they violated a universal law--the emotional life of a race must be nourished within the cradle of the planet where it dwells. A race may not engorged itself upon fiendish alien delights--fascinations and powers which exist outside its own evolutionary cycle.

In particular, many priests of Atlantis called out and evoked one of the highest negative spirits who dwelt within the planetary sphere of Jupiter. With the most powerful ritual magic the earth had ever seen, they initiated many others into their dark schemes.

In Atlantis, orthodox theology and science as well studied and altered physical matter both through knowledge and through magical arts. But in pursuing the mastery of matter, they forgot to pursue the enlightenment of their minds so they would remain free of attachment. Their motivation was to attain a greater, if not absolute, power.

Genuine Atlantean alchemists perceived how matter is empty of inherent form and existence. The akasha or spiritual consciousness is within everything and has mastery over everything. And so by training and mechanically amplifying their concentration they learned they could control and alter the densest vibrations and structure of matter.

But the magical wills of the Atlanteans were driven by cravings they were not fully conscious of. And so as they developed, very high negative beings could easily draw near sensing the Atlantean mages were calling out to them and entering their own spheres. The negative beings could then appear within those desires and say, "Oh, what you want deep down is to control others--to have great honor and the power to so mesmerize that you feel joined to all that others are--to feel all the life within their souls dissolve into your own."

The mages were guided by beings from a distant evolution who more than willing to enable the Atlanteans to enhance their powers of concentration to an immense degree. They offered short cuts and many advantages through various forms of alliances. But alas, blended into this pure virtue of mental power was an astral craving to devour. The beauty of the four elements as they exist on earth both in human beings and in nature was being sucked into a pit which destroys and is void of giving any life in return. And so Atlantis itself, the entire civilization, fell under a curse.

In Franz Bardon's book, Frabrato, he mentioned how under the Third Reich the Nazi's demanded all occultists and psychics either join the Nazi party or face concentration camps. Hitler wanted a complete monopoly on all magic and spiritual powers. The point is that if a society such as that continued for a period of time in this manner, it would not be possible for those seeking spiritual wisdom to find their way.

Even if an individual remained silent and worked alone, once he entered the inner planes he would have run into insurmountable difficulties. The astral environment would have been corrupted. Dreams and visions would not be pure. This effect would have been accomplished because it would have been the intention and the order of the evil magicians to do so--that no one attain freedom or spiritual wisdom.

This was what was occurring at the end in Atlantis. And this is precisely the conditions under which the Judges of Saturn step in--when the inner planes and spiritual resources of a planet are about to be contaminated. In the case of Atlantis, the damage to the earth would have been permanent if that civilization had not ended. For this purpose, to preserve cosmic law and harmony, there is no recourse or appeal for the judgment of the Saturnian spirits.

As for the Atlanteans, their rituals and requests for power were unusually successful. The priests were then able to control the masses of people and whomever they chose. But the cost for obtaining this power was also great. Those souls who entered these practices became branded by the magnetic vacuum within the aura of these spirits which the priests thought were under their own command.

The priest's feelings, emotions, and inner psyches became twisted, polluted, and defiled: on a deep level within themselves which they had never explored, they traded their ability to love for a devouring hatred. The result was, in net, their wills fell under the control of powers from beyond our world.

If you had been there to see, you would have seen priests and temples which, on the outside, were of great splendor, beauty, and wealth. But on the inside, there was only filth, horror, and a devouring greed beyond all reason and human comprehension.

And truly if these priests had continued, the Soul of the Earth would have been wounded forever. She would never have recovered. Mankind's life would then have been lost in a dark- bluish haze and a cloud of unending delusion.

Though He'adra saw these events unfolding, he did not have Solomon's wisdom. Solomon, you recall, was quick to make up his mind and was decisive in deciding the fate of others. On the very day Solomon sat upon his father's throne he executed his older brother who had tried to usurp the throne and use Solomon's own mother, Bathsheba, to undermine Solomon's authority. And, after giving the enemies of his father a last chance, Solomon was quick to execute them also, for his father David had warned him to beware of their treachery.

But He'adra did not eliminate the evil which took root in the minds of these three thousand priests. He watched it grow hoping that the forces of good in the world would rally their strength and uphold the ways of the Light. And He'adra had many former friends among these dark priests. He'adra spoke to them many times in detail of the dangers they were courting. But the addiction of the priests was beyond their own ability to comprehend or escape.

Still, to satisfy his own questions, late one night as the stars shown eerie and with uneathly light, He'adra sent his mind to wander out and into the sphere of Saturn. As I have mentioned, it is from this realm that the fates of all races and spirits in our solar system are determined. Here sit the forty- nine Judges and Executors of fate.

And the Chief Justice of this terrible sphere of judgment appeared to He'adra as a woman wearing a dark, violet robe. And her eyes shine bright though their light is black as night. And her face is radiant with divine peace and grace. But her hands either bind or release all nightmares, horrors, and evils which enter the earth or any other planet.

He'adra put to her his question concerning the evil being perpetrated in Atlantis and the options which existed to prevent its spread or to diminish its effects. Needless to say, they had a long conversation. I will not bother you with the details, procedures, and the regulations governing cosmic law, karma, and fate. But the discussion boiled down to this:
She offered He'adra a position as one of the 49 Judges of Saturn. She said this was the only way that Atlantis could be saved from total annihilation.

You see, if a race craves and then creates wisdom as vast as the sky to illuminate their civilization, they also must pay the price--they, or at least a few, even one will do, must know every face of fate. The mind must mate with emptiness and the void which are the very soul and heart of perfected enlightenment.

But this He'adra would not do and who on earth could really blame him? True love, like the rarest flower, still blossoms somewhere between a few lovers in every century. But love such as He'adra's and Le'ah'e's only appears a few times in the history of any planetary evolution. This love was not for sale. And neither the Chief Justice of Saturn nor the Angel of Death possessed the power or the will to take it away from them or even to question their decisions.

And if you wish for a more detailed explanation, these were He'adra very thoughts: Is it right that one man should take possession, to shape and alter the course of human history? Am I to create a golden age on earth lasting tens of thousands of years, a civilization in which cosmic wisdom and science work side by side dedicated to revealing the truth of the universe? Is all of this to be accomplished based on the foundation of my will alone?

Such burden and responsibility are not the gift I asked God for. It is only the union of many hearts joined as one celebrating the beauty of the universe and the Divine presence which should create and ordain such a civilization. The time is not right. I will not bind humanity with my will to a destiny it has not sought, felt, or found within its own heart. This is not my part.

Cosmic law requires that I not reveal wisdom and power out of proportion to the maturity of the race in which I incarnate. On this matter, the people of Atlantis are free to choose their own fate. I will do what I can as counselor, guide, and as high priest. But let it be love which shapes history, not magical will, and not my will alone.

Years later, as the tale goes, the dark priests finally realized that their path of power could not unfold with Le'ah'e and He'adra standing against them. After considering their options, they chose to destroy their enemies. With premeditation and careful plans, the priests suddenly struck--all their many minds and wills simultaneously joined to destroy He'adra and Le'ah'e.

In truth, He'adra had underestimated the power of three thousand minds joined as one in one deadly hour of spiritual warfare and assault. The priests, entering into a profound trance, fused their minds guided by great evil and using the power of crystal balls centered in pryamids. Throughout Atlantis and even on distant islands throughout the seas of the world their power was gathered and unleashed.

And in one deadly blow they struck Le'ah'e when she was on the other side of the continent away from He'adra. They knew that with her death He'adra would have little will left to live. And so that child of light, she whose soul could sing the song of the universe and at whose dance the Guardians of the Mysteries did come down and watch and weep at her beauty, that child of light so bright, Le'ah'e fell down and died.

He'adra, of course, sensed immediately the psychic blow that struck Le'ah'e. He felt the last breath of life pass from her lips. But within the next moment, Le'ah'e appeared to He'adra in a "sending"--but in this case, her spirit manifested not just visibly but in physical form before him in his room. And Le'ah'e, whose spirit is as enduring as one of the twelve constellations, spoke to He'adra these words in the form of a poem as if she had just awakened from having fallen asleep at his side:

             You are my Soul
 
You are my soul.
My first breath in the light of dawn
All my dreams at night 
I dedicate to you, my Beloved.
As I shove off and depart for unknown shores
Your inspiration guides my craft
Flows with force through my sails.
You are the electricity in my heartbeat
The separate fibers of my being
Unite around my love for you,
The surge, the pulse, the wave
The circle of life within my body
Ride upon my desire to hold you within my heart. 
My love for you is as deep as the sky
More vast than the winds 
That caress the seas in ecstasy.
Softer in flight 
Than the moon's light
My body yields to you
As I spiral and turn
Caught in the currents
Of your smile
As I drift into a sea
Of pure bliss
When I enfold you in my arms.
Desert sands of mountain craters 
Russet, crimson, citrine
Parched, dry, burning
Yearn with volcanic craving
Solidified rock
Once flowed molten, liquid 
Lit with tongues of flame,
These are but a small reflection
A small reminder
Of the fire with which 
I burn for your touch.
Reflected in your eyes 
I become a purity
Acid can not etch
Time can not drown
Space can not hide.
I am luminous light
The transparency
Shining in all colors
The dreams that yield their visions to me 
Of birth, of galaxies colliding, 
Of seas turning into wine
These are your gifts to me
When I hold you close to me at night.      
Let me go now, my Beloved,
And I shall find you again
In the fullness of time
For there is nothing that exists 
Neither power nor abyss
That can separate our hearts from each other.

Le'ah'e vanishes away and this is in accordance with the Angel of Death's prophecy.

And now the priests turn their minds against He'adra not comprehending in the least the full might of the man they have challenged. The truth is, if I dare proclaim it here, that He'adra's spirit was invited to our planet by the Goddess of the Earth.

Perhaps, Divine Providence permitting it, I shall relate in detail the accomplishments of this noble spirit within another solar system in guiding an entire planetary evolution to attain enlightenment.

But for those avatars who take incarnation, it is required that they accept human limitations so that their personal journeys toward the divine clear a path for others to follow. Even so, the priests succeeded in destroying He'adra's will to live with the death of Le'ah'e.

But before He'adra let go of his life, the Earth, that ancient Soul, appeared to He'adra and said, "Though your consort is gone and you can not long resist, for without her you have lost a major portion of your spirit, yet I still ask of you this: speak now the word of power--speak it if only for my sake."

But this was a most grievous request. The Earth was asking He'adra to destroy Atlantis. For He'adra to fulfill the Goddess's wish, he had to be joined with his consort. Only together could he and she enter the One Light from whence Love, Power, and Eternity are joined as One in Bliss.

Without Le'ah'e, should He'adra' speak this word of power, his own magical equilibrium and authority would be broken and his soul would wander wounded for untold ages, many millennia in fact, before he would meet his consort again. Yet even looking ahead into a dark future without his beloved, more even than Le'ah'e, he loved the Earth.

And let it now be clearly stated for the record wherever this poem is sung, be it here in time or in eternity. Let these words shine: Among a billion worlds and a billion stars which shine upon them, the Earth is the most beautiful planet.

And if you can feel this in your heart, you will under- stand why He'adra did what he must. He'adra could not let the Earth be defiled because of the lust of a small group that dwelt there at the beginning of time, long before what we call recorded history. And so he accepted his fate and took full responsibility for the con- sequences of his actions.

But for you the reader here in a much later age, this thread is certainly pure nonsense. Yet I would point out that similar songs are still sung on the earth. Consider the Mahabarata, the song of the Avatar Krishna who did attempt with his friend Arjuna to preserve light on the earth. In that song of the tradition of the Vedas and the Hindu religion, the god Shiva, the Lord of Destruction, met Arjuna in the Himalaya Mountains.

     And Shiva said to Arjuna (who, though mortal, was 
also the son of Indra, king of the gods) "Ask me a favor, 
whatever you wish." Shiva was pleased with how Arjuna had 
sought him out.  
     Arjuna replied: "What I wish is an absolute weapon 
that you possess."
     And Shiva said, "Pashupata--it can destroy the 
world. The mountains are shaken to their roots at the 
mention of this name and the elements of nature, the 
winds, the seas, the trees, the whole earth is dis-
traught.
     "You can unleash this weapon with your eye, your 
bow, your voice, your very thoughts. This weapon, it is 
is without mercy, without limit.  You can never put it 
down, set it aside, nor give it back."
     And Arjuna replied, "I need this weapon." 
     And according to the Mahabarata,  Arjuna received Pashupata.  
His  father  Indra  trained him in how to use it and with  it  he 
accomplished his destiny.  
     And of the word of power possessed by He'adra,  a great seer 
has said:  The one resorting to it is endowed with the same power 
as possessed by God,  but to abuse this power is to destroy one's 
personality absolutely.

And further, if your beliefs be more orthodox, even the Bible hints at a similar thing: It is well known that Balaam, whom Rabbis' call a gentile prophet, had the power through enchantments to call upon God. Balaam could freely enter His Presence at will with greater ease than could Moses. And Balaam's gift was such that he could easily overturn the fate of nations--and for doing just that he had great renown among many kings--this is precisely what the scripture states.

And also God in his judgment announced through his angels and then though Lot that the cities of Sodom and Gomorah would be destroy utterly. And at that time human beings who later witnessed the destruction had tried to negotiate with God to alter this fate. At that time, clemency was offered if the people of Sodom and Gomorah would listen to God's voice when it was spoken by Lot. But they, like the Atlantean magicians, had already destroyed their own conscience.

Yet it was the word of which the seer has spoken which He'adra had at his command. Love had long ago led He'adra to the heart of the mysteries. And after all, what is this story but a story of a man who had activated the image of God within himself and so was prepared to evoke the Spoken Word through the power of his voice.

So in response to the request of the Earth, He'adra emptied himself beyond all human form. He expanded his mind beyond the boundaries of the world with a will unknown to mankind. He reached out with his mind through space and its uncharted shores.

How else can I speak of this but to say, his lips parted. He spoke the first of three letters forming that mighty and frightful word of power, a word even the mighty Archangels are forever forbidden to speak.

The first letter wrapped within the sound of "J" with its colors of opal--dark violent, red, blue, and green--those colors did swirl and whirl out from the earth--that sound no spirit or being can resist--it is the very voice of Love which binds the universe and all within it.

And when that sound was spoken, celestial beings from all spheres in our solar system paused, (Archangel and Archdemon, Lords of Light and of Darkness, of Judgment and of Mercy, even the Guardians of evolution and of the Mysteries). They turned their faces toward the third planet from the sun and to the continent of Atlantis. They turned toward and found this man, he who spoke with the authority and the power of the One.

For an instant their wills were bound by that voice which echoed, rising up from the core of their own being. And what followed was this: hurled and caught by a cosmic power of concentration, like the swirling tides of a cosmic whirlpool in a cosmic sea, their voices joined into one incomprehensible and fiery song, condensing down and down to appear in that room.

And for another few seconds, as they presented themselves right there before He'adra, they waited as if to say in an unearthly calm, in an eerie, quiet, and childlike way:

For what purpose are we called?

No point in saying what it would have been like to have been there. No human being could have stood--but let us just say this: the joining of the universe in that moment was very deep and very complete.

And He'adra's lips sounded again and spoke a second letter of that word of power: "CH" with its color of dark violent lit up with silvery sparks. "CH" is the letter which grants the power to give or to take life. It is that sound within whose palm are held all the lunar mysteries. It enfolds the very essence and being of all things which are called to appear and disappear in the unfolding of time. But in this case, it was as if the entire moon's gravitational field had been gathered and placed upon Atlantis, upon her chest, to weigh her down.

And in that instant, the host of spirits saw clearly their task, (Though as I write this, I can barely see through my tears):

Take Atlantis, take her marble buildings with their lapis and golden crowns, take her hills and her valleys, take her mountains and her meadows, take her with all her splendor and with all her mysteries, take all of her, take her and pull her down beneath the waves and into the depths.

And then he spoke the third sound of that word of power, it left his lips--the Letter "W" with its lilac color and its power over water. This is the power to hold, to bind, to confuse or to lose, which was in this case, the power to conceal.

And with that, the waters and oceans were commanded to hold Atlantis and enfold her, sealing her away in a secret place that would not be found until the dream of Atlantis is ready to be revealed again--until there are enough hearts on earth that call out for the beauty which shines with the light of the mysteries.

And having spoken that word of three letters, the likes of which has never been heard or spoken by a mortal from the end of the last ice age until this very day, the High Priest surrendered his body which fell to the floor. But that noble spirit walked out of the room on a pathway of pure light and departed for the last time from the shores of Atlantis. He traveled alone, forlorn, at the beginning of a long journey into darkness both his and our own.

But in the next moment the earth did rock, the ocean boil, the air burn, and the mountains fall. And when the three thousand priests and magicians heard the lightnings' thunder, the air raging, and the splitting asunder of the earthquake, they knew they had made a mistake--they had crossed swords with the wrong man--but now it is too late.

And in one day as the ancient Greeks and Egyptians have told:

Fair, fair, 
Beautiful beyond compare, 
Wondrous land, 
Oh place of beauty where the gods did walk--
Their footsteps echoing throughout the land,  
Oh fair Atlantis, 
Land of dream and happiness, 
How you have now fallen, 
Fallen down 
Beneath the waves and the sea, 
Forever gone. 

(But some say a sliver of Atlantis still remains, a place "adrift in a sea of motionless time"--and you can visit there. It is on the map and I have already mentioned its location: that wondrous and mysterious Isle of Iona).

And so the keys to the Mysteries were taken by the Guardians back to the Other Side. The gates were closed. Silence again rules the world where once wisdom flowed; mankind is left on its own, for millennia, to follow a hard road. And this tough lesson still remains for all races upon our world to fathom--that knowledge, power, and wisdom are the eternal servants (and only dim reflections) of the Mystery of Love.

And so it is better that the symbols in religions remain empty and devoid of the knowledge of the Mysteries so that those who are malicious are unable to gain control over others' souls. Priests and political leaders may be zealous and ravenous, at times, to devour and to control, but their knowledge will not be guided by the understanding which has mastered the primordial powers.

And so, if in the mysteries of priests they speak of the sacred space of the heart, in truth, this space they know not. Such priests, even in our own time, are dimly aware of how the powers of the spirit were once terribly abused. Understandably, they are left feeling cold and afraid, to say the very least, with the thought of entering and participating in the Divine Workshop.

The minister shivers at night if he even dreams of creating in a Divine manner. The contemplative monk in his monastic retreat knows that demons will awake and come seeking him again if he tries to understand what has been so long forbidden. The monk is thankful for his spiritual ignorance. And the evangelist too knows better than to try to remove the thorn from his side-- to comprehend the darkness within the soul is more of a quest than any evangelist will ever accept, that is, in the world where we dwell.

For this reason, the minister, the evangelist, the Rabbi, and the priest alike willingly and zealously emphasize that religion is about belief and moral action in the outer world. Religion, for them, has little if anything to do with experiences in which man encounters the Divine first hand.

And so the Word chooses, according to the actions of men, to celebrate its Mystery in Silence and emptiness; and, as always, it does this not to hide nor to deceive. Rather, it continues to speak in every breath and in every moment as a still, quiet voice in the center of our hearts.

But for those who would follow the paths of the heart, time is irrelevant and all boundaries exist to be crossed. And so this tale of Atlantis speaks to our time. What is lost, even if it exists only in legend, is still waiting to awake within us. And so, this story told, the darkness departs from my soul.

(But now, again, I awake in the middle of the night. I ask myself this, Why do I still cry tears at midnight and morning light for a lost land of legend and dream I have never even seen?)

But this story, a legend of which no one can speak with any real evidence, (for nothing substantial exists) does not end here in indescribable sadness and loneliness. There is still a final scene and a final act. To this end, I offer a prayer.

For the word of power He'adra spoke must be balanced by a second word if the Earth is to be healed--a word so strong its wings will enfold the planet in love.

(And some say this second Word has already taken shape here on earth and has dwelt among us--be that as it may). The word that heals the Earth and not just our souls must be spoken by many together--this is a joint task and endeavor. No one, no matter how great, can accomplish this task alone. And yet that this global work may have a new beginning, my prayer is this:
Let He'adra and Le'ah'e, wherever they are, find each other again. May their souls be healed. Let them be joined as one that the One Light may again shine throughout the world--that the mysteries might be taught openly here on earth and men and women realize the power their love conceals.

I realize that you, my readers, may think this prayer rather odd if not pure nonsense. But I tell you the Earth Herself is listening in this moment to my poem to see if it will make a difference--She greets me in the dead of night within an abyss of silence where I sometimes wander. She says, "I await that day when these two lovers [Le'ah'e and He'adra] will find each other again so I can hear them sing such songs as have never been sung on this planet before.")

And one last thought on Atlantis. That word of power composed of these three cosmic letters--J, CH, and W. Do not to be put off by that power and the shape of horror it took. And do not dismiss it as just fantastic poetic ramblings.

Consider again these letters:
J: When you see opal, the color of the letter J or any combination of the colors: red--passion and fiery light; blue--the illuminated circle of the sky above; green--forest green with its mysteries of groves and the words whispered by trees; and violet--of flowers and the release in twilight, remember not this sound that bound the spirits to gather as one, to crush and destroy.

Think instead of the One Light which binds all within the universe by the Law of Love--that we are not separate, not you nor I, but, being held within the heart of the Mystery, we are joined as one.
CH: And when you see dark violet lit with silvery sparks of CH or of moonlight falling upon water, think not of that word which ordered Atlantis to fall into the sea nor think that the moon is a cold mistress who throws us into incarnations randomly or cruelly, or that she steals our mental clarity with her dreams and fascinations.

Think rather that the moon calls to us, inevitably, unmistakable, to set sail upon shoreless and chartless oceans. Yet always we are guided by her light. She reminds us even as we dream and in her changing presence in the sky each night that we, like her, are crossing over a celestial stream. Let us remember her treasures of serenity and the inexhaustible love at the core of our being--for this wealth is more precious than all else for those who seek.

W: And when you see lilac painted on the sky at dawn or sunset, do not think of Atlantis as a legend that is buried and dead beneath the sea or else a unproven fabrication of imagination. Think rather in your heart of this dream: of a world in which the scientist, priest, poet, healer, musician, and the leaders of nations know well each other's hearts. Think of a world children are taught openly and walk hand in hand with the Mysteries. For truly, this dream of a land of beauty longs to rise from beneath the waves and from within our hearts again--it is one of the dreams of the Earth.

He'adra's Vow

I finished, or so I thought, with this story of Atlantis. But as with any tale of this magnitude, there is always more. Ten thousand books have already been written about the legends of Camelot. I suspect, in the course of time, as many or more will be written about Atlantis.

And so one night, having already erased some of the barriers of memory which block the recall of Atlantis, I slipped, as in a dream, directly into He'adra's heart that day Atlantis fell.

And I saw that even as He'adra had the skill to reach out with his mind and embrace an entire solar system, to hold the attention of every spirit, so too did he have a heart which could enfold within it every soul within his civilization.

And in He'adra's heart, I could feel the hearts of all those people as if I was there with him. Even as they died in that cataclysm, I perceived how He'adra saw every heart as a star standing by itself and shining eternally though now wrapped in darkness.

Therefore this is strange but true, (something I had missed in the first telling of this tale): He'adra had made a vow by the power of love (something greater than any word of power).

And these words of love were offered long ago, when, as a being of light, he watched the destruction of a continent and when he also beheld the death of its people. And what I felt in He'adra's heart was this-- He'adra's loss and sorrow, which had returned seeking a heart unafraid to feel its pain.

And so I heard He'adra clearly say to all those many people of Atlantis, as if by the power of his voice he could not only bind spirits but also bind time and space, so deep was his love:

      I will find you again,
      And in another place and in a better world 
      We will dream the dream of Atlantis together 
      With a greater will and a greater love.

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