Serving the ideals of the Rosicrucian Movement

Commentaries on the Chymical Wedding of C.R.C.

The Fifth Day

by Jack Courtis
(Cont.)

I was mightily terrified, and seriously asked how he dared do this? He gave me for answer, "As long as the Royal Persons are still at rest, I have nothing to fear." Herewith I espied a rich bed ready made, hung about with curious curtains, one of which he drew, where I saw Lady Venus stark-naked (for he heaved up the coverlets too) lying there in such beauty, and a fashion so surprising, that I was almost besides myself, neither do I yet know whether it was a piece thus carved, or a human corpse that lay dead there. For she was altogether immovable, and yet I dared not touch her. So she was again covered, and the curtain drawn before her, yet she was still (as it were) in my eye. But I soon noticed behind the bed a tablet on which it was thus written:

Indeed we should be frightened. We are contemplating our Divine Spark directly and without the benefit of the protection of our vehicles. We see truth directly and this is terrifying. Here is a tremendous mystery that can only be symbolised by the naked Venus. No logical explanation will suffice. We must see Isis unveiled by our own efforts in order to understand with wisdom and be wise with understanding. Only then can we truly know. On the Tree, wisdom is Chakhmah, understanding is Binah and knowledge is Da’at. Does the Tree of Knowledge connect with the Tree of Life through Da’at? Once more, the secret is portrayed by sexual innuendo. It is easy to be dazzled and distracted. Again we must take careful note that CRC is acting pursuant to the Spiritual Discipline of guidance. Indeed, to get to this point, he has exercised all 12 Disciplines.

But the problem remains; what is the mystery? Surely it is the principle of polarity as shown by the specific example of gender? Venus is a woman and CRC is a man. He is obviously sexually aroused. Sexual union is an approximation of the unity of polarity that produces Oneness. The problem is that in our present state of consciousness, our mind is polarised and divided. In this state it breaks reality into subject and object; it splits the One into the Many. The polarised mind creates the illusion of separateness. Thus we can experience God, but we cannot know Him. A divided mind cannot grasp Unity. The mystery of the naked Lady Venus, Isis unveiled, is that sex is the source of unity and the reconciliation of the polarised mind into the awareness of the Divine Spark. It takes the feminine to spark the kundalini fire, which produces the direct consciousness of the Divine Spark, by reconciling polarity into Unity. This is indeed a mystery.

commentday52
When the fruit of my
tree shall be quite melted down
then I shall awake and
be the mother of a
KING

If knowledge is a masculine attribute, the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge is a king. This is consistent with the Tree of Life being feminine and the secrets of this Tree being symbolised by the Lady Venus. The above statement involves both the masculine and feminine. Again, more Arabic and therefore, yet another clear pointer to deep mysteries.

I asked my page concerning this writing, but he laughed, with promise that I should know it too. So he putting out the torch, we again ascended.

Our Divine Spark can never be put out. It can only be concealed. The ascent in this case is a withdrawal from the direct contemplation of our true nature, into our vehicles of consciousness. From here, we can only see through a glass darkly.

Then I better viewed all the little doors, and first found that on every corner there burned a small taper of pyrites, of which I had before taken no notice, for the fire was so clear, that it looked much like a stone than a taper. From this heat the tree was forced continually to melt, yet it still produced new fruit. Now behold (said the page) what I heard revealed to the King by Atlas. When the tree (said he) shall be quite melted down, then shall Lady Venus awake, and be the mother of a King.

The heat that melts the tree is an alchemical principle that can never be openly revealed. Hence the little doors that by implication, are all closed. It is for each of us to open them, but only when we have followed CRC to this stage. We have a lot of work to do.

Whilst he was thus speaking in flew the little Cupid who at first was somewhat abashed at our presence, but seeing us both look more like the dead than the living, he could not at length refrain from laughing, demanding what spirit had brought me thither, whom I with trembling answered, that I had lost my way in the castle, and was by chance come hither, and that the page likewise had been looking up and down for me, and at last lighted upon me here, I hoped he would not take it amiss. "Nay, it is well enough yet," said Cupid, "my old busy grandsire, but you might lightly have served me a scurvy trick, had you been aware of this door. Now I must look better to it," and so be put a strong lock on the copper door, where we before descended. I thanked God that he lighted upon us no sooner. My page also was the more jocund, because I had so well helped him at this pinch. "Yet I cannot," said Cupid, "let it pass unrevenged, that you were so near stumbling upon my dear mother." With that he put the point of his dart into one of the little tapers, and heating it a little, pricked me with it on the hand. A small nip which I little regarded as I was glad that it went so well with us, and that we came away without furtherdanger.

Cupid is the personification of a principle related to love, sex and the Lady Venus. It is a mystery to us at this stage. Importantly, Cupid draws blood from CRC. This is related to the cut on his head received on Day 1. It is clearly a serious matter to have come so close to the vault without proper authority. It is also significant that the dart that draws the blood is heated by the same source that melts the tree. This is clearly part of the rites of a mystery initiation. The shedding of blood is of the utmost importance.