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Chapter XVI

1. NEARER and nearer came the visiting stars, the etherean ships from thousands of worlds, with countless millions of emancipated souls, dwellers in the Nirvanian regions of Jehovih. And when they reached the boundaries of the earth's vortex they halted a while, to form in rank and rank, that their glory might add to one another; and whilst they stood thus in the great vault of heaven, p. 94 there opened on one side a gateway amidst the stars; and far beyond came a strange and mottled sun, swaying to and fro; and this was the great fields and forests of Hautuon letting loose the thousands of millions of the delivered earth.

2. God and his hosts saw it. And every soul burst forth one universal shout of applause. It was coming straight to Hored. And as it came nearer, the curtains and sails and streamers, made of yellow, blue and red fire, began to wave and surge, like a ship in a rough sea, but steadily holding course in the undulating elements. Presently could be seen guardian ships, thousands and thousands, traveling beside the laboring sun, the hosts of Hautuon.

3. And the guardian ships were themselves like stars, and carried millions of etherean souls who had been Gods and Goddesses on many worlds; and they formed wings for the Hautuon avalanche, to hold steady the course to the red star, the earth of mortals. And thus, in honored discipline, came the fleet of Jehovih's worshippers, who only two hundred years since, were but as vermin delving into darkness, and deep buried in death, as their only knowledge; to whom Great Jehovih and His exalted worlds were unknown.

4. Brighter and brighter grew that great waving sun, sailed by the immortal Gods, and larger and more imposing, till, when it entered the earth's vortex, it became as living fire, large as the earth, and of brilliant colors, from black to adamant, and blue, and white, and purple, yellow, scarlet, pink, and of all shades; and living, and sparkling, with the broad curtains suspended, deep as the breadth of a world, and sails and flags that reached upward, high as the moon.

5. Midway in the vortex of the earth it halted, and the myriads of stars beyond now gathered in, majestically, from every side, till nearly around about the fabric of the earth's atmosphere was not a place but glowed with Jehovih's fire of heaven. Music, which rose from the throne of God a little while before, now ceased; for here was the play of elements in harmony, of which music is the same to the ear of mortals.

6. Hardly stood the kaleidoscope of splendors in one attitude, but moving, changing and forming by the decrees of the Gods and Goddesses; as a general on earth manipulates his armies, in the evolution of arms, so in majesty and splendor the marshaling stars forever evolved new and glorious changes stretching abroad over the whole firmament of heaven.

7. And now another gateway opened amidst the stars; and a cluster star was seen approaching from the southeast. It was as a star surrounded by stars, and brighter than all the others. This was the ship-star of Aph, the Orian Chief. At sight of which all souls in the firmament turned in pride and wonder. Swift and mighty above all the countless millions of Gods and Goddesses assembled had he attained in the play and management of worlds. And at sight of his etherean star, angels and Gods whispered: Aph! And the magic of his name, widely known in the Nirvanian fields of the emancipated heavens, spread abroad, till every soul uttered, APH! in all the regions of atmospherea and on the earth.

8. Nearer and nearer he came, nor halted at Chinvat, the boundary of the earth's vortex; but steadily, and with power, sailed on till his star stood in the doorway of heaven, and here halted as if to complete the immortal scene.

9. But a moment more, and all the avalanche of the glorious worlds around moved onward toward the earth, and surrounding it on every side, and the star of Aph making headway for Hored, even to the throne of God.

10. This was the morning of the third day in tide of dan, in which there were still four days left. But now the marshals took their parts; first, Sue'ji, Chief over all the rest, from the throne of God, cried out: All hail, O Aph, Son of Jehovih! And the words were caught up on every side, and uttered in one breadth around the world. Yet nearer and nearer gathered in the great star-ships and sun of Hautuon, till even like a net they joined and filled the earth's atmosphere in the east and west and north and south, and below and above; on every side. And the words of the marshal: All hail, O Aph, Son of Jehovih! went like an echo over all the heavens.

11. Then Aph's fleet drew near, and he and his hosts alighted, and he ascended the throne, saluting, saying: All hail, O Neph, God of heaven and earth! And this was also uttered by the millions of hosts. Whereupon the signs and ceremonies of the Gods were briefly concluded, and a recreation of three days proclaimed. And the angels' hosts came forth out of their ships, or by the endless chain sped to any quarter of the earth they desired to visit. And for three days and p. 95 nights the visitors dwelt on the earth and in the lower atmospherea; inspecting how the earth was made; its land and water; its mountains and valleys; its beasts of prey and beasts of burden; its birds and fishes; and above all, its mortal people and spirits who lingered about the earth, the great story tellers, who knew no higher heaven. And then they surveyed atmospherea and the works of God and his Lords; their nurseries, hospitals, factories, schools and colleges.

12. And on the fourth day the marshals called order; and so great was the discipline of the hosts and the arrangement of the star-ships, that in a moment of time order reigned amongst all these countless millions of people.

13. Now, during the recreation, the Chiefs from many worlds, and Gods and Goddesses, mingled together, and exchanged their varied experience in the wide regions of Jehovih's universe, of the management of both corporeal and es'ean worlds, and of the cosmogony of etherean planets; and the surveying of roadways, and of turning worlds from their orbitic course, or changing their axic rotation, and of the deliverance of millions of souls into the ji'ay'an fields, and of the creation of new corporeal worlds and the dissolution of others, and the gathering together of the spirits disinherited, and of their final resurrection. Neither seemed there any end to Jehovih's universe, where such wonders go onward forever!

14. When order was restored, God commanded Wak'hah to rise to be anointed, and God said: In Thy name, O Jehovih, I anoint this, Thy Son, God of heaven and earth for the next four hundred years. Guide him in wisdom and love, O Father.

15. And God gathered from the abundance of eth'ic and made a crown and placed it on Wak'hah's head, saying: Hail God of heaven and earth, Jehovih's Son! This was shouted by the hosts. And then God took off the triangle, the sam'gan, the heirloom of the Gods of the red star, the earth, and God hung it on Wak'hah's neck, saying: Take this heirloom, the symbol of three entities in one, and wear it for the glory of the Great Spirit, Jehovih.

16. To which Wak'hah, now God, answered: Thy will be done, O Father, Creator and Ruler over all. And all on the throne stood aside, and God (Wak'hah) ascended the throne and sat in the midst, whereat the es'enaurs chanted, and the hymn sounded around the whole earth. Then Aph, Son of Jehovih, spake, saying:

17. In four hundred years, O God, I will come and deliver thee and thy harvest, and thy Lords and their harvest, for the glory of Jehovih, the Unapproachable Almighty! Amen.

18. And now Aph went and sat down at the foot of the throne, whereat God came down according to custom and took his hand, saying: Arise, O God, Son of Jehovih, and go thy way! And Aph rose up, saluting, and he and his attendants departed and entered his star-ship. The es'enaurs chanted, the trumpeters played, and the solemn MARCH OF JEHOVIH'S SEA OF FIRE sounded from heaven and earth.

19. The marshals now put the great works in order: Neph and his attendants were stationed on the right of Aph in a ship new built; next to him, the ships of his Lords and their attendants; after them, their marshals from the different divisions of the earth and atmospherea; next to them, the ships of the messengers; then the factors, then the nurses, then the physicians, and so on; and finally the divisions of earth-raised, who were now adjourned to the sun-avalanche, being of the same rank. And these comprised the harvest of Neph for Jehovih's emancipated realms; and the number of souls exceeded all other harvests raised up from the earth.

20. And now had come the time for the ascent, and Aph said: Give us of Thy power, O Jehovih! And his words were echoed in all places in heaven and on earth. The plateaux trembled and oscillated. Again Aph said: Of Thy power, O Jehovih! Arise, O Heaven! Arise, O Heaven!

21. And the plateaux of the sphere started from their foundations, and slowly moved back and outward from the earth. The es'enaurs played the march; the ethereans tore off strips of fabric and threw them down in Hored, and then formed flowers and leaves and perfumed them, and cast them out, to fall in the lower heavens.

22. Outward and outward the etherean world moved and moved, and then parted the breadth of the earth, and then rose slowly upward. Presently it turned on its own axis, and was as yet one entire world; but with its rotation the different stars began to individualize and separate, all save the harvest of Neph, which was the central figure, led onward and upward by Aph, Son of the Great Spirit.

23. Faster and faster rose the glorious scene, and more awful, and sparkling p. 96 with splendor! Nor could one from Hored scarce look upon the dazzling light. But higher it rose, and onward, toward its far-off destiny, till it disappeared in the firmament above.


Next: Chapter XVII