THE VOICE OF THE SILENCE
together form a single word or Trinity, indicating that the
Real must ‘be regarded as of this three-fold nature, Birth,
Life and Death, not successive, but one. Those who have
reached trances in which ‘time’ is no more will understand
better than others how this may be.
20. Bestride the Bird of Life if thou wouldst know.
The word “know” is specially used here in a technical
sense. Avidya, ignorance, the first of the fetters, is more-
over one which includes all the others.
With regard to this Swan ‘Aum’ compare the following
verses from the “Great Law,” Liber LXV. II. 17-25.
Also the Holy One came upon me, and I beheld a white swan floating in the blue.
Between its wings I sate, and the zons fled away.
Then the swan flew and dived and soared, yet no whither we went.
A little crazy boy that rode with me spake unto the swan, and said:
Who art thou that dost float and fly and dive and soar in the inane? Behold, these
many zons have passed; whence camest thou? Whither wilt thou go?
And laughing I chid him, saying: No whence! No whither!
The swan being silent, he answered: Then, if with no goal, why this eternal
journey?
And I laid my head against the Head of the Swan, and laughed, saying: Is there
not joy ineffable in this aimless winging? Is there not weariness and impatience
for who would attain to some goal?
And the swan was ever silent. Ah! but we floated in the infinite Abyss. Joy! Joy!
White swan, bear thou ever me up between thy wings!
21. Give up thy life, if thou wouldst live.
This verse may be compared with similar statements in
the “Gospels,” in the “Vision and the Voice,” and in the
Books of Thelema. It does not mean asceticism in the sense
usually understood by the world. The 12th A‘thyr (see
17