THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON THE KING
Hegemon: And the great Angel Metatron (Angel of Good) answered and said:
Iam the Angel of the Presence Divine. The Wise man gazeth upon the Material
Universe and he beholdeth therein the luminous Image of the Creator. Not as
yet canst thou bear the dazzling radiance of that Light! Return, for thou canst not
pass by!
Hierophant: Let the Neophyte now advance by the Straight and Narrow way which
inclineth neither to the right hand nor to the left.
Hiereus and Hegemon: Whence comest thou?
Kerux (for Neophyte) : Iam come from between the pillars and seek for the hidden
Light of Occult Science.
Hierophant; But the great Angel Sandalphon answered and said: ‘Iam the Reconciler
for the Earth and the Soul of the Celestial therein. Equally is form invisible in total
Darkness andin Blinding Light. . . .
The Hiereus and Hegemon return to their seats, whilst the Hierophant and Neophyte
remain, both facing the Altar. Here the Hierophant confers on the Neophyte the Secrets
and Mysteries of the grade; and explains to him the Symbolism of the Temple as
follows:
“The three portals facing from the East are the gates of the paths which alone con-
duct to the Inner. . . .”
“The letters shin, tau, and qoph, make by metathesis mwp (Qesheth), which
signifies a bow, the rainbow of promise stretched over our earth, This picture of the
Flaming Sword of the Kerubim isa representation of the guardians
of the gate of Eden; just as the Hiereus and the Hegemon
symbolise the two paths of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and
Evil.”
‘You will observe that in this grade the red cross is placed
within the white Triangle upon the altar, and
thus placed, it is identical with the Banner of
the West.”
“The triangle refers to the three above-
mentioned paths connecting Malkuth with the
above Sephiroth, while the cross is the hidden DiacRam 13.
wisdom of the Divine nature which can be
‘ ae ‘The Altar Symbol
DiacraM 12. obtained by their aid. The two construed in the
‘The Flaming Sword, mean: LIFE IN LIGHT.” 1° = 10° Ritual.
“This grade is especially referred to the
Element Earth, and therefore, one of its principal emblems is the Great Watch-tower on
the Terrestrial Tablet of the North. . . .”
. You will observe that the Hermetic Cross, whichis also called Fylfat, . .
is5 formed of seventeen squares taken from a square of twenty-five lesser squares.
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