(Understanding the mystery of Sorrow, of protecting and preserving the sacred image of the Divine Mother, though veiled), was formed in the Orient. The typical "sackcloth and ashes" and mourning, and the torturing of the senses finally became the symbols of this order - not that they literally performed the tortures which their too literal followers construed into practice.

The first image of the Order was the veiled Mother robed entirely in shadow, and then the image of the Child dead at her feet His countenance was turned toward the North to show that there might be hope of re-birth, since the reviving breath came from the North, and since that reviving breath might give again another life to the Child; so as the days passed on and these again were merged into years and ages, the image of the Madonna and Child was confounded with those of more recent periods, and this Primal image was somewhat forgotten; but it again and again reappeared, and the re-birth of the Buddhas was all the hope that the world had.

Among the Buddhas - Prince Siddartha - Buddha Gautama was born without Sorrow. This Mother was held in the sacred bower of her life and without pain came the young life into existence. Sheltered in his infancy and youth from all knowledge of the sickness, pain and sorrow in the world, not knowing, from external sources, the meaning of death, he grew to man's estate, surrounded by the beauty, grace and loveliness of his father's kingdom. But the voices from within and above called him; the great Divine Unrest, the urgency of an inner Knowledge and Love, that could not be suppressed; and he went forth to learn the existence of Sorrow, and pain, and death; and he reached the Divine "Attainment" of knowing its meaning, and the way of victory, leaving his lovely wife and companion to return later with the Divine Message.

This is why, from the shrines and altars of his external father, who was a father of pleasure-seeking, under the command of the Divine Mother of Sorrow, He went out into the world to know the Sorrows that were there. This is why he must needs see all pain, understand all misery. This is why, indeed, each Buddha and the priests of the Sacred Orders abandoned the ways of human life, all the external pleasures of social existence, and turned to the asceticism, which is known to have belonged to the most ancientorder of Buddhistic priests; because of the sinning of the sons of earth and the misery of her daughters.

Silently through the Ten and Two Buddhistic periods of the Great Brahmanical Dispensation the Divine Mother of Sorrow watched the Earth in its great agony, in its shadow. Whatever of learning is wrested from the ancient nations, it is even yet under the power of shadow; each nation has been begun in violence, because the power of each has been wrested from others, and ever in violence is maintained and ever in violence destroyed. Hence there has been in all those histories no record preserved of those who, in the Divine form of Love, could uplift the nations from their shadows.

Christ Bears "The Sins of the World" You have traced this life of sorrow even amid the histories of Earth; each prophet, seer, sage, and Messiah of the Fifth Dispensation has walked the pathway of sorrow because of this shadow. How the end would be, every one might know, since of all the Buddhas He who reigned in the middle Kingdom alone had even the appearance of joy, and that was only external, and since the latest, Christ Jesus, in that Dispensation reveals the culmination of Sorrow; for upon that Son of the Mother of Sorrow rested the typical "sins of the world." None excepting the Initiates understand why the Christ bears the sins of the world; but because of the desecration of her image, because of the wanderings in the shadows, and because not yet had the sons of earth come to know the real life of this "Man of Sorrow," who must wear the image of Sorrow, must bear the sins of the world and express the shadow which cometh until "repentance" cometh and Her image is restored in the Soul. This is why "Mary," the Mother, which is the typical image of the Madonna, must needs have been lowly, must needs have been un-wedded, must needs have been without the authority and sanction of the church (Jewish); and must turn to Heaven alone for explanation of the Life which was to appear. But by that inspiration that foreknows what the next Dispensation will be, her image was rescued by the Inspired ones in the Church, placing Her position of Divinity side by side with the Christ even at the beginning; while Jesus, Her child, must bear the sins of the world, the Mother of Sorrow, because of her great agony over the tragedy of the end of the Earth-life of her Son, seems to enter into a new pathway.

But what of "Magdolena," the woman deserted, the woman forgiven? What of the woman of all history, who was crowded out of the councils of state and church, and authority, and scorned of kings and rulers, though betrayed by them? Who cometh to her rescue? Who declareth her wrongs? Not her own kind, who sit in sanctioned places of protection and power; those who are sheltered in loving and protecting arms; who are called and claimed by the world as daughters of light; not those who hold their robes aside lest they be stained by contact with those who are not accounted worthy. Not these, but the One deserted by all men, the Typical Christ, forgave and turned even to her as the only woman, the chiefest of these Magdalens, whom the world has scorned, through that long line of shadow; by that one act* the "Man of Sorrows" declares the shame of the world and the triumph of perfect Divine Love. In the "Light of the World" Edwin Arnold has seized the very essence of the Christ Spirit in choosing her to tell the story.

But even now a pause cometh, and the images that have been discredited and thrown in the dust, as bearing the "trail of the Serpent," come again before the minds inspired; out of this Great Tragedy, out of this great drama, even out of the Orient in which is inwoven the trail of this primal serpent, with the shadowy sons and daughters of earth, there appears the Sacred Promise: the sins of men perish in the final act of the Christ who was slain by the Shadows, the sins and sorrows of women in the recognition of the repentant life that had been scorned and despised.

* "Let him among you that is without sin first cast a stone."

The silent Mother of Sorrow broodeth ever above her children, above the kingdoms that are now desolate, because of the sorrow of her daughters.

But such time as the glory of the New Life appears, this shadow will pass from the Earth, restoring the Divine Image, and the Mother of Sorrow who still lingers among her sons and daughters, will turn her face away unto the Golden Kingdom whence she came, leaving behind Her an interpretation of Diviner Joy. But in this interval, even now, as the shadow is parted, and the glorious light of the New Dawn begins to appear, behold, she still loveth Her daughters who are in sorrow; she still bendeth above those who are in pain; she still aids those who must needs walk the path of shadow; and she bends in forgiveness above her wandering, wayward sons who, not seeing the light, have not yet perceived the forgiveness of Christ Even if the silence, and the shadow, and the ebb-tide have left the earth barren, desolate, stranded, it is because when the inflowing of the tide again appeareth, lo: the Divine Mother descendeth in her restored image to declare her love and light to the world.

From Sunset Till Dawn

She stood on the brow of the shadow of Earth,

The clouds of heaven were wondrously bright; And tinted and shadowed with wonderful birth.

Seemed each coming wave of the tide of the night. But the lily bells chimed soft and low

In mournful petition and silent prayer; And the murmuring voices sad and slow

Wailed tip to her height to find answer there.

Deeper and deeper the crimson flame.

The blood-red flame of the fast-fading day; Deeper and deeper the shadow and shame. Sadder and sadder the night's darker sway; Yet silent and tow at her wonderful feet The bells of the lilies made music most sweet.

Then there came on apace the great shadow of night,

'Mid plaints and pleadings and voices of prayer; 'Mid clouds that obscured the fast fading light. Intervening a star shineth glimmering fair - Hushed in the sound of the Earth's great pain Were the chimes of the lilies, she listened in vain.

And then a deep voice as though it were driven

Through the sorrow of ages, surged into her heart, And the shadows were parted as though they were riven To gain the victory; - some light to impart, A soft ray to shine on the lily-bells dead, They made but the moan of their music instead

Then with heart of anguish and pangs of the past

That ages on ages of agony fed, Her eyes and her form on the earth she did cast, And as others passed by they whispered, "she is dead." "And her child there is dead," and out in the night Remaineth the symbol of the Mother of Light

But lo! When the palace halls pleasure hath made

Reveal but the ashes of dead passions glare, When the wine's deadly glamors in drunken dreams fade

And spirits of mortals sink down to despair. When sounding of battles that rent the fair earth

And sorrow of wrongs that obscured her fair face Had ceased, when the mocking and mirth

Departed, then lo! something sweet of rare grace Trembled softly along the low lines of the sky And a Presence as of a Great Silence seemed nigh -

And behold! she arose from her long night of sleep,

Then, parting the clouds by the Dawn's purple door. The image of Love that forever doth keep

Watch and ward o'er earth came toward her once more; And the voice of the wonderful Mother of Love Bade her "arise" all her ancient resplendence to prove.