19 September (Saturn) Liber VII, 2:10-16
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10. Thou art not worth an obol in the agora; yet Thou art not to be bought at the ransom of the whole Universe.
11. Thou art like a beautiful Nubian slave leaning her naked purple against the green pillars of marble that are above the bath.
12. Wine jets from her black nipples.
13. I drank wine awhile agone in the house of Pertinax. The cup-boy favoured me, and gave me of the right sweet Chian.
14. There was a Doric boy, skilled in feats of strength, an athlete. The full moon fled away angrily down the wrack. Ah! but we laughed.
15. I was pernicious drunk, O my God! Yet Pertinax brought me to the bridal.
16. I had a crown of thorns for all my dower. -
10. Thou art not worth an obol in the agora; yet Thou art not to be bought at the ransom of the whole Universe.
11. Thou art like a beautiful Nubian slave leaning her naked purple against the green pillars of marble that are above the bath.
12. Wine jets from her black nipples.
13. I drank wine awhile agone in the house of Pertinax. The cup-boy favoured me, and gave me of the right sweet Chian.
14. There was a Doric boy, skilled in feats of strength, an athlete. The full moon fled away angrily down the wrack. Ah! but we laughed.
15. I was pernicious drunk, O my God! Yet Pertinax brought me to the bridal.
16. I had a crown of thorns for all my dower.In the end he attributes his success to discipline.
The distractions are empty, faithless.
Soul is made from suffering—its wealth, its depth are derived from its relationship with suffering, hardship, and death.I almost feel as if I Understand!
Love and Will
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"13. I drank wine awhile agone in the house of Pertinax. The cup-boy favoured me, and gave me of the right sweet Chian.
- There was a Doric boy, skilled in feats of strength, an athlete. The full moon fled away angrily down the wrack. Ah! but we laughed.
- I was pernicious drunk, O my God! Yet Pertinax brought me to the bridal."
Lately I've been reflecting on some of the qualities of my father that I had once abhorred but now aspire to develop within myself. Having just turned 29 and cleaning up a lot of messes I made in my 20's, it's evident that life just doesn't work without discipline and structure. I was the pernicious drunkard, stumbling through life, loudly and proudly flipping the bird to rules and authority figures. Now the tables are turning and I'm humbly requesting guidance from Pertinax so to speak. He helps me be the Doric Boy I know myself to be when I focused and structured.
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I haven't been publically commenting on these lately, partly because of the heightened work load (and lessened available time), and partly because, most of the time, I'd just say the same old thing: "Awesomely passionate / devoted / loving, splendid example of bhakti, getting lost in it. - Nice reminder!"
And so it goes. (Yesterday was an especially excellent example of that.)
But maybe it's worth saying it here and there anyway.
A few sideways observations about today:
@Jim Eshelman said
"**10. Thou art not worth an obol in the agora; yet Thou art not to be bought at the ransom of the whole Universe."
"You're not worth two-bits in the marketplace, but..." Yes, this is the commonly cited characteristic of the First Matter in Alchemy, that it is found in the least valued things, not is valuable beyond measure. This verse is rivetting in how it makes the point of what that First Matter is - that what we have at the beginning is what we seek in the end if only we say it for what it really is - and all the other usual things that can be said about it.
Adonai is the First Matter - and the Last. Is there anything else needed, any other gold to embrace, any other mystery beyond the Stone worth having?
This is, after all, the Book of the Stone - specifically, of the blue stone, lapis lazuli, even as it is the book of wine or intoxication.
"...bought at the ransom of the whole Universe": the Ordeal of the Abyss, being willing to pay the price of one's entire universe.
"11. Thou art like a beautiful Nubian slave leaning her naked purple against the green pillars of marble that are above the bath.
- Wine jets from her black nipples."
The colors of this are vivid: the mingling of purple and green (seems to me I've seen those coexisting in certain altered states), and the streams of wine. A gripping image.
"13. I drank wine awhile agone in the house of Pertinax. The cup-boy favoured me, and gave me of the right sweet Chian."
I always laugh in recognition on this one. We only drank a while at the house of "stick to it!" Even the fruits of that endeavor didn't have us hang more than "a while." (Anybody recognize this?)
"15. I was pernicious drunk, O my God! Yet Pertinax brought me to the bridal."
And there it is - persistence paid off. Brided and bedded (and likely bridled!) by Adonai.
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"13. I drank wine awhile agone in the house of Pertinax. The cup-boy favoured me, and gave me of the right sweet Chian.
I always laugh in recognition on this one. We only drank a while at the house of "stick to it!" Even the fruits of that endeavor didn't have us hang more than "a while." (Anybody recognize this?)"
I dooo
