The Most Holy Trinosophia: Section Six

French with English translation

Simplified English version

Our narrator, having just discovered the bird, altar, and torch, turns around to realize that he's been standing by a huge palace on the clouds this whole time! Four rows of columns rise at different heights, topped by a golden ball. In order, the columns are white, black, green, and red. While the artist in me can't stand this questionable decor choice, it's clear that this gaudy combination of colors is here for a reason.

What can these colors tell us? We recognize red, black, and white from the alchemical process, but green is new. The only times we've seen green until now are the green sand mentioned back in section three and when the Immortal Sage bird held a green branch in section five. (Honorable mention for section four, which had "greenish gold.") This is the first time we've seen green so blatantly mingling with the other colors. We've mostly seen red, black, and white with blue, not green. I tried to find out if blue and green are considered the same range of colors in French, something like in Japanese, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

So why is it green instead of blue now? Is that important?

One possibly that comes to mind is that this is meant to symbolize a mixture of blue and yellow, giving us all five of the colors of the Rosicrucian cross, but I'm still not convinced this is relevant. And, if that were the case, blue would be water and yellow would be air. Why would they be mixed together here?

Also, why do the colors seem to be out of order? The normal alchemical process is black -> white -> yellow -> red. This seems to go white -> black -> green -> red. What is the significance here?

Our narrator's robe is blue with golden stars. Is this why blue is absent? All the blue got used up on his robe so they didn't have any left for the columns? But then how did they make green paint without blue!?!?!?!?!

It's possible I'm getting caught up on the wrong thing here. Let's move on.

Edit: After finishing a drawing based on section four, I realized that the serpent had a cup (water, blue) on its head and a sword (air, yellow) nearby. Maybe this is a callback to that? I'll have to think on it more, but it seemed significant enough to come back and add this.

After admiring this "work of immortal artists," as he calls it (to each his own), our author turns back to study the bird, altar, and torch some more. Sadly, though, they have disappeared. He's searching for them when the palace door opens and an old man walks out. He's wearing a robe similar to our man, but with a golden sun added to the chest. He holds a green branch in his right hand and an incense burner in his left. He has a wooden chain necklace and wears a pointed tiara, like Zoroaster's, on his head of white hair. Is it possible that this is Zoroaster as an ascended master?

The old man smiles and speaks in Persian (perhaps another hint that he is Zoroaster), the translation being, "Adore God. It is He who sustained thee in thy trials; His spirit was with thee. My son, thou hast let slip by the opportunity. Thou couldst have seized instantly the bird Immortal Sage, the torch Light, and the altar Wise Crown. Thou wouldst have become altar, bird and torch at one and the same time. Now, in order to arrive at the most secret place of the Palace of sublime sciences, it will be necessary for thee to pass through all by-ways. Come . . . I must first of all present thee to my brothers."

Well, shoot. Turns out there was some sort of shortcut and our guy just didn't realize it. Now he has to do a bunch more stuff. Maybe it's related to his failure in section four? Oh well. Let's stop and interpret some things.

The old man is a sage, reminiscent of the bird Immortal Sage. He even carries the same green branch, perhaps a haoma, which is a sacred plant in Zoroastrianism described as being a golden-green (maybe a connection to the greenish-gold snake altar from section four?). His robe is blue with stars, like our narrator, but the old man also has a sun on his chest. This is to show that, while our narrator and others like him have little bits of knowledge sprinkled here and there (the stars), the old man has managed to put everything together in a more comprehensive way (the sun). The incense burner in his left hand could serve to show us that we're still in the element of air, same as the last section. (For goodness' sake, we're in a palace in the clouds, how much clearer can it get?) The wooden chain he wears could keep the sage tied to the element of earth, showing that he won't forget his roots as a material being.

I find it interesting that the sage tells our narrator that he was this close to enlightenment... when our narrator earlier tried to skip the 'air' step of the journey. If he hadn't failed the 'fire' test with the serpent, would he still have been taken back to the 'air' section? If not, does this mean his entire path could have changed?

Regardless of all the "what-ifs," we are where we are and our boy has more work to do.

Next, the sage brings him into a hall, which is described for us. There are 360 columns. A gold ring in the center hangs from the ceiling connected to a cross with red, white, blue, and black arms. There's a triangular altar under it with the bird Immortal Sage, the torch Light, and the altar Wise Crown on its three points. But now their names have changed.

Let's interpret a few things here before we get into the names, because the names are... complicated.

360 columns (divisible by three) would match the number of degrees in a circle, which is also how we locate stars and planets in the sky. There's a lot in this section that emphasizes the sky, planets, and stars.

The cross is interesting to me. Looking at the picture, it has the same colors as the doors we saw way back in section two, but the red and black have been switched. Red is now on the top. I think this could be meant to show completion of part of his journey, since later he is told that his physical trials are over.

Now for the names.

The sage tells us that the bird is named:

the altar:

the torch:

the hall they are in:

the triangular altar holding the bird, torch, and altar:

The first three are in Hebrew and the last is Greek. I can't figure out the fourth one, but it appears to be similar to the stylized-pseudo-Arabic-Persian-thing we've seen before.

When directly translated (assuming I got the letters right, I'm a little rusty), we get this:

Bird: = אם פירכא = "Mother of the Blessed Sacrament"

Altar: כהנא = Kahane

Torch: גפר'ח = Gafr'h

Hall: ???

Triangluar altar: ΑΘΑΝΩΡ = Athanor

It's safe to assume that these are encoded beyond a simple translation. When changing or removing one letter, I can get something a little more understandable. At the beginning of the work, the author says, "an obscure line, an omitted character would prevent your lifting the veil which the hand of the Creator has placed over the Sphinx." Maybe this was actually supposed to be a hint that his friend should omit a character here and there? But it's probably a stretch. I'm mostly playing around, but here are some possible meanings if we take that route:

Bird:  אםפ'רכה = "Mother of the Virgin" (I took out the space after the mem sofit to make it one word)

Altar: כהוא = Nothing

Torch: פריח = Flowering

Hall: ???

Triangular altar: ΑΘΕΝΩΡ = Athens

Here are the interpretations given by Manly P Hall:

Bird: "Ampheercha," which he takes to mean "a mother shall bear the likeness" or "double."

Altar: "Priest" or "initiator" of the second/philosophic birth

Torch: (I can't seem to find his translation for this one???)

Hall: "Sky" or "Firmament"

Triangular altar: Athanor or divided into two words it can mean "immortality" and "the four quarters of the heavens"

And by Adam McLean:

Bird: אסירכא = Asphirna

Altar: כהוא = Kahena

Torch: פריח = Nephrith

Hall: Hajalah

Triangular altar: Athanor

Well... at least we all seem to agree on Athanor. It' s just a direct translation from Greek, so it makes sense we all got the same answer on that one. Style points to Manly for trying to spice it up.

For the sake of simplicity, I will be using Adam McLean's transliterations. They sound more like names, anyway.

Around the triangular altar Athanor, there are 81 thrones (divisible by three). Each has nine steps (divisible by three) of uneven height leading to it. The steps are covered in red carpet. Our narrator is studying the thrones when a trumpet announces the arrival of 79 more people coming through the doors which have swung open. They are all dressed similarly to the sage who's been showing you around. They sit in the thrones, which leaves two open, presumably one for the sage and one for you.

One old man has a purple robe with symbols embroidered along the hem. He seems to be the only one with this sort of robe. This is the first time we've encountered purple in this text. It's a color that has been associated with royalty and wisdom for a long time, so we can assume this guy is in charge.

The purple sage stands and speaks, though we are not told what he says. The sage who has been guiding us answers him in a sacred language, "Behold one of our children whom it is the will of God to make as great as his fathers." The purple sage answers, "May the will of the Lord be done."

The purple sage turns to our narrator. "My son, the time of thy physical trials is now ended . . . There remain long journeys for thee to undertake. Henceforth thy name shall be

Before thou visit this edifice, each of my eight brothers and myself will present thee with a gift."

Adam McLean translates this name as "Food" or "Nourishment," and Manly P Hall translates it as "Wise Man" with the words actually meaning, "to be the face or manifestor of the most high." We'll combine them and say that his new name is Food of the Wise.

Oh jeez, more names are coming. Hang on, let's catch up with our symbolism first.

There are 81 thrones. This is divisible by three, of course, but I think it's more important that this is divisible by nine. Nine shows up a lot right here.

9 x 9 = 81 thrones

9 steps to each throne

9 sages will each give him a gift, so 9 gifts in total

I'm going to go on a little spiel about how cool nine is, so you can skip to the --- if you get bored.

Nine is, of course, a number that's been connected to magic for who knows how long. It's three times three, so this makes sense when we take into account how prominent three is. It's the largest single-digit number, meaning it represents the completion of a cycle.

Also, here's a cool thing I figured out about nine that no other single-digit number can do. It always reduces to itself no matter what you multiply it by.

9 x 9 = 81

• 8 + 1 = 9

9 x 273 = 2,457

• 2 + 4 + 5 + 7 = 18

• 1 + 8 = 9

9 x 15,487 = 139,383

• 1 + 3 + 9 + 3 + 8 + 3 = 27

• 2 + 7 = 9

You get the idea. Nine is a special number.

---

The steps leading to each throne are of unequal heights. I take this to mean that everyone's journey to enlightenment is a bit different. For some people, it's harder, so the steps could be taller. For some people, it's easier with shorter steps. For some people it fluctuates, so their steps could be all kinds of different heights!

The steps leading to each throne are covered in red carpet. Red has been an important color through this whole text. This could symbolize that he won't reach the throne meant for him until he's completed his 'fire' journey. The purple sage said that Food of the Wise has completed his physical trials, but that there are still long journeys ahead.

Okay, lots of names are coming up. For simplicity's sake, I will put Manly P Hall's translations in bold italics and Adam McLean's translations in underlined bold so we can sort of speedrun this. (My own translations, if I have any, will be in normal text like this. I'll use my 'replace or erase' method to find words if I don't have a direct translation.) Manly also assigns a celestial sphere to each item, so I'll put those in parentheses next to his translations.

Purple Sage gives Food of the Wise the 'kiss of peace' and a cube of gray earth called:

Mystery of the Spiritual Birth (Earth)

Humam [ash or lava]

2nd Sage gives him three cylinders of black stone called:

Selflessness (Moon)

Qenka

Tomb - קבר

(I used a bet instead of a kaf; they look very similar)

3rd Sage gives him a small, rounded crystal called:

The End of Ages/Cycles (Mercury)

[no name given]

4th Sage gives him a crest of blue feathers called:

Aquarius/Leg of the Great Man (Venus)

Ashqushaq [gum ammoniac resin?]

5th Sage gives him a silver vase called:

Birth of the Spirit (Sun)

Geshem

Named = בשם

(Direct translation)

Breathe = נשם

(Changed the bet to a nun)

6th Sage gives him a cluster of grapes called:

Regeneration (Mars)

Marash-resha

Ploughed = נכוחרשא

(Direct translation)

By force, it is permissible = בכוח רשא

(Changed the kaf to a bet and separated into two words)

7th Sage gives him the figure of a bird similar to the one from earlier. It is only silver, though. The sage says, "It has the same name. It is for thee to give it the same virtues." This bird is called:

They Who Live in the Light or Truth (Jupiter)

HVHY

They are 8 = 'הן ח

(I believe McLean saw a vav where I see a nun sofit, which makes this into two words.)

8th Sage give him a small altar, resembling the altar from earlier:

The Fruitage of Virtue (Saturn)

Nephrith

Candle = נר'ת

(I removed the pe)

9th Sage, who has been showing him around, gives him a torch composed of brilliant particles, but it's unlit. "It is for thee like those that have preceded it to give it the same virtues." The torch isn't explicitly given a name here, but it's noted that it's similar to:

The Springing Forth (The Fixed Stars)

Marah

Cow = פרה

(Direct translation)

I'm not sure most of my translations make any sense, but I think "Cow" is pretty funny. I feel pretty good about the silver vase's name. I think Manly just took some artistic liberties with it, but it's possible we have the same idea. בשם would mean something like "of the name," and שם is often used in place of God, so "birth of the Spirit" makes sense in a way.

The leader, presumably Purple Sage, tells Food of the Wise, "Reflect on these gifts. They all lead equally to perfection, but none of them is perfect in itself. It is from their admixture that the divine product must come. Know also that all of them are null if thou employ them not in the order in which thou hast received them. The second, which serves for the use of the first, remains merely crude matter without warmth and without usefulness unless in its turn it is aided by that which comes after it. Guard carefully the gifts thou hast received and set out upon thy journeys after thou hast drunk from the cup of life."

I think the fact that the gifts have to be used in order strengthens Manly P Hall's idea that each gift is connected to a celestial sphere. When looking at the Ptolemaic model, Earth is the innermost planet and the rest go in the order shown above until you've reached the outermost stars. Here's how each designation makes sense (or doesn't) to me:

Cube of gray earth = ...earth, duh

Three black stone cylinders = three phases of the moon

Round piece of crystal = Assuming this is clear quartz (usually what these older texts seem to mean when they simply say crystal), it represents clarity and learning, qualities associated with air and Mercury.

Blue feathers = Venus, maybe because blue feathers are decorative and Venus is related to beauty.

Silver vase = Sun. This one is a bit odd to me, since silver is typically associated with the moon, and a vase holds water which gives even more of a moon connection.

Grapes = Mars, maybe because wine is used in place of blood in some rituals (most notably the Eucharist). There's also the fact that the Roman god Mars is associated with agriculture, not just war.

Bird = Jupiter. I feel like there's something about leadership here, but I'm having trouble putting it together.

Small altar = Saturn is a heavy planet, with focus on things like sacrifice and hard work. The altar fits this because that is where the magician works and leaves offerings.

Torch = Fixed stars. I feel this one makes sense specifically because the torch is made of "brilliant particles," which would remind one of the stars.

After receiving these gifts, Food of the Wise is handed a crystal cup with a saffron (yellow) liquid. It smells and tastes amazing. Food of the Wise is about to hand it back, but the sage tells him, "Drink it all; it will be thy only nourishment during thy journeys." Food of the Wise does as he's told and notices that he feels stronger, braver, and more intelligent than he did before.

Once again, we see yellow, reinforcing the fact that this is the 'air' part of his journey. It makes perfect sense that this drink would strengthen his intellectual powers. As for what the drink could be, a part of me suspects grappa, given the prominence of grapes throughout this text. It's often a very nice yellow. However, after learning a bit about the haoma plant (which is what I suspect the Zoroaster-like figure is holding), a drink made from haoma seems more likely. From Britannica:

The preparation of the drink from the plant by pounding and the drinking of it are central features of Zoroastrian ritual. Haoma is also personified as a divinity. It bestows essential vital qualities—health, fertility, husbands for maidens, even immortality.

Food of the Wise, after his drink, feels healthier, stronger, and smarter: attributes that seem to line up quite nicely with haoma.

He says his goodbyes to the group of sages and, after being directed by his guide, walks into a long gallery to the right. 'Right' is often associated with light, divinity, and future.

Stay safe!

- me