The New York herald., 1920-01-11
Phr,xos and Helle Ancien,
Greek Vase Painting Showing m
Allesoy the Arrival Of Spring on
the Back Of the Vemal Ram.

color, whether as viewed by the naked
eye in clear regions or through telescope.
is the true blazing STAR OF Masonic
symbolism. It is Identical with the PEN
tagram. or five pointed star. SO often
shown In this connection, because its
domicile. Aries being the first sign Of
the zodiac and it's donicle, "Scorpio, -
being the eighth sign. between which
signs were comprised the fertile months
of the year governed by the five planets
Sun. Moon, Venus, Mercury and Mars
which were synthesized in the five pointed
star as the five planetary influences gov
erning man. According to the ancient
Hindoo philosophy. sun and moon con-
veyed the divine spark, or "Atma"; Mer-
Ecury, the divine spirit, or "Buddhi' !;
Venus, the human soul, or "Manas." and
Mars, the animal soul, or Kama" the
latter represented as governed by Mars
In Aries" and Mars in "Scorpio," the
first representing a tendency toward the
good. the beautiful and the true, and the
second one toward the bad, the base and
the degenerative.
Thus is Mars the true ancient symbol
of the candidate for publication through
the Mysteries, with the serpent (Scorpio)
as the qualification OF his evil state at
the outset and the lamb or ram as that
of his cleansed and regenerated condition.
Tho lanbskin apron has therefore a
double Significance, q material reference
| to adeptshp in the cosnni science on
which the symbolisms of the ancient
mysteries Were founded and a spiritual
reference to the moral elevation of one
who had been initiated, /. e., caused to
! perceive" that which because of spiritual
blindness had hitherto been invisible.
| Search whittier We will throughout the
entire domain Of dogmatic theology and
what, which because it is obsolete, now
passes for meaningless myth we will al
ways run into the same Identical symbols
OF mans spiritual experiences plucked
from tho starry canopy above. Tho asso-
citation OF the ram with the head was un-
doubtedly that which gave IL its symbolic
significance as The first month, or head of
tho year. How long ago this was can only
be conjectured.
Brilliant astronomers who have given
close attention and deep thought to the
subject estimate that the astronomical OBJ
servauons of the old Aryan seors. who
first formulated the zodiaca1 scheme
must have been nado when the sun was
in the sign of the ram, at the winter SOL
| stice. This, according to professional cal
culation. at the rate of seventy-two years
per degree, must have been as early as
anywhere between B. c. S3l5 and 3. G.
the sign of Sagittarius. Even at this early
epoch. however. the ram had commenced
TO have a symbolic significance and to be
endowed with many OF the attributes
which but slightly altered he has carried
down through the ages.
Back To vedas.
The earliest known symbolism of the
ram begins with the Hindoo Vedas. when
he is apostrophized as "Agni." god Of the
solar fire. presiding over the great fes-
tival of the day which saw 'old Sol' turn
| from his southern progress. back to the
northern regions. awaiting his fructifying
rays. The name ."Agni'' is the origin OF
the latin term "Agnus' for lamb" which
has thus been used In n religious sense
| for at least eight thousand years. All the
old Hindoo pictures OF Agni represent him
as riding upon q gayly caparisoned ram
and surrounded by solar flames. The
Vedas. or sacred books Of the Brahnins,
said that "Agni'' was the world spirit,
"at once the offerer and the offering. so
that from his mouth issue the words
and the rhythm. from his body break forth
the objects OF nature and are distributed
60 the universe as parts OF the offering.
Agni. who is father. mother, son and
daughter. enters into all the human re-
latlons"
One OF the earliest examples Of the uni
|
Translated for us from the Vedas by the
French savant. Edgard Quinet. who
says TT is In the Indian hymns OF the
Rg- eda that are found tho most ancient
evidences OF the Influence OF the contem-
plation Of fire on the spirit OF man.
He possesses fire. but the daily en-
kindlcd hearth has not yet become ha-
bitual to him. Fire is yet an ecstasy. a
prodigy TO him.
Did he not call upon the firo god with
hymns IL would bo in vain, that no would
rule together the two pieces OF the aranf
dire sticks). They would refuse 10 en-
gender flame. The god would decline 20
show himself in his sparkling robe ana
golden trosses He would disdain TO scat
himself upon tho dry tufts OF moss ana
would leave tho world TO night.
Therefore hymns, words OF flame TO
awaken and attract the mighty Agni.
None Of the immortal ones IN celebrated
40 often or with such lnsistence ana sup
plicatiou. Prayer is added 10 each breath
to encourage tho bursting flame and when
at last It has arrived. when the god mas
thrust forth his ruddy tongue from tho
ashes when he has mounted upon his car
Of light what songs OF enthusiasm burst
forth TO the skies with tho smoke Of
sacrifice.
Listen Around this primitive hearth
rises a song. the words or which reach
even TO us Sing the shining mystery Of
the illustrious Agni. oh. my friends, bring
hither your hymns and your offerings for
Agni the victorious"
/ other and similar songs burst forth
wherever the human family is assembled
on tho slopes or In the valleys OF the
Hlmalayas.
What are these groups OF men engaged
at7 They are rubbing one against the
other stems Of the Acacia or of the fix
tree. Rude labor, Sweat rolls from the