by Sax Rohmer
In the reign of Shepses-Ka-f, we read of one PtahShepses, who was the “prophet of the god Sekar” and (from which his influence may be adjudged) “chief of the priesthood of Memphis.” The Sphinx, too, was regarded as prophetic, and an inscription upon it tells us that...a great enchantment rests upon this place from the beginning of time, as far as the districts of the lords of Babylon, the sacred road of the gods to the western horizon of On-Heliopolis, because the form of the Sphinx is a likeness of Sheper-ra, the very great god who abides at this place, the greatest of all spirits, the most venerable being who rests upon it.”
Tehuti-mes IV ascribed his elevation to the throne to the active protection and aid of the oracular Horem-Khu; and the inscription upon the memorial stone before the breast of the Sphinx tells us how, “when hunting lions in the valley of the gazelles,” he rested in the shadow of this potent one’s image. “It seemed to him as though this great god spoke to him with his own mouth.”
Here, it is difficult to decide whether the Sphinx should be regarded as oracular, whether the true Oracle was Tehuti-mes, or whether the alleged communication of the god was no more than a cloak to hide the prince’s intrigue to secure the throne. Be this as it may, he caused it to be proclaimed that the god had said to him, “... Thou shalt wear the white crown and the red crown.... The world shall be thine in its length and in its breadth... the sand of the district in which I have my existence has covered me UP. Promise me that thou wilt do what I wish....” When Tehuti-mes IV came to the throne, certainly he kept the promise which he had made, thought he had made, or averred that he had made, to the oracular deity; he cleared away the accumulated sand and freed from its confinement the gigantic body of the Sphinx.
Throughout the eastern nations, this yearning to know the unknowable — which, indeed, is inherent in modern western man to this day — exhibited itself constantly. It was this trait of Oriental character that made the institution of prophets, seers, and Oracles an essential part of the scheme of things. In Assyrian history, it is related that Esarhaddon, being hard pressed by a group of nations to the north-east of Assyria, led by a certain Kashtariti, and among whose followers the Gimirites, the Medes and Manneans were the most prominent, asked for an Oracle from Shamash regarding the outcome of the situation. The priest, acting as mediator, thus addressed the god:
“O Shamash! great Lord! As I ask thee do thou in mercy answer me. From this day, the third day of this month of Iyan, to the eleventh day of the month of Ab of this year, a period of one hundred days and one hundred nights, is the prescribed term for the priestly activity. Will within this period Kashtariti, together with his soldiery, will the army of the Gimirites, the army of the Medes, will the army of the Manneans, or will any enemy whatsoever succeed in carrying out their plan, whether by strategy or by main force, whether by the force of weapons of war and fight or by the axe, whether by breach made with machines of war and battering rams or by hunger, whether by the power residing in the name of a god or goddess, whether in a friendly way, or by friendly grace, or by any strategic device, will these aforementioned, as many as are required to take a city, actually capture the city of Kishsassu, penetrate into the interior of that same city of Kishsassu, will their hands lay hold of that same city of Kishsassu, so that it falls into their power? Thy great divine power knows it. The capture of that same city of Kishsassu, through any enemy whatsoever, within the specified period, is it definitely ordained by thy great and divine will, O Shamash? Will it actually come to pass?”
The exact phraseology and exhaustive character of this invocation would reflect little discredit upon an up-to-date solicitor!
Methods of delivering Oracles are so numerous and diverse that little or no relationship can be established between any several examples.
Pausanius tells us that the Oracle of Hermes at Pharæ was “the casual utterances of men.” One who wished to consult the Oracle came in the evening to the statue of Hermes in the market-place, that stood beside a hearth altar to which bronze lamps were attached. Having kindled the lamps and put a piece of money on the altar, he whispered into the ear of the statue whatsoever he desired to know, and departed, closing his ears with his hands. Whatever human speech he first heard on removing them, he accepted as an Oracle.
The famed Pythoness of Delphi appears to have chewed leaves of the sacred laurel and then to have drunk water from the prophetic stream called Kassotis, which flowed underground. But the height of the afflatus was attained when she seated herself upon the tripod; and here she was supposed to be inspired by a mystic vapour that arose from a fissure in the ground. The Pythoness was ordinarily no seeker after notoriety, no courtesan, and no representative of a highly placed family: but a virtuous woman of the lower class. The Persian Oracles (other than the Sibyl mentioned by Nicanor) had distinctive characteristics; and in the science of divination, or in affecting an acquaintance with the science, the Aztec priests undoubtedly excelled; “and,” according to Prescott, “while they seemed to hold the keys of the future in their own hands, they impressed the ignorant people with the sentiments of superstitious awe, beyond that which has probably existed in any other country — even in Ancient Egypt.”
The further the inquirer proceeds, the more evident does it become that Oracles, in some shape or form, be they the word of Hebrew prophet, the song of the Sibyl, the dream of one sleeping in the shadow of a god, the inspired speech of the Pythoness, have done much to shape the world!
I do not design to analyse the oracular records in quest of divine inspiration; I but hope to show, so clearly that there can remain no doubts, the fact that Oracles, howsoever inspired — whether the mere repetitions of essential political dogmas, the echoed promptings of a concealed Chorus, or something unsuborned by man — have time and time again weighed down the doubtful balance; have made and unmade kings; have set up and cast down thrones; have wrought and have ruined kingdoms; have been, if not the guiding hand, the instrument whereby much of the Old World was fashioned, and whereby much of the New was made possible.
Shortly after the defeat of Mohammed by the Coreish (the Meccans) at Ohod, a scene occurred which illumines the manner in which the Oracles of Mohammed were given to the Faithful.
Among the slain was Sàd, son of Rabi, a leader of the Bani Khazraj. He left a widow and two daughters; but his brother, in accordance with the practice of the times, took possession of the entire inheritance. The widow — not unnaturally — was grieved at this; and, being a discreet and prudent woman, determined to obtain redress, if redress were obtainable. Accordingly she invited the Prophet to a feast, with some twenty of his intimates. A retired spot among the palm trees of the widow’s garden was well sprinkled with water, and the repast spread.
Mohammed arrived, and with his companions took his seat upon the carpets prepared. Sympathetically he spoke to the widow of her bereavement, with such pathos that all the women wept, and the eyes of the Prophet himself filled with tears. The supper disposed of, a feast of fresh dates followed; whereupon the widow arose, and addressed her guest as follows: “Sàd, as thou well knowest, was slain at Ohod. His brother hath seized the inheritance. There is nothing left for the two daughters; and how shall they be married without a portion?”
Mohammed, much moved by the simple tale, replied: “The Lord shall decide regarding the inheritance; for no command hath yet been revealed to me in this matter. Come again unto me when I shall have returned home.” With this he departed.
Later, as with his companions he rested at the door of his own house, symptoms of inspiration came upon him — he was oppressed, and we are told that the drops of sweat fell like pearls from his forehead. Then he commanded that the widow of Sàd and his brother should be summoned; and when they were brought before him, he pronounced thus:
“Restore unto the daughter of Sàd two-thirds of that which he hath left behind him and one-eighth part for his widow: the remainder is for thee.”
The widow, rejoicing, then uttered the Takbir,
“Great is the Lord!” —
This incident has been cited at length as illustrating quite peculiarly the manner wherein Oracles have formed the basis upon which rest the structures of some of the laws, and laws yet operative, of mankind; for this ordinance, thus oracularly proclaimed, was the origin of an important provision in the Mohammedan law of inheritance.
A yearning to peep between the bars of the fastlocked gate of futurity is innate with all mankind, and, though the Sibyl may be the most sorry impostor, by no assertion of our higher education may we abrogate the power she has usurped. That Oracles hold, to-day, the keys of the Senate House and of the holy places, may not truly be said; but that they have held those keys in the past may not fairly be denied. Upon the predictions of Oracles the ancient wars were waged, the ancient kings were crowned, the ancient states were builded.
Whatever the source of those oracular utterances, whatever the faith of those who interpreted them, that they were the finger-posts along the old roads, pointing the way to conquest or the way to disaster, cannot be gainsaid.
Cæsar: The ides of March are come.
Soothsayer: Ay, Cæsar; but not gone.
The tragedy of Julius Cæsar turns upon that axis, as the ancient world turned upon the axis of the Oracle.
VI. EXTRAORDINARY MODES OF DIVINATION
The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts upon
Turns Ashes — or it prospers; and anon,
Like snow upon the Desert’s dusty face,
Lighting a little hour or two — is gone.
I have dealt at some length with what I may term “official” Oracles for the reason that the subject bears so directly upon the life of Nostradamus, as will presently appear; for Michel de Notre Dame became, in a sense, the official prophet of France. Before we dismiss altogether the subject of divination, we might profitably glance at some of the more extraordinary windows of futurity opened by peering mankind; for the doings of the seer have enriched the annals of occultism with some singular pages. Thus, Julian the Apostate, in his necromantic practices and nocturnal sacrifices, is said to have immolated many children in order to consult their intestines (anthropomancy).
When he was at Carra, in Mesopotamia, he is said to have retired to the Temple of the Moon with some companions, and, his mystic operations concluded, to have left the temple locked and sealed, and with a guard over the door. He never returned to Carra, being slain in the war; and when, in the reign of Jovian, the place was opened, a woman was found hanging by her hair, her hands outstretched, her body cut open and the liver removed.
Divination by means of table-turning was known to the Egyptian priests, apparently from the earliest times. It has come to us by way of Rome, for to the Romans the practice passed.
The instrument known as planchette is no more than a variation of the gyrating table; and tripod-turning enjoyed a considerable vogue in Rome, when the Romans, I presume, had tired of the original Egyptian form of the practice (the gyrating of a kind of sieve).
Tertullian speaks of those who, “putting their faith in angels or demons, made goats and even tripods prophesy to them.”
This table-turning of Old Rome, however, was invested with all the pomp of religious ceremonial; being indeed a wholly demoniacal business. In the report of the confession of certain conspirators who, under Valens, had consulted a prophetic tripod (dactylomancy) as a preliminary measure to that of assassinating the Emperor, we find the conspirators saying:
“We have constructed this accursed little tripod, most sublime judges, in the semblance of the Delphic tripod, and we have fashioned it, with solemn incantations, from the branches of a consecrated laurel. In accordance with ancient custom, we have surrounded it with divers ornaments, and consecrated it by means of imprecations, charms, and mystic verses; and this being done, we moved it.”
The report further tells us how the conspirators purified the apartment in which the mystic rites were to be performed. Around the edge of the metal basin in which the tripod was to be turned, were engraved, at equal distances one from another, the twenty-four letters of the alphabet.
In the form of the ensuing ceremony, and in the part played by these twenty-four letters, we perceive a certain similarity between this tripod and the planchette. For the officiating priest (robed in white linen and with shaven skull, and bearing a sprig of vervain in his hand) took note of the letters which were struck by the rings suspended from the table, as it turned about.
Upon this occasion the rings struck Th and E in reply to the conspirators’ query as to who was to succeed Valens. This was taken as a confirmation of the popular belief that Theodorus should be the future Emperor. I now come to the really notable part of this episode in the history of sorcery.
Valens, at this time, found himself equally curious for reliable information upon this matter of the succession, and had recourse to the magical art of alectromancy.
A cock (he should have been white and deprived of his claws) was placed within a circle marked about with the letters of the alphabet, covered with grain, from which the bird was allowed to peck at discretion. In this way, the cock laid bare the letters Th, E, O, and D. The Emperor seems to have entertained no doubt that Theodorus was the name indicated, since he promptly had Theodorus put to death. The existence of Theodosius had been overlooked, alike by the conspirators and by Valens, and Theodosius succeeded to the Empire.
At this place I may touch upon the methods of those priests called oneiropoletce (“vendors of dreams”). These priests slept within the precincts of the temple with the supplicants who sought the revelation of the gods, and communicated to them the divine instructions received in their dreams. A hypnotic sleep was induced, too, by means of certain passes with the hands or by making the supplicant stare fixedly in a mirror floating upon the surface of a fountain. St. Augustine tells of a priest of his own Church and time who was an adept in this art.
Animal magnetism, in one form or another, plays an important part in many sorceries. In Cochin-China there exist those who, it is said, are able, solely by the effort of their will, to propel heavy barges! I will not cite the authority responsible for this statement, but pass on to the account of an eye-witness of some of the phenomena at command of the Lamas of Tibet; for the arts of Tibet are indissolubly bound up with the fame of Madame Blavatsky.
One of the feats related is as follows:
In order to discover a criminal, the Lama seats himself upon the ground before a small, square table, on which he lays his hand, whilst he chants from a certain book. After a time, he rises, lifting his hand; whereupon the table is likewise seen to rise, following his hand — until it has risen to the level of the Lama’s eyes.
It next commences a rotary motion; and its speed becomes so great that he appears hard put to it to follow, even by running. Finally, having pursued various directions, the table falls. Its fall is said to indicate the point of the compass toward which search should be made for the culprit.
The traveller whose account has furnished me with the foregoing, avers that he was four times a witness of this surprising feat. Search failed, however, to bring the culprit (in this case a thief) to light; until, when the quest had been abandoned, a man resident in the indicated direction killed himself. The stolen property, we are told, was discovered to be concealed in his hut!
In conclusion I may mention an account of Bokte sorcery for which we are indebted to the French traveller, M. Huc. According to the latter, a Bokte of the Lama convent of Rache-Churin, to a wild vocal accompaniment by brother Lamas, ripped himself entirely open with a sacred scimitar, and, during his sufferings, submitted to interrogation anent the future — his answers being regarded as oracular.
The devout curiosity of the pilgrims (who flock to these bloody ceremonies) being satisfied, M. Huc tells us that the Bokte passes his hand rapidly over his stomach, and it “becomes as whole as it was before,” without the slightest trace remaining of the diabolical operation — with the exception of an extreme
lassitude!
VII. “THE ENIGMA OF THE SPHINX”
Would you that spangle of Existence spend
About THE SECRET — quick about it, Friend!
A Hair perhaps divides the False and True —
And upon what, prithee, may life depend?
Sorcery, or that form of sorcery which may be termed ceremonial, owes its survival, in a great measure, to Alphonse Louis Constant or “Éliphas Lévi.” I consider that Éliphas Lévi may justly be called the last of the sorcerers. Yet, outside the study of the student of occultism, Lévi is unknown. How many readers of A Strange Story, Zanoni, and those others of Lytton’s works dealing with the supernatural, are aware that the author was one of the privileged few whom the great master of magic accepted as disciples, was a pupil of Eliphas Lévi? Lord Lytton as a sorcerer is an unfamiliar figure; nevertheless, as a sorcerer, and an Adept, he is regarded by those qualified to judge.
Much of Lévi’s work has been translated into English — notably, by Mr. A. E. Waite — but it possesses scant interest for the general reader, being prolix and incomprehensible. That part of his writings which is available in English may be said to be representative, and what I have seen of his untranslated work does not impress me with its lucidity.
Possibly an explanation of Lévi’s mystical and misleading phraseology is to be found in his Magical Ritual (translated from MSS. and edited by W. Wynn Westcott, M.B.). In the chapter, “The Tower — La Maison de Dieu,” we read:
“Do you know why the Fiery Sword of Samael is stretched over the Garden of Delight, which was the cradle of our race?
“Do you know why the Deluge was ordered to efface from the earth every vestige of the race of the giants?
