an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.' The figures 120 show plainly that ere we bury our Law Giver he must have taught us the wisdom of a completed expression of the Divine Law as symbolized by a complete multiple of 12, 10X12=120. When the followers of the Law have reached the point in their development where they can be taught directly through intuition (tuition from within) and inspiration, they have reached the symbolic Jordan, but to cross this mysterious river they must have a new leader. For even though Moses was divinely appointed for his work, when that work was accomplished another divinely appointed one is ready to take us the next step onward. 'When the pupil is ready the Teacher appears.""

"Twelve men were selected by Joshua, one from each tribe, each to take a stone out of the bed of Jordan with which to erect a memorial. This refers to the complete consecration of all our faculties (tribes) with which we must find and take out of the bed of Jordan, out of the very spot where the Ark rested, the twelve stones for our memorial."

"The gathering of these twelve stones while consisting of spiritual experiences will nevertheless make its mark in the foundation of our character. They will not consist of great physical or psychic events which all our friends and neighbors can see and appreciate, for we pass over Jordan in spiritual consciousness. Hence it is useless to try to tell anyone of it who has not had a similar experience, and much talking of it wastes its force. The only way we can truly testify to having passed over is by the presence of the stones of truth we have brought with us from the midst of the river and used to build a cairn or a sacred testimonial in our character which shall be so solid and firm and fundamental that it is like the everlasting rocks on which the earth's crust is laid. For no matter how much philosophy we have grasped; no matter if we have sat at the feet of a Master and been taught from his lips; no matter if our psychic faculties are developed

and we can speak with the tongues of men and angels, unless our lives show evidence of a greater poise, common sense, patience and a consideration for others, and unless we have that 'charity,' or that love which is more than love as it is generally understood, we have not gathered our twelve stones from Jordan and built our memorial.”

"It is in the little every-day affairs that we must prove that our house is built upon the rock. Long before the winds blow and the rain descends and the floods beat upon our house we will know and most of our acquaintances will know if we have not built upon our twelve stones; for at every little disturbance we go to pieces or grow discouraged; cannot bear disapproval; must be flattered and admired; in short, demand and suffer acutely if we do not receive great consideration from others. But having gathered our twelve stones and built our memorial upon them we are ready to give all the glory of the achievement to the Lord whose power enabled us to cross over dry shod. Then when our children or our friends ask, What mean these stones? we can answer that they are testimonials that we have passed over Jordan dry shod, for the Lord dried up the waters from before us 'That all the people of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty.'

"That the 12 sons of Jacob refer to the cycle of the Sun passing through the 12 signs of the zodiac is evidenced by the fact that the banners carried by the tribes bore the symbols of their respective zodiacal signs; and is further evidenced by the forecast of 'that which shall befall you in the last days' given by the dying Jacob to his sons, 12 each forecast being a description of the characteristics of the sign indicated. To emphasize this point, and even at the risk of some repetition, we quote from what we have said elsewhere on this subject.13

"As Israel-meaning soldier, champion or Power of GodJacob summons to his death-bed his 12 sons who are to suc

ceed him. He blesses them and prophetically assigns to each his place and work in the age then dawning. Symbolically the 12 sons of Jacob, the 12 disciples of Jesus and the 12 months in the cycle of the year refer to the 12 signs of the zodiac which rule the several months, sons and disciples. At the beginning of each Age these 12 sons become the sons of 'the man who has prevailed' and are blessed by him and are sent forth. Jesus also called His 12 together and blessed them and gave to each his work. When we attain this point in our individual ongoing we are no longer ruled by the signs, but call or gather their forces together, for now we are able to bless and direct and guide them toward the fulfillment of the Divine Plan."

"The 12 tribes of Israel are therefore the 12 aspects of the 'Power of God' which are sent forth to accomplish their ultimate work in evolution in each Age; the Power which draws upward all things that are down and assists all things that are in the heavens to descend into manifestation on earth in glory. The physical manifestation and embodiment of this Power is the physical Sun, but its human embodiment is the awakened Soul who can grasp the end from the beginning and work with that end in view."

"The New Age will have 12 leaders and 12 seats, all in their true place around the Sun. Only when each of the 12 has lifted up its banner and has reflected the rays of Divine Truth so brightly that at least a number who belong under that banner will gather together and learn from the leader of their tribe the golden precepts of understanding of the great Ladder of Life (evolution); only when each has taken the very stones in his path, i.e., the hard hearts, the misunderstandings and cruelties of life, and out of them has begun to build a cairn of sacred memory consecrated to the God of Gods-the mystic meaning of the 12 stones of the Druid sacred circle-so that the 12 cairns shall all be represented in the circle; only as each learns that co-operation and brotherhood means each Soul worshiping with his whole heart and giving of his life and sub

stance in his own place and under his own banner, all singing together a paean of praise and adoration to the one Central Sun, only then can the Great Teacher descend into objective manifestation among men."

"Today,14 each of the 12 tribes has heard the command of the Great Law: Go forth and gather out of thy tribe the Children of the Lord (those who have fulfilled the Law) who have not bowed the knee to Baal and who have not received the mark of the Beast in their foreheads nor in their hands! Not only are all the nations of the world standing today before the judgment seat of the ages, but each nation, nay, each individual, must consciously or unconsciously respond to the force that is today drawing them to the center of all Being the center of the circle—and in that drawing each is passing through a mighty testing. The seal placed by the angel on the foreheads of the chosen, ones is the light of understanding which shines in the eyes of every one who has found his or her true place and tribe."

"The New Jerusalem which St. John saw when he was led to the mountain by the angel (the mountain symbolizes a higher condition of consciousness, a wider view), had the shape of a cube with 12 gates and at the gates 12 angels and the names written on the gates were the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. On the East, the North, the South and the West were three gates. The wall of the city had 12 foundations, 12 gates garnished with 12 precious stones, representing the 12 Patriarchs (sons of Jacob) etc." †

14 Written in 1917.

+"Astrology, Its Teachings and Ethics," C. Aq. Libra, 238. We recommend this as one of the best works on astrology in a single volume.

CHAPTER VII.

The Number 12. THE TWELVE DISCIPLES.

"That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."-St. Luke, XXII, 30.

"All systems of religious mysticism are based on numerals."-Isis Unveiled, Blavatsky, II, 407.

All great religions are fundamentally allegorical expressions of the universal Sun Myth. That is, they are composed of allegories and parables which reveal the nature and activities of the Spiritual Sun in the spiritual life and unfoldment of man. And "as above, so below" these activities and stages of unfoldment correspond to the activities of the physical Sun in nature during the cycle of the 12 months. All peoples, therefore, may be considered as either unconscious or conscious Sun or fire (a derivative of the sun) worshipers, usually the Spiritual Sun but sometimes the physical Sun.

This is evidenced by the constant connection of the Founder of the religion with the Sun, light and fire; for as the physical Sun lights, warms and vitalizes all nature, so the Spiritual Sun illumines the mind, warms the heart and quickens the spiritual growth of those who assimilate and respond to its rays. To emphasize this point we quote the following from among the many references with which the Christian Scriptures are filled. "And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire." (Exodus, XIX, 18.) "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire." (Exodus, III, 2.) "And the fire of the Lord burnt among them and consumed them." (Numbers, XI.) "And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: . . . For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire." (Deut., IV, 12-24.) "In him was life; and the life was the light of men." (John, I, 4.) "I am the light of the world: he