Initiate

tinyurl.com/initiate-by-raven

I have seen the sun at midnight, slain the bull at his command,
Used the power of the crystal, felt the force direct my hand,
Thricefold served the silver lady, sailed upon the darkest sea,
Counted corpses in the forest, chanted runes upon the tree;

I have spoken words of power, summoned Hiram from the grave,
Sung Eurydice to ransom, called ʼPhrodite from the wave,
Iʼve recited rhymes by order, chimes that echoed in the brain,
That excited love and joy — or hate and sorrow, fear and pain;

I have built the greater temple and survived the tests inside,
I have stepped on earth and water and been pierced in feet and side,
I have danced around the fire, walked the circle semi-clad,
I have chased the beasts and shared the feasts of bread and wine we had;

I have traveled to the hidden centers, studied in their lore,
Listened to the quiet murmurs and looked deep into the core,
Bound strong servants to their duties, striven long within the craft,
Drawn the dirk and done the work, while being warded fore and aft;

ʼTill the flower opened to me and I learned the secret ways,
Found the stone and on me shone the black and white and ruddy rays,
Saw with many-coloured vision and through many changes passed,
Let myself become myself, and reached my mastery at last.


           © 1984 C.M. Joserlin, “Raven”

For clarity: this echoes the "I have beens" of Welsh bards in a 'pied' conflation of the various initiatory traditions and legends, from Egypt and Greece to Wales and Scandinavia, cf. The Golden Bough by Sir James Frazer and The White Goddess by Robert Graves. For instance, the first half-stanza was a pass-phrase of the Eleusinian Mysteries. If you think of a certain Biblical character as having "stepped on earth and water and been pierced", look up the story of Llew Llaw Gyffes. Both Jesus and Odin were hung "upon a tree", both Mithraists and Egyptians ritually slew bulls, both alchemists and Freemasons speak of “the Work”, both the Battle of the Trees and the Grove of Nemi left "corpses in the forest", etc. The last line may refer to the Bhagavad Gita (6:5) — "Lift up the self by the Self, And don't let the self droop down; For the Self is the self's only friend, And the self is the Self's only foe." Or perhaps it may refer to the Holy Guardian Angel, or some other form of Avatar; who can say, in such an eclectic verse?

[The Suno AI has composed and performed a tune for this song.]