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Cefalů. On an Oath of
Silence. The food arrangement.
I had a primus stove which
I used for my morning needs. The noon meal brought
from the Abbey by Genesthai [C. F. Russell],
a then student: with the greeting: “Do what thou
wilt shall be the whole of the Law!”. My response:
“Love is the law, love under will.” The same with
the evening meal. No other speech. Remember that
Oath of Silence.
My exercise between
meditations was taken in the Mediterranean nude.
Also by slowly dropping off rock—to yield up Egos,
and so on.
But I am anticipating the
beginning!
leister had a splendid
tent, used by him on his mountain trips heavy
canvas, waxed. The pole containers stitched onto the
outside. The same material for the bottom of the
tent; which furnished a piece of the same canvas to
keep water out of the tent. One had to step up and
over into the tent. Also tie the tent shut if it
rained. Waterproof all around.
Genesthai stationed the
tent on the beach. The proper words were spoken. All
went back to the Abbey, while I retired on my
palette—after my rituals to a sound sleep. I waked
in the morning to a strange motion; looked around
and found myself floating, the tent poles keeping me
from going out to sea somewhere—possible!
A.C. and Genesthai had
come to the top of the trail to see how I fared; and
immediately came down to save the satgo. This broke
my 31-day Retirement. Genesthai and I talked! Helped
one to another perch.
Russell then helped to put
me up on rocks. A roaring storm that night chased
me—alone—on a small hillside. Here I had no help
whatsoever from anyone. So here I stayed doing my
tent-work, on the above hill-side. Which A.C. said
was the proper thing.
Retirement 13 1/2.
At free times during the
day I carried stones and rocks to give me a level
floor for the tent and its interior for practices. I
felt like an Egyptian working on a pyramid.
I attracted some
attention—a few stones came through the air, one
cutting the tent and landing on my head 1/2 without
more than a sore spot.
The Italians thought I had
“The Pest” and by some means or other I was to be
sent elsewhere.
The police investigated—I
went on with my meditations. Toward the end, sitting
in boiling oil described somewhat of it. As the
Princess who sat on piled up mattresses hoping to
miss a wee small pea at the bottom of the pile. The
two spots remained for some time, but the ache of
asana left the ankles and legs quickly.
Before leaving my camp I
discovered my rigid body slowly leaning over and
over, until I lay on the floor on my side remaining
in my asana.
The night of my return to
the Abbey 666, and all members robed—with 666 bemedalled and robed magnificently. He placed me
standing with Sword on the outer rim of “The
Circle”. I met
Mary Butts, an English writer then at the Abbey. Also
her companion one
Cecil Maitland. I remember that for some time, The top
of my head felt . . . . Mary had had an unusual
psychology. When she didn’t want to do a something
A.C. designated she became feverish and had to lie
down (for instance: Serving coffee for breakfast for
the group.) I also went into a fever when I feared
my Retirement might be withheld.
(I go into Retirement June
13, 1921)
The 169 Adorations & their
results. Put in where suitable—no diary for these
dates.
The Bornless One first;
The Adorations second. |