Autumnal Equinox 1998 Builders of the Adytum Vol.

6 Number 2

Aspiration by Ann Davies, 1943

I am the ship, My billowing sails will hold, though tempests lash and tear! The hungry waves in fury seek to rend me bow to stern, undaunted I remain . . . My Captain steers our course into the sun. I am the Light. Though monstrous shadows lurk with cunning guile, And seek to shroud the way . . . to cow the self with phantoms of the night, Courageously I shed my radiance . . . dispel the gloom. I am the force That staunchly stands immovable and firm . . . foundations strong. Savagely protective . . . pliable . . . serene I am the soul of adoration, weaving dreams of stardust into cosmic ecstacy. I am the Alpha . . . the Omega . . . the dream . . . reality, that brings rich promise of eternities to come. I am spirit led by love . . . your other self am I . . . The song of hope that whispers in the breeze with soft caress, I beckon and entice towards mystic shores.
The Portico is a newsletter published twice a year by the Builders of the Adytum, Ltd., 5101 No. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles California. (323) 255-7141 http://bota.org
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it...

An Adept Changed My Life by Reverend Ann Davies

(First published in the Adytum News Notes, Vol.2 No.4, 1961)

There is a destiny which shapes our lives! It overtook me when I reluctantly agreed to accompany my sister to a lecture given by Dr. Paul Foster Case, whom I later learned, was the world authority on Tarot and the Holy Qabalah. Allergic as I was and am to lecturesexcept my own, of courseand profoundly agnostic, I was ill prepared for what happened when Dr. Case appeared on the podium. Gone was the physical discomfort of my hard wooden chair and my complaints to my sister for having been dragged out to an endurance contest. In their place a speechless astonishment swept over me, for there stood a human being whom I had known forever but had never met before in this incarnation. The mutual recognition, as I later learned, was startling and instantaneous, as was my awareness of profound spiritual power radiating from this man. During his lecture time ceased to exist. Knowledge and wisdom poured from him as from a fountain. At our meeting after the lecture, he invited me to visit him, and thus began the Great Adventure. I learned that he was the Founder and Spiritual Head of Builders of the Adytum, a true link in an age-old chain of Mystery School training systems based on the Qabalistic Tree of Life. I had thought that Tarot was merely a fortunetelling system, but quickly discovered that this was a surface blind and that down through the centuries, true Initiates had been trained to use Tarot as the Magical Key for unlocking the Inner doors which lead to Spiritual Liberation. What are the Tarot Keys? They are a set of pictorial images designed by Adepts of the Inner School. How can a group of symbolic pictures have such a profound effect upon the consciousness of aspirants? It may seem curious that a set of pictures, properly understood and used, should have the power to transform personality, heighten consciousness, expand awareness, develop emotional control, mental balance and direct knowledge of Spiritual Reality! Indeed, so improbable did this idea seem to me, that were it not for the fact that Dr. Case stood before me as a living representation of the Tarot techniques, I doubt that I would have had the incentive to find out for myself. Had I been familiar with modern psychological findings at that time, I would have instantly seen the extraordinary logic in the use of symbols for psychological self-discovery. We both intuitively knew that we had not been brought together by chancethat actually a profound and meaningful destiny lay behind our meeting. He took me under his wing and I became his personal disciple. At that time I thought this was only for the purpose of my own advancement, but later he told me that I was to be prepared for initiation into Esoteric participation in the work of the Order, and shortly before he died he told me that I had been accepted by the Inner Schoolindeed, had been so chosen from childhood. I learned that the secret behind the efficacy of Tarot lies in the fact that subconsciousness responds and speaks through images. Indeed, the language of subconsciousness is the language of symbolic pictures! We dream in pictures; we think in pictorial forms; and when we speak to each other, we are giving descriptions to each other of images in our minds. The Western

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It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It

An excerpt from a story relayed by Robert Fulghum A speaker in a question and answer session was asked: What is the meaning of life? Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter. And he said: When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place. I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece. This one. And by scratching it on stone I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact, that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shinein deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find. I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a childs game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or source of light. But lighttruth, understanding, knowledgeis there, and it will only shine in the many dark places if I reflect it. I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into dark places of this worldinto the black places in the hearts of men and womenand change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life. And then he took his small mirror and, holding it carefully, caught the bright rays of sunlight streaming through the window and reflected them onto my face and onto my hands folded on the desk.

Inspirational Thoughts on the Tarot by Ann Davies New Edition! A selection of Ann Davies poetry has been added to the original material from Dr. Ann Davies Tarot classes. These essays are designed to direct the aspirant to ever deeper insight into the real mystery of the Major Tarot Keys. With each new reading, the main seed-thoughts help the student to assimilate, in a self-conscious manner, the attributions of the Tarot Keys. Includes black & white illustrations of the Major Tarot Keys. Hardcover. $15.00

Expressing Radiance By Harriet B. Case

(Adytum News Notes, Vol.2 No.4, 1961)

Not thanks, not prayer seem quite the highest or truest name for our communication with the Infinite, but glad conspiring reception, reception that becomes giving in its turn... It seems to me that the wit of man (his strength, his grace, his art) is the Grace and Presence of God... It is God in us which checks the language of petition by a grander thought. In the bottom of the heart it is said: I am. By me, oh child, this fair body and world of thine stands and grows. I am;

all things are mine and all mine are thine. From Emersons Journal God, the One Life, or the Life-power Innermost and Most High, is indeed the Creator and Giver of all. We do not need to petition like hungry waifs before a bakers door. What is needed is that more and more we come to the clear realization of who and what we are, i.e., sons and daughters of God, sharers and inheritors of His love, His wisdom, His power and His bounty. He does not withhold it from us, it is we who block the channels of all supply by our ignorant and self-willed delusion of separateness. Man lives in a physical world, a dense dark world of matter (still Spirit, but at its lowest rate of vibration) but in his real nature man is light. Man is a spirit and is a part of the whole of life, part of God, part of his fellow beings and all creation. Humanity is evolvingslowly to be surebut through the long process of evolution man has achieved self-consciousness, and he has now reached a stage on the path of spiritual evolution where he can be quickened in consciousness, awakened to his true nature and shown the path which leads to freedom. Incidently, all Tarot students should realize how valuable the Tarot Keys and the Holy Qabalah are in helping us to tread this Path of Return to freedom. Man cannot live for himself alone. Every action, every word and every thought has its effect upon the world around him, and by prayer, which is sincere, from the heart, man not only helps himself to awaken to the beauty of the life of the spirit, but he assists all men to do the same. He radiates the light of spiritual beauty and love. True prayer is a lifting of the heart and mind to the Christ Consciousness within; holding ourselves and those for whom we wish light, healing, or help of any kind, in that radiant light which IS the true Self of each of us. True prayer is also gratitude and praise. It is a state or attitude of consciousness which we can hold constantly within, even if outwardly our everyday mind is having to deal with worldly matters. As you breathe in with the consciousness of the light of the spirit, you are breathing in the Holy Breath (Ruach, ). This cleanses and purifies the body and revivifies it. Remember too, that with every conscious in-breathing of the breath of creation, and with every aspiration and effort that you make to find the truth, you are drawing nearer to God, and to fulfilling the purpose for which you have come into this incarnationto be a Center of expression for the Primal Will to Good (Key 1, the Magician) and a co-administrator with God (Key 21, the World, Cosmic Consciousness).

With time, however, study became a true adventure for me. My first teacher, Batizer Rebbe, a sweet old man with a snow white beard that devoured his face, pointed to the twenty-two holy letters of the Hebrew alphabet and said: Here, children, are the beginning and the end of all things. Thousands upon thousands of words have been written and will be written with these letters. Look at them and study them with love, for they will be your links to life, and to eternity. Elie Wiesel, All Rivers Run to the Sea

Would you like to be personally trained by Ann Davies? Our beloved Soror Ann Davies had the foresight to have most of her Sunday Service messages recorded. Last year, four of those talks were made available to the membership.

The proceeds from that project continues to fund on-going tape preservation work. Many Study Groups play Anns Sunday Service tapes, but many members are without access to these groups. These tapes provide a wonderful opportunity to listen to the wisdom transmitted through her beautiful soul. Sunday Service Talks by Ann Davies - Four Lectures Set II Set II, four selected Sunday Service Talks by Ann Davies is now available from Headquarters for $16.00. There are also some copies of Set I still available, for those who missed the first offering.

Beloved Fellow Builders, On July 12, 1998 our Frater, Sheldon Ziff, was ordained as a Minister of Builders of the Adytum by our Frater, Reverend William Chesterman. Frater Sheldon has been a member for many years having had the privilege of being present when our beloved teacher, Rev. Ann Davies, was giving classes at the Temple. He has quietly and lovingly served the Order and unswervingly adhered to the principles presented in the lessons. When Frater Sheldon retired as an Administrative Law Judge for the State of California he was able to become more active in the work of the Order. In addition to his role as a Minister, Frater Sheldon has been appointed to the office of Regional Councilor for the newly formed Los Angeles Area Region. In these roles Reverend Ziff will bring his humility, dedication, and love to serving the needs of the Los Angeles area congregation and spiritual aspirants. In L.V.X., The Board Of Stewards and Ministers of B.O.T.A.

THE TAROT NEW Spanish Language Edition

El Tarot, Una Clave de la Sabiduria Eterna, por el Dr. Paul F. Case. Hardcover, $17.00

A Prayer
by Felix Frazer, Adytum News Notes 1965 Oh Lord, hear my supplication! Open my eyes to Truth, that out of Your all-comprehending mercy and understanding I may see Your world and my fellow men as You have

made them... not as I wish them to be. Unseal my ears to the eternal rhythm and cadence of Your universe, that I may hear Your voice and word in the cause of all things... not the empty echo of my own pronouncements. Enlighten my understanding that I may know that behind all which is, You are... not the feeble reflection my own personality. Teach me to believe but one thing: Your reality and ever present nearness to me. Instill within my heart and mind the consuming desire to know all else by my own work and effort, that I may at long last come to the perfect understanding and realization of Your mighty works, and so pass on from this temporal consciousness to whatever destiny Your unfailing wisdom may have ordained for me.