The Star in the West

188 THE STAR IN THE WEST ing cup of thine Illusions shalt thou hurl beyond the confines of Space over the very rim of Time . Thou O seeker after Wisdom , and Virtue , and multiscient Truth , thou O wanderer in the groves of Eleusis , thou , even thou shalt drink of the wine of Iacchus , and thy cup shall be as a triple flame set with sapphire , and beryl, and amethyst ; for it is the cup of Adepts , and of Heroes , and of Gods . Then all the absinthial bitterness of thine heart shall vanish midst the chaunting of souls lost in the ocean of understanding for ever and everlasting . From the filthy distillations of thy life , and the golden traffic of its quintessential lusts ; from the fantastic dews of thy death , and all the gibbous glitter of its mirific mirror , shalt thou be purified : and thy cup shall be as the cusps of the hornéd moon , and thy wine as the blood of the spheres trodden by the angels of God , singing , singing , singing , throughout all Eternity . Thy joy shall be as the kiss of new - born suns , and thy bliss as a flaming cloud of bridal stars . Thou shalt sit on the throne of Time in the centre ' twixt the four corners of the Universe ; and in thy left hand shalt thou hold the Balances of Being , in which thou shalt weigh the suns , and moons , and all the hosts of heaven ; and thy foot - stool shall be the Abyss , and thy sceptre a sword of flaming fire , thy crown the Zodiac set with the flashing Stone of the Wise . Robed in glory , and wisdom , and understanding , a light of loveliness , thou , God - voiced with thunder and light ning , shalt breathe forth words of fire to flame for ever through the empyrean of heaven and to resound without ceasing beyond the nadir of hell . Thou sha't plunge into the mystery of all things and become as a