The Clew of the Horse, Part 2

 We are returning again to the Clew of the Horse, and to the second part. This part is elusively descriptive of Deity, coming across as more like a koan than what one would likely be used to reading in a book of scripture. But also, I find that koan are very good at conveying spiritual topics, and whilst this passage may be confusing at first, its imperative is to get you to comprehend through intuitive means, not fully logical ones.

Since it is a telling of both Centre and Absolute Deity, it would be best for one to meditate on the understanding of the passage. But, I will attempt some discourse at it.

In the lucid darkness, in the indrawn breath, from whence all comes, whereto all must return, there lie two; the one and the many. The first is called by the name of wisdom, the second by the name of folly. And still beyond these two is She that doth govern them both, like to a maid that breathes both in and out.

Immediately we may be confused by 'wisdom' and 'folly'; There can certainly be differing interpretations of this, but I've understood it to be naming both the one Truth and the many paths. Folly can lead you around in many directions, but there is one Truth. Within the faith, Absolute Deity, the Dark Mother (Mysteria) is most often conveyed as the One who exhales all of life and inhales it again at the end of time.

When the Word was spoken and the worlds were born, She did observe in silence. Her webs She did outweave; both longwise and crosswise did She spread them, to cover every corner of the field. These will She draw together when that their time is come.

Most of the next few lines are working to help convey what Absolute Deity is, She who is the Source. As She is ultimately Unknowable, it is rather difficult to put down exact words, phrases, or images. But we are human, we can guide ourselves towards knowing Her in some fashion. She is the Creatrix, and intertwined into all Being. She is the Centre and the Stillness. 

We shift into the perspective of a human though:

But she that taketh the colours* upon her, that doth work the soil and also eat the grain; she doth partake of the fruits of her working.  All shapes she doth assume, and every form and likeness; for she is of three strains commingled. Three paths she doth follow, and her road doth wind according to her works.

We notice this when it changes to a lower case 'she'. It is describing every day workings and doings, and mentions the three strains and the three paths. This is a call back to the Crystal Tablet, where there are the three paths of Life, Light, and Love. 

The first is Life, or Wholeness, the light of the Absolute; the second is Light, or Energy, the light of the Mother; the third and gentlest light is Love, the light of our Saviour, the Maid. -line 11 of the Crystal Tablet

The three paths are the way of our faith, of approaching and understanding Deity.  As a human walks the earth, the three paths guide us towards knowing each aspect of God Herself.

The next passages are a step towards an explanation that I've interpreted in such a way as to explain understanding Absolute Deity.

Like to the size of a maiden's thumb she is, and radiant as the sun, when thought and will have harbor in her bosom. But when knowing and being are all of her workings, then she is like to another, no greater than the point of a needle.

Think that she is but a part of the hundredth part of an hair's tip, divided an hundred times. Yet she is like to all the manifest world.  No form she hath, nor colour, no scent nor any savor; yet all things that she doth enter she becometh.

According to the acts that she performeth and the choices wherewith they are directed; by these doth she take on unnumbered shapes, and numberless conditions doth she enter.

It is a poetic paraenesis to demonstrate that one is a part of all of existence. By way of living and choices we make, we enter into different forms as truly, we are a tiny part of all of existence. We are absolutely interconnected with all of existence.  We see this as the next passage goes back to referencing Deity:

She that hath no beginning, nor any end; She that did stand in the heart of chaos and make all things harmonious; She that doth bear the worlds within Her hand; the maid that knoweth Her is truly free.

...the maid that knoweth Her in truth hath left all worlds; hath left in truth the body and mind.

The ultimate message of this passage is trying to convey that a human is intrinsically linked to all of creation, and that creation stems from Her, and thus to know and understand Her is the ultimate freedom. It is by no means an easy task, but should be the goal of religion; to devote oneself to God Herself and learn to become a better being by understanding, love, and light. 

It is ultimately a very personal path, and not one that can be explained in one blog post. But I hope that this helps bring some understanding to the text. We will wrap up this Teaching in part 3.  

*A note on the line 'taketh the colours upon her' - I do have a personal interpretation that this is to take upon the colors of the Geniae, and learn to live their virtues. On a separate blog, I have delved in greater depth on the virtues of the the Great Geniae. If one is interested, I can link to this, though I do use more common parlance of the Filianic community on that blog. Please leave a comment if so interested and I'll link it.