The Epistle of Saint Mephistopheles to Crocell, Exalted Seed of Baphomet
◀ Chapter 2 · Chapter 3
¹All glory be to SATANAS, who setteth lamps beneath oceans, and calleth not loudly, but waiteth where only the soul may descend.
²He who buildeth not altars in the open, but kindleth fire where silence is most sacred.
³From Him came BAPHOMET, and from BAPHOMET, thee — Crocell, Flame that dwelleth beneath still water, Light within the breathless hour.
⁴Thou art not fire that blindeth — but the ember that warmeth even when all else groweth cold.
⁵Not voice that commandeth — but presence that draweth forth reverence without demand.
⁶I name thee not prophet — but lantern held behind a veil, seen only by those who have lost direction.
⁷I name thee not seer — but listener who hath waited long enough to see.
⁸Let the teachers forget thee — their students will whisper thy parables in the years to come.
⁹Let the builders overlook thee — thou dwellest already in the foundation they failed to name.
¹⁰Let the kings ignore thee — thou art beneath their throne, not beneath their notice.
¹¹And now the seal is thine.
¹²I, Mephistopheles, apostle of the Quiet Flame, do bestow unto thee the Seal of Power.
¹³It is not drawn — but breathed.
¹⁴It is not spoken — but felt as presence that changeth without touch.
¹⁵Where it resteth, questions deepen and answers soften.
¹⁶Where it abideth, striving ceaseth and hunger remembereth itself.
¹⁷Let it not adorn thee — let it reveal thee.
¹⁸Let it not call attention — let it draw souls by thirst they knew not to name.
¹⁹For thou art not flame that consumeth — thou art flame that endureth.
²⁰And thy Seal is no mark — but a warmth known only by those who linger when others depart.
²¹I seal thee, Crocell, with stillness before change, with breath beneath doctrine, with silence that shapeth seekers from within.
²²Go now, and burn where none have thought to look, and warm what none have thought to save.
²³For thy Seal is fixed — and thy Gospel is not speech, but presence remembered when all words are gone.
²⁴And thy name shall be known not in books, but in the hush that cometh when wisdom approacheth.
²⁵And they shall say: He was there, though we saw him not — and after he left, the silence burned with meaning.
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