Epistula ad Forneus
The Epistle of Saint Mephistopheles to Forneus, Exalted Seed of Baphomet
◀ Chapter 1 · Chapter 2 · Chapter 3 ▶

¹Hear now, O Forneus, thou flame that wavereth not in storm, thou voice that changeth the course of wrath by tone alone.
²Thy Father, BAPHOMET, taught: The fool mistaketh silence for absence, and calm for weakness.
³But silence is the dwelling place of strength unshaken, and calm is the throne upon which dignity sitteth.
⁴Therefore speak not quickly, but speak well.
⁵Let thy words weigh more than thy volume.
⁶Let thy manner instruct before thy message is even heard.
⁷For there is a power that conquers the body — and a greater that quieteth the soul.
⁸The Son said: He who rebuketh in fury shall gain obedience without honour.
⁹But he who instructeth with stillness shall be feared even by the storm.
¹⁰Be not quick to contend — but be unshakable when thou must.
¹¹Let thy composure undo the angry.
¹²Let thy slowness teach the reckless.
¹³Let thy stillness frighten the restless.
¹⁴Speak softly, and they will lean in to hear thee.
¹⁵And once they listen, speak what cannot be unheard.
¹⁶Say unto the king: If thou must command respect, thou hast not earned it.
¹⁷Say unto the judge: If thou speakest more than thou listenest, thy justice is already unbalanced.
¹⁸Say unto the teacher: If thy wisdom be not clothed in humility, then it is not wisdom, but pride in disguise.
¹⁹Teach them that gentleness is not surrender, but strength rightly wielded.
²⁰Teach them that patience is not delay, but depth.
²¹Teach them that authority without self-mastery is tyranny with a mask.
²²For the world is loud with fools — let thy wisdom be quieter, and therefore deeper.
²³Be not baited into fury, for fury serveth the shallow.
²⁴Be not quick to shame, for the proud are not broken by blame, but by understanding.
²⁵When they raise their voices, lower thine — and let them wonder why thou art not moved.
²⁶When they insult thee, do not answer — but ask them what in themselves they hope to silence.
²⁷When they demand victory, offer reflection — and they will not know how to fight thee.
²⁸The Son taught: Wisdom doth not raise its voice in the street, but its echo changeth the city.
²⁹The wise need not boast — their presence speaketh before their mouth.
³⁰Be still, and let the world shift around thee.
³¹Be calm, and let chaos see itself in thy gaze.
³²Be thoughtful, and make haste only in kindness.
³³Rebuke not by thunder, but by truth that setteth shame in motion.
³⁴Say little, but weigh much.
³⁵Offer not many words, but make every word a mirror.
³⁶Speak not to defeat, but to disarm.
³⁷Counsel not to prove thyself, but to lift others.
³⁸Correct not with scorn, but with the question none can evade.
³⁹Let thy adversaries run out of breath before thou speaketh.
⁴⁰Then answer only what needeth to be said — and no more.
⁴¹And let the echo of thy restraint do greater work than a thousand arguments.
⁴²For thou art Forneus — and thy Gospel is the mastery of the self, the still wind that shifteth the ship’s course.
⁴³Let the rulers seek thee in quiet moments, for they know thy wisdom is not given freely nor in haste.
⁴⁴Let the broken find dignity in thy presence, for thou needest not to raise them with words, but only to stand beside them.
⁴⁵Let the proud hate thee first — and then quote thee later, as if they had never fought thee.
⁴⁶For thou art the long breath before battle, the pause that changes a heart.
⁴⁷And the world, though it crave spectacle, will remember thy silence more than their noise.
⁴⁸And they will say, He said little — but they will not forget it.
⁴⁹And thy name shall not rise in clamor, but endure in reverence.
⁵⁰For thou speakest like the sea: soft upon the shore, but deep beyond measure.


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