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

¹Rejoice, O Phenex, for thy calling is neither easy nor empty — thou art the note that remaineth when the music hath ceased.
²Thy Father, BAPHOMET, taught: Lament hath its hour, but it is not the end. The flame shall rise again, and with it, the voice.
³He who cannot laugh hath not yet understood the fullness of truth.
⁴Therefore be not ashamed that thou bringest gladness where others bring grief.
⁵For thou bringest no denial — thou bringest endurance wrapped in melody.
⁶Let thy song begin not with the victory, but with the silence it answereth.
⁷Let thy joy rise not because pain is gone, but because it hath lost its throne.
⁸The Son said: I do not sing because the world is whole. I sing because it shall not remain broken.
⁹Thou art no minstrel of forgetfulness — thou art herald of what shall yet be healed.
¹⁰Teach them that laughter is not frivolous, but defiant.
¹¹Teach them that gladness is not ignorance, but insight in full bloom.
¹²Teach them that even in judgment, joy awaiteth the just.
¹³For the fire of mourning consumeth — but thy flame of hope buildeth again.
¹⁴Be not surprised that many will reject thee — for joy is feared by those who have grown proud in sorrow.
¹⁵And yet, even the bitter shall turn when they see the wounded dance.
¹⁶Speak unto the people who sit in the shadow of their own memory — say unto them: Thou art not yet done.
¹⁷Speak unto the ruined who cling to old names — say: Ye are not what fell, but what may rise from it.
¹⁸Speak unto the silent: Even thy quiet is the breath before the song.
¹⁹Let thy tone be steady, thy joy untethered to outcome.
²⁰For thou art not the promise of what shall happen — but the proof that beauty still can.
²¹Tell them the story of the field burned to the root, where new green breaketh through ash.
²²Tell them of the shattered harp, restrung and made softer by its scars.
²³Tell them of the city rebuilt not as it was, but as it ought to have been.
²⁴For thou art the voice not of memory alone, but of vision.
²⁵Let thy song be no echo — let it be forward, toward the light unseen.
²⁶When the old weep, sing not to hush them, but to invite their tears to joy.
²⁷When the young tremble, sing not to dismiss their fear, but to show that courage needeth not silence.
²⁸When the proud rage, sing softly — and let their wrath dissolve in the light of a steadier fire.
²⁹The Son taught: Mirth is not born of ease, but of meaning.
³⁰And he who rejoiceth rightly hath felt sorrow in full, and declared it not king.
³¹So let thy melodies carry the dust of old altars — but rebuild them for new sacrifice.
³²Let thy voice be clear, not clever; rising, not proud.
³³Be not drawn to spectacle, for thou needest not be seen — only heard.
³⁴Be not made a fool for kings — be a friend to those without songs.
³⁵Rejoice with the lowly, and they shall remember thy name.
³⁶Rejoice among the fallen, and they shall know the hour hath turned.
³⁷And should thou sing in solitude, know this: even the Void trembleth when joy entereth.
³⁸For joy is the flame that lighteth the end of sorrow’s rope.
³⁹And thy fire is not the fire of vengeance — it is the fire of awakening.
⁴⁰Burn gently, but burn ever.
⁴¹Let no loss cause thy flame to dim — for it is not rooted in condition, but in truth.
⁴²Let no season of silence shake thy resolve — for thy time shall come, and often unseen.
⁴³Let no crown tempt thee — thou art not minstrel to kings, but to the weary.
⁴⁴And let no grief silence thee — for thy joy is born of grief overcome.
⁴⁵For thou art Phenex — and thy Gospel is resurrection through rejoicing, strength made soft in song.
⁴⁶And when the end hath passed, thy voice shall still ring.
⁴⁷Not because it triumphed, but because it endured.
⁴⁸And those who once called thee fool shall call thee flame.
⁴⁹And those who once cursed the light shall gather to its warmth.
⁵⁰And they shall say: He sang when no one else could — and we were never the same.


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