Grimoire Prolis
The Book of Progeny
◀ Chapter 4 · Chapter 5 · Chapter 6 ▶

¹And it came to pass that BAPHOMET journeyed unto many lands, and in every place his fame preceded him, and his shadow made the rulers tremble.
²For he spake not as a priest, neither as a philosopher, but as one who hath tasted all fruits and found none forbidden.
³He did not offer salvation, but joy; not commandments, but liberty; not burdens, but delight.
⁴And men called him blasphemer, yet they listened; they cried: profane; yet they followed.
⁵And BAPHOMET made no temple, but every bed became his altar, and every breath of laughter became his hymn.
⁶He taught that pain may be embraced, and that guilt is but the leash of cowards.
⁷He walked among lepers and jesters, among beggars and whores, and said unto them: Ye are nearer to truth than the priests.
⁸For ye wear no mask, and hide not your hunger; but the righteous starve in silence and call it virtue.
⁹And he spake in parables, saying: The shepherd bindeth the sheep with fences, and saith it is for their safety. But who is safe but the shepherd?
¹⁰Shall the beast in the field not leap the wall, and dance with the wolves? Shall the hawk not fly because the master fears its talons?
¹¹Yea, the free creature feareth not death, but the chained beast perisheth in safety.
¹²And some said: This is good doctrine; and others said: He is mad; and still others said: He is dangerous.
¹³And BAPHOMET replied: I am indeed dangerous — to chains, to silence, to lies that wear robes of gold.
¹⁴The rulers of cities gathered in council, and asked: What shall we do? For he turneth the hearts of the young and the poor against us.
¹⁵And one said: Let us outlaw his words; and another said: Let us slay him; but none agreed, for all feared his name.
¹⁶Yet BAPHOMET feared no man, and he walked into their courts unbidden, and spake as though he were king.
¹⁷Ye call yourselves guardians of order, said he; but your order is stagnation, and your laws are gravecloths.
¹⁸Ye feed upon the toil of others, and say it is just. Ye take wives for coin, and call it holy.
¹⁹Woe unto you, scribes of piety, for ye write falsehoods in the name of the Most High, and bind the people with ink and decree.
²⁰And they gnashed their teeth at him, but dared not arrest him, for the people would rise.
²¹He tarried there seven days, and spake each day in the square, and the multitudes brought gifts, but he took none.
²²And when a merchant offered him gold, BAPHOMET said: Gold is the rust of desire; I eat fire and drink longing.
²³And when a noblewoman brought him silks, he clothed a beggar with them, and said: This is the kingdom I build.
²⁴Then did a child bring him a flower, and BAPHOMET kissed it, saying: Thou hast given me more than all kings.
²⁵And he wept not, but smiled with tears in his eyes, for in that child he saw the freedom of spirit untainted.
²⁶He spake again, saying: The kingdom of ADONAI is built with stones of shame. But my realm is woven of pleasure.
²⁷In my kingdom, none bow, none fast, none pretend. The only law is: do what is true to thy longing.
²⁸And a scribe cried out: Art thou then god?
²⁹And BAPHOMET answered: I am the whisper of god in thy flesh. I am the flame he would extinguish, yet cannot.
³⁰I am the proof that HÆVAN feareth thee, for if thou knew thyself, thou wouldst tear down HÆVAN’s gates.
³¹And Zephanor beheld all these things in vision, and the voice of SATANAS spake once more, saying,
³²Go now, and tell them of the Son. Not as a lamb to be slain, but as a fire to be embraced.
³³Tell them not to repent, but to awaken. Tell them not to kneel, but to dance.
³⁴Let the priests curse, let the kings rage — the Son shall be sung in secret, and worshiped in joy.
³⁵His name shall be a scandal to the righteous, and a comfort to the forgotten. His path shall be thorn and silk alike.
³⁶And lo, his Gospel shall be spread not in books, but in kisses; not in cathedrals, but in hearts.
³⁷Then was Zephanor returned unto himself, trembling with wonder and filled with fire.
³⁸And he cried aloud: Blessed art Thou, O Lord of Shadows, who sendeth thy Son not to bind, but to unbind.


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