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El Khalil, friend of God. H. P. B. says Abram means Brahman, and also says he was a Manu, but does not state which Manu. It looks as though he were an understudy of the Great Manu, and I believe I am right in assuming that he is the same ego as we today reverence as Master Moro, the Manu of the coming sixth root race.

To be sure, this demands that we shift the scene of Abraham's activities farther east than we have been wont to think of them, but this reading shows that these people really were living in the eastern or middle rather than western Asia.

Lot, the Bible tells us, went with Abraham, the great leader of the people; and so did Sarah, his sister wife, or his inner school of wisdom or inner consciousness-at any rate, Mystery work of some sort. But, says some one, that is too far-fetched. My friend, turn to Gal. IV, 24, and on, "For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the free woman *** "Which things contain an allegory; for these women are two covenants, the one bearing children to the flesh and the other bearing children of the Spirit. I have used this quotation in another place, but there is no other quite so pertinent to the case in hand.

Epiphanius Wilson, A. M., in his "Hebrew Literature," page 22, says: "The Talmud says, 'Abraham is said to have put Sarah into a box when he brought her into Egypt, that none should see her beauty. At the custom house toll was demanded. Abraham said he was ready to pay. The custom house officer said, "Thou bringest bales??" He said, "I will pay for bales.' They said, "Thou bringest gold?" He said, "I will pay for gold." They said, "Silk?" He said, "I will pay for silk." They said, "Thou bringest pearls?" He said, "I will pay for pearls." They said, "Thou must open the box"; whereon her splendor shown over the whole land of Egypt.'" Another version of this same story runs that Sarah flew out of the box and settled over all the land as a white mist, and Egypt was never the same again. Evidently it was well understood at one time that Sarah was not a woman but had something to do with Mystery work and Divine Wisdom.

So Abraham, Lot, and Sarah and all the "souls" (notice, not "bodies") that they had gotten in Haran, the spiritual heights, go by the land of Canaan, or humiliation, to the place of Shechem,

or mountain ridge of spiritual exaltation, to the "Oak of Moreh," which means strong and exalted teacher.

Here again, while on the spiritual heights, under a great teacher, IHVH appears to Abram, and promises him material blessings-all the land and the nations to cover it-all that Lord Jehovah could promise, as said before, for that was his part of the work of the Supreme-to look after the material welfare of the new race. Abram now erects an altar to Lord Jehovahthe Manu-the God of cause and effect, or he establishes a religion in which the great law of cause and effect is the key note, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. As a man soweth so must he also reap. The Hindoo calls this the law of Karma, and the Theosophist does likewise, it being a brief way of putting it. If you will look at the map of Palestine you will see that Ai and Bethel lie almost due north and south of each other, so that to camp with one on the east and the other on the west would be a physical impossibility. They were probably given their names from this very allegory. After having this religious experience we find Abraham pitching his tent, having Ai (heap of ruins) the effete fourth root race upon the east, and Bethel (the Temple of the Living God, or the perfected Man) on the west. He is dwelling between the last degenerate race and the future possibilities of the new race. And so we often find the patriarchs camping between Ai and Bethel, no matter where they may be, nor where they are going. Here again he builds an altar, or he sets up his religion in every camp he makes. He encourages religion wherever it is.

There was a sore famine in that land, we are told; this refers to spiritual famine in this reading. They go down into Egypt. When they go down into Egypt it is a symbol of seeking the higher wisdom, for the Great White Lodge existed there for ages, and was sought by all who aspired to the higher learning; but when we find them in bondage to Egypt it means bondage of sin and ignorance, bondage to the land of Cush, the black land, or the physical. This time they are going after food (spiritual food). I cannot take the time to follow them upon this trip, but keep in mind that Sarah is simply the Mystery work, his higher consciousness, that Abraham wants to hide from the Egyptians. He wants her to appear as his sister, that is, does not want to admit

how much he does know, wants his wisdom to appear as belonging to one of the lower classes; but the Egyptians discover his merits and would keep him. That was the custom of these schools; they tried to keep all the great hierophants in connection with their own school if they could, and the great school of Egypt is often called a "harlot" because of this propensity to accept truth from any source and make it her own.

Very evidently Abraham and Lot and their followers went to Egypt to study. Occultists tell us that this great school was established before the destruction of Atlantis, and for ages and ages remained in the hands of the White Brotherhood, but some authorities say that at last it became corrupt and the Great Ones were obliged to withdraw from it, and Egypt became the home of black art. Mr. Leadbeater, however, speaks as though the Great White Lodge was still there.

After leaving Egypt Abraham starts south, or towards the Spirit, south symbolizes Spirit, and again pitches his tent between Ai and Bethel, although miles south of the geographical position of the towns called by those names, between the past and the future possibilities of the race, and they have great possessions (spiritual possessions).

Abram, remember, is the understudy of the Manu, and he is the great Law Giver of the people, the leader of the exoteric part of the religion, the leader of the masses. Lot, on the other hand, is in charge of the higher Mystery work, out of which the Initiates are to come. You will notice in the account that Abram sees angels and gets messages from God only when near great teachers (oaks at Mamre), while Lot sees and recognizes the angels at once that Abram entertained unawares. They were obliged to reveal their character to Abram; Lot knew them. Abram served them with the feast that symbolized the physical; Lot fed them on unleavened bread, the diet of the aesthetic. Abram's wife, or inner work, is barren, brings forth no Initiates, he is too active upon the Physical Plane trying to help the race. The leaders of Lot's people, or his herdsmen, and the leaders of Abram's people strive together, the exoteric and the esoteric sections cannot agree. This struggle has been common all through the ages, the blind always want the angels first, before they have developed the sight to perceive them when they do come.

Because of the strife between their followers, the great leaders in perfect amity decide to part, and Abraham says, "Take your choice, your work is the most important. If you go one way then will I go the other. Our work is diametrically opposite; I am working with IHVH descending, while it is your duty to guide it to conquest over the matter that I am helping to wrap about it. You ascend on the way back to the Father; I must see to the descending current. Both of us are children of the same Father, therefore let us not strive, for are we not brethren?" So each applies himself to his own work and they separate, in perfect friendliness.

Lot decides to settle in the plains watered by the Jordan (the descending torrent) or the torrent of degenerate tendencies of the old race, in the cities of the plain, thinking, no doubt, that here he may do good with his work; but the people, while they welcome him warmly, want the angels handed out to them at once. That is, they want to be taught white magic. Lot tells them, "Here are my daughters" (or his two lower classes). Study in them the allotted time and then you may hope for the higher work; but no, they will have the angels, but when they come up against the house they find themselves blind. They cannot see the angels because of their gross natures.

You will note that Lot has the three degrees of work, wife, and two daughters, and he seems to be able to talk to the angels. (He has occult training.) The angels advise Lot to seek a more retired spot for his work, and they leave the city, and seek the mountains for more quiet, or more safety while prosecuting his work upon higher planes. They start under the impulse given by the heavenly visitants, but Lot's wife, or his highest class of workers, his most consecrated ones, look back and are turned into a pillar of salt. Now salt means preservative, and pillar means a support of a structure, so a school of preservative wisdom supporting the Temple of Truth was left upon the edge of the land while the inhabitants were being consumed by the fire and brimstone of their own lust and material desires.

Lot retires to the Cave of Initiation in the mountains after staying in Zoar, or city of humiliation, for a time, and his lower degree workers persuade him to take of the wine of spiritual ecstasy, and to go in to him separately because they are in differ

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ent degrees of work, and they study with him, or "lie with him”we have an echo of this usage in our "I lay to it till I accomplished it-till they become one with him, or a wife to him, in wisdom, and are able to bring forth sons of wisdom, Initiates. One of them begets the great race called Moab, which at first was a school of wisdom that was named "Like unto his father, or like unto Lot, the greatest Hierophant of his times, and the other Benami, the father of Ammon, the spiritual mountaineer, sons of renown, or High Initiates, those upon the heights of spirituality. So here in the dawn of historic time we find a sweet story of love and self-sacrifice that makes one's heart beat with renewed courage because of the assurance that the race has never been without a father, nor have the loving elder brothers ever been absent from the earthly family circle. Always have there been the younger children who have had their naughty spells, but ever have the loving elders cared for them, ever have they been guided, ever have there been schools to train them as soon as they would take the teaching. Does this not leave a sweeter taste in the mouth than the old reading that you were obliged to skip when the children were listening?