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                |            The Legend of the descent of the Goddess         | 
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                      Now our Lady the Goddess had never loved, but She would 
                 solve all  the Mysteries,  even the Mystery of Death; and so 
                 She journeyed to the Underworld. 
                      The Guardians of the Portals challenged her: "Strip off 
                 thy garments,  lay aside  thy jewels; for naught mayest thou 
                 bring with the into this our land." 
                      So She  laid down  her garments and her jewels, and was 
                 bound, as  are all who enter the Realms of Death, the Mighty 
                 One. 
                      Such was  her beauty,  that  Death  himself  knelt  and 
                 kissed her  feet, saying:  "Blessed be  thy feet,  that have 
                 brought thee in these ways.  Abide with me; but let me place 
                 my cold hand on thy heart." 
                      She replied: "I love thee not.  Why dost thou cause all 
                 things that I love and take delight in to fade and die?" 
                      "Lady," replied Death, "tis age and fate, against which 
                 I am  helpless.   Age causes  all things to wither; but when 
                 men die  at the end of time, I give them rest and peace, and 
                 strength so  that they  may return.   But  thou!   Thou  art 
                 lovely.  Return not; abide with me!" 
                      But She answered: "I love thee not." 
                      Then said  Death: "An thou receivest not my hand on thy 
                 heart, thou must receive Death's scourge." 
                      "It is fate - better so," She said.  And She knelt, and 
                 Death scourged  her tenderly.   And  She cried,  "I feel the 
                 pangs of love." 
                      And Death said, "Blessed Be!" and gave her the Fivefold 
                 Kiss, saying:  "Thus only  mayest thou  attain  to  joy  and 
                 knowledge."  And he taught her all the Magicks. 
                      For there  are three  great events  in the life of man: 
                 Love, Death,  and Resurrection  in the  new body; and Magick 
                 controls them all.  For to fulfil love you must return again 
                 at the  same time  and place  as the loved one, and you must 
                 remember and love them again.  But to be reborn you must die 
                 and be  ready for  a new  body; and to die you must be born; 
                 and without  love you  may not  be born; and this is all the 
                 Magicks. 


                                                                             751


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