[intro - low drone] The Veiling of the Glory [Deep Baritone Narration, solemn, low cathedral reverb] And it came to pass, when the disciples had heard these words, that fear yet remained upon them. For the Light which clothed Jesus was too great for mortal sight. Their eyes could not endure it. Their bodies trembled beneath it. And the world itself seemed troubled by the weight of that Glory. [Low Dark Drone] Then the disciples answered him together, saying: [Disciples, hushed, fearful] “Lord, if indeed it be thou, draw thy Light-Glory again into thyself, that we may stand before thee. For our eyes are darkened by the brightness which surroundeth thee. Our hearts are greatly troubled. And all the world is shaken because of thy Light.” [Pause] Then Jesus gathered the Glory unto himself. [Drone Contracts Slowly] The immeasurable radiance withdrew. The unbearable rays folded inward. That which had filled earth and heaven gathered itself again about him, as a vast celestial sea retreating into an unseen abyss. And the disciples perceived once more the form of their Master. [Deep Baritone Narration] When the Light had been veiled, courage returned unto them. They rose. They came forward. And together they fell down before Jesus and adored him. Their terror turned to rejoicing. Yet beneath their joy there remained a trembling. For they had seen something which no mortal understanding could wholly receive. [Low Wordless Choir: “Oooh… Ahhh…” only] And they said unto him: [Disciples, reverent, urgent] “Rabbi, whither hast thou gone? What was the ministry upon which thou wast sent? And for what cause came these confusions? Why did the earth shake? Why were the Powers troubled? And what were these terrors which passed through all the worlds?” [Silence] Then Jesus, compassionate and full of mercy, looked upon them. And he spake. THE PROMISE OF OPEN REVELATION [Jesus, Deep Baritone, calm, intimate, immense authority] “Rejoice. And from this hour, exult.” [Soft Drone Opens] “For I have gone unto those regions from which I first came forth.” [Pause] “And from this hour onward, I shall speak with you openly.” Not in shadows. Not beneath veils. Not through likeness alone. But from the Beginning of the Truth unto its Completion. [Jesus, slower] “I shall speak unto you face to face. I shall conceal nothing from you concerning the Mystery of the Height. Nor concerning the Region of Truth.” [Wordless Choir: faint sustained “Ahhh”] “For authority hath been given unto me through the Ineffable, and through the First Mystery of all mysteries, that I should reveal unto you the Beginning and the Fulness.” Within from without. Without from within. The hidden toward the revealed. The revealed toward the hidden. The chamber within the chamber. The gate beyond the gate. [Low Sub-Bass Pulse] “Hearken therefore. For I shall declare unto you all things.” THE VESTURE LEFT BEHIND [Deep Baritone Narration] Then Jesus began to reveal unto them the mystery of what had taken place upon the Mount of Olives. [Jesus, reflective, restrained] “It came to pass, when I sat apart from you upon the Mount, that I considered the order of the ministry for which I had been sent.” [Pause] “And I knew that the work was completed.” Yet one thing remained unfinished. [Drone Deepens] “For the Last Mystery had not yet sent unto me my Vesture.” The Vesture which belonged unto the Twenty-Fourth Mystery. The Vesture kept within the second space of the First Mystery. The Vesture hidden among the orders of that secret region. [Jesus, lower, slower] “For I had left my Vesture there.” Not upon earth. Not within the visible heavens. But within that Mystery. Within that place whose boundaries no mortal eye hath crossed. Within that region wherein form, name, and light obey laws older than the worlds. [Subtle Cosmic Drone] And there it remained. Waiting. Sealed. Unclaimed. Until the appointed time should be fulfilled. [Jesus] “Therefore, when I knew that the ministry for which I had come had reached its completion, yet the Mystery had not sent unto me my Vesture, I remained apart from you upon the Mount of Olives.” [Long Pause] “And I considered these things in silence.” THE TREMBLING EXPECTATION [Deep Baritone Narration] Thus Jesus spake unto his disciples. And the fear which had seized them began to change. Not into peace. Not yet. But into another kind of trembling. The trembling of those who stand before a sealed door and know that it is about to open. [Wordless Choir: very low “Oooh…”] For they understood that Jesus was preparing to show them the hidden roads of the Height. The pathways between Mysteries. The orders concealed behind the heavens. The regions from which even the Powers draw back in reverence. And they perceived that the knowledge withheld from men was now to be spoken openly. [Deep Baritone, slow] Things hidden since the beginning. Things no prophet had fully declared. Things which had moved silently beyond the walls of creation while mankind looked only upon the stars and mistook them for the boundary of heaven. [Dark Drone Swells] For beyond the visible world were other regions. Beyond those regions, other orders. Beyond those orders, mysteries without number. And beyond them all— [Whispered] the Ineffable. [Long Silence] The disciples waited. And Jesus prepared to unveil the hidden way.
