[Opening] At the hour before dawn, I sat alone upon the mountain. The world below was hidden by cloud, And the first stars were fading. Then I heard a voice above me: “Lift your eyes.” [First Vision] I raised my face toward the heavens, And the sky was opened wide. There were halls beyond the stars, Courts of jade and shining stone, And figures moving through the gates Who knew the names of men. One carried a book. One carried a seal. One spoke my name. “Your name is written. Your breath is counted. Your path is known.” [The Register] “Show me the book.” The keeper opened the register. I saw no mark of gold, No record of wealth, No measure of earthly rank. Only the movements of the heart. The words I had spoken. The kindness I had forgotten. The harm I had carried. The mercy I had refused. All were written. Nothing was hidden. [Low Chant] “Know the heart. Guard the breath. Keep the inner court. Return to the Way.” [Vision Deepens] Then the heavens opened farther. I saw the Great Palace beyond the clouds, Where the celestial lords kept their stations. I saw the rivers of the sky. I saw the stars in their ordered paths. I saw the gates through which the seasons passed. And I understood: The heavens were not far away. They were within the breath. [ Refrain] “Open the register. Read what is written. Clear the heart. Return to the Way. Open the register. Read what is written. The highest heaven Begins within.” [The Descent] The vision began to fade. The celestial halls grew distant. The keeper closed the book. The gates withdrew beyond the stars. Before he vanished, He placed one hand upon the register And spoke: “Do not seek the heavens By leaving the world. Carry the heavens Into the life you have been given.” [Final Chant] “Guard the breath. Know the heart. Keep the inner court. Walk the Way. The register is written. The gate is open. The Way is near.” [Closing] The first light reached the mountain. The clouds began to move. I opened my eyes. And the book was gone. But I remembered my name.
