(43) The three nails of the Passion have found their way into the symbolism of many races and faiths. There are many legends concerning these nails. One of these is to the effect that originally there were four nails, but one was dematerialized by a Hebrew Qabbalist and magician just as they were about to drive it through the foot of the Master. Hence it was necessary to cross the feet. Another legend relates that one of the nails was hammered into a crown and that it still exists as the imperial diadem of a European house. Still another story has it that the bit on the bridle of Constantine's horse was a Passion nail. It is improbable, however, that the nails were made of iron, for at that time it was customary to use sharpened wooden pegs. Hargrave Jennings, in his Rosicrucians, Their Rites and Mysteries, calls attention to the fact that the mark or sign used in England to designate royal property and called the broad arrow is nothing more nor less than the three nails of the crucifixion grouped together, and that by placing them point to point the ancient symbol of the Egyptian TAU cross is formed.

(7) Again, there is the veil of the entrance into the holy of holies. Four pillars there are, the sign of the sacred tetrad of the ancient covenants.

(33) The existence in Moor's The Hindu Pantheon of a plate of Christna with nail wounds in his hands and feet, and a plate in Inman's Ancient Faiths showing an Oriental deity with what might well be a nail hole in one of his feet, should be sufficient motive for further investigation of this subject by those of unbiased minds. Concerning the startling discoveries which can be made along these lines, J. P. Lundy in his Monumental Christianity presents the following information: "Where did the Persians get their notion of this prophecy as thus interpreted respecting Christ, and His saving mercy and love displayed on the cross? Both by symbol and actual crucifix we see it on all their monuments. If it came from India, how did it get there, except from the one common and original centre of all primitive and pure religion? There is a most extraordinary plate, illustrative of the whole subject, which representation I believe to be anterior to Christianity. It is copied from Moor's Hindu Pantheon, not as a curiosity, but as a most singular monument of the crucifixion. I do not venture to give it a name, other than that of a crucifixion in space. * * * Can it be the Victim-Man, or the Priest and Victim both in one, of the Hindu mythology, who offered himself a sacrifice before the worlds were? Can it be Plato's second God who impressed himself on the universe in the form of the cross? Or is it his divine man who would be scourged, tormented, fettered, have his eyes burnt out; and lastly, having suffered all manner of evils, would be crucified? Plato learned his theology in Egypt and the East, and must have known of the crucifixion of Krishna, Buddha, Mithra [et al]. At any rate, the religion of India had its mythical crucified victim long anterior to Christianity,

(19) Upon the twelve phalanges of the fingers, appear the likenesses of the Apostles, each bearing its own appropriate symbol. In the case of those who suffered martyrdom the symbol signifies the instrument of death. Thus, the symbol of St. Andrew is a cross; of St. Thomas, a javelin or a builder's square; of St. James the Less, a club; of St Philip, a cross; of St. Bartholomew, a large knife or scimitar; of St. Matthew, a sword or spear (sometimes a purse); of St. Simon, a club or saw; of St. Matthias, an axe; and of St. Judas, a halbert. The Apostles whose symbols do not elate to their martyrdom are St. Peter, who carries two crossed keys, one gold and one silver; St. James the Great, who bears a pilgrim's staff and an escalop shell; and St. John, who holds a cup from which the poison miraculously departed in the form of a serpent. (See Handbook of Christian Symbolism.) The figure of Christ upon the second phalange of the thumb does not follow the pagan system of assigning the first Person of the Creative Triad to this Position. God the Father should occupy the second Phalange, God the Son the first phalange, while to God the Holy Spirit is assigned the base of the thumb.--Also, according to the Philosophic arrangement, the Virgin should occupy the base of the thumb, which is sacred to the moon.

(674) 1994 To say: I have come to thee, I am thy son; I have come to thee, I am Horus; 1994 I give to thee thy mdw-staff before the spirits and thy nb.tsceptre before the imperishable stars. 1995 [I have found thee assembled], [thy (lit. his) face] like (that of) a jackal, thy (lit. his) seat like (that of) b.wt; 1995 she refreshes thy heart in thy body, in the house of her (lit. thy) father Anubis. 1996 Be pure and sit at the head of those greater than thou. 1996 Thou art seated on thy firm throne, on the throne of the First of the Westerners; 1996 thy tis.w, they are young. 1997. mnt.t salutes thee, like Isis; Hn.t acclaims thee like Nephthys. 1998 Thou standest at the head of the n.wt, of the double palace, like Min; 1998 thou standest at the head of Egyptians (km.tiw), like api; 1998 thou standest at Pdw-s, like Seker. 1999 Thou standest before the Rd-wr-lake. 1999 Thou hast thy 'b-sceptre, thy wire, thy fingernails; which are at hand (lit. "at thy fingers"); 1999 those who are before Thot are slain with the knife, coming from Set. 1999 Thou givest thine arm to the dead, to the spirits, who will take thine arm to the First of the Westerners.

(530) 1253 To say: Greetings to thee, Ladder, which the Souls of Buto and the Souls, of Nekhen have set up and built: 1253 Give thou thine arm to N.; 1253 that N. may sit between the two great gods; 1253 that the places of N. be in front; and that his arm be held as far as the Marsh of Offerings, 1253 so that he may sit among the stars which are in the sky.

(688) 2078 To say: These four grandsons stand up for N., 2078 'Ims.ti, pi, Dw-mu.t.f, b-n.w.f, 2078 the offspring of Horus of Letopolis. 2079 They bind a ladder for N.; 2079 they make firm a ladder for N. 2079 They cause N. to ascend to Khepri, 2079 he who exists on the eastern side of the sky. 2080 Its rungs are hewn by S; 2080 the ropes which are on it are made solid 2080 by means of sinews of Gw.ti, the bull of heaven; 2080 the uprights at its sides are fastened, 2080 like the skin of 'Imi-wt, son of s.t; 2080 the "supporter of the Great One" is set under it by p-wr.t. 2081 Cause ye the ka of N. to ascend to the god; 2081 lead ye him to the two lions; cause him to ascend to Atum. 2082 Atum has done that which he said he would do for N., 2082 (for) he binds the ladder for him, he makes the ladder firm for N. 2082 (Thus) N. is removed from the horror of mankind; 2082 the arms of N. are not a horror to the gods. 2083 N. has not eaten the d3-plant; 2083 N. has not chewed bd-goose on the first of the month; 2083 he has not slept during the night, (though) he did not keep watch; 2083 he ignores his body in one of these two seasons of Khepri. 2084 The inhabitants of the D.t have counted their bodies; 2084 they opened their ears, to the voice of N., 2084 when he descends among them. 2085 "Heavy-is-his-sceptre" has said to them 2085 that N. is one of them. 2085 The might of N. is among them like "Great mighty one," who will lead to the Great West. 2086 The dignity of N. is great in the house of the two lions, 2086 for the wrong which appertains to N. is driven off by him who drives off evil ('Idr-isf.t) 2086 from before Mnti-'irti in Letopolis.

(28) Among the ancient Egyptians and Jews the acacia, or tamarisk, was held in the highest religious esteem; and among modern Masons, branches of acacia, cypress, cedar, or evergreen are still regarded as most significant emblems. The shittim-wood used by the children of Israel in the construction of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant was a species of acacia. In describing this sacred tree, Albert Pike has written: "The genuine acacia, also, is the thorny tamarisk, the same tree which grew around the body of Osiris. It was a sacred tree among the Arabs, who made of it the idol Al-Uzza, which Mohammed destroyed. It is abundant as a bush in the desert of Thur; and of it the 'crown of thorns' was composed, which was set on the forehead of Jesus of Nazareth. It is a fit type of immortality on account of its tenacity of life; for it has been known, when planted as a door-post, to take root again and shoot out budding boughs above the threshold." (See Morals and Dogma.)

(3) Moses beheld a visionary being in the midst of this tree (the burning bush) and from it cut the magical rod with which he was able to bring water out of a stone. But because he failed to call upon the Lord the second time he struck the rock, he was not permitted to carry the sacred staff into the Promised Land; so he planted it in the hills of Moab. After much searching, King David discovered the tree; and his son, Solomon, tried to use it for a pillar in his Temple, but his carpenters could not cut it so that it would fit; it was always either too long or too short. At last, disgusted, they cast it aside and used it for a bridge to connect Jerusalem with the surrounding hills. When the Queen of Sheba came to visit King Solomon she was expected to walk across this bridge. Instead, when she beheld the tree, she refused to put her foot upon it, but, after kneeling and praying, removed her sandals and forded the stream. This so impressed King Solomon that he ordered the log to be overlaid with golden places and placed above the door of his Temple. There it remained until his covetous grandson stole the gold, and buried the tree so that the crime would not be discovered.

(478) 971 To say: Greetings to thee, Ladder of god; 971 greetings to thee, Ladder of Set. 971 Stand up Ladder of god; 971 stand up Ladder of Set; stand up Ladder of Horus 971 which was made for Osiris, that he may ascend upon it to heaven and do service of courtier to R`. 972 Thou art come in search of thy brother, Osiris, 972 after his brother Set had cast him on his side, 972 on yonder side of G.ti. 973 Horus comes, his lion-helmet on his head; his face he turns towards his father, Geb. 973 N. is thy son, N. is Horus. 974 Thou hast conceived N. as thou hast conceived the god, lord of the ladder, 974 to whom thou hast given the ladder of the god, to whom thou hast given the ladder of Set, 974 that N. may ascend to heaven on it and do service of courtier to R`. 975 Let also the ladder of god be given to N., let the ladder of Set be given to N. 975 that N. may ascend to heaven on it, and do service of courtier to R`, 975 just like gods who are gone to their kas. 976 The eye of Horus glowers (?) on the wing of Thot, 976 on the left side of the ladder of the god. 976 O men, a uraeus-serpent (goes) to heaven. N. is the eye of Horus. 976 After its foot has been stopped at every place where it was, N. goes as the eye of Horus goes. 977 Be pleased that N. come among you, ye his brothers, the gods; 977 rejoice at the approach of N., ye his brothers, the gods, 977 as Horus rejoiced at the approach of his eye, 977 after his eye was given (back) to him in the presence of his father, Geb. 978 Every spirit, every god, who shall oppose his arm to N., 978 when he ascends to heaven on the ladder of the god, 978 the earth shall not be hoed for him, the wdn.t-offering shall not be made for him, 978 he shall not ferry over to the evening meal in Heliopolis, 978 he shall not ferry over to the morning meal in Heliopolis. 979 He shall guard himself, he has obligated himself, (he) who will see, (he) who will hear, 979 that he (the deceased) ascends to heaven on the ladder of the god, 979 appearing like the uraeus-serpent which was on the forehead of Set. 980 Every spirit, every god who shall open his arms to N. (will be) on the ladder of the god. 980 United for N. are his bones, assembled for him are his limbs; 980 N. has sprung up to heaven on the fingers of the god, lord of the ladder.

(50) Of this remarkable Oriental drawing, J. P. Lundy has written:----It looks like a Christian crucifix in many respects, and in some others it does not. The drawing, attitude, and the nail-marks in hands and feet, indicate a Christian origin; while the Parthian coronet of seven points, the absence of the wood and of the usual inscription, and the rays of glory above seem to point to some Christian origin. Can it be the Victim, Man, or the Priest and Victim both in one, of the Hindu mythology, who offered himself a sacrifice before the worlds were?"

(24) "Above the Hujrah is a green dome, surmounted by a large gilt crescent, springing from a series of globes. Within the building are the tombs of Muhammad, Abū Bakr, and ’Umar, with a space reserved for the grave of our Lord Jesus Christ, who Muslims say will again visit the earth, and die and be buried at al-Madīnah. The grave of Fātimah, the Prophet's daughter, is supposed to be in a separate part of the building, although some say she was buried in Baqī’. The Prophet's body is said to be stretched full length on the right side, with the right palm supporting the right check, the face fronting Makkah. Close behind him is placed Abū Bakr, whose face fronts Muhammad's shoulder, and then ’Umar, who occupies the same position with respect to his predecessor. Amongst Christian historians there is a popular story to the effect that Muhammadans believed the coffin of their Prophet to be suspended in the air, which has no foundation whatever in Muslim literature, and Niebuhr thinks the story must have arisen from the rude pictures sold to strangers. (See A Dictionary of Islam.)

(538) 1302 To say: Back, thou lowing ox. 1302 Thy head is in the hand of Horus; thy tail is in the hand of Isis; 1302 the fingers of Atum are at thy horns. 28. A LITANY OF ASCENSION,

(532) 1255 To say: O Mooring-post of the morning-boat of its lord; 1255 O Mooring-post of the morning-boat of him who is in it, 1255 Isis comes, Nephthys comes, one of them on the right, one of them on the left, 1255 one of them as a .t-bird, one of them (Nephthys) as a kite. 1256 They found Osiris, 1256 after his brother Set had felled him to the earth in Ndi.t, 1256 when Osiris (N.) said, "come to me," hence comes his name as "Seker." 1257 They prevent thee from rotting, in accordance with this thy name of "Anubis"; 1257 they prevent thy putrefaction from flowing to the ground, 1257 in accordance with this thy name of "jackal of the South"; 1257 they prevent the smell of thy corpse from being bad, in accordance with this thy name of "r-h.ti." 1258 They prevent Horus of the East from rotting; they prevent Horus, lord of men, from rotting; 125 8 they prevent Horus of the D.t from rotting; they prevent Horus, lord of the Two Lands from rotting. 1258 And Set will not ever free himself from carrying thee, Osiris N. 1259 Wake up for Horus; stand up against Set; 1259 raise thyself up, Osiris N., son of Geb, his first (-born), 1259 before whom the Two Enneads tremble. 1260 The keeper (min.w) stands up before thee, so that (the feast) of the New Moon may be celebrated for thee; thou appearest for (the feast of) the month; 1260 thou advancest to the sea (of N.); thou traversest to the Great Green; 1261 for thou art "he who stands without being tired" in Abydos; 1261 thou art spiritualized on the horizon; thou endurest in Dd.t (Mendes); 1261 thine arm is taken by the Souls of Heliopolis; thine arm is seized by R`. 1262 Thy head, N., is raised up by the Two Enneads; 1262 they have put thee, Osiris N., as chief of the double 'itr.t-palace of the Souls of Heliopolis. 1262 Thou livest, thou livest, raise thyself up.

(24) And he built an altar there, which Abraham his father had first built, and he called upon the name of the Lord, and he offered sacrifice to {he God of Abraham his father.

(54) And I asked the angel of peace who went with me, saying: 'For whom are these chains being prepared?' 5. And he said unto me: 'These are being prepared for the hosts of Azâzêl, so that they may take them and cast them into the abyss of complete condemnation, and they shall cover their jaws with rough stones as the Lord of Spirits commanded.

(22) [paragraph continues] My House be established. "In the splendor of mental and spiritual illumination, the High Priest stood between the pillars as a mute witness to the perfect virtue of equilibrium--that hypothetical point equidistant from all extremes. He thus personified the divine nature of man in the midst of his compound constitution--the mysterious Pythagorean Monad in the presence of the Duad. On one side towered the stupendous column of the intellect; on the other, the brazen pillar of the flesh. Midway between these two stands the glorified wise man, but he cannot reach this high estate without first suffering upon the cross made by joining these pillars together. The early Jews occasionally represented the two pillars, Jachin and Boaz, as the legs of Jehovah, thereby signifying to the modern philosopher that Wisdom and Love, in their most exalted sense, support the whole order of creation--both mundane and supermundane.

(47) A curious aspect of the dying-god myth is that of the Hanged Man. The most important example of this peculiar conception is found in the Odinic rituals where Odin hangs himself for nine nights from the branches of the World Tree and upon the same occasion also pierces his own side with the sacred spear. As the result of this great sacrifice, Odin, while suspended over the depths of Nifl-heim, discovered by meditation the runes or alphabets by which later the records of his people were preserved. Because of this remarkable experience, Odin is sometimes shown seated on a gallows tree and he became the patron deity of all who died by the noose. Esoterically, the Hanged Man is the human spirit which is suspended from heaven by a single thread. Wisdom, not death, is the reward for this voluntary sacrifice during which the human soul, suspended above the world of illusion, and meditating upon its unreality, is rewarded by the achievement of self-realization.

(18) And Abraham called that place " The Lord hath seen," so that it is said " (in the mount) the Lord hath seen " : l that is Mount Sion.

(10) The sand painting here reproduced is part of the medicine series prepared far the healing of disease. In the healing ceremony the patient is placed upon the drawing, which is made in a consecrated hogan, and all outsiders excluded. The sacred swastika in the center of the drawing is perhaps the most nearly universal of religious emblems and represents the four corners of the world. The two hunchback god, at the right and left assume their appearance by reason of the great clouds borne upon their backs. In Navaho religious art, male divinities are always shown with circular heads and female divinities with square heads.