arrived in these lands and settled. We derive from them in terms of our culture and our ways of thinking. And, although some of our concepts differ now, such as the Spiritual. As you know, for the Druids, nothing existed after life, but everything returned to mother earth or nature. We believe that there is a spiritual life after the physical one and that it is lived in the form of Spirit, the Spirit that we all carry within ourselves. But our differences are not in terms of physical life.”
”We know, and we are taught in the Spiritual School as children, that the Spiritual world exists, and that everyone who has been good in the physical world will be allowed in. Apart from those who have committed a crime against life. The principle that we are taught, the one of the twelve, is that Life is sacred.”
”The principles on which our customs and our traditions are based are basic – RESPECT FOR LIFE AND HELP another when they are in need. These two fundamental pillars are not only Spiritual. When we entertain this idea of killing or letting die, we forever lose our right to preach the Upper world.”
”See, what we are here discussing is the killing of the very special people to whom the Society – as well as families and communities – owe a lot. Or letting them die. For that reason, I fear that we may be authorizing something that others do not want and do not think to accept.”
”Will the Judge who will be passing this Judgment please consider that he may have to get soldiers to carry it out? And let him consider the communities of the mountains. None of them will comply. Or the communities of the valleys, and of the lowlands, where the commitment to unity is even stronger. How can we, a few judges, even with a King in front of us, claim the right to try to change something so deeply rooted in our own Ethiopian essence?”
The man was radiant, and he knew he was heard. He was good at reading the public, so he did not prolong the subject so as not to spoil it. He ended with:
”So I tell you, if you approve of such a thing, you will not be worthy of being Ethiopian.”
And, as a man who had put forward his argument in this manner, he took a few minutes of silence so that his last statement can settle in everyone's mind. After confirming that it was over and saluting everyone, he sat down.
Now, everyone was watching the Judge, who got up to speak in front of the King. He greeted him and said:
”As you can see, my Lord, it has gotten late. If you wish, we will continue later because the morning is over, and the noises in the guts of the attendees could be heard for quite some time now.” At that, everyone smiled because it was true. The King himself had noticed it and said:
”Very well, we shall continue later. But, remember, you cannot take the discussions of this subject outside with you, because you have the whole city listening and that would not serve justice.” He got up and left the chambers.
When they resumed the session, the King, who had been waiting for the right moment, said:
”So, now is the time when you say your prayer and ask for advice before you pass your judgment, right?” He was looking at the judge who, in turn, replied:
”See, my Lord, Justice cannot be done a hurry. Remember that the Accuser – or the Prosecutor – had reserved the last turn, after the Defense had spoken. So it is now up to him to continue.”
The Judge to whom he had referred took the floor. However, he came short. He had initially intended to make a great speech, but the apparent haste that the King had shown advised him against it. He determined that he had nothing new to add, and so the time for Judgment to be passed had come.
The judge, the Spiritual Body, observed himself serving as a Judge’s in a court session that was all a dream. He saw himself take the floor and say:
”You will have seen, my Lord, how the matter has been presented. It is not an easy task. As a Rural Judge, I have not been gifted with wisdom.”
”Remember that I only administer Justice in the Souk and for the Souk, so I need all the help that can be given to me. That is why I always retire – to ask for it. I do it through Prayer. You all know that, when we do that, our Spirit gets connected to the Spiritual Master, which is always attending to us, young men.”
”You also know that this Master – who to me is SUPREME – is the one who always advises. In my case, he always does so in all aspects of life, in which I feel that I want to consult him. He advises me in the courts and tells me what I have to say. All I do is repeat in words the ideas that he had given me.”
As the King – attending in disguise – had seen him conduct the tribunal, he did not believe that the advice that this man can receive could give him any greater wisdom than he himself had so, upon hearing this, he jokingly said:
”Go and ask for this advice, and make sure that it is a good one. And that it is different from the one we all know. If not, we may find that it is your own mind that advises you, and what you are looking for in the Prayer is time to think as you are already old.”
The judge considered this to be an insult and blushed. He turned to the King and said:
”My Lord, you have the strength, but not the reason. If the reason is sustained by force when you are deciding what you expect from your people, you will be hated rather than loved. Because, if justice is done under pressure and by force, no other but fear will result. Is this what you are seeking?”
Everyone was suddenly frightened by the words he had addressed towards the King. Even the Judge himself. Therefore, he assumed an attitude of submission that would please the King and said:
”I think your comment is good and fair, albeit a little harsh. I want my people not to fear me. So take the time you deem appropriate, and we will see if that advice is worth the time that we are losing.”
The judge – the Spirit – watched how the Judge retired from the court hall and into a solitary place where he began to pray. After some time, he saw the sloping figure nod and nod again. It continued for some time; he sat down on his heels, and with his eyes closed, he listened. When he had finished, he left the room and went back out to where everyone was waiting. The King said:
”It is late, so, as you need your time, we will continue tomorrow. Everyone, go now, and return for the second session.” And that was when everyone knew that it was time for the sun to become vertical.
In the morning, everyone gathered again. The Judge greeted the King and the Minister of Justice first, followed by the other ministers who had come. There were already several others in addition to those that were invited by the King. They have heard about this and, not wanting to be left in the dark, they came of their own initiative. He greeted his companions and proceeded to speak.
”You see, my Lord,” he addressed the King.” The one who listens to me and the one who advises me has also listened to your words, and said the following:
‘Tell your King that he can cut off your head as he has that power; that he can cut off your tongue as he has that power; and that he can sell you for a slave to the Egyptians because he has that power too. But the voice of the Spirit cannot be silenced. If he does not speak through my lips today, he will do it through someone else's. Because, if the Spirit must manifest itself, the power of the King is not enough to stop it. You see, if he so wanted, he could choose your own lips to speak to others.’”
Everyone found themselves frightened because they knew about the power of the Spirits. They understood that the Spirit of that man had to be very powerful to explain what he did. Right there, in front of him, was the one who was in charge of the Temple – or of the Spiritual School.
