| One day, the Cordemanon Anna sat under an orange tree talking to several of her students. One of the students asked her this question: "You often speak of the 'Eternal Now,' will you explain to us what you mean?" The Cordemanon laughed and said, "The words 'Eternal Now' are words that I use to speak about a concept of 'All Time' without a specific temporal point, yet observed by an individual point of view. If it were not observed by an individual, it could be expressed by the word 'Eternal' only, for it is the individual point of view that gives it its 'now.' Now, do you see?" Suddenly, the student saw the Eternal Now! |
| Several Gwyddons were sitting in a pleasently cool walled-in garden on a rather hot summer day. The High Priestess Anna came out of the house with a cold drink in her hand, and sat down with them. They had been discussing what Anna’s chronological age might be. One of the Gwyddons, being rather fearless, brought the subject up this way: he said, "Anna, we can’t guess your age. Sometimes you look so young, and yet, in the next moment you will seem ancient. Is it because of the Craft that your age seems to be so undefined?" The Craftmaster leaned over and patted the young man’s hand, and said, "No, it’s because your mind is." Everyone laughed, but the young Gwyddon understood what she meant. |
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A certain young Gwyddon, who was the Wayland at that time, was chosen to do the preliminaries at one of the Great Days. He had done the First, and had just finished offering the Wine to the gods in the Second, and was just offering the goblet to Anna, the High Priestess, when one of the members suddenly blurted out, "You’re supposed to offer the wine to one of the women first! Not to the High Priestess! She comes last!" Three or four other members began to differ with him, and they turned to the ritual in their books and began to argue in earnest.
The High Priestess and young man were left standing at the altar alone, not part of the argument. The Lady Anna smiled at the Wayland and reached for the cup. She drank deeply, and handed it back to him. He drank deeply, and handed it back ato her. Soon they had finished the wine. About this time, the other members realized what had happened. The Lady Anna said, "The wine ritual is over. Now, I will begin the Great Day ritual. Turn to the ritual in your books, please." The same member who had started the debate said, "But we didn’t get any wine!" The Lady Anna smiled sweetly and said, "On the contrary. You drank very deeply of the wine of Self-importance!" And then she began the Great Day ritual. |