Merlin – Part 3 of 3

from Merlin: High Priest of the Holy Grail,
Copyright,2011, James Stivers

Chapter Seven
THE PROPHECIES OF MERLIN
Part 3 of 3

Interpreting the Prophecies

The medieval fascination with the “white dragon” as the Saxon nation and its conflict with the “red dragon” which represents the Celtic nation is not our concern here in this study. As explained earlier, this interpretation was probably read into Merlin’s prophecy by subsequent bards and ultimately by Geoffrey; for the conflict between these two peoples loomed ominously during those centuries.

The dragon story is an allegory. We believe it represented the British recovery of its Desposynic heritage; either in the recovery of an artifact which proved its Desposynic origins, or one which restored continuity to its covenant succession. The two dragons recall the cherubs of the Ark of the Covenant and would be interpreted as such by informed Desposynic scholars.

As for the conflict between the Saxon/Germanic peoples and the Celts, it might be a tertiary application of the vision taken up by later bards and read back into Merlin’s experience, but it hardly mattered to the Desposyni. They operated in both cultures. Certainly, such a vision would have been relevant in Merlin’s time, as he was in the midst of a desperate struggle. The allegory interpreted by popular tradition does not explain what happens in the struggle. There are no answers. The real problem in Merlin’s time was the legitimacy of succession. The dragon story does not resolve the problem with the Saxons, while it does serve well as a cover story to the real one: Desposynic succession to the British throne upon the collapse of the Roman Empire.
We have already cited a couple of illustrations in the prophecies as they relate to near and intermediate periods. As one approaches the end of the visions, there are more cosmic and astronomical references, while there are fewer local ones. That is because they are emerging from the scope of provincial interest to one of global scale.

(88) A. Root and branch shall change places, and the newness of the thing shall pass as a miracle/ The brightness of the Sun shall fade at the amber of Mercury, and horror shall seize the beholders./ Stilbon of Arcadia shall change his shield; the Helmet of Mars shall call Venus.
(89) The Helmet of Mars shall make a shadow; and the rage of Mercury shall exceed its orbit./ Iron Orion shall unsheathe his sword; the marine Phoebus shall torment the clouds/ Jupiter shall go out of his lawful paths; and Venus forsake her appointed circuits.
(90) The malignity of the star Saturn shall fall down in rain, and slay mankind with a crooked sickle./ The Twelve Houses of the Stars shall lament the irregular excursions of their inmates.
(91) The Gemini shall omit their usual embrace, and will call the Urn (Aquarius) to the fountains./ The Scales of Libra shall hang awry, till Aries puts his crooked horns under them./ The tail of Scorpio shall produce lightning, and Cancer quarrel with the Sun./ Virgo shall mount upon the back of Sagittarius, and darken her Virgin flowers.
(92) The Chariot of the Moon shall disorder the Zodiac, and the Pleiades break forth into weeping./ No offices of Janus shall return hereafter, but his gate being shut shall lie in the chinks of Ariadne.
(93) The seas shall rise up in the twinkling of an eye, and the dust of the Ancients be restored./ The winds shall fight together with a dreadful blast, and their Sound shall reach to the Stars.

(End of Prophecies)

Commentaries

It is difficult at times to determine whether these prophecies ought to be interpreted in a literal cosmological sense, or whether they are symbolic of cultural and sociological conditions, or probably both. Much like biblical prophecy, we must proceed with the assumption that there are layers of interpretation. As the Apostle declared in the Second Epistle of Peter, we must consider these warnings of cosmic destruction as instructions for the kind of life we must live. Prophecy is always covenantal and is always calculated to create certain moral results in the human species. If Merlin was a divinely inspired individual, if he was a Desposynic prince and priest, then the prophecies will bear some correlation to the Bible.

If we look at the 93rd prophecy, we see just such a correlation: “The seas shall rise up in the twinkling of an eye.” The twinkling of an eye is a Pauline expression found in 2 Thessalonians in reference to the parousia or the 2nd Coming of Christ. Merlin would not have used it unless it was an intentional association.

That it can be interpreted in some cosmic sense is certainly plausible. We now know that the near-Earth passage of Planet X-type objects cause buckles in the Earth’s crust, thrusting it upwards causing mountain ranges and gigantic tidal waves. From a geological point of view, the land masses of the Earth’s crust are raised and lowered alternately. We now know of underwater cities. Some have speculated that Antarctica silently preserves an ancient civilization which once flourished when the earth was turning on a different degree of axis.

Thus, “the seas shall rise up” indicates a global catastrophe that reveals “the dust of the Ancients,” or the land masses of these ancient civilizations while destroying that of our own.

Or, it could be interpreted with biblical symbolism, in which “the seas” – as indicated in the book of Revelations – is a metaphor for “the nations” which rise up in rebellion against a previous governance, and thus “restore” or resurrect the dominion of the Ancients which now – using Daniel’s prophecy – “sleep in the dust.”[120]

The winds shall fight together with a dreadful blast, and their Sound shall reach to the Stars.

Again, the prophecy can be interpreted as literal cosmic events, or symbolically as a spiritual or moral development of humanity. “The winds” colliding in a “dreadful blast” and producing a sound reaching “to the Stars” are known events in galactic observation. Certainly, the passage of a Planet X-type object through the solar system and making a near-Earth encounter would produce these results. Today, astronomers listen to the sounds of colliding stars through their radio-telescopes. It should not surprise us that the breaking of planets in our solar system would produce “blasts” heard to the ends of the universe.

In contrast to such a plausibility, a typological interpretation would revisit Revelations and the angels which control the four winds standing at the four corners of the Earth. In biblical symbolism, the church is “scattered to the four winds” and is regathered in Christ and His Messianic Church. Allowing for a variation on the words “fight together” to say something different, like “clash together,” we see a dreadful conflict of religion which results, it is hoped, in a placid aftermath. The age of peace is achieved after “churchianity” – the various faces of organized religion – destroys itself.

The interpreter of these prophecies is not required to choose one interpretation over the other; for the Bible presents a God who choreographs man’s moral development with his interaction with natural forces. Cataclysmic events are scheduled to coincide with humanity’s ethical and institutional maturity. These destructive events test the soundness of man’s institutional structures. If he has devised social customs which are defective, like an unsound foundation, his civilization will be destroyed under the stresses of nature’s adversity. If such customs have been built “upon the solid rock,” then they will stand the test of time. Merlin’s prophecies offer us the same perspective.

With this in mind, we can now proceed with an interpretation of these pertinent prophecies, one-by-one.

“Root and branch shall change places” indicates an inversion in nature. The father becomes the son and the son becomes the father. We might also entertain the notion of history rewinding itself back to its beginning to start over without the human tragedy.

In the Celtic tradition, we have the concept of the Underworld surfacing in this prophecy, which is important in “British catalytic magic.”[121] The inverted Tree grows in Faeryland or the Otherworld which is beneath the earth. As Stewart suggests, “It is the world which supplies the magical fountains, such as that of Galabes where Merlin is found, for it is the source of all primal power that emerges in the upper world.” In Stewart’s psychological interpretation of this prophecy, he sees it as a “change of flow of sensual energies” where the basal arousals of our sexual and bio-electrical energies are normally focused up through the body to the mind. The instincts and unconscious mind of man dominates his will and his consciousness. The inversion identified here redirects the relationship and makes consciousness the source of sensuality.[122]

But the following statement requires that we return to the Scriptures for guidance; for “the newness of the thing shall pass as a miracle.” In Merlin’s world, God is the author of miracles and only God is He who in the Book of Revelations declares: “Behold, I make all things new.” Jesus Christ is identified as both the “root” and the “offspring [i.e. “branch”] of Jesse. This fact cannot escape the attention of anyone who wants to interpret these prophecies.[123] While pagan and astrological allusions abound, they exist along side of biblical ones. We must search for a deeper understanding of these pagan astrological symbols.

In the agricultural sense, the root gathers moisture and nutrients from the soil, while the branch produces the fruit. The root anchors the plant and is the point of origination.

If we invert this order, we will find, then, that it is the root which bears the fruit, while the branch gathers the nutrients for the plant. The world marvels at this inversion because it represents an inversion of worlds. What was once upside-down, has now become right-side up.

Merlin views this inversion negatively; for it leads us to more dreadful events: “The brightness of the Sun shall fade at the amber of Mercury, and horror shall seize the beholders.” While we expect star-death someday for our Sun, there are many natural events which could affect the intensity of the Sun on the Earth, such as volcanic eruptions or a comet’s tail engulfing the Earth for a lengthy period. The Sun is known to flare and burst with intense flashes and then to darken and cool. It shall “fade at the amber of Mercury” could be referring to a visible change in Mercury’s color and atmospheric composition or it could also refer to a change in human institutions. A “darkened sun” is symbolic of a sovereign’s displeasure and is an expression known to the Bible.

(89) The Helmet of Mars shall make a shadow; and the rage of Mercury shall exceed its orbit./ Iron Orion shall unsheathe his sword; the marine Phoebus shall torment the clouds/ Jupiter shall go out of his lawful paths; and Venus forsake her appointed circuits.

Again, we are challenged by astronomical terms such as “the helmet of Mars” and the “rage of Mercury.”[124] Are we witnessing astronomical phenomena or are we to read these prophecies – as Newton does the Bible – as cosmic typology for the human condition?

We say both, not in an effort to “cover all of the bases,” but because man – made in the image of God – finds the doctrine of likenesses to permeate all of creation. In this case, “the helmet of Mars” could be interpreted scientifically to refer to the coronal shield of the planet’s cometary aura. Mars was once a living planet with oceans and life. It once had an orbit which brought it much closer to Earth so that Earthlings could see its distinctive features with the naked eye. It experienced planet death by an encounter with a Planet X object and lost much of its electromagnetic energy.

Scientists tell us that it is slowly regaining its atmosphere and its energy. Merlin’s prophecy suggests that another planetary encounter will occur which will re-ignite its cometary aura that will become visible like a helmet over the planet.

Mercury will experience similar disturbances in its orbital trajectory where it will “exceed its orbit” and the other planets of the inner solar system, such as Jupiter, Venus will change orbits. The offending planetary-sized comet will come out of the constellation “Orion” and will have the appearance, from Earth, as if it were a sword drawn from its sheath. These are events which are possible in a literal way.

In discussing the planets, we have few hints of a sociological interpretation, but as we begin to read Merlin’s use of the Zodiacal signs, they become suggestive of a human counterpart to the astrological events:

(90) The malignity of the star Saturn shall fall down in rain, and slay mankind with a crooked sickle./ The Twelve Houses of the Stars shall lament the irregular excursions of their inmates.

These changes in the orbital patterns of the major planets create chaos for astrological calculations and prophecy. Merlin is describing a condition in which seers lose their psychic and interpretive abilities. “The Twelve Houses of the Stars shall lament” – this chaos suggests that man’s ability to understand the language of the stars has been lost in this astronomical reordering of the solar system. We have reached a point when mankind is walking blind.

(91) The Gemini shall omit their usual embrace, and will call the Urn (Aquarius) to the fountains./ The Scales of Libra shall hang awry, till Aries puts his crooked horns under them./ The tail of Scorpio shall produce lightning, and Cancer quarrel with the Sun./ Virgo shall mount upon the back of Sagittarius, and darken her Virgin flowers.

“As above, so below” – the confusion of the heavens translates to confusion on Earth. The inversion of values with the branch replacing the root now manifests itself in human relationships.

Later astrological lore would have the Gemini as homosexual lovers. But the earlier tradition simply sees them as the union of the male and female counterpart in a union void of reproductive intent. “The Gemini shall omit their usual embrace” suggests a cessation of normal monogamous love, “and will call the Urn (of Aquarius) to the fountains.” If Aquarius is the firstborn of Israel and is called to the fountains, do we have any biblical reference for what this might mean?

The Mosaic Law forbids sex with a menstruating woman because it “exposes her fountains” (Leviticus 20:18). The fountains refer to her fertility. Thus, the non-fertile sex of the Gemini is replaced by the fertile sex of “the Urn” of Aquarius. The Urn holds the waters of life. Returning to the fountains signifies mankind’s return to its original customs in which the branch becomes the root and a new cycle, new birth, and a new beginning occur.

In a previous chapter, we discovered that the heavenly host consists of the Trinity with God surrounded by a host of cherubim and seraphim. Mankind, imaging this host, turns now to the earthly harem and to fecundity.
“The Scales of Libra” is imagery drawn from the mouth of Scorpio. It signifies unjust weights and measures, a corrupt monetary system, and oppressive government. This is its current condition “until Aries puts his crooked horns under them.”

The “crooked horn” is the ram’s horn which is blown to announce the Jubilee (Leviticus 25:9). Mankind will be in debt bondage until it is released in a restoration of the Jubilee.

“The tail of Scorpio shall produce lightning” which is directed toward Cancer. Cancer, of course, is the crab and represents all hard shell (cratia) creatures. “Cratia” is a term which refers to various forms of government: “autocracy, democracy, plutocracy, and so on.[125]

We might see, here, a description of a polar shift, as the normal constellations used for navigation are turned. With a change in the solstices and equinoxes, mankind faces a crisis in agriculture and the continuity of government.

Virgo shall mount upon the back of Sagittarius, and darken her Virgin flowers.

Sagittarius, the archer like Nimrod, represents the Geber. The virgin is no longer the one pursued for mating. Rather, it is the Geber. Women abandon the desire to mate with eunuchs, men who are content with monogamy. Women now desire to belong to harems and to mate with strong men (Isaiah 4:1). This comes from a sense of survival but also a conscious and intentional return to primeval instincts.

(92) The Chariot of the Moon shall disorder the Zodiac, and the Pleiades break forth into weeping./ No offices of Janus shall return hereafter, but his gate being shut shall lie in the chinks of Ariadne.

Pleiades, the seven sisters, are a stellar matrix for the 7 planets of the astrological solar system. The sisters are usually associated with Orion, another representation of the Geber.

They weep at the disorder caused by the astronomical upheaval. In this case, it is caused by the moon goddess who sweeps away their matrimonial aspirations. Marriage is destroyed and the normal institutional customs of wedlock are abandoned. Mankind has been thrown back into a state of nature in which mating occurs during brief “seasons of opportunity” between the ongoing rapid cycles of crisis and catastrophe. Death and destruction sweep away the hope of long, stable relationships.

Janus was the god of gates and doors and was often represented with two faces on the opposite sides of the head. Gatekeepers hold the keys of entry and control the future by being the guardians of the past and the future.

During this time of upheaval, there are no longer people who possess the keys of knowledge. But this could be a good thing, because knowledge is usually held in secrecy from the common people by a powerful elite. Yes, the great institutions of learning are gone, and perhaps the great libraries, but truth and knowledge become the common property of the human species and the opportunity for swift advancement returns.
“His gate being shut shall lie in the chinks of Ariadne.” Ariadne, of course, was the fertility goddess, the mistress of the labyrinth and the friend of heroes. From the ancient story, she is called the weaver goddess because she befriended Dionysius with a ball of yarn from which he was able to find his way back out of the labyrinth.

The fertility goddess – the Dove – will show mankind how to find its way back from its labyrinth. Through her help, mankind will find the hidden door, open it, and find its way to a new beginning.

(93) The seas shall rise up in the twinkling of an eye, and the dust of the Ancients be restored./ The winds shall fight together with a dreadful blast, and their Sound shall reach to the Stars.

Merlin finishes his prophecies with a final cataclysmic event in which the Earth itself experiences a major terraforming. There are stories from the earlier catastrophes in which near-Earth encounters by celestial objects created such loud siren blasts that the ancients lost their hearing. Language had to be relearned. They had to rely upon a universal sign language for communication.

Addendum – 2020

It is important for the reader to understand that a body of scientific literature has been developed over recent decades which propounds the theory that the Sun periodically novas. These novae result in extinction events on the Earth. It is imperative to understand the scientific evidence which underlies this theory as there are signs which point to such a catastrophe occurring within this generation.[126]

Footnotes for Merlin 3 of 3

[120] See Isaac Newton in the last chapter. Like the Woman of the Sun who became the Whore of Babylon, the Dragon (or beast) of the sea and the Dragon of the land, become evil by their corruption with the Dragon of Heaven (Satan: Rev. 12). The beast of the sea represents the gentiles, while the beast of the land represents the Jews of the Holy Land, or “Land of the Covenant.” In the Celtic story of Lugh, the serpent of the sea and the serpent of the land both nurtured him (Moses) who was raised by the Egyptians (gentiles) and mentored by Jethro in the “land” of Midian (a son of Abraham). In Merlin’s case, he was sired and raised by his semi-divine father and the Romans (the sea serpent), but found his destiny in the land of his mother (the land serpent).
[121] This is an expression used by Robert Stuart.
[122] The modern commune (e.g. the Oneida Community) as an intentional group marriage which is based upon ideology and symbolism, corresponds with this notion of sensuality founded, not in instinct, but on understanding.
[123] This may be a reference to the Desposyni and a new beginning for the covenant line: the branch becoming the root, as in what occurs in agriculture in the propagation of some plants where a twig is removed and it grows new roots.
[124] Recall the anger of Moses and Merlin’s reclusive hostility to people.
[125] Another association with Dan: the name “Dan” means “judge” in the Hebrew.
[126] God’s Day of Judgment, Douglas Vogt, 2019. Internet source. Reference Diehold Foundation.