The Mysteries of the Ages: The Myth of Prometheus.

Someday after mastering winds, waves, tides and gravity, we shall harness the energies of love and then, for the second time in the history of the world, man will discover fire. Teilhard de Chardin

In the ancient texts of the esoteric wisdom, we learn that the "Saviours" of humanity, the great and divine prophets, are referred to as the "Agnishwatta" or the "Sons of the Flame of Wisdom." During the days of Plato, these divine beings were personified by the mythological Prometheus in the often-performed play, "Prometheus Bound." The myth of Prometheus, however, substantially predates Plato and "is older than the Hellenes themselves."1 The story of Prometheus, in fact, belongs to the dawn of human consciousness. The Crucified Titan is none other than the divine spark, the divine flame within the heart of every human being who is held captive and "tortured" by all that would obliterate or diminish the indwelling spiritual divinity. Prometheus it may be remembered is the wise mythological Titan who braved all to become humanity's fire and light-giver. He risked the wrath of Zeus in order to be a savior of humanity. He traveled to heaven, to the heart of the golden sun, where he lit a torch and brought down fire for earth's humanity. Taking pity on the plight of mortals and acting against unjust suffering and brutal power, the wise and compassionate Prometheus sacrificed his own well-being in order to provide physical and psychic fire for the upliftment of humanity. For this selfless and brave act, Prometheus was chained to a rock on Mount Caucasus and condemned to suffer torture as a vulture continuously pecked at his liver. However, the triform Fates ordained that those sufferings would only last until the day that a son of Zeus would deliver Prometheus from this fate. This drama of the struggle of Prometheus with the Olympic tyrant and despot, sensual Zeus, is enacted daily within our lives. As the divine flame, Prometheus represents the Soul, the divine or christed principle within each of us. The omnipotent, omniscient, indwelling Soul, the divine flame, is held hostage by the matter into which it has descended and is "tortured" by the vulture of "the Titanic passions which represent humanity in its darkest aspect."2 Prometheus is moved by altruism, but mortal man is separative and afflicted with selfishness, egoism and an overwhelming pursuit of that which is outgoing and material. The Promethean myth is both an allegory and a prophecy. The "son of Zeus" who can deliver Prometheus from his fate is an enlightened humanity. When a human being can establish harmony "between the two natures—the terrestrial and the divine, ...he becomes impermeable to the lower titanic forces, invulnerable in his personality, immortal in his individuality..., [and] he will re-become Prometheus before his Fall."3 When enough people have established harmony between their two natures, providing thus an enlightened atmosphere, then, at that point, Prometheus will be liberated and no longer chained to the rock of matter. The "vulture" of the lower passions will no longer threaten and torment. Altruism and Goodness will flourish. Thus, the well-being of all life on our planet will become the overriding focus of all of our decisions. And, divine humanity will be restored to its rightful and cooperative role within the planetary and universal Plan. The Divine Beings who watch over the fate of humanity and the planet have long waited for this day when humanity, aware of its potential destiny, would begin waking to its divine nature en masse and therefore transform life on our planet. In the book, The Externalization of the Hierarchy, the Tibetan Master writes, "The...stage in which we now find ourselves, is literally the stage of birth."4 That is, we are literally experiencing the awakening and birthing of the Soul—the divine flame symbolized by the mythological Prometheus. And thus, we are preparing for the second major crisis in our long history of evolution. We are preparing to be initiated into the Mystery of the Ages—" into that which was hid from the beginning."