Hymn+of+Thoth

Hymn of Thoth

"I am a lover of truth. I cut away lies, these rags of mortality. I am incense on the altar, seven grains of molly smoldering in flame, seven sparks dancing in the air. Seven herons fly in the light of Ra. Seven fish leap from the river into the bird's mouths. Seven stars dream in the northern sky nestled in the lap of a bear. There is a serpent writhing through heaven, unbound by the weight of earth. His tongue flicks flames. He licks the fingers of gods, but the snake left to earth licks only dark and dust.

I have seen the face of evil - with a hundred coils in its tail that would claim for itself whatever it touched: The perfumed lotus, the heart of a lover, the lights of its days, the thoughts and passions of others. It would clutch these things, squeeze them and suck out their vitality. Then the snake would rise up with a shake of its tail and name itself God, knower of all, possessed of all wisdom. 'I alone,' it cries, 'know the truth and I shall keep it.' He is the serpent that separates men from gods. I have seen the face of evil - a face full of burns and scars, tortures inflicted upon the Self. He would scald his own chest and blame it on others. He would slash his own wrists and blame it on the gods. Blind is he even to the motion of his own hand that rises up and plucks out his eyes."

Hymns of Thoth