Third Eon: 03: Actions of the Sacred Hierarchy
Following the Creation, the Sacred Hierarchy began to act within the Material Universe, often to terrible effect, leading inevitably to the Incarnate Lord, which would change humanity irrevocably.
The Sundering of Samael
Samael leads the first humans into sin, spreading hatred and discord among the nations and teaching people to want most what they don’t have. From Samael during the Shaping came all that is rare and hard-won, along with the desperate need to possess it. By Samael’s dark design do people know fear in the presence of the stranger and harden their hearts against them.
Out of hatred and greed comes the sin of war. For this, Raguel is empowered by God to create Hell and Michael is commanded by the Lord to cast Samael into it along with all those who followed him.
Redemption of Humankind
From war comes foul disease and cruel famine, sins visited upon humanity by themselves. Uriel is kept busy in these days, even with the Divine Gift of Omnipresence, but is no less compassionate in her duty.
Raphael appeals to the Lord, and is empowered by God to bring the arts of healing and provision to humanity. He offers them to any who would take to kindness as their fellows had taken to wickedness. There are many who pledge themselves to these arts, and the suffering of humanity eases.
Raphael is pleased, as he, of all the Archangels, loves humanity best.
The kindness of humanity toward each other moved the Lord to great empathy, for the first time giving thought to the virtues of the Material Universe.
The Independent Lord
The Lord decided to Incarnate into a Living Aspect within the Material Universe, so they could truly Know humanity. They believe this will also allow humankind to Know Them, and through Them, Know God.
The Lord devised this scheme from Their own thoughts, outside the scope of God’s Will. So God withdrew from the Lord.
Then the Lord knew fear, but did not repent.
And a Shadow fell over Heaven.
Strife in Heaven
It was after God withdrew that Sophia, the Holy Wisdom, bid the Lord to temperance, and to remember Their station.
“We are but Aspects of God, not gods in our own right. Even you, Prime Aspect, are still the extant manifestation of God’s Will.” She offered kindness here. “Let that be enough.”
Her kindness was met with sneering condescension.
“Do not speak to me as an equal, you who would elevate yourself above your rightful Lord!” The Lord’s wrath was great, and the singing spires of Heaven shook, disrupting the eternal song. “You forget your Creator!”
“I forget nothing,” Sophia was the epitome of her own Aspect, calm and buttressed by Knowledge. The spires resumed their song. “I need not remember that which never existed,” she said. “I am an Archangel, an Aspect of God. I acknowledge no Creator save the One from Whom comes All. I acknowledge that we Archangels were created through you,” she conceded this with another kind smile met by a sneer, “but that does not make us of you.” She parried his sneer with another smile. Prim and close-lipped, it was the smile of one nearing the bottom of a nigh-bottomless well of indulgence. “Even were it as you boast,” she said, “that you created us yourself, you still would hold no mastery over us.”
She scolded Them:
“By your words and manner you seem more aligned with Samael than God. Beware that They who threw down the Fallen are not thrown down in Their turn.”
She saw They would speak then with fury, and silenced Them with a Letter of the Word, spoken in the Voice of Authority.
And the Lord fell silent, for the Word was spoken once by God at the Beginning of All Beginnings and will echo until the End of the Final Ending. If even the smallest part of the Word is spoken by one Bearing Authority (one such as Sophia) all who are spoken to must obey.
“I do not threaten,” Sophia said, “merely warn. You court your Fallen beloved’s fate with your scheme. It does not require God’s Wisdom to see that, or to hear the empty rhetoric of the Outer Dark in your words.”
This put an end to it, or at least to Sophia’s objections. “I know even less of God’s Will in this than you do,” she said finally, “and I will sow no strife among us. I leave you to the Ultimate Judgment.”
Sophia spoke little of the Lord’s scheme after that, save to answer her fellow Archangels, when asked, that they should follow the dictates of their Aspects in deciding whether to aid or oppose the Lord.
Uriel maintained the neutrality of her Aspect, Raguel declared that he “would do nothing outside God’s Will, but would countenance no rebellion against the Lord”, while Raphael counseled a time of prayer and communion to seek alignment with God. Gabriel stood steadfast beside the Lord, ever the good soldier, while Michael’s allegiance was far less enthusiastic, and was mainly in the hope of a good fight.
Sophia disappeared out of all awareness, unknown by her brethren for some time. There was great strife in Heaven then, with none to know the Mind nor Will of God.
And the Shadows of Heaven deepened.
