Page 168 - The_secret_teachings_of_all_ages_Neat

others that it was made into drainage pipes. This gigantic gilded figure, with its crown of
solar rays and its upraised torch, signified occultly the glorious Sun Man of the
Mysteries, the Universal Savior.

2. The architect Ctesiphon, in the fifth century B.C., submitted to the Ionian cities a plan
for erecting a joint monument to their patron goddess, Diana. The place chosen was
Ephesus, a city south of Smyrna. The building was constructed of marble. The roof was
supported by 127 columns, each 60 feet high and weighing over 150 tons. The temple
was destroyed by black magic about 356 B.C., but the world fixes the odious crime upon
the tool by means of which the destruction was accomplished--a mentally deranged man
named Herostratus. It was later rebuilt, but the symbolism was lost. The original temple,
designed as a miniature of the universe, was dedicated to the moon, the occult symbol of
generation.

3. Upon his exile from Athens, Phidias--the greatest of all the Greek sculptors--went to
Olympia in the province of Elis and there designed his colossal statue of Zeus, chief of
the gods of Greece. There is not even an accurate description of this masterpiece now in
existence; only a few old coins give an inadequate idea of its general appearance. The
body of the god was overlaid with ivory and the robes were of beaten gold. In one hand
he is supposed to have held a globe supporting a figure of the Goddess of Victory, in the
other a scepter surmounted by an eagle. The head of Zeus was archaic, heavily bearded,
and crowned with an olive wreath. The statue was seated upon an elaborately decorated
throne. As its name implies, the monument was dedicated to the spirit of the planet
Jupiter,--one of the seven Logi who bow before the Lord of the Sun.

4. Eliphas Levi includes the Temple of Solomon among the Seven Wonders of the World,
giving it the place occupied by the Pharos, or Lighthouse, of Alexandria. The Pharos,
named for the island upon which it stood, was designed and constructed by Sostratus of
Cnidus during the reign of Ptolemy (283-247 B.C.). It is described as being of white
marble and over 600 feet high. Even in that ancient day it cost nearly a million dollars.
Fires were lighted in the top of it and could be seen for miles out at sea. It was destroyed
by an earthquake in the thirteenth century, but remains of it were visible until A.D. 1350.
Being the tallest of all the Wonders, it: was naturally assigned to Saturn, the Father of the
gods and the true illuminator of all humanity.

5. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a magnificent monument erected by Queen
Artemisia in memory of her dead husband, King Mausolus, from whose name the word
mausoleum is derived. The designers of the building were Satyrus and Pythis, and four
great sculptors were employed to ornament the edifice. The building, which was 114 feet
long and 92 feet wide, was divided into five major sections (the senses) and surmounted
by a pyramid (the spiritual nature of man). The pyramid rose in 24 steps (a sacred
number), and upon the apex was a statue of King Mausolus in a chariot. His figure was 9
feet 9½ inches tall. Many attempts have been made to reconstruct the monument, which.
was destroyed by an earthquake, but none has been altogether successful. This monument
was sacred to the planet Mars and was built by an initiate for the enlightenment of the
world.