In Search of the Miraculous

remaining within the limits of one's own language. The only difference is that when

people speak in their ordinary language they do not understand one another, but in

this other language they do understand. In the second language, written language is

the same for all peoples, like, say, figures or mathematical formulae; but people still

speak their own language, yet each of them understands the other even though the

other speaks in an unknown language. The third language is the same for all, both the

written and the spoken. The difference of language disappears altogether on this

level."

"Is not this the same thing which is described in the Acts as the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, when they began to understand divers languages?" asked

someone.

I noticed that such questions always irritated G.

"I don't know, I wasn't there," he said.

But on other occasions some opportune question led to new and unexpected

explanations.

Someone asked him on one occasion during a talk whether there was anything real

and leading to some end in the teachings and rites of existing religions.

"Yes and no," said G. "Imagine that we are sitting here talking of religions and that the maid Masha hears our conversation. She, of course, understands it in her own way

and she repeats what she has understood to the porter Ivan. The porter Ivan again

understands it in his own way and he repeats what he has understood to the coachman

Peter next door. The coachman Peter goes to the country and recounts in the village

what the gentry talk about in town. Do you think that what he recounts will at all

resemble what we said? This is precisely the relation between existing religions and

that which was their basis. You get teachings, traditions, prayers, rites, not at fifth but at twenty-fifth hand, and, of course, almost everything has been distorted beyond

recognition and everything essential forgotten long ago.

"For instance, in all the denominations of Christianity a great part is played by the tradition of the Last Supper of Christ and his disciples. Liturgies and a whole series of dogmas, rites, and sacraments are based upon it. This has been a ground for schism,

for the separation of churches, for the formation of sects; how many people have

perished because they

would not accept this or that interpretation of it. But, as a matter of fact, nobody

understands what this was precisely, or what was done by Christ and his disciples that

evening. There exists no explanation that even approximately resembles the truth,

because what is written in the Gospels has been, in the first place, much distorted in

being copied and translated; and secondly, it was written for those who know. To those who do not know it can explain nothing, but the more they try to understand it,

the deeper they are led into error.

"To understand what took place at the Last Supper it is first of all necessary to

know certain laws.

"You remember what I said about the 'astral body'? Let us go over it briefly. People who have an 'astral body' can communicate with one another at a distance without

having recourse to ordinary physical means. But for such communication to be

possible they must establish some 'connection' between them. For this purpose when

going to different places or different countries people sometimes take with them

something belonging to another, especially things that have been in contact with his

body and are permeated with his emanations, and so on. In the same way, in order to

maintain a connection with a dead person, his friends used to keep objects which had

belonged to him. These things leave, as it were, a trace behind them, something like invisible wires or threads which remain stretched out through space. These threads

connect a given object with the person, living or in certain cases dead, to whom the

object belonged. Men have known this from the remotest antiquity and have made

various uses of this knowledge.

"Traces of it may be found among the customs of many peoples. You know, for

instance, that several nations have the custom of blood-brotherhood. Two men, or several men, mix their blood together in the same cup and then drink from this cup.

After that they are regarded as brothers by blood. But the origin of this custom lies deeper. In its origin it was a magical ceremony for establishing a connection between

'astral bodies.' Blood has special qualities. And certain peoples, for instance the Jews, ascribed a special significance of magical properties to blood. Now, you see, if a

connection between 'astral bodies' had been established, then again according to the

beliefs of certain nations it is not broken by death.

"Christ knew that he must die. It had been decided thus beforehand. He knew it and

his disciples knew it. And each one knew what part he had to play. But at the same

time they wanted to establish a permanent link with Christ. And for this purpose he