As the soul transitions from the bounds of the Earth and in return to the ALL, they pass through the planetary gates, shedding layers of mortality and limitation, in effort to reach the Umbra Deus, the great darkness; the womb of all realities. The passage through Venus sheds the illusions and material binds of love and desire. By opening one’s spirit to the concept of unconditional love, the divinity of love that respects the autonomy of others, a love that burns with desire to see others and the self treated with the dignity our celestial origins demand. True love is one soul acknowledging the soul in others, seeing them as children of the stars, and having that desire to see them succeed in their own trials, for the ones that remain on Earth.
The Ordo Templi Astrum performs the allegory of the Fourth Gate during Hermetic Masses when Venus is within the sphere of the Sun.
The pilgrim comes to the fourth threshold, guided upwards through the heavens, projected towards the encompassing presence of the ALL. The sky glimmers like molten glass, and a light appears upon the horizon; not blinding, but alive, trembling like a new dawn upon the sea. The Morning and Evening Star is all it’s celestial glory. The Intelligence of Venus, the beautiful and wise Hagiel, addresses the pilgrim as they approach.
Hagiel: “You have crossed the fires of will and the tests of power. Now face the light that cherishes its own reflection.”
The pilgrim beholds a radiant figure wrought of flame and silver, neither angel nor adversary. The being’s countenance shines with the beauty of all things desired and all things lost. The light of Venus radiates with the softness of Hagiel, of the Light Bringer, and of all the forces seeking truth through the action of love.
The Radiant One: “I am the brightness you chase in every heart. I am the longing that wakes you before the sun. Tell me, seeker; why do you love?”
The pilgrim falters. The question burns more deeply than any blade. Images rise: faces, dreams, passions, all dissolving into the figure before them. What does it mean to truly love? It’s an expression that originates beyond the concepts of humanity. Beyond what is felt in the heart, thought with the mind, and felt with the hands of dignity. What is the truest expression of divine love? The pilgrim answers:
The Pilgrim: “Because I wish to behold the Divine in all that I see.”
The Radiant One: “Then see that all and the Divine are one.”
The light of the Radiant One folds inward until only a soft ember remains, resting before the pilgrim’s chest. Hagiel speaks again, no longer from without but from within:
Hagiel: “Desire is the path that leads the soul back to source. To love truly is to free what you behold.”
The revelation complete, the pilgrim moves on, carrying the essence of the Morning Star, encapsulated within their spirit; no longer tainted by temptations, but bursting with divine illumination. The fires of the holy spirit of Venus bless the pilgrim to continue their journey towards the Great Darkness.
Ordo Templi Astrum 