d with "oppression" and hardship,
knowing not whither to turn for guidance. Thus We instruct thee in the
interpretation of the traditions, and reveal unto thee the mysteries of
divine wisdom, that haply thou mayest comprehend the meaning thereof, and
be of them that have quaffed the cup of divine knowledge and
understanding.

And now, concerning His words--"The sun shall be darkened, and the moon
shall not give light, and the stars shall fall from heaven." By the terms
"sun" and "moon," mentioned in the writings of the Prophets of God, is not
meant solely the sun and moon of the visible universe. Nay rather,
manifold are the meanings they have intended for these terms. In every
instance they have attached to them a particular significance. Thus, by
the "sun" in one sense is meant those Suns of Truth Who rise from the
dayspring of ancient glory, and fill the world with a liberal effusion of
grace from on high. These Suns of Truth are the universal Manifestations
of God in the worlds of His attributes and names. Even as the visible sun
that assisteth, as decreed by God, the true One, the Adored, in the
development of all earthly things, such as the trees, the fruits, and
colours thereof, the minerals of the earth, and all that may be witnessed
in the world of creation, so do the divine Luminaries, by their loving
care and educative influence, cause the trees of divine unity, the fruits
of His oneness, the leaves of detachment, the blossoms of knowledge and
certitude, and the myrtles of wisdom and utterance, to exist and be made
manifest. Thus it is that through the rise of these Luminaries of God the
world is made new, the waters of everlasting life stream forth, the
billows of loving-kindness surge, the clouds of grace are gathered, and
the breeze of bounty bloweth upon all created things. It is the warmth
that these Luminaries of God generate, and the undying fires they kindle,
which cause the light of the love of God to burn fiercely in the heart of
humanity. It is through the abundant grace of these Symbols of Detachment
that the Spirit of life everlasting is breathed into the bodies of the
dead. Assuredly the visible sun is but a sign of the splendour of that
Day-star of Truth, that Sun Which can never have a peer, a likeness, or
rival. Through Him all things live, move, and have their being. Through
His grace they are made manifest, and unto Him they all return. From Him
all things have sprung, and unto the treasurie