“Omnis dies, omnis hora, qvam nihil sumus, ostendit” (Every day, every hour shows us how insignificant we are)

Dearest friends:

I send you on this occasion the present engraving entitled…

…OMNIS DIES, OMNIS HORA, QVAM NIHIL SUMUS, OSTENDIT

The image is an allegorical engraving from the 17th century entitled Omnis dies, omnis hora, qvam nihil sumus, ostendit, ‘Every day, every hour shows us how insignificant we are’, which makes us see our own nothingness. The work is part of the famous Thesaurus Philo-Politicus series, published by Daniel Meisner (1585-1625) and Eberhard Kieser (1583-1631) in Frankfurt from 1623 onwards.

First a philosopher or scholar appears, holding a clock in one hand and the Sun in the other. Behind him, a skeleton ─death─ holds a scythe. In the background, a panoramic view of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, in Germany; this is how the authors conceived their messages, using reproductions of urban landscapes.

Some Latin texts:

QVAM NIHIL IN VITA SUMUS HAC, QVAM TURBA MISELLA, UNUSQUISQUE DIES, QUAELIBET HORA PROBAT.

Translation: ‘How nothing we are in this life, what a poor multitude, this is proven every single day, any hour.’

And the German text affirms the same thing, here is the translation: “That we are nothing in this life, a miserable people surrounded by death: this proves it, proves it clearly and, yes, every hour.”

What are we told with all this, dear readers?

First of all, we must emphasize that only those who seek to know themselves find the falsehood of our vain existence. Those who seek themselves are the lovers of reflection, of philosophy, of Truth… That is why we see that philosopher with a Sun on one side and a clock on the other side. The Sun is the BEING that illuminates the seekers of the Father and the clock constantly reminds them that we must not waste time, that life is very short and the work for the self-realization is arduous and long…….

We are nothing, dear companions, as long as we are impregnated by the ten thousand psychological aggregates that we carry within us.

Obviously, the death of our physical body is always surrounding us and we must be alert to remember that we are always watched by divine hierarchies and by fate itself. When we wander with the Consciousness asleep we do not perceive these truths and death swallows us up whenever it pleases.

Let us recall a passage from one of our ceremonials:

“Awaken, brother! Awaken! Awaken! It would be unfortunate if you were to remain asleep in the world of the deceased.

Brother, meditate profoundly on the Lord of Great Compassion.

Oh, noble Gnostic brother! What is called death has now arrived. You leave the world, but you are not the only one to do so. Death is the crown of all.

Do not remain attached to this world because of sentimentalisms, affections and weaknesses, even though due to your ignorance you might wish to do so, it does not suit you. Remember your Divine Mother, seek her within yourself, ask her to guide you.”

I now give you a few quotations for your reflections:

“Death is the yardstick that makes us all equal.”
P. Pedro de Guzmán

“Death made the body a useless dwelling for the soul.”
Fray Luis de León

“Death gives lessons and examples; death runs our finger through the book of life.”
José Martí

“Death, feared so much by us, is nothing more than the end of life’s journey.”
Campoamor

“To die is nothing else than to change one’s residence.”
Marcus Aurelius

MEMENTO MORI.
─‘Remember that you have to die’─.

KWEN KHAN KHU