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Figure 1: The Ancient of Days by William Blake (1794) |
In my mid-twenties I had a quite large poster of Blake's "The Ancient of Days" that adorned the walls of the various abodes in which I lived during those years. To quote Wikipedia:
Ancient of Days is a name for God in the Book of Daniel. The title "Ancient of Days" has been used as a source of inspiration in art and music, denoting the creator's aspects of eternity combined with perfection. William Blake's watercolour and relief etching entitled The Ancient of Days is one such example. This term appears three times in the Book of Daniel (7:9, 13, 22), and is used in the sense of God being eternal.
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
Daniel 7:9
In this sense, "The Ancient of Days" is more akin to what Meher Baba termed "The Beyond the Beyond State of God" in his book "God Speaks". However, Christians nowadays clearly associate the phrase with Jesus. In the well-known song "Ancient of Days" by CityAlight this is clearly the case, although Jesus is not mentioned explicitly:
Ancient of Days
Though the nations rage, kingdoms rise and fall
There is still one King reigning over all
So I will not fear for this truth remains
That my God is, the Ancient of Days
None above Him, none before Him
All of time in His hands
For His throne it shall remain and ever stand
All the power, all the glory
I will trust in His name
For my God is, the Ancient of Days
Though the dread of night overwhelms my soul
He is here with me, I am not alone
O His love is sure, and He knows my name
For my God is, the Ancient of Days
None above Him, none before Him
All of time in His hands
For His throne it shall remain and ever stand
All the power, all the glory
I will trust in His name
For my God is, the Ancient of Days
Though I may not see what the future brings
I will watch and wait for the Saviour King
Then my joy complete, standing face to face
In the presence of the Ancient of Days
None above Him, none before Him
All of time in His hands
For His throne it shall remain and ever stand
All the power, all the glory
I will trust in His name
For my God is, the Ancient of Days
For my God is, the Ancient of Days
Source: Musixmatch
Ancient of Days
Saw you shining in the sun this morning
Saw you shining in the moon at night
Saw you shining in the sun this morning
Saw vou shining in the moon at night
Ancient of days, ancient of days, ancient of day a a a ays
Saw you standing by the winding river
Saw you standing by the shining stream
Saw you standing by the winding river
Saw you standing bv the shining stream
Ancient of days, ancient of days, ancient of day a a a ays
Felt you stirring in my heart this morning
Felt you moving in my heart at night
Felt you stirring in my heart this morning
Felt you moving in my heart at night
Ancient of days, ancient of days, ancient of day a a a ays
Saw you shining in the sun this morning
Saw you shining in the starry night
Saw you shining in the sun this morning
Saw you shining in the starry night
Ancient of days, ancient of days, ancient of day a a a ays
Meher Baba often referred to himself as "The Ancient One":
"I was Ram, I was Krishna. I was this One, I was that One, and now I am Meher Baba. In this form of flesh and blood I am that same Ancient One who alone is eternally worshiped and ignored, ever remembered and forgotten."
Lord Meher Online Edition
"I belong to no religion. Every religion belongs to me. My own personal religion is of my being the Ancient Infinite One, and the religion I teach to all is of love for God. This love can be practiced by anyone, high, low, rich, poor; and everyone of every caste and creed can love God. The one God who resides equally in us all is approachable to everyone through love. So I give my blessings that at least some of you will love God as He is to be loved."
Lord Meher Online Edition
"I am the Ancient One. I came as Ram in the world. I was Krishna and Muhammad. And I was the Christ who was crucified."
Lord Meher Online Edition
"People say that I am the Avatar, but when it is impossible for rishis and munis to understand me, how can they know me? Only the Perfect Masters know me. I am that Ancient One — Zoroaster, Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad. But how will you know that I am the Adi Purush [Supreme Power]? Rare are those who have the fortune to know me. So do one thing. Leave the thought of understanding me altogether. Love me, obey me; that is all. "
Lord Meher Online Edition
"I am the Ancient One, the one residing in every heart. Undoubtedly, I am the Ancient One. So if you love others, make others happy, serve them even at discomfort to yourself, you would be loving me, the Beloved residing in every individual heart."
Lord Meher Online Edition
The Van Morrison song would be impossible for me to sing but the CityAlight song is relatively easy to play. Here is the Ultimate Guitar link to the chords. Baba also referred to himself as the Avatar but this term has become somewhat debased by its association with an icon or figure representing a particular person in video games, internet forums, etc. and also the James Cameron movie "Avatar". Therefore the term "The Ancient One" is preferable to both "Avatar" and "God", both of which terms carry a lot of baggage.
That's not to say that "The Ancient One" doesn't have any baggage. It does. For instance, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe:
The Ancient One was the Sorcerer Supreme as well as the leader of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. For centuries, the Ancient One protected Earth from mystical threats, and dedicated herself to helping others in need by educating them in the magical arts to give them new hope.
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