Heavenly Abode
Sunday is our last day on the Mountain. That day we were going to the Sunday liturgy on the Temple Peak. And then we must go down to the lorry which would take us to Petropavlovka. On the road to the Temple Peak we were going to visit the Heavenly Abode, to see close up Vissarion’s house and houses of other inhabitants of the Heavenly Abode. We met already many of them. I take a bottle of water from Tibercul lake and a candle for the consecration of these things during the liturgy. Before the ascent, all of us went to the Symbol of Faith in the centre of the Abode of Dawn, where we gather for our everyday liturgies. The priest told us about the sacrament of the liturgy on the Temple Peak. Then there was a ceremony of ablution before the ascent. Everybody knelt on a small board before the priest or his assistant. In their hands were vessels with holy water. They pour it into our extended palms with the words: "May this purify the vessel of your soul!" (or something like this). We washed our faces, I said "Thank you!".
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We’re coming into the Heavenly Abode.
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Here we saw a house of the door-keeper, where we could drink water and rest a little. But all of us were full of enthusiasm to move farther to the Temple Peak into the natural temple under the open sky. |
I’m overfilled with the feeling of admiration for nature’s beauty and also for the aspiration, strength of mind and persistence of those people. They came here and at such high altitude built houses and laid out gardens.
| They are building houses here and gardens, flowerbeds which aren’t finished yet. Here people live, build and look with a good smile into their future. Their houses are very nice. Every house is dissimilar to others, it has its own individuality; love and skill of its master and mistress were put into every house. And stones, stones, rocks and stones — through grass, near trees and flowers, from little kerb-stones which set off flowerbeds and paths , till huge boulders which nobody can move with their hands. But skilful hands of people put these stones down into the whole picture of the town-garden. |
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I will see in dreams these mountains and forests, this primeval beauty of nature with its aroma of grasses and flowers.
The Temple Peak
| The Temple Peak. The Temple "Altar of Earth" is situated here. It was built on the Temple Peak in January 1998. |
| Inside the altar, there is a Symbol of love cast in bronze — a sculpture group of 5 angels-children streaming up to the Star of Bethlehem. The Symbol was raised up to the Temple Peak and placed in the Altar on the 18th of January, 1998. |
The bell for the Altar was raised on the Temple Peak on the 12th of January, 1998. It was named by Vissarion as "God’s Glory". For the first time it sounded by the hand of Vissarion on the 18th of January, 1998. From that moment, it has sounded three times a day by the hand of the priest (first – Sergey, and now – Andrey). The Altar was sanctified by Vissarion on the 14th of August, 1998. Sunday and holiday liturgies are held around it. Pilgrimage up to the Altar of Earth for the Sunday and celebratory liturgies was opened in March 1998 for all those who so desire. Not far from the Temple site there is a Valley of ferns — the place of meetings, "mergings" of the followers with Vissarion.
We’re coming into the temple under open sky. The priest Andrey offered that we put our bottles with water for consecration at the Altar of Earth. My friend Jane took small boards for me and herself and bid me to kneel next to her. I was tired, but I knelt beside her. The ground around the Altar is covered with stones, so we put our small boards on it. The liturgy, which lasts an hour, was beginning. As usual, the priest begins to sing a psalm and we follow his lead. My legs were tired after the ascent, and it was difficult for me to kneel on that coarse, rigid board. Pity, that I didn’t mention the benches on the edge of this round clearing, of this natural temple. Some people sit there during the liturgy. After the liturgy, the priest bid us to pray for our relatives and beloved people, about problems which we need to solve and to ask our Heavenly Father for help.
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I was surprised, I didn’t expect such a gift. Perplexed, I said: "Thank you!.." — and went to the exit even forgetting to cover the small flame from the wind. But in spite of that, the light didn’t fade! I was following others down the path and then I realized that the wind may blow out my light. To my great surprise, I watched how my candle blazed in the breeze. Of course, later I would need to extinguish it, because I needed to take it to Moscow, and a little candle can’t burn 4 days. But now I know that this fire will be blazing inside my soul.
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