The Logos: The Meletic Testament (Chapter 13 The Witness)
Lorient Montaner
đź“ś Chapter 13: The Witness
1. Asterion once said to us—Let no man call me prophet. He claimed to foretell nothing that had not already been inscribed in the quiet laws of nature and the order of the Logos.
2. —Let no man call me sage, for I do not possess wisdom as a treasure—I merely pursue it as one chases the horizon.
3. —If I am to be remembered at all, let it be not as a master or a mystic, but simply as a witness.
4. A witness not of gods, nor of miracles, nor of divine revelation, but of To Ena—the One that binds all things without binding.
5. Not the One of temples, nor of hymns sung in incense-laden halls, but the One of nature, of order, of quiet continuity.
6. He had seen the pattern that underlies the chaos, and had spoken of it with the clarity that reason allowed him.
7. That was all he had to do. No more, and certainly no less in his attempt to explain the Logos, the Nous and To Ena.
8. One day, I asked him—What does it mean to be a witness, and not a teacher of life?
9. Asterion replied—It means to observe without distortion, without the lens of desire or fear.
10. —To see the world not as we wish it to be, nor as we are told it must be, but precisely as it is—unadorned and whole.
11. To Ena is not a creator god to be emulated—it does not speak in thunder, nor judge from above.
12. It is the unity behind all things. The structure, the rhythm, the balance that persists even when we do not see it.
13. And he, having glimpsed it, must speak—not to convert the masses, but to clarify the vision for those people who seek it.
14. For the soul, when it sees clearly and without illusion, begins to heal from its confusion.
15. And clarity begins not with belief, but with witnessing. He was an actual witness of To Ena; for he spoke on its behalf.
16. Not with blind faith, but with deliberate observation that he was given since my birth.
17. Not with divine worship that others invoke, but with understanding that grows from enquiry.
18. He told them to not follow him as disciples. He asked them to look, and to look honestly.
19. To look at the world, and see the unfolding in its unity—not imposed, but inherent.
20. To see that all things are joined—not by will, nor by divine plan, but by the nature of their being.
21. To Ena is not above us, nor below—it is within and around, like the air we breathe but seldom notice.
22. It is the breath of the cosmos, even though it does not breathe as we do as mortals.
23. It is the motion of the stars that glow in the night, although it does not move with intent.
24. It is emanates the Logos which is the law that governs, although To Ena does not command with voice or decree.
25. He said one day to the crowd who had gathered—I Asterion am a witness; for I have witnessed its influence—not in visions granted by gods, but in the quiet unfolding of existence.
26. —Not in sheer ecstasy or a mesmorising trance, but in the thought that is patient and precise.
27. —I am no actual messenger of a divine will that was send by a god. I am no chosen one of prophecy.
28. —I am only a mortal man who has looked deeply into himself, and who now speaks plainly.
29. —Let that be my legacy that will endure the test of time—not a doctrine, but a direction.
30. I, Heromenes, wrote these words not to glorify Asterion, but to preserve the clarity he so fiercely defended.
31. For Asterion feared the corruption of memory of men more than the silence of death itself.
32. He once told me that men will make all myths they desire to make, when they cannot bear the weight of the truth.
33. They will call him divine or mystic, because they cannot accept that a man may see without being chosen by divine will.
34. They will think of him as an image of a statue, when all he asked from one was reflection of one's truth.
35. They will forsake his name in the pages of history, when all he offered was a question to ponder.
36. To let them not do so, if they truly understand, but who was he to do tell them what to do for themselves?
37. To let them remember hims as one who bore witness to To Ena—not to a heaven or Olympus, but to the harmony of the Logos.
38. Not to any eternal salvation, but to the structure that sustained his soul and living breath.
39. Not to the whims of mystery, but to meaning that emerges when illusion is stripped away.
40. And if they must speak of him, let them say: he saw, and he spoke—not to lead, but to illuminate.
41. Asterion once stood beneath the olive trees and told me that the world does not ask to be worshipped—it asks to be understood.
42. Men kneel before idols, but they do not kneel before the truth, for truth does not demand posture.
43. To Ena is not a presence to be appeased like a god is—it is a principle to be perceived.
44. It does not punish with impunity, nor reward with good fortune—it simply is in its doing.
45. And in its being, it reveals the quiet architecture of existence that is displayed by the Logos and the Nous.
46. He had walked amongst the thinkers and the priests, and he had found that both seek comfort more than clarity.
47. But clarity is not comfortable when is lost—it is sharp, it is cold, but it is honest, when accepted.
48. To witness To Ena is to endure that honesty without retreat, and to be a lasting witness without regret.
49. It is to stand before the world and say boldly: I know you are there, and I shall not look away. I shall remain here for now.
50. Even when the world is indifferent, even when it offers no answer or comfort in return.
51. I asked Asterion the following question which was—Is there no illusion in witnessing?
52. Asterion replied—There is only peace, but not illusion. There is understanding, but not forgetting.
53. The witness that he spoke of, did not possess the world for himself—he walked beside it.
54. He did not command the truth with his presence—he listened to it, even when it was silent.
55. And in that silence, he found the rhythm of To Ena that echoes through the Logos.
56. Not as a mere voice that one is trained to hear, but a certain pattern. Not a will, but a way.
57. To Ena does not speak to us in words—its emanations unfold in the natural order of the Logos and the Nous.
58. It is the unfolding that he had seen with his eyes, and that he then described to me.
59. Not with the sacred words of scripture, but with the language of thought that is human in its essence.
60. Not with divine revelation ordained from above, but with reflection that makes one contemplate.
61. He told to me to let others speak of miracles that bring back the dead or heal the sick—he would speak instead of the wonders of life.
62. To let others speak of divine light—he would speak of the clarity that comes from reason.
63. To let others seek that elusive eternal salvation—he would seek the understanding of life.
64. And if they called him foolish in his shunning of their gods, to let them know that the fire burnt in his light continued.
65. He did not burn—he illuminated. For it was the illumination that kindled him soul when in need.
66. Not with fervent passion of others who profess a god, but with the knowledge that he existed.
67. Not with the falsehood of deceivers, but with the belief to what is actually truthful in its origin.
68. The witness that he referred to, must always be loyal to himself—not to belief, but to observation.
69. He must not distort the way of the truth, nor embellish, nor conceal its moments of uncertainty.
70. He must speak what he sees with his soul, even when it is inconvenient to admit to others.
71. Even when it contradicts the songs of the exalted ones and the scrolls of the scholars.
72. Even when it leaves him alone, he must never dare to forsake his soul along the path to enlightenment.
73. For the way of the truth is often solitary, and the witness must be prepared to walk alone.
74. But he is not truly alone in his path, for To Ena is always present to guide him along the way.
75. Not as a companion that leaves footprints, but as the very ground upon which he walks.
76. Not as a guide that takes one by the hand, but as the path itself that awaits us all who take takes that path.
77. And so he walked—not towards the heavens, nor away from earth, but along the line that joins all things.
78. That line is not drawn by the gods, nor by mortal men—it is drawn by nature itself.
79. And he, having seen it, must speak of it—not to be remembered, but to be clear in his words.
80. For clarity is the only offering he could make that is understood, and the only legacy he desired.
81. Asterion once told us to not mistake simplicity for ignorance—To Ena is simple, but it is not shallow.
82. Its simplicity is not the absence of any depth, but the presence of universal existence.
83. It does not dazzle one with miracles performed—it endures with the natural wonders of the world.
84. It does not command attention or submission—it invites and inspires contemplation.
85. And those people who truly witness it like he had, must learn to see without seeking.
86. For To Ena does not hide from us like a stranger would—it is we who look elsewhere in life.
87. We chase visions and voices that we believe is the truth, whilst the truth stands quietly before us.
88. Some of us adorn our ignorance with endless rituals performed, and call it divine reverence.
89. But reverence without understanding or reasoning, is merely fear dressed in the robes of ceremony.
90. One day, a Christian woman named Thimitra asked Asterion, why he did not have faith—Why do you not have faith like we Christians do? Do you not have a heart?
91. Asterion replied—It does not beat to faith, it beats to philosophy. Yes, I have indeed a heart, but I also have a mind.
92. —Do you not believe in the wrath of God, when there are storms, earthquakes or floods that bring chaos unto the world? The woman insisted.
93. Asterion replied—I do not deny there is chaos in the world, but there is also order given by the Logos.
94. —You mean by God, who saves us then after we are punished, when the calamity is over.
95. —Those are your words—not mine professed. A god that punishes who he wills at liberty, is more a tyrant than a god.
96. But this Logos of yours cannot avoid or save us from chaos, like god can—uttered the woman.
97. Asterion would reflect his wisdom—If that is so, then why does he not save the many innocent, men, women and children from chaos?
98. —He saves the righteous than the sinners. This is the way of the truth that I observe.
99. What sin do innocent people have to not be saved from chaos?—Asterion posed the question.
100. The woman could not answer that telling and compelling question, and she left bemused in her belief.
101. Another Christian who was a man names Paulos, asked Asterion about his belief in the Devil. —Do you not believe in the Devil?
102. Asterion answered the man, as he stared into his eyes, exuding not confidence but the truth—No. Give me a reason to do so.
103. The man challenged him afterwards—Do you not believe that evil exists in this world?
104. Asterion proceeded to explain to the man his philosophy of evil and the Devil. —Evil exist indeed in this world, but it is no doing of the Devil.
105. The man was bemused—What do you mean by that? Surely, you do not expect me to believe otherwise, since the Devil is amongst us.
106. —You see, the Devil is nothing more than the fear of man expressed. The worst evil is the evil from within one'.
107. Are you implying that I am evil, and that I carry the Devil in me. That is blasphemy—the man uttered.
108. —Those are you words spoken not mine. What I am telling you is that the worst evil that the world has seen has been created by men and women themselves, unto others.
109. The man was still perplexed by Asterion's analogy—And what is behind that evil that you refer to?
110. The greatest evil that is driven by the influence of power that has haunted men for centuries, which is greed—Asterion told the man.
111. And that is the Devil's work that controls men to do evil things—said the Christian.
112. —No. That is the evil of the ego. For it is a shadow far greater than your Devil in disguise.
113. —But the Devil, I tell you. Our Lord and scriptures tell us that he exists within the world.
114. —I do not deny that that is written in your scriptures, but I ask you one question, do men need the Devil to do evil, when they have tasted the fruits of greed by themselves?
115. —No, but I tell you the Devil does exist. If not why do our scriptures speak of him, as the face of evil?
116. Asterion did not mock the Christian, he simply told him what he did not want to hear. —That is simple to respond. Because men need someone to blame for their fears, their doubts, their vices, and their greed.
117. That was the end of the conversation and questions. The Christian man left, but with more questions of his faith than answers.
118. I never stopped asking questions to Asterion; for he knew that it was a sign of my wisdom. I asked about freedom.
119. Asterion told me that witnessing is the beginning of freedom, and freedom begins with the way of the truth.
120. And the way of the truth, when witnessed without distortion, is the only light that does not fade.
121. Asterion once said to me, —Men speak of enlightenment as if it was only a flame—but it is not the flame itself, it is the clarity behind the flame.
122. It does not consume like other flames do—it reveals instead that path of enlightenment.
123. It does not elevate the man to the belief that can survive without the body and soul—it equalises them.
124. For when one sees clearly, he no longer seeks to rise above—he seeks to stand within.
125. Deeply within the pattern, within the structure, within the influence of To Ena.
126. And in that standing made, he ceases to struggle against what is his fear, his doubt and his unwillingness.
127. Verily, he does not surrender his will blindly—he aligns it with the way of the truth.
128. Thus, he does not obey the will of the mind only—he understands the needs of the body and soul.
129. And once he achieves that understanding, then he realises that enlightenment is the only true freedom in life.
130. Not the freedom from consequence or actions taken, but the freedom from the falsehood of illusion.
131. Illusion is the veil that blinds the soul—not because it is thick, but because it is familiar and accessible.
132. We cling to it with a fervent passion, because we think it comforts us more than the truth. That is the error men make in life.
133. Comfort is not the measure of reality. It is more the desire of the body and the
yearning of the soul than anything else.
134. And reality, when seen without illusion, is neither cruel nor kind—it simply exists.
135. To Ena is not solely a refuge for the poor and needy—it is much more than that. It is a foundation that build.
136. It does not lead us astray—it gives us a mind and a way of thinking to be led in life.
137. And that is a support is not mere safety—it is stability that the soul seeks in its yearning.
138. The witness who seeks enlightenment must be prepared in the mind—not in emotion, but in perception too.
139. That man must not waver when the world trembles with the signs of chaos in the horizon.
140. He must not falter in his life, when others flee to idols or to the sanctuary of faith.
141. For faith and idols are the escape of the fearful, and he who is the witness of To Ena must not escape.
142. He must remain in tact, even when the truth is heavy and burdens the soul mightily.
143. Even when it isolates him or threatens him, he should not flee from his adversities without recognising them.
144. Even when it offers no reward as well. The witness of To Ena needs no reward to exist.
145. For the reward is not the praise of To Ena—it is the realisation that we belong to the Logos and the Nous. It is our fate.
146. And the fate that awaits us, is the evident mark of the witness who embraces his fate.
147. It is not eloquence, not charisma, not power that I speak of—but instead awareness.
148. To speak what is seen or felt in the soul, exactly as it is seen, and as it is felt also.
149. To Ena does not require religious devotion—it requires discipline and presence.
150. And discipline is not restraint—it is alignment. And presence is the testimony of the witness.
151. It is the alignment with the rhythm of the Logos and the Nous, with To Ena, the One.
152. Not to become divine as immortals to be evoked, but to become clear as mortals in our lives to be respected.
153. Not to transcend realities with falsehoods, but to comprehend the function of reality.
154. Ariston taught us then that comprehension is the highest awareness of the witness.
155. Not because it elevated him unto a superior status, but because it dissolved his uncertainties.
156. Asterion believed that the witness does not stand apart—he becomes part of To Ena.
157. Not by losing himself, but by recognising that the self was never meant to be distant from the body or soul.
158. To Ena does not absorb one to exclude others—it includes all who become a witness of its presence.
159. And inclusion is not erasure or elimination—it is integration to belong with others.
160. Asterion sought not to be remembered, but to be integrated into the understanding of the minds of others.
161. He believed that if Meleticism would survive him. It would not become more a school—it had to remain a philosophy.
162. A philosophy through which the world is seen more clearly, not more comfortably.
163. He told me to let no one build temples in its name, nor carve its philosophical principles into stone only.
164. For stone is rigid, and Meleticism must remain fluid and grow beyond the pillars of stone.
165. It must adapt to the changing world, not impose upon it like religious scripture or dogma.
166. It must evolve with the thought of the philosopher and the others, not stagnate in reverence.
167. To let it be a genuine philosophy of motion and progress, not one that is so easily forgotten?
168. To let it be questioned, challenged, refined—never worshipped. For if it is worshipped, it becomes religion.
169. For the moment it is worshipped, it ceases to be philosophy and becomes also a myth.
170. And myth as we know it, is the enemy of clarity, because it is an illusion of the truth.
171. He did not wish to be the founder of another tradition—he simply wished to be the beginning of a conversation.
172. A conversation that asks with wisdom and keen interest: What is the structure beneath sensation?
173. What is the living rhythm beneath the chaos that we can hear its pulse?
174. What is the unity beneath the division that we can guide ourselves?
175. Verily, the philosophy of Meleticism, must remain always open to that question.
176. It must not only offer answers—it must offer direction in life to those individuals who seek that direction too.
177. One day, he told about a senator who asked him the question—How can you be so humble in poverty, when there is wealth around you.
178. Asterion replied—Let me tell you, I was once weaned into wealth. I know its fruit all too well.
179. Do you miss or long for it, after all these years—the senator enquired with curiosity.
180. No. What I have now in life, I did not have then—Ariston confessed to the senator.
181.And what was that, if I may ask you? —The senator continued with his questioning.
182. —The humbleness of the self that guides my conscience and wisdom every day of my life.
183. —What good is all of that in life, if you are mired in poverty and reminded of it daily?
184. Asterion then confessed to the senator—I rather be poor in the body than in the soul.
185. The senator was stunned that admission of Asterion—But look at yourself. Look at your garments. Do not see what I see with my eyes?
186. I know what I wear is nothing like what you wear, but I prefer to clothe the soul with the abundance of wisdom than the abundance of luxury—said Asterion.
187. It was enough to make the senator realise the wisdom expressed in Asterion's words of philosophy—You speak the truth old man.
188. Asterion replied with a gentle smile—I am merely a philosopher, who speaks about the way of the truth.
189. What is that truth that I may know of its revelation?—The senator would ask Asterion.
190. He took him by the arm then and told him—Come with me, I shall tell you along the way, unless you fear being seen with a poor old man?
191. The senator was eager to know what Asterion by his words—Tell me, before we walk together.
192. Asterion told him—The way of the truth must be walked and lived, before it reveals itself to one.
193. The senator who wished to not reveal his name to Asterion, left his shame behind, and walked with Asterion to know this way of the truth.
194. Asterion told his students to let those people who study Meleticism willingly become witnesses—not disciples.
195. To let them speak not of Asterion with great pride, but of the philosophy they themselves embraced.
196. To let them build nothing for the sake of something, but see everything for the sake of nothing.
197. To let them teach not what he taught with his wisdom alone, but what they have seen and lived.
198. For the witness of To Ena must be original—not in inspiration alone, but in perception too.
199. And perception must be free—not bound by tradition, nor chained to man's legacy.
200. If the philosophy of Meleticism becomes a legacy for others to be inspired, let it be a living one.
201. One that breathes freely with thought every day, and walks with reason every day.
202. And if it fades, let it fade with dignity—not into obscurity, but into integration.
203. For the best philosophies do not endure as names only—they endure as inspirations to people.
204. And the inspiration that he offered was simple in its essence and nature: to witness.
205. To witness without distortion, without fear, without longing. To witness the One—not as divine, but as existence itself.
206. And he was to be remembered then, to let it be as the one who said—I saw, and I spoke—not to be followed, but to be understood as a witness of To Ena.
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