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Ariadne/Chapter Two: Speech of Pythagoras before the Inhabitants of Crotone

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Chapter Two:
Speech of Pythagoras before the Inhabitants of Crotone

The next day, Ariadne decided to go to the performance of Pythagoras.

She took her place in the amphitheater. Many citizens of Crotone gathered there to listen to this sage who called himself a philosopher; that is, a lover of wisdom.

She listened to various people in the crowd as they talked about Pythagoras:

“They say that he was in Egypt and was trained by the pyramid priests.”

“They say that he can talk to animals and that they listen and understand him.”

“It is said that the inhabitants of one village complained of a bear who attacked cattle. And Pythagoras talked to him and convinced him to eat only plant food and not meat. And, they say, the bear obeyed him and did not cause any more ruin.”

“And Pythagoras himself does not eat meat!”

“All this is fiction! Don’t believe the gossip and chatter of the market!”

“Did you hear that Apollo himself endowed him with a golden body?”

“Well, now we shall see for ourselves if his body is truly made of gold! You always believe such empty tales!”

“Yes, here he comes!”

… Pythagoras went out into the middle of the amphitheater. He moved slowly. And while He walked, the conversations ceased and silence fell.

This transparent silence embraced and filled each of the listeners.

Then, Pythagoras began to speak:

“I’m glad to welcome you again, inhabitants of Crotone!”

“In our last meeting, we talked about souls: the fact that souls come more than once, incarnating in bodies, into this world that we see. Then, each soul leaves the dense world — with the death of the shell that is its corporeal body — and, putting on a new body, is born again, years, or sometimes even centuries later.

“Perfection of the soul is the goal of all incarnations!

“Today, I would like to speak to you about virtue.

“Virtue creates good deeds. This is a property of souls that have a happy desire to do good, which they then implement in their lives.

“What do you think: why is virtue beautiful, and vice ugly?

“Have you noticed that if a person happily performs shameful deeds, then his or her pleasure is very fleeting? Very soon, nothing remains of such pleasure, but only disgust and boredom embrace such a person. And he or she again seeks to find some source of pleasure… This unquenchable thirst drags this one from one nonsense in life to another…

“And you should know that the consequences of shameful acts shape an appropriate fate for such a person.

“On the other hand, it is easy to see that when efforts are directed toward the accomplishment of worthy deeds, then virtue generates good both inside and around such a soul!

“The joy of the good deeds warms and ennobles the soul!

“Such efforts develop the strength of the soul!

“And the fruits of those efforts remain with the soul, forming its destiny. They form the beauty of the soul, which is not taken away from it even with the death of the body!

“At birth in a new body, all the acquired beautiful properties get new opportunities for growth and improvement.

“And so, as a result of the corresponding labor over oneself, the soul can become beautiful and similar to the Immortal Gods*!

“According to the laws of earthly ordination, a person always gets back what he or she has given to the world.

“What does it mean: ‘given to the world’ — you ask?

“The universe is one integrated whole. Be it creatures covered with fur, reptiles, marine life, avian creatures, every fruitful grain, trees, herbs, the variety of blooming flowers, people, the mountains, the seas, or the sky, — everything is interconnected. The Great Gods unite and direct such connections in this created world.

“The universe lives according to the laws of Harmony.

“And so, gradually — beginning as grains of consciousness in the smallest creatures — souls grow in the bodies of plants and animals. And, having gained a human body, a great opportunity is revealed before the soul: a chance to transform itself into God!

“Every particle of the universe affects the Whole. And the one who does evil violates Harmony with his or her life and actions. This one does not know that he or she causes harm to oneself, when he or she harms others.

“Take, for example, the branches of a tree. They are separate, but together they make up a whole tree. In a similar way, all beings, including people, are like branches in the life of the Whole. They do not notice that they all have one Root: the one Divine Source of life of Everything. And the harm, supposedly committed only to another being, is harmful to the Whole.

“That is why the laws of the development of the Whole repay evil — with pain, and reward good — with happiness.

“In this way, gradually, the Gods direct souls to the understanding of what is love, Light, and good.

“Goodwill and deeds of righteousness and justice to all beings — this I regard as the foundation of a righteous life.

“Ethical behavior gives us freedom, although it may seem for many that this is not so.

“Unethical behavior, on the contrary, enslaves a person. Although, at first, such a person might not notice it or might not guess the consequences of his or her immoral actions. But most of those consequences are determined by the evil done to other beings.

“A person may believe that the restrictions imposed on him or her by ethical norms hamper his or her desires to live as he or she pleases. And it may even seem that non-observance of ethical rules gives freedom…

“But this is because one does not see the entire picture of the Whole, does not feel one’s inseparable connections with this universal Whole, of Which every being is a small part.

“I repeat that any harm caused to man or to another creature, brings, in return, a bad fate to the one who caused it. From this retribution, one cannot hide!

“From the Divine Omniscience, we cannot hide even our thoughts!

“It is meaningless for one to deceive oneself by covering up one´s vices with self-justification or trying to make the voice of one’s conscience inaudible!

This would be similar to turning away from an impending disaster by standing with one’s back to it — so as not to see the approaching reckoning, believing that one is saved…

“On the contrary, it is necessary to expose one´s own vices before oneself and eradicate them! Then, problems and troubles will soon leave one’s life!

“Such healing of the soul also heals our bodies and fates. It helps us to find happiness in life!

“Rectitude, when it is observed by a person, ensures good health and a good fate of its own accord, without causing misfortunes and illnesses in the future.

“Prudent is the mind that is filled with a desire for the good of everyone and everything, and not just oneself!

“In the mind of every person, there are various ideals, such as, for example, how one would like to be. These ideals can be made truly beautiful! And you can try to embody them in your life!

“It sometimes happens, that a person becomes what he or she wants — only for the sake of appearance in the eyes of other people. But you can bring to harmony both the external and the internal in yourself — and this will make you honest and pure.

“Hypocrisy is a mask that hides us from other people. But it does not hide from Divine View what the person seeks to hide. And it does not make true what one seeks only to show before other people!

“It’s possible to bring all the soul’s forces in yourself into harmony!

“The one who lives in harmony with oneself and with the world, is pleasing to people and pleases the Gods!

“The one who does not know the meaning of life and one’s own goals, is like a loiterer who stands or hangs about on the road, doing nothing useful for oneself, but only blocking the way for others! So many people wander around in their lives, indulging only in pleasures for the flesh. They go from birth to death of the body, without getting much out of their lives on the Earth!

“When the soul acquires the right understanding and meaning of life, then all the energy, which was previously wasted on useless things, now gets directed towards the main purpose.

Not only actions but also the emotions and thoughts, in which a person lives, affect his or her fate.

“A stunted and fading flower does not please anyone and is not interesting to anyone. In the same way, people who are always sad, complaining about fate, condemning others, or who are frail and infirm by bodies and souls, attract to themselves — through this way of living, thinking, and feeling — troubles in their future. Instead, you can change your lives and get out of the vicious circles of despair, discontent, anguish, and suffering and get far from them!

“Being angry and using one’s strength for violence against others causes fear. There are no states of the soul more disgusting than anger and fear! The fate of such people is sad!

“But the fragrance of beautiful qualities of the soul spreads around! And just as a beautiful flower attracts butterflies and honey bees — beautiful souls, through the fragrance of goodness and harmony, bring success and well-being to their lives and the lives of others! Such a state, in particular, attracts other good people.

“But in destinies, many consequences of earthly deeds can be intertwined. The consequences of atrocities, committed in the past, can overtake the soul after a considerable time. Similarly, the ‘cornucopia’ does not necessarily immediately begin to shower awards on those persons who decided to change themselves. After all, usually time passes before the soul confidently changes its present destiny — through its thoughts, emotions, and deeds.

“You can use any difficulties to improve yourself!

“One can learn to see benefit for oneself in all events and circumstances!

“Let’s take any of our achievements and defeats as lessons of wisdom!”

… Ariadne listened — and waves of golden Light touched her with tenderness, love, and peace. The meaning of Pythagoras’s words came and grew stronger.

These were not just words, but they carried the Divine Power and Knowledge!

Who is he? What kind of Gods does he worship? What does he want? Why is he so attentively heard by all these so different people?

… Meanwhile, Pythagoras continued:

“The power of a person can be used to subjugate others. But the same power can be directed towards disciplining your own desires and emotions, thoughts, and intentions.

“Kindness is the base of everything good in the soul. It directs the soul into accordance with the principles of goodness and the desire for the good of all surrounding beings.

“Let’s try to think about it broadly!

“It is necessary to treat with love not only parents and children, wives, and husbands.

“But we must also love plants, which bring us food and give us outdoor beauty!

“And the birds, which delight our hearing, must be contained in our love!

“And let us love all of nature, which is created in such a way by the Divine Power that everything around bestows blessings on a person, when given our love!

“And the Primordial Creator Himself, the Creator of Everything, — we must train ourselves to love and honor Him too!

“This is a wise beginning for everyone who would like to start the path to goodness — right now! Everyone can accept this decision for oneself right now!

“And next time we’ll talk in more detail about how to do this. We’ll talk about the ways, possibilities, and goals of the soul’s transformation. In particular, we will refer to the meaning of human life here on the Earth.”