About the Author

Edgar Thomas Portisch was born in the year of the Iron Tiger, Vienna, Austria. 35 years of his life were spent in the Western and Southern Hemisphere, between the extremes of Calcutta, Valparaiso, Strasbourg, San Francisco and Madagascar. It does not seem in the interest of anyone to divulge any further details.

No one immersing him- or herself in metaphysic speculation can claim sanity. Diogenes certainly did not. When speculation turns to certainty, insanity may be anyone's only protection. For them, innocence may not suffice to assure survival. The days of divine protection appear to be sadly lost somewhere in the mists of 5000 years ago. Buddha, Thoth, Krishna and others reflect the golden light of fairer times - and of times to come, if innocence is once more established as Man's only protection.

The guilt of forgery, obstruction, blasphemy, lies and every type of aggression and murder has spread a dark carpet of deceit below civilisation's feet. Such feet are made of more brittle material than clay, and this carpet cannot but fall into an abyss and disintegrate. Most widely honoured men - and the acknowledged dubious henchmen in all walks of science, politics and even the arts - have engaged in weaving this stifling cloth - for many centuries. 'Ere it begin its final descent into the demonic realms which have inspired its making, efforts have been undertaken to snatch this evil and 'tear this carpet loose from under our contemporaries' feet'.

This book and associated texts are just some humble offerings to the glory of the divine. Symbols and all of symbolism are the marks of the divine, Man is divine - and both have not deserved to be treated in wicked ways.

Many people have contributed through their specialized knowledge, those now dead more than those yet alive. In these mysteries on the outer fringes of the subtle realms and their associated symbolism it appears that one human life-time offers just a fleeting opportunity - to offer worship, to further wisdom, maybe to pray and dream.