Truth, Itself, must be, by every hand, set Free to Be
before any man or woman can,
by cash-free gifts of service,
be set Free
from all the wageearner’s bondage
of Everyman’s bonding, here.
Adi Da Samraj, The Mummery
*
An Excerise by Beezone
Understanding ‘The Mummery’ Book
A Piece at a Time
***
The Piece at a Time
The piece to work with…
Truth, Itself, must be, by every hand, set Free to Be—before any man or woman can, by cash-free gifts of service, be set Free from all the wageearner’s bondage of Everyman’s bonding, here.
The little clerk of ego-“I” is, itself, gut-bonded and enslaved, by all the vast store and countinghouse of every seeker’s costly world of would-be-found rewards. And that little clerk, forever, seeks its due rewards—in kind, and in cash, and by every mode of contract and presumption—in this, and every other, world.
Even though the Evelyn-“business” talks the walk of “Listen!” and “Fly Free!”—Evelyn’s “followers” are the common flock of clientele! They are a Mummery of talking birds—who mimic Evelyn’s every word, and mime his Raymond-Quandra pantomimes, and sit, to talk, upon their fallow eggs, and chat the humanistic cluck of mortal Click-and-Clack! Such clients of religion’s “business”, only listen to themselves—rap-singing carpet-weaver’s songs, forever, in the Tabernacle of the Captive Slave!
Therefore, Raymond was made the Captive—in the Raymond- Shrine of Saint-and-Ear, where Raymond’s Quandra is ritually mummified. And, there, she was—and is—a “safely” dead memorial—to his own, and ever-Living, Light, and to the Way of his Divine True Love!
***
This passage from The Mummery, specifically from “The Judgement, Chapter One,” is a complex piece of spiritual satire and critique—typical of Adi Da Samraj’s dramatic and revelatory writing style.
Here’s an interpretive breakdown to help unfold its layers:
1. “Truth, Itself, must be, by every hand, set Free to Be…”
This line declares a foundational spiritual principle: Truth (or Reality, or God) is inherently Free, and this Freedom must be acknowledged and enacted by each person. The phrase “by every hand” implies a universal responsibility—each being must relinquish their bondage to ego and transactional life if Truth is to shine fully.
“before any man or woman can… be set Free”: No one can attain true liberation while still participating in systems (both external and internal) that commodify* existence—spiritually, emotionally, or economically.
*That which can be used as an exchange agent; something that can be converted, i.e, access
2. “cash-free gifts of service… the wage-earner’s bondage of Everyman’s bonding”
Adi Da is critiquing the material and contractual life of the ego—how human beings, driven by the survival and reward-seeking patterns of ego (“the little clerk of ego-‘I’”), become entrapped in a system of transactional relationships. Even spiritual life, he argues, is often reduced to a kind of bargain—seeking spiritual “rewards” in exchange for rituals, beliefs, or services.
“Everyman’s bonding”: Suggests the universal condition of involuntary servitude to ego and social norms.
3. “The little clerk of ego-‘I’… seeks its due rewards”
The “little clerk” metaphor is a vivid image of the petty, calculating aspect of the ego, always keeping accounts, expecting returns, demanding recognition. This passage suggests that even spiritual seekers are often unconsciously involved in egoic contracts, looking for compensation—either emotionally, socially, or metaphysically.
The ego is “gut-bonded”—deeply, viscerally attached to its conditions and expectations.
4. “Even though the Evelyn-‘business’ talks the walk of ‘Listen!’ and ‘Fly Free!’”
This likely refers to a caricature of a spiritual teacher or movement (“Evelyn”), who speaks of freedom and listening—key themes in Adi Da’s own teaching—but whose followers become mere consumers or parrots, not genuine practitioners.
“Mummery” is a key term in Adi Da’s writing, meaning a theatrical, self-deluding display—religious or spiritual seeking that becomes mere imitation rather than true participation in Reality.
5. “They are a Mummery of talking birds…”
These lines sharply satirize the condition of many spiritual seekers—mimicking the words and gestures of the guru or the tradition, without real transformation. The “fallow eggs” evoke sterility, the unfulfilled potential of the soul.
6. “Raymond was made the Captive… where Raymond’s Quandra is ritually mummified”
“Raymond” and “Quandra” are recurring archetypes in The Mummery—symbols of the masculine seeker and his projection of the Divine Feminine or the Ideal. In this passage, Raymond becomes trapped in his own idolization, turning his spiritual longing into a shrine of death—a memorial, not a living relationship with Truth.
The “Shrine of Saint-and-Ear” plays on “sincere” and the theme of listening, but becomes a place of dead ritual rather than a dynamic encounter with the Living Divine.
7. “to his own, and ever-Living, Light, and to the Way of his Divine True Love!”
Despite the satire, Adi Da reasserts the genuine spiritual calling: a path based not on egoic seeking or mimicry but on actual Communion with the Living Divine, which he often refers to as the Way of the Heart or the Way of True Love.
In Summary:
This passage offers a layered critique of:
The egoic bondage to reward-based existence.
The mimicry and consumerism often found in religious or spiritual communities.
The tragic idolization of spiritual ideals that become lifeless rituals.
And, subtly, it points to the liberating alternative: a true life of selfless love, service, and participation in Divine Reality, beyond all transactions.
Here are some insightful resources and clarifying context from Beezone that deepen our understanding of The Mummery, especially regarding Raymond, Quandra, and the term “mummery” itself:
📚 1. “Unbroken Light – Grid of Attention – Mummery”
This discourse (Jan 2, 1999) explores “mummery” as the human condition of living in illusory drama—mistaking fragmentation of attention for reality. Adi Da describes life in waking and dreaming states as “a mummery … presumptions”: a play we cling to, blind to the Ever‑present Reality. The false sense of a separate self, sustained by attention, is precisely what binds us in the theatrical play of egoity.
.
🧍 2. Raymond Darling & Quandra in The Mummery Book
On Beezone’s The Mummery Book: A Parable of the Divine True Love, Raymond Darling represents the inevitably egoic hero, and Quandra symbolizes the manifesting Divine Shakti—the feminine aspect of spiritual life.
Further insights from non‑Beezone sources note that Quandra tragically dies in the narrative, signifying the turning inward (sacrifice) of divine energy away from worldly play, pointing toward inner awakening.
✨ 3. The Death of Quandra & the “Dropping of the Egg”
In a Yajna discourse (Jan 5, 1995), Adi Da describes the end of The Mummery as the culminating spiritual moment—Raymond releases the “egg” (ego knot) following Quandra’s death. This event enables the shift into pure Witnessness—the Vedanta Temple Event—the real dawning of awakening.
A devotee comments that Quandra’s death is a “reference to the ultimate Vedanta Temple Event” and that it signals the sacrifice of worldly energy to consciousness itself.
🪶 4. Mummery as Spiritual Satire & Sacred Parable
Beezone describes The Mummery Book as an archetypal and transformative parable—a teaching tool dramatizing spiritual truths. It exposes ego bondage, and through its own theatricality, aims to purify and awaken readers to the Living Divine.
🚶♀️ How to Explore Further on Beezone:
Read “Unbroken Light – Grid of Attention – Mummery” for a deeper study of attention, self‑contraction, and mummery.
Explore “The Mummery Book” section, including narrated passages by Kenneth Welsh, to witness Raymond and Quandra in action.
Browse the Yajna discourse “There’s No Escape, There’s Only Realization” (Jan 5, 1995) for stages of inner transformation and the spiritual meaning behind Quandra’s death and ego-knot release.