Exodus 14:15,16,21,22
And the Lord said unto Moses ... speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch thine hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

   When working with spiritual law higher powers are set into operation that remove seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The Israelites found it so. Heeding Moses, the voice of the spirit self, they paused, renewed their confidence in his direction, and presently beheld "the salvation of the Lord." The very sea parted. They went forward; Egypt was left behind; and the Promised Land was less remote.

   In relation to initiatory experiences of a neophyte, this incident pertains to the test by Water. Before taking it a command is given. Prior to beginning the passage Moses commanded the Israelites to "stand still." The troubled emotions must first be stilled. Peace and poise must be established before the Initiation by Water can be experienced, for the great illumination gives control over this element in nature and over the beings who work in and through it. Christ Jesus demonstrated this power when He walked on the sea. In the future, when all humanity shall have mastered the emotional nature, there will be no more sea — as John declares in Revelation.

   The Israelites were in a sorry predicament. They were in the wilderness with the sea on one side and the devil on the other. It has already been noted how the sea accommodated itself to their super- ior's command. But what of the pursuing hosts of Pharaoh? How could they be repelled?

   The enemy that followed was kept at a safe distance by the Angel of the Lord who shifted position from front to rear: "The pillar of cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all night."

   The Angel here spoken of is the Race Spirit which literally hovers over the people under its jurisdiction in the form of a cloud. From such guidance come the impulses that lead nations and races to collective action along the line of their appointed destiny. Patriotism is one of its most marked manifestations, and folk music its most potent expression.

   The story of Israel's passage through the Red Sea is, like that of Noah and the Flood, a legendary account of the Atlantean pioneers migrating eastward to Central Asia to escape the successive inundations which finally caused complete submergence of that continent. The place where they first settled is now known as the Gobi Desert, and mysteries there are belonging to this region which, when revealed in days to come, will throw added light on the early beginnings of the post-Atlantean or Fifth Root Race there cradled during its infancy.

   The nucleus, or seed, for that great race was the Semites, the Israelites of the Bible. Because of the very important position which this gave them in the history of racial development, they were especially guided and cared for by the Race Spirit and leaders like Moses, who became instruments for carrying out the designs of the archangelic overlord.

   The Promised Land to which the Israelites journeyed was not Palestine only. That land is the whole of the Fifth Epoch Earth — all the areas on which human evolution is progressing during the post-Atlantean Epoch. It is the realm of spirit into which Egos enter and function consciously when true Initiation has been attained.

   The cloud was darkness to the Egyptians but light to the Israelites. According to their consciousness was it unto them. "The light shineth in the darkness; but the darkness comprehended it not."

   This incident serves well to illustrate why exclusive Brotherhoods dealing with deep spiritual truths are called Mystery Schools, or secret lodges. They are not exclusive in the sense that they would withhold truth from an individual or a race capable of receiving it. On the contrary, they exist for the very purpose of bringing all humanity into the wisdom they possess. The truths they know and live are mysteries only in so far as they are beyond the comprehension and constructive use of the uninitiated.

   The Egyptians pursued the Israelites even into the Red Sea passage. But this route was not for them. Unlike those preceding them, they had not mastered the water element in their own nature — a development that would have enabled them to walk through the sea dry shod. At first they were troubled; it appeared clear to them that they were at a disadvantage. In disgust and desperation they said, "Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord (Law) fighteth for them against the Egyptians."

   This was true. The impersonal divine law presently made demonstration of their unpreparedness by engulfing them beneath the waters of the sea, and "there remained not so much as one of them." And "Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses." (Exodus 14:31)

   A study of interrelationships between the Israelites and the Egyptians reveals the operation of law on two planes, the spiritual and the material. It is said repeatedly that the Lord (Law) hardened Pharaoh's heart, whereas the Israelites were given special direction, protection and illumination. In the end this led to the destruction of the Egyptians but to the safety and advancement of the Israelites. In the words of Paul: "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

Exodus 15:1-18
I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my. strength and song, and he is become my salvation; he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.
The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou has overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
The people shall hear, and be afraid; sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.
Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; thy mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.
Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.
Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.

   Moses' song of the soul following the divinely guided passage across the Red Sea is charged with the ecstasy of triumph and a realization of the transcendental Presence. To dwell in thought and meditation upon such a song as this is to feel something of the joy and harmony that condition upper realms.

   Moses was aware of the working of spiritual law and knew that by continued obedience to it his people would continue to be victorious. The dukes of Edom, the mighty men of Moab, and the inhabitants of Canaan would "melt away" as shadows do before light. He saw Israel planted "in the mountain," in the "sanctuary" which the Lord had established for those who love Him and abide in the way of His righteousness.

Exodus 15:22-27
So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Schur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statue and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
And said, If thou wilt diligently, hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.
And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees, and they encamped there by the waters.

   After the triumphal march through the Red Sea there follows further disciplines in preparation for other victories.

 — Corinne Heline