Serapis Bey Painting Backstory
This is a speech I wrote for the unveiling of Tom Miller's painting of Serapis Bey on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. at the Royal Teton Ranch. There isn't time to deliver it. SoTani asked me to make a condensed version and hand out at the bookstore where the prints will be sold. But you get to hear it (in your mind's eye) as you read it below. William
Hi everyone,
How many of you have ever smoked a Camel cigarette. Don't worry it's a rhetorical question. Back in the early 60's there was a Camel ad that said, “I'd walk a million miles for a camel cigarette.” So Tom Miller decides to walk up to Mark and say,”I'd walk a million miles for a smile from Serapis.” Guess what, Serapis Bey responds seconds later and says to Tom, “It would be better if it was a simile.”
Now, I think that is probably funny on many different levels. I just don't know what they all are. One meaning might be this. Mark once told Tom he was a punster back in ancient China. Could be Serapis' attempt at a pun.
I have another poll question, “How many of you have ever received an immediate vocal response from the Chohan of the Fourth Ray?” Tom did. That's my biggest take away from that interaction.
Which brings me to the reason we're here. Roger Gefvert and I wanted to do something to help Tom out. So we decided to commission him to finish a painting he did long ago. That one the right over there, the Dossier on the Ascension. Serapis is rather small and fuzzy and even smaller on the book.
He got the idea for the cover back in 1977. As he was walking around the campus in Pasadena with Mother, he told her his idea. Not long after that we moved to Camelot. Which is weird because as I was writing this speech, I noticed that Camel comprises most of the word Camelot. So Mother calls up Tom and tells him that Florence and her were almost done with the Dossier, go ahead and do the cover. One problem. He forgot what he told Mother about the cover. He wrestled with concepts for several days. Nothing! Mother calls him up and says, how's it going with the cover, the book is almost done? He says, “I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what to do. I think you should have Roger Gefvert do it.” You can guess her response. She said, “Tom what's the matter with you. You told me all about the cover.” She remembered every detail.
Roger saved the description of Serapis she gave Tom on 4/27/1977 for this cover. Here it is:
- Very strong and yet extremely sensitive face, very sensitive.
- Light skin with a kind of transparent type of skin with pink in it.
- Blue eyes “I don’t know, I could see him with brown eyes, but I somehow register him with blue eyes.”
- Face is slender.
- Eyes are a little bit deep set, in a magnificent white turban and white robe.
- In the inner sanctum with his turban off and his hair—which is flowing hair, I guess essentially he looks Venetian—flowing blonde hair, but I don’t think he comes out before his disciples without his turban on … The jewel in his turban is essentially pink and gold—gold-pink glow ray of the ascension.
- Q. Is it a tear-shaped jewel, or is it more octagonal. How would you describe the jewel that you see? A. It’s really oval—an extended circle.
- I see this strong forehead line—the bone where the eyebrows are set.
- Large forehead, small brownish/blonde beard and mustache, very carefully groomed and not too excessive.
- Now, I can also see him in the mode of his hair being shorter … I think probably I would leave him with his turban and robe.
- Q. Turban’s aren’t unique to the order of the Sikh’s are they? [She didn’t answer this.]
- Q. Does his nose look more slender than Morya’s picture? A. Well Morya’s got the most slender nose of anybody—but he’s got a bone that’s obvious, and there’s not much flesh to his nose. It’s a long nose; his face is long and it’s got character and strength. Straight.
That's it. Then there is this from a Serapis dictation in 1974. Serapis enters the room in Santa Barbara with an oval yellow topaz on his turban. In the dictation, he explains the relationship between yellow and white ray. When he leaves, Mother says his aura is pink.
So now you know the backstory. Here is the updated version of Serapis Bey:
[A pause for the unveiling]
Mark said this 57 years ago on July 5, 1968:
“Now all of this is a broadcast of energy which comes from the soul of the artist and is transferred to the medium and the medium then is supposed to recreate in you, when you behold it, the feeling that the artist had when he created it. This means that the greater the sensitivity in the soul of the artist, the more he can put into it, providing he has the technique. Now then, when it comes to you as the observer, the greater your perceptual ability and interpretive ability and awareness of what he was trying to convey, the more benefit to you as an individual.”
Now I'm not the most sensitive guy, but when I look at this, I feel radiation coming from it just like Mark describes.
In conclusion, let me just say, there may be an elephant in the room, well, more like a baby elephant.
Did Tom Miller have Divine Direction? He did have a little help from his friends, that's why it says “Tom Miller Studios” on the bottom. But did the Masters help. You already know Serapis listens to what Tom has to say. Let me just throw these facts out there.
- His first dictation ever, was a tape of the Great Divine Director in LA in the early 60's.
- He soon travels across country to see the messengers. His first live dictation is The Great Divine Director.
- Mother once told him he was the son of The Great Divine Director in a past life.
- Now you'd think that would be enough, but noooo, I've got one more for you, as Franz Liszt he wrote The Great Divine Director's keynote, The Rakozcy March.
I think he's got Divine Direction down pat.
It's up to you, do you have the "perceptual ability to recognize the remarkable broadcast of energy"?
For those of you that do, 11x14's are available in the bookstore. Two additional sizes are available online, 16x20 and 18x24. They are at Tom Miller Studios.com. For now, we aren't offering smaller sizes because 5x7's and 8x10's are easily copied and end up on the internet. Check back in a year, we'll have them then. For now, you don't have to walk a million miles, just walk over to the bookstore or go here, online: www.tommillerstudios.com.
Thanks, everyone.
William House