A Solar Spark of Light & Fire Part 2

It has been a while since my last Blog entry, this has been due to many reasons but, I am back now, and I am pleased to announce that I now have a piece of my writing published by Nephilim Press. This came about from a little over a year ago when I was approached by Michael Cecchetelli, a well-known occult author whose published works include, Crossed Keys and The Book of Abrasax. He asked me if I wanted to contribute a chapter for a book he was putting together about the HGA (Holy Guardian Angel). I felt extremely privileged to of been asked by such a prominent figure in the occult world, so I gladly and very willingly accepted his kind offer. This resulted in me becoming one of the ten authors that have contributed to the book, which is called “The Holy Guardian Angel.” The book is available from Nephilim Press. Link to it is below, which includes the blurb, the names of the authors and the title of their chapters. http://nephilimpress.com/store/product.php?productid=17701&cat=0&featured=Y

 

My chapter is the first one in the book and is called “A Solar Spark of Light and Fire.”

 

To follow on from my contribution to the book is this blog entry, which will deal with a more practical application of what I have written in the book about the nature and symbolism of the HGA. To do this, I have decided to quote an extract of instructions from a chapter in one of my most favorite books. This book is, Introduction to Magic Rituals and Practical Techniques for the Magus, by Julius Evola and the UR Group. I decided to use the following piece of writing that is written by an anonymous magician called Luce because of the thorough, and easily understood explanations of the symbolism used.

Luce

Opus Magicum

Fire

The ritual mentioned here is connected with the practice of breathing, which is executed according to the formula 2n (inspiration), n (retention), 2n (expiration), n (retention) in an early phase; and 2n, 4n, 2n, n in a later phase. The ritual can be performed in the first phase, too. This will be discussed later on. For now it is enough to know the meaning of the spirit, assumed in concentration and in silence, which, as an animating and sustaining essence of man, is symbolized by breath. Breath is necessary to bodily life, just as fire is indispensable to any form of physical life, hence "the breath of fire" in various symbolisms. This is mentioned here as a guide in experiences that sometimes have various simultaneous aspects. Lying down, after achieving the perfect rhythm of breathing in the above- mentioned phases, so that this organic function may continue with absolute spontaneity and without requiring any particular attention, one descends to the roots of being through "concentration" and "silence." When one reaches the supreme phase and frees the spirit, this is realized as a small flame burning in one's heart. The body must be experienced as pervaded by a wave of subtle warmth, flowing through the veins and the nerves. The flame burns, stating: "I AM!" The heart will feel as if it is burning and will be dissolved in the element of the magical Fire. In this process, the greatest difficulty (if "difficulty" is the most ad- equate term in relation to such an act of the spirit) consists in the consciousness's, the spirit's, or the Self's descent into the heart. In fact, we are very accustomed to feel and to experience ourselves in the brain. Some- one may even feel himself in a sense organ, when the perception is of such an intensity and violence that it attracts every attention toward a given point of the body. Thus, one momentarily feels like sinking, wherever the sensation of pain or pleasure has arisen. The process of descent into the heart is analogous to this, although none of those sensations is felt. (16) Let us recall the spirit's "sense of infinity and unconditional freedom," which is the last state of ritual silence. There should be no difficulty there in operating perfectly, causing the spirit to concentrate and to coagulate any- where it wills. However, the habit of the consciousness tied to an organ like the brain is such that the spirit is almost automatically attracted wherever it finds its habitual dwelling place. It is therefore necessary, in this case, to realize and to feel oneself as a mass of light consistency that descends from the brain, through the centers of the larynx and pharynx, down to the heart, slowly, following an ideal rather than a physical line, gently and effortlessly. The spontaneity itself is actualized in the magical action and in its most perfect and complete form. As warm and vaguely bright silence (the body, as the spirit determines itself, acquires a bituminous consistency, the limits of which cannot be determined in space), the spirit becomes denser, bright, warmer. Despite the absence of the perception of bodily space, the spirit is aware of finding its place in it (a wave of warm, fluctuating light). The body becomes denser as the spirit turns toward the heart (a conscious act: "I am in the heart, I feel it, I live it"). One becomes aware of it as a new wonderful immensity, of which few people are aware: it is no longer restricted to the usual physical limitation, extending its igneous mass to the utmost darkness. And now a clarification that needs to be deeply understood: man's life is ordinarily such that his action does not assign to itself its own objects, but rather receives them through the physical senses, as being imposed on it by them. So, in reality, man comes to depend on everything that is external and extraneous to him, on everything that is not himself. Not even the complex functioning of nervous reflexes is sufficient to affirm his own true freedom. From this state of affairs derives the fundamental notion of impurity, which, according to the classical rituals of various initiatory systems, must be resolved into the original purity of the burning of the secret flame, before the neophyte can acquire the knowledge and use of magical power. The fire of the spirit is thus initially directed to the catharsis of those dark elements that until now have ruled uncontested; to burn in the supreme act of a perfect "knowledge" everything that is "ignorance"; to penetrate into the bowels of the "Earth" and to purify "metals" from various drosses; "Gold," which through the help of "Sulfur" raises the inferior elements up to its dignity; Sperm, which mingled with the menstruum of the Whore, generates the Divine Child. (17) Ritually speaking, once the spirit has been established in the heart (which appears as an igneous mass), waves and bright flashes surface in the consciousness, beyond the boundaries of darkness, as symbols and mediums of the formless passive life. In the heart the spirit creates a small flame, turning its essence into the latter's essence. Let the flame burn, by itself, without any other support than its own wonderful power—a light shining in the red cavity of the heart. This is a timeless moment. Then, let the flame-spirit-consciousness grow by itself, slowly and gradually growing bigger and more intense, more tenacious, alive, and vivid, harder than a diamond . . . More and more. Let it burn and consume beyond the limits of the heart, expanding until it pervades the entire bodily nature, dissolving it into itself. 

The purification of the elements is thus fulfilled, and the spirit gradually acquires the immediate control, the conscious perception of each organ, of each smallest part of the physical body. Having reached and fixed the last state, one needs to proceed backward and return to normal consciousness, following the spontaneous succession of phases, analogous to the previous ones, until one gets to the form of a small flame in the heart. Then suddenly end the ritual, remaining in this state. After some time it will be easy to move rapidly to the heart and to arouse a flame in it. This flame will eventually remain burning as an inner act throughout the day; it will also be easy, starting from the heart, to penetrate any part of the body and to live in its complex functions. Thus, consciousness, once definitely reinstated in its natural seat, will be able to experience states that are very different from the past habitual ones, and to operate in consequence, realizing what has been expressed in the symbols of the inextinguishable flame. The ritual should be performed in the middle of the day, when the sun is at its zenith.

16. In this regard, we find useful the following instructions found in an ancient codex of a monastery of Mt. Athos, attributed to the abbot Xerocarca: "Sit by yourself in a corner. Pay attention to what I say. Close the door and raise your spirit above every vain and temporal thing. Then lower your chin on your chest and with all the strength of your soul open the perceiving eye which is in the middle of your heart. Restrict your exhala- tions, so as not to breath too easily. Try hard to find the precise site of the heart, in which all the energies of the soul are destined to dwell. At first you will find darkness and experience resistance of impenetrable masses; but if you persevere day and night, you will eventually experience an inexpressible joy. As soon as you find the heart's location, the spirit sees what at first it was never able to see. It sees the air, between itself and the heart, shining clear and being permeated by a miraculous light." (Note by UR)

17. The "Whore" in several alchemical and Gnostic texts symbolizes the humid principle, above all in its expression of yearning, passivity, and openness to receive indifferently any form. Once this is assumed and acted upon by the initiatic fiery principle, it becomes transformed and fixed, giving rise to the nature of the regenerated ones. Then it corresponds to the symbol of the "Virgin," who has under her feet the lunar and serpentine symbol (representing her original nature), and who holds in her arms the Divine Child. (Note by UR) 

This practice is an excellent example of the inner work that is needed to be carried out, not just for contact and communion with one’s HGA, but also for all ritual workings. One has to ignite this inner fire, and once it is kindled it will serve as the fuel to energize all magical acts, whether they be for mundane or spiritual purposes.

Bibliography

Evola, Julius & The UR Group. Introduction to Magic Rituals and Practical Techniques for the Magus. United States. Inner Traditions. 2001.

Dr Rudd's Invocation of Celestial Angels & Intelligences to Visible Appearance

 Over this past weekend a very good friend of mine (who is an accomplished magician) came to stay with me. He wanted to see me do a magical ritual from a grimoire. I decided to show him how I invoke an angel into a scrying mirror. The grimoire I chose to work from was 'Dr Rudd's Nine Hierarchies of Angels with their Invocations to Visible Appearance'. I did the rite that used the Ninth Key to invoke Gabriel & Levaniel.

 Moving & Calling, forth to visible appearance, the Celestial Hierarchy of Angels of the Order of Angels; whose principal governing Angels or Blessed Intelligences, bearing rule are, Gabriel, & Levaniel; & Residing in the first Orb, Mansion or Sphere, being the Orb, Heaven, or Sphere, of the planet Called Luna, or the Moon. (Rankine & Skinner, 2005, p, 207) (1).

In the book, this is what it states about the associations of the Luna angels and intelligences of the Ninth key,

The name is Sadai, that is Omnipotent Satisfying all and Elhai which is the Living God, his numeration is Jesod, this is foundation, & signifies a good understanding, a Covenant, Redemption & rest, and hath his influence through the Order of Angels, called by the Hebrews Cherubim, into the Sphere of the Moon; Causing the Increase  & Decrease of all things, the Creation of man, & taketh care of all Genii or Keepers of men, distributing them; his particular intelligence is Gabriel, the Keeper of Joseph, Joshua & Daniel. (Rankine & Skinner, 2005, p, 87) (1).

In the way that I have come to understand how angel magic works, I interpreted this to mean; to give a good understanding of the magical arts to enable spiritual growth and increase. This is accomplished through forming an agreement with one's spiritual nature to redeem oneself from the impurities of the lower nature, which contributes to the creation of the spiritualized individual. This results in a knowledge and understanding of one's own personal daemon.

The angelic magic of the grimoires are fairly straightforward in signifying their work is about the spiritual development of the magician. As is noted in Occult Traditions,

In short, we find in medieval angel magic a widespread tradition drawing upon classical sources, whose goal is to better the intellect and soul of the magician. (Plaisance, 2012, p, 145) (2).

The moon governs the terrestrial sphere and everything below the moon is known to be of the sublunary world. From the time of Plato to the neoplatonists, and the beginnings of Christianity up to the medieval and Renaissance periods, everything of this world was seen in a negative light. "Who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world." (3) In Janua Magica Reserata it also confirms this where it writes,

Delight not in the world: the Elements are defiled, the sons of men wicked, their bodies become dunghills, & their inward parts (the secret chambers of their hearts) the Dens & Dungeons of wickedness. (Rankine & Skinner, 2005, p, 74) (1).

In an alternative text for the Ninth Key, it is written about the moon, "by its motion ruling the world, and treading Hell under her feet." (Rankine & Skinner, 2005, p, 88) (1).

The ceremony consisted of lighting four quarter candles with a prayer, blessing the incense and lighting the charcoal with a prayer of consecration. I then laid the seal of Gabriel on the altar before the Obsidian mirror, and commenced with the preliminary prayer that is to be recited before calling the celestial intelligences. After this, I recited the Ninth Key invocation, then I settled into a scrying trance. At one point I seen a purple light quite small and compact over the top half of the mirror. This was not as significant as previous times. I also seen the odd white flash, but nothing that really grabbed my attention. Then, all of a sudden I seen an image of a sharp featured face and for whatever reason it reminded me of a transformer!  After a little while I was getting nothing else, so I recited the second invocation called the replication. I then had a vision of a long road with many cars upon it. The vision was not in the mirror like the sharp featured face was, but I could see it with my eyes open while I could not see anything else, not even the mirror. Next I seen a yellow coloured caravan. I felt that this was not a very successful working, as I was not feeling anything except that of very deep concentration. I decided to state aloud what I had called the celestial intelligences for, and then I ended the rite.

My friend (who was sat behind me to my right hand side) could also see the mirror and he told me that he seen a sharp featured face with eyes looking at both of us. He said it gave him no impression of hostility, but was extremely interested in us, and had a strong sense of curiosity. He said it was looking at me for some time. He also said this spirit moved about around the mirror at times, until it was replaced by an owl that flew around the mirror. This was most intriguing, especially considering the purpose I had done the ritual for, which was basically for wisdom.

After discussing the results of the ritual we both called it a night, as it was around 2am. That night I had lots of dreams, the most significant one involved me going to see a house that I was going to swap mine for. This house was bigger than mine and had a spare room that I wanted to turn into a temple. I told the man who owned the house what I wanted it for. He then told me about a magical talisman he had, which his wife showed to me. It was a talisman of Abrasax, which was lovely and shiny. He didn't know what it was, so I told him and he said I could keep it.

Throughout the following day I felt very tired and drained of energy. the rite did go on for over an hour. I don't think it was this and the fact that I had done the ritual late at night that made me tired. The tiredness was as if I had been totally drained. There were no other odd things that I can remember, except for my cat being sick the following morning after the rite. I have had my cat for nearly two years and she has never been sick before!

This was the first time I have had someone watch me do a ritual from a grimoire, and the results are quite intriguing, especially as we both seen a face with very similar characteristics! A good thing about this rite is that it has totally re-ignited my magical practice, which had been dormant for a few months. Not only that, but I definitely feel clearer of thought and very focussed, and I know my magical plans for the coming months. I have also started to work with the Papyri and Michael Cecchetelli's The Book Of Abrasax.


References
 

1. Rankine, David & Skinner, Stephen., 2005. The Keys to the Gateway of Magic Summoning the Solomonic Archangels and Demon Princes. Singapore: Golden Hoard Press.

2. Lycourinos, Damon Zacharias., (ed.) 2012. Occult Traditions. Melbourne, Numen Books.

3. Galatians 1:4.

Something to Come!

Here is a sneak preview of something to come, which I was asked to contribute too!

Away in a Manger!

As it is about two weeks before Christmas day, I thought it would be a good idea to write up an article about Christ. I wrote this about three months ago for an essay I had to do for college, although it was in much less detail as I was limited by a word count. So I have adapted it and added more to it for my blog. It was originally called " Why Christ is a mythological character", but since adding more detail to it, I have changed its title to a more fitting one appropriate for this time of the year, with the meaning of becoming apparent at the end of the article. 

Before we look at the reasons for why Christ should be perceived as a mythological personage, we need to see what evidence there is to prove he was a real living person. Believe it or not, there are only six sources of so called evidence that are used to prove his real existence! We shall take a brief look at each of these next in their chronological order.

The Jewish historian named Josephus Flavius, who lived from 37 – 100 CE, makes reference to Jesus Christ in two passages of his work entitled: Antiquities of the Jews.

“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross,[ those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.” (93-94 CE, Book 18, Chapter 3)

“and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others”. (93-94 CE Book 20, Chapter 9)

  

The next piece of evidence is from the Roman historian, Pliny the Younger who lived from 61-113 CE. All this piece of evidence consists of is a letter from Pliny to the Emperor Trajan, mentioning some of the Christian's practices and asking for his advice on how to deal with the Christians (112 CE, Letters, 10.96-97). There are another two Roman historians who mention Christ in their writings. Tacitus, who lived from 56-117 CE, briefly mentions the crucifixion in his Annals: 

“Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus” (116 CE, Book 15, Chapter 44).

Suetonius, from 69-122 CE, whose two references are very scanty at best. One not even mentioning Christ at all, while the other mentions a Chrestos figure during the reign of an Emperor who ruled after the supposed date of the crucifixion! (110 CE, cited Murdock / Acharya, 2004)

Outside of the so called historical references there are only two other sources which are excepted as evidence. The apocryphal gospels not being excepted as evidence because the Church made out they were false, in particular the Infancy gospels which tell part of Jesus' life that is not mentioned in the canonical gospels.  

The first is a collection of Jewish writings dating back no further than 2^nd century AD, called the Talmud, with there being a lot of academic debate over which of the passages actually refer to Jesus. The other source is none other than the Gospels themselves, which are also written after the time of Christ and by unknown authors. Although, there is some compelling evidence that suggests they were written before the birth of Jesus! As one of the early Christian historians suggest when talking about the Essenes or Therapeutae:

“These things seem to have been stated by a man who had heard them expounding their sacred writings. But it is highly probable that the works of the ancients, which he says they had, were the Gospels and the writings of the apostles, and probably some expositions of the ancient prophets, such as are contained in the Epistle to the Hebrews, and in many others of Paul's Epistles.” (Eusebius, Book ii, Chapter XVII. 324 B.C.E).

The common problem with the evidence for Jesus’ historicity is that it was all written down sixty to two hundred years after the so called life of Christ. Because of this and the fact that none of these authors give any references via sources to back up their claims about Jesus, the evidence can only really be claimed as hearsay and cannot be taken as historical proof for the physical existence of Jesus Christ. Taking this into account with there being no archaeological evidence to date, and no written records left by the Romans (who were renown for meticulously making records of their events) for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, all implies that there must be another meaning to Christ’s story other than as a historical event.

The evidence we have at hand to show why Christ is a mythological character is plenty more forthcoming than the evidence for his historicity. For a start, the story of Christ is found to have the same parallels with certain other pagan deities which preceded his apparent birth by hundreds of years. For example; the Hindu god Krishna was born of a virgin, was the son of God, (incarnation of Vishnu) was a shepherd, performed miracles, was resurrected and ascended to heaven. In Greek mythology there is Dionysus, the god of wine. He was also born of a virgin, son of god (Zeus), was celebrated with a communion of bread and wine, was crucified by being ripped apart by the Titans and was resurrected by being restored back to life. Even earlier than Greek mythology in the ancient land of Khem, there can be found:

  

“The Story of the annunciation, the miraculous conception (or incarnation), the birth and the adoration of the Messianic infant had already been engraved in stone and represented in four consecutive scenes upon the innermost walls of the holy of holies (Meshkhen) in the temple of Luxor, which was built by Amen-hetep III, about 1700 B.C., or some seventeen centuries before the events depicted are commonly supposed to have taken place.” (Massey. Page 757, 1907)

Surprisingly, even the early church fathers noticed the similarities between their Christ and other pagan deities. As Justin Martyr confirms in his First Apology. Chapter. 21 

“And when we say also that the Word, who is the first-birth of God, was produced without sexual union, and that He, Jesus Christ, our Teacher, was crucified and died, and rose again, and ascended into heaven, we propound nothing different from what you believe regarding those whom you esteem sons of Jupiter.” (Anon, 2006, Page 15, lines 47-50)

Justin Martyr’s answer to this was that the devil knowing the coming of Christ, came before and taught people pre-copies of Christianity!

In the historic writings of Israel by Philo of Alexandria (25 BCE – 47 CE) there is no mention of Jesus whatsoever! Now considering Philo was a Hellenistic Jewish Biblical philosopher and lived at the supposed time of Christ, then surely he would of included into his writings such an important figure as Jesus, especially as he was causing such a stir among the priests of the Jewish religion at that time. Philo, afterall; 

“did write extensive apologetics on the Jewish religion and commentaries on contemporary politics. Not once does he say anything at all about Jesus” (Humphreys, 21,11,2011).

One of the best examples to help sway us in the direction of favouring the mythological meaning for Christ comes from the New Testament itself. Here in black and white the Bible categorically states that the crucifixion is nothing more than a spiritual transaction!

“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” (Revelation. 11.8.)

As Revelation blatantly suggests the Crucifixion is a spiritual allegory, surely the other books of the New Testament should also be treated as allegorical interpretations too. Especially as they were chosen by the early church Fathers from a long list of other books known as the apocrypha which they dismissed as false and heretical, even though they were written in the same context and style as the books that were chosen to form the canonical Gospels. This context and style is the magical language of mythology which is used to impart the spiritual nature of things to the mind of man. Just as it was claimed by Philo of Alexandria, as Eusebius tells us:

“And after some other matters he says: The whole interval, from morning to evening, is for them a time of exercise. For they read the holy Scriptures, and explain the philosophy of their fathers in an allegorical manner, regarding the written words as symbols of hidden truth which is communicated in obscure figures”. (Eusebius, Book ii, Chapter XVII. 324 B.C.E).

Once the ancient writings are interpreted in the allegorical way in which they were written, they will shed much light upon our understanding of them and ourselves spirituallly, as A.B. Kuhn explains:

“The Mysteries solve the great mystery of the Gospels. In whole or in part, the Gospels were just the written transcript of the great religious ritual-drama that had been almost the ancient world’s sole theme of sacred literature” (Kuhn, p.321, 1948).

What does this leave us with at this time of the year then, when people are celebrating in the name of someone who probably never really existed! False hope, confusion and empty meaning! No, not at all. To bring clarity of thought to what has been written about Christ, it has to be seen as allegory. In this way all of his stories can be understood in a logical way, without the need of reverting to supernatural explanations. For Allegory, metaphor and analogy was the esoteric method used in the ancient writings through the process of story telling to teach spiritual truths.

If we apply the esoteric interpretation to the story of the birth of Jesus, it reveals much more insight into mystical thought than does an actual supposed physical birth of a divine child. For example; the place where Jesus was said to be born is a stable. What is a stable, but a place where animals come in at night to usually "stand still" in stalls, hence the word "stable" also means stabilization, a cessation of activity. In evolutionary terms this is where animal evolution comes to stand still, in order to allow the the divine soul to be incarnated into the animal body of the natural man. This is beautifully explained in one of those apocryphal books, called the Protevangelium of St. James:

"And leaving her (Mary) and his sons in the cave, Joseph went forth to seek a Hebrew midwife in the village of Bethlehem. But as I was going (said Joseph) I looked up into the air, and I saw the clouds astonished, and the fowls of the air stopping in the midst of their flight. And I looked down towards the earth, and I saw a table spread, and working people sitting around it, but their hands were upon the table and they did not move to eat. They who had meat in their mouths did not eat. They who had lifted their hands up to their heads did not draw them back; And they who lifted them up to their mouths did not put anything in; But all their faces were fixed upwards. And I beheld the sheep dispersed, and yet the sheep stood still. And the shepherd lifted up his hand to smite them, and his hand continued up. And I looked into a river, and saw the goats with their mouths close to the water, and touching it, but they did not drink" (Anon. 125 C.E. Chapter 13)

This is the same reason why Joshua commanded the sun and moon to stand still because it is with this stabilization of spirit and matter, here symbolised as the sun and the moon, that the Christ consciousness can be born. It shall come as no surprise that this time of the year is called the “solstice” which means “to stand still.” This is precisely what happens at this time of the year, when all nature appears to be still with no gain of light or darkness. It is as if there is a battle with neither side winning. That is, until, the darkness gives way to the light, which starts to make a come back by battling against the darkness and gaining in strength everyday, when it finally supersedes the darkness of matter's inertia at the spring equinox and arises in full glory of its resurrection.

In order for the animal nature to make this alchemical transformation, it must feed upon the divine sustenance of the soul. It is no wonder that the divine child is said to lay in a “manger”, because “manger” is the French word “to eat.” This is where the animals eat. This is where the Christ was laid to become the sacrificial offering. (Kuhn, 1936. page 190.)

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26).

“For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:33-35)

As bread is the symbol of divine sustenance, it is no wonder that Jesus was said to be born in Bethlehem, which means the house of bread! So at this time of the year when celebrating the winter solstice with Eucharistic rites, why not invoke Christ into your circle even if you like to call yourself a pagan because, if his story is interpreted in the ancient mythological way, then he is just as pagan as any other solar deity you may invoke today!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all who read this!

                                                              References

Acharya. S. 2004. Sons of God, Krishna, Buddha & Christ Unveiled. Available from: http://www.truthbeknown.com [Accessed 15 - October – 2012]

Anon, 125 C.E. Protevangelium of St. James. Available from: http://www.orthodox.cn/patristics/apostolicfathers/protevan.htm [Accessed 10 – December - 2012]

Anon, 2006, Shema, Martyr: Is Jesus Pagan? Available from: http://shemaantimissuonary.tripod.com [Accessed – 15 - October - 2012]

Eusebius. 324, B.C.E. The Church History (Book II), Available from: http:www.newadvent.org/fathers/ [Accessed 10 – December - 2012]

Flavius. J. 93-94 CE. Jewish Antiquities. Available from: http://www.theistic-evolution.com [Accessed 15 – October – 2012]

Flavius. J. 93-94 CE. Jewish Antiquities. Available from: http://www.sacred-texts.com [Accessed 10 – December - 2012]

Humphreys. K. 21,11,2011. Available from: http:www.jesusneverexisted.com [Accessed 10 – December - 2012]

Kuhn. A. B. 1948. Who Is This King Of Glory. San Diego, California: The Book Tree.

Kuhn. A. B. 1936. Alvin Boyd Kuhn's Collection. 2011, U.S.A. ZuuBooks.

Massey. G. 1907. Ancient Egypt The Light of the World. London. T. Fisher Unwin.

Pliny. 112 CE. Letters. 10.96-97. Available from: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com [Accessed 15 – October - 2012]

Tacitus. C. 116 CE. Annals. Available from: http:www.jesusneverexisted.com [Accessed 15 – October - 2012]

The Underworld & it's Inhabitants

This blog article is going to carry on from a certain point I made about the underworld in my last blog entry, called Summer's End. But, before I start, I would just like to say that my ideas I present here are not just theoretical musings! They are an accumulating data of knowledge that I have specifically asked the spirits I have worked with to help me understand. The spirits I have worked with in order to gain a knowledge of the Mysteries and an understanding of particular systems of magic, range from the Egyptian neteru and the Greek deities, to the spirits of the medieval and Renaissance grimoires. Such as; the Heptameron, Ars Goetia and Rudd's Nine Angelic Hierarchies.

Now it is all good and well for me to say that the information I am giving forth here on my blog is based upon received gnosis from actual magical work with specific beings. But, unless it can be backed up through research and evidence, it basically means diddly-squat! This is where many go wrong in their magical works because they are all to keen to trust what the so called spirits have said to them, often to the total neglect of academic research. When the magician is on the right track, being properly guided by the beings he/she chooses to work with and not by fictitious phantasms of their own creative imaginations, then he/she will find the evidence through research to back up their magical experiences. It is with this in mind that I share with you the realisations I have come to understand and find out about the underworld and it's inhabitants.

As I said previously, this article is a follow on from a specific point a made in my last blog entry about the underworld. So just to recap, the point I made was this:

“The kingdom below the spiritual world is none other than our very own earth, physical matter. This, unbeknown to almost everyone in the occult scene at the moment, (unless of course they have kept very quiet about it) is the underworld!”

Looking at the creation myths in the ancient writings it often shows that they are consistent on dividing two realms of being; heaven and earth, sky and sea, or spirit and matter. Each representing an upper and a lower realm of being. The upper realm is considered to be divine, and is known as the celestial world, while the lower world is the material plane that is also called the sub-lunar world because it resides underneath the moon, which we naturally see when we look up from the earth. Therefore, the underworld can refer to nowhere else but the physical level of here and now, where we presently live and experience our everyday lives. Even though it is known as the underworld it is not underneath the earth as most people often surmise. This is because it is the level of reality that is underneath the spiritual world which is classed as being up there, in regards to the natural world which is down here. This can be seen by the context in which the word “life” is used in the ancient writings, where it always equates its meaning to spiritual consciousness. As is often shown in the Bible: “he that believeth not the Son shall not see life” (John 3:36). And in Job 7:7. “O remember that my life is wind ”. Here wind is used as a symbol to represent life as something that is spiritual because the word spiritual pertains to wind, breath and air.

It is not just within the Bible that such words are used in the same context to refer to the spiritual nature. In the “Mystical Theology And The Celestial Hierarchies” the context of the word life is clearly set forth:

“proclaiming the Intellect and wisdom of God, both essentially, as the source of being, and also as the true cause of existence; and they make it equivalent to Light, and call it Life ” (Dionysius the Areopagite)

According to the writings of Pietschmann, the Egyptian god Thoth was perceived as the god who gave life in the land of the living and; “The Land of the Living was the Invisible World, a glorious Land of Light and Life for the seers of ancient Egypt” (G.R.S. Mead,1906, p,51).

In the writings of Plutarch: Concerning the Mysteries of Isis and Osiris, he says; “Moreover, we hear Homer also on every occasion calling the good variously “godlike” and “equal to gods”, and as “having directions from gods”” (Ibid, p, 299).

What about the context of the words used in association to the underworld. The most obvious example is with the word “death”. But one must bear in mind that this is not meant in the sense of physical death but a spiritual death; as is explained by Mead:

“the Italian Cardinal Patrizzi appends to his labours the following beautiful words (attributed by some to a 4^th century A.D. Platonic Philosopher called Chalcidius)

“Till now my son, I, banished from my home, have lived expatriate in exile. Now safe and sound I seek my home once more. And when but yet a little while I shall have left thee, freed from these bonds of body, see that thou dost not mourn me as dead. For I return to the supreme and happy state to which the universe's citizens will come when in the after-state. For there the Only God is supreme lord, and He will fill his citizens with wondrous joy, compared to which the state down here which is regarded by the multitude as life, should rather be called death” (Ibid, p19-20)

There are plenty more examples in the Bible too, but to finish of this part of the article an appropriate one is; “For to be carnally minded is death : but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” Romans 8:6. Now that we have ascertained that the proper location of the underworld is where we live out our earthly lives, lets take a look at some of its more well known inhabitants.

The first inhabitant of the underworld I am going to discuss is the one who is associated with the soul's entrance into Hades, this is the ferryman called Charon. He is the son of Nyx (night) and Erebus (darkness) who is said to ferry the newly dead across the marshes of the river Styx, or the river Acheron, also known as the river of hate and the river of woe. He holds a pole in his right hand leaving his left hand free to receive the dead from Hermes. In order for the dead to cross over into Hades, a payment of a low valued coin called an obel has to be made to the ferryman. According to Virgil (Aeneid. Bk VI. 299) only those who had received a proper burial were allowed aboard Charon's vessel, while the unburied were left to wonder the shores for 100 years like ghosts.

To enable us to understand the esoteric meaning of Charon's myth, we must keep in mind the allegorical meaning of death, as the ancients used it. That is, it refers to the death of the divine part of the soul as it is plunged into the sea of matter, not the death of the physical body! Once this is grasped, a whole new light of understanding should enable us to interpret the myths associated to the underworld with much more clarity of thought.

Charon is ferrying the souls of the newly dead who are literally the living, therefore he cannot be taking them to the hereafter, so instead the only logical explanation is that he must be taking the souls to physical matter to incarnate! Here is the answer as to why he will not take those who have not received a proper burial. This is because “burial” in the ancient symbolic writings is the metaphor for the soul being placed in to the body. Just as Plato suggests that the grave is the body which the soul is confined (buried) within.

“ Who knows whether being alive is being dead and being dead is being alive. Perhaps in reality we are dead. Once I even heard one of the wise men say we are now dead, and that our bodies are our tombs, and that part of our souls in which our appetites reside is actually the sort of thing to be open to persuasion and to be shift back and forth. ” (Plato, Gorgias, 492e-493)

And therefore it is common sense to say Charon cannot take the souls who do not have a body to gain entry into Hades (physical life) with. What about the low valued coin you may well ask. It is obviously symbolic because money is used to acquire material things, and therefore has no use in the realm before life, or even after life. The act of giving away the thing that enables one to purchase material desires with, must therefore be a purely symbolic gesture that betokens a sacrifice of the lower desires in order to progress and spiritually develop through the material level.

As now can easily be seen, the ancients who created these myths, did so out of common sense with purpose and meaning, and not out of superstition of some long forgotten ancient rite. As many would have us believe.

Another Greek spirit associated with the underworld is Thanatos, also being a son of Nyx and a brother to Hypnos (sleep).

“In Roman sculptural reliefs he was portrayed as a youth holding a down turned torch and a wreath or butterfly symbolizing the soul of the dead ” (http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Thanatos.html).

The symbol of the butterfly is most interesting because the word for soul (which it symbolizes) in many languages means life, consciousness or spirit. The torch that has been turned upside down must signify the light of spirit from above, which has been placed in to the underworld of our earthly existence. Another interesting image depicting Thanatos is given by Pausanias in the c2nd A.D. where he describes Thanatos as an infant child being held with his brother Hypnos in each arm of their mother Nyx (IBID). The intriguing point of this description is that each child is said to have their feet turned in different ways. I would think this means that death brings the soul downwards through the last phase of the journey of involution towards life on the physical plane. While through the sleeping state (as certain Greek philosophers describe people to be in) the soul starts the walk of evolution in the opposite direction upwards, towards the divine spiritual state of being.

The imagery of using an infant child to represent death in its metaphorical context is again suggestive that Thanatos represents the stage in which the state of physical life begins, while being held in the arms of night. The darkness of night is another symbol for the lower life on the material plane. In the writings of Euripides called Alcestis, there is an account of how Thanatos prepares Alcestis for death:

"Talk all you will, you get no more of me! The woman shall go down to the dwelling of Hades. Now must I go to consecrate her for the sacrifice with this sword; for when once this blade has shorn the victim's hair, then he is sacred to the Lower Gods ” (Euripeds nd).

The shaving of hair is seen as a sign of contrition as the soul becomes subject to the natural law of sin for being born into the lower carnal nature of the body. In the ancient Egyptian mysteries Isis is said to have cut off a lock of her hair and put on a morning robe when she heard of the death of her husband, Osiris (Plutarch). This is explained by Isis representing the force that is seen as the wisdom of the spiritual nature. She laments for the death of the divine part of the soul (the god Osiris) which has to naturally die in order for the soul to incarnate into matter. This is because divinity is achieved through the spiritual evolutionary development in life on the physical plane of matter, the names of which from different cultures include; Amenta, Sheol, the Underworld, Hell and Hades, which actually means 'that which cannot be seen.' This is because the divine part of the soul cannot be seen on the material level. That is until its awakening through some type of spiritual development process, such as ceremonial magic.

The next god that we shall take a look at is Hades. The son of Cronus (time) and Rhea (space). Also known as god of the dead. Now considering we now realise that “the dead” is a metaphorical statement that the ancients used to refer to everyday people living lives on the material plane, it will therefore go to show that Hades is in fact the god of the living. When seeing him in this light, all of his attributes start to make a lot more sense, as we shall now see.

First of all he is said to own the helm of darkness or cap of invisibility. This was given him by the Cyclopes and on occasions it would be borrowed by other gods and heroes, such as Perseus, who received it from the water nymphs. The obvious reason for Hades possessing this helmet of invisibility, would be for it to symbolise the fact that he represents the hidden god in nature, or life on earth. During life in the lower nature of the body and mind on the physical level, the divine nature of the soul is generally kept hidden away from us by the earthly temptations and desires of the flesh that occupy the thoughts of our minds. Hence the invisibility symbol being a helmet which covers the head, just like the material thoughts and desires which hide the doorway to the divine state within our own minds.

Hades was also called Pluto, giver of wealth and riches. Now this title could quite easily have a double meaning, for no where else but on the material level of life are wealth and riches experienced. It is also because of such lusts and desires for material riches that can also be a contribution to the cause that keeps the spiritual nature of the soul hidden and kept from being discovered. But, when this title is interpreted from a spiritual perspective, it's meaning can be given a different twist, which represents the wealth and riches of divinity that lay hidden deep within the soul awaiting discovery.

It was also said that Pluto holds a key: “ As to the key they say that what is called Hades has been locked up by Pluto and nobody will return back again there from. ” ( Pausanias. 5.20.3 Votive offerings in the temple of Hera).

I would take this to imply the necessity of reincarnation, which will keep on occurring to the individual soul until the realisation of its own divine reality that will unlock the door that leads to the spiritual life in the empyrean. Heaven being where the soul comes from, and when this state is realised again, it will allow the soul to escape from the prison of earthly confinement. This idea is what also seems to be expressed by the words of Jesus;

“ I am he who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forever more. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death ” (N.T. Revelation 1:18).

The wife of Hades is Persephone, whose mother is Demeter the Earth Mother, or more precisely, Grain Mother. Also called by the Romans, Ceres.

“All such figures - heavenly manna, bread, wheat, ambrosia, nectar, meat, corn, wine, honey, barley – are forms of typology suggestive of the deific life ordered to mortals for their immortal nutrient. The body of spiritual intellect, Ceres, which was true 'cereal' food for man was crushed into bits and then welded into a cake so that it might be 'eaten' by mortals ” (A . B . Kuhn, nd, p. 212 ).

From this interpretation it is easy to see how the symbolism of grain was used to indicate the spiritual significance of the role Demeter/Ceres represented in the Elusinian Mysteries. While in the exoteric meaning, Ceres represents the agricultural goddess who receives the seeds into the ground to bring forth the fruits of the earth for human consumption. While this seems to be the general interpretation for the uninitiated, aimed at a basic level of understanding, while at the same time it also exemplifies a deeper level of understanding to the initiated. This being that the seeds of divinity are sown into the soul's lower nature, (earth) and through their cultivation, will result in the fruition upon the higher levels of the soul. Or as Thomas Taylor notes:

“The philosopher Isocrates thus bears testimony “She (Demeter) gave us two gifts that are the most excellent; fruits that we might not live like beasts; and that initiation, those who have part in which have sweeter hope, both as regards the close of life and for all eternity. ” (T.Taylor, 1891, p 19).

This implies that unless the soul partakes of the divine fruit, then it will remain to live like an animal, dead to the higher divine nature. It is no wonder then that the Athenians were said to of called the dead “Demeter's people (demetrioi)" (Y. Bonnefoy. 1992, p. 155). This is because it is us in our deadened state while on the earth, who are to receive the divine nourishment from the Goddess to enable our spiritual development to take place.

The myth related to Demeter's daughter, Persephone, who is taken by Hades to the Underworld is suggestive of the demise of life in the dark half of the year, when nature seems lifeless and barren only to return again in the spring, when sprouting leaves and buds on the trees and the shoots of flowers in the fields portend Persephone's return to the upper world. But, as always with mythology the initiated interpretation remains veiled behind the outward general meaning, and in this case the myth of Persephone's abduction, is nothing but a clear indication of the descent of the soul to the lower world, where the soul becomes wedded to the lower nature, and lives in the darkness of life until it awakens to it's spiritual life. This awakening is symbolised by the spring time in the light half of the year when the sun starts to increase in light, which signifies the soul coming forth into the light of day, its divine spiritual nature. And here we have a perfect example of nature demonstrating for us, the outward objective manifestation of the inner spiritual transformation that can happen to the human soul. Nature is but a mirror that the magician peers into, to see the truth of inner spiritual reality reflected. As above so below.

 

Bibliography

Dionysius, 1965, Mystical Theology and the Celestial Hierarchies, 2nd ed. Surrey. The Shrine Of Wisdom.

G.R.S. Mead, 1906, Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Studies In Hellenistic Theosophy And Gnosis, Forgotten Books.

Virgil, Aeneid Book six.

J, M, Cooper, 1997, Plato Complete works, 1st ed, U.S.A. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.

A.B. Kuhn, nd, Lost Light An Interpretation of Ancient Scriptures, Filiquarian Publishing, LLC. 

T. Taylor, 1891, The Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries, New York, Blibliolife.

Y. Bonnefoy. 1992, Greek and Egyptian Mythologies, U.S.A. The University of Chicago Press.