John 4:31-34 Meanwhile his disciples urged Him, “Rabbi, eat something”. But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about”. Then His disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought Him food?” “My food”, said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work…”
Tae spoke to Shaddai out of her puzzled heart. “I have this habit that harms me, and I use it like it had the power to banish tears, loneliness, sorrow, even joy, though I don’t know why I feel the impulse to stifle joy.” Shaddai asked the question, “Does your habit have that power?’ Tae replied “Well, it definitely has the power to stifle joy, but as for the rest…sometimes it makes me feel better for a short while…then again sometimes I indulge it with tears streaming down my face. And I know it doesn’t actually help the cause of my pain. In fact in many ways it is the cause of my pain.” Shaddai looked at her with concern, “It grieves Me when you harm yourself. Your habit has become addiction in its hold over you, but you need to remember that underneath the power this addiction seems to hold it is still just a habit at its root.” Tae gave him a pleadingly frustrated sigh before responding, “But I don’t know how to fix it. I can’t even sustain a desire to fix it. In fact sometimes it seems that without it my life and its future looks so dull and bland and comfortless that I can’t imagine having a good life without it, and yet it doesn’t even make my life good now.” “Child, you were created to channel mighty rivers within you. You have great chasms that drive you to seek. It is a beautiful gift, yet a painful one at first, because it feels like a vast emptiness, doesn’t it?” Tae nodded silently. Shaddai continued…”These channels make habits hard to break, habits run easily down these pre-made courses and once there they have the force of a river. But the power of the channels can drive wonderful things too, once you realize that they are there for a purpose. Think of their names as ‘Who I Was Born To Be’, ‘Who I Was Born To Love’ and ‘What I Was Born To Do’. When you name them thus you see right away that what you are filling them with are things much too small for them.” Tae pondered Shaddai’s words. A silence fell between them and finally Tae asked, “The river channels are so deep, and the current so strong, how can I make it stop?” Shaddai said, “Tae…you can’t make it stop. What you can do is send the right things down the river channels. Think of the names of the great rivers within you and consider the habits that will feed that tide. Then go and do those things. The sick water of addiction will flow on, and the River water that fills the chasms will be a force of nature. You need not fear a joyless life.” And Tae didn’t fear that ever again.
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“There is no learning without remembering.” -Socrates
It will happen at some point that you will realize that all the symbols are always illustrating the same story. There will come a point when you all of this will click, and you can go to any school of mysteries and understand what their symbols mean. There really is nothing new under the son (yes I spelled it that way on purpose). Likewise, the mystery of Odhinn’s ravens if you have stuck with me thus far will be no great mystery. You have the tools to decode this if you had a mind to. Hugin means thought, and Munin means memory. What are these but the prerequisites required for wisdom and understanding? The keys that unlock the doors to the universe and the arcanum for life itself. Like the quotation says above, “There is no learning without remembering.” It should be known that ravens mate for life. They are monogamous. It should be noted as well that in every mythology the Wisdom God is married to the Goddess of Truth. Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom is married to Maat, goddess of truth. Likewise, Odhinn, priest-king, god of wisdom is married to Frigg, goddess of truth. Why is this important? Wisdom is gendered as male because wisdom, by and large, is quantifiable. As you know the Sacred Masculine (left brain) represents facts and figures, things that can be listed on a piece of paper. Truth, however, is not. Because unquantifiable knowledge is the province of the Sacred Feminine, truth, therefore, becomes feminine. Truth and wisdom are often confused with one another. This is because both are concerned with the province of understanding. However though different, both require one another. You need to have wisdom to understand the truth, and you must have the truth in order to possess wisdom. Thought (Hugin) consists of logical step by step processes, making Hugin the male of the coupled pair. Memory (Munin) is an interesting brain function. Not many people know memory is stored in the midbrain, the same place where emotions are created. If you walk past a bakery and smell the yummy bread, there is a reason that you suddenly think of grandma’s house. It’s because your sense of smell triggers an emotion, which in turn triggers a memory. Science has been proving more and more as of late that your memory has little basis on objective reality, but rather hinges on the emotional creative center of the brain which for all intense and purposes don’t handle quantifiable processes very effectively. Which is why they say you shouldn’t make large life decisions when you’re pissed off. The unquantifiable nature of the reality of memory makes Munin the female of the two ravens. So Odhinn, Wisdom priest of the Norse sends out thought and memory into the world, and the two inseparable ravens bring back knowledge of the world. Today, we find any excuse we can to relieve ourselves of the responsibility of thinking. We want the news, religion, and the government to determine the nature of the world so we don’t have to. In reality friends, time and attention are the only currencies in the universe. What you give your time and attention to allows you to purchase it. If a world bends its time and attention to not having to think for itself, what do you think the outcome will be? What have we purchased for ourselves? When dealing with mythology it is easy to write off the form and functions of its characters as fun stories. But it should be known that nothing is ever on accident. As the old saying goes “Nothing is on accident, everything is on purpose. Everything in the universe is a symbol for something greater than itself.” When we figure that out, the universe opens up and we finally understand what the gods have been trying to tell us. The equilateral triangle is part of a class of symbol called an archetype. Which means that it represents a foundational element to which other symbolic elements are latter added. This means that it can be a stand-alone symbol, or when other elements are added, the triangles archetypal symbolic meanings add to the interpretation to the additional element. For instance, an eye has a certain meaning, however when you add an eye to the top point of the triangle, suddenly it changes the eyes meaning in respect to the usage of the triangle. Doing this is called “stacking” and is uniformly used in every symbolic language used in human history, from gang signs, to runes, to hieroglyphics.
Like all symbols the esoteric truths regarding them are very layered, and the triangle is no different. The traditional way a triangle is drawn is pointy end up, with two points representing the base. In symbology “up” means more important, “down” means less important. Pythagoras teaches us that the number onerepresents the monad, or The All. Because The All is the supreme mind, the number one represents holistic thought, being able to see the entire picture, the light of gnosis, and a balanced neocortex. In this symbol we can see that the pointy end is raised to the highest place of honor, with the number 2 or the duad placed at the lowest point. The duad (number 2) unsurprisingly represents duality, two sight, unbalance, or a mind in a box. In a sense the symbol of the right side up triangle represents the same thing as the Three Pillars in the First Degree Tracing Board or the Temple of Solomon. The two, becoming the one. “A man will leave his Father and Mother and will become united with his wife and they two shall become one flesh.”Ephesians 5:31 NIV. The left brain (sacred masculine) will leave his father and mother (the underworld) and will be united with his wife (sacred feminine) and the two shall become one flesh (light of unified knowledge). It is this two joining the one, that makes the triangle a transitory symbol regardless of its orientation. It is for this reason that the “spear” and the “flame” mean the same general principal, because is barrows form the triangle archetype. But what happens then if we tip the triangle upside down? The upside down triangle is never a complement and is used in the darker side of occult philosophy, typically as a symbolical mockery of someone. Almost always the uninitiated who don’t know better. Duality is raised to the highest point and unity is placed at the lowest point possible. This is called the “Unbalanced Pyramid” and is a symbol of mind control. The reason being, instead of a strong base with unity at the top, which is very difficult to topple, duality is supreme and the point is placed at the bottom. In which case a simple little push…will topple the mind into which ever direction is willed by the master player. Symbols that barrow this version of the triangle archetype are the things like the Baphomet (goat man). The two points raised to haven in defiance. So knowing what we now know, if I placed an eye at the top of the triangle, you can start to be able to read the meaning a lot more closely. It begins to form a sentence of sorts. The more details I add, the more complex the sentence becomes. This is part of the fun of learning the language of symbolism. Because very often, there is a lot being said about you without you even knowing it. By the way, good luck not seeing this now. I hope you have lots of fun with this. Its a simple concept, with heave heavy ramifications. Fairy Children What is it?… fairy myths… That make an old soul dream? Across frozen fields of slumber They dance the dusty beams… A change in one’s perspective Makes the earth a giant’s ball Our cities are but miniatures… Tiny books line match-box walls. Or turn it inside-out now Upside-down the other way… Across the vast reach of carpet Can the fairy children play? Do they nest in the apple basket? Or make hammocks among the leaves? Do they quake in fear of spiders- Big as dogs which are unleashed? A change in one’s perspective… Mists of magic in the land…. You are the sleeping fairy girl-child Cupped in wonder in God’s hand. Isaiah 33… “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?” She had come upon the Flame with desperate effort. The stones encasing her were heavy, grating plate upon plate like seismic shifts. As she moved, spasms of pain made her falter and slowed her progress. To see her, none would guess that she was created to be a creature of mist and grace and movement. Her small frame bore the stones relentlessly onward with a stubbornness that could have been simple ignorance of the fact that she could quit. She was tired. She wondered if she were just old… but that didn’t feel quite true. Her name was Tae, though she didn’t know that yet. Where she came from, she was known by other names, but none of those names really named her. She bore her stones. Kept them. Drug them if necessary. While some of the stones were quite beautiful (these were ones she had chosen for herself and she found them particularly appealing), others were ordinary rocks, which (at some point in her journey through life), she had been pelted with. Some stones had struck her cruelly and unexpectedly, and a couple of them had even knocked her senseless and staggering for a time. Then there were the stones she had been asked to carry by others who didn’t want to carry all of their own stones. It didn’t really matter, however she acquired them, she always kept them. She was not one to waste things, and now the stones were a crusty armor, fused into both protection and prison. The stone encasing her heart was her personal favorite, no matter that it didn’t leave enough room for her heart itself. She was unaware (for the most part) that her heart beat upon its stony walls like butterfly wings, seeking a freedom she denied it. The stone she loved so much (the one that imprisoned her heart) was beautiful to her and she must have it. She defied all advice to be free of it, “After all,” she wondered, “What would I have left worth living for ifl let it go? Isn’t life hard enough?” Fortunately for her, hearts are heroic things, and her heart led her toward freedom with an urgency she heeded even if she didn’t understand it, until at last, she stood before the Flame. It was her terror and it was her desire. She recalled that once, long ago, her heart had been warmed within its cold stone coffin with a spark that sought the Flame Itself. How long had she been traveling since then? She didn’t really know, maybe all of her life. Now she was here. The Flame, beautiful and dread, danced before her. It was more than her eyes could grasp. More than she could imagine. More than could be true? They say the Flame demanded sacrifice. What could she give to such a thing? The first thoughts that came to her mind were quickly eliminated as too costly. (She had not realized that she had nothing of value, she only owned the dead weight she carried.) She noticed while she stood there, that being so close to the Flame made the stones hot. Unbearably hot. Survival whimpered that she should move to a safer distance and enjoy the beauty of the Flame from there. She thought to do exactly that when her own heart defied her and with a strength made desperate by panic and desire, her heart, which sought the Flame at any cost, leaped free and pulled her after it. Thus, caught in the clutches of the will of her heart and too bound in her stone prison to flee, she entered the Flame both willing and fighting. In a dying gasp of pain she wailed the first cry of a newborn… and was birthed into light. Flame born they say. I want to start off by saying thank you to Mark Passio. It is because of his work and dedication that I have had to privilege to stand on his broad shoulders and teach this information. Without him, much of what I know would still be shrouded in mist. Thank you Mark.
Degree Tracing Board, Temple of Solomon. I want to start off by saying this symbol is the real deal. The only way to understand this symbol is time and study, you will not understand this symbol today. It is simply to vast. The true knowledge of such things requires deep study, meditation and devotion to figuring it out. The reason occulted knowledge remains occulted is because the general public are not willing to take the time required to ponder the deeper mysteries. If you ARE willing to sit and ponder, you will get a lot out of this article. Unlike some of the other symbols I have written about, this symbol is no trifle. Its knowledge is vast, multifaceted, and can only be understood as a whole, not in a “this means that” kind of interpretation. This one is for the thinkers. The first three degrees in Freemasonry are the Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. These degrees together make up what is called the “Blue Lodge.” The bulk of Masons are apart of the Blue Lodge system and never progress to higher levels within the order. It should be said that like all mystery schools, just because you have made it to the rank of Master Mason, it doesn’t mean you get know all the deep esoteric doctrines. In fact, its par for the course for mystery schools to outright lie to the membership unless the individual has proven himself worthy of the deeper stuff. What we are going to do is to break down some of the esoterica in the First Degree Tracing Board, in an effort to shed some light on the deeper mysteries, and maybe it will help you on your journey. The Freemasons have barrowed a great deal from the Mystery traditions that have come before them, mainly a mix of Biblical and Egyptian, with a few others thrown in for good measure. The legend of the rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon comes to us from the Hebrew Bible side of their theology. The temple was first built by King Solomon, with the help of the Masonic Christ figure the Master Architect Hiram Abiff. The Temple was ransacked and raised by King Nebuchadnezzar II in or about 587 BCE. It was rebuilt again much later, then razed again by the romans not long after the death of Christ. The book of Revelation in the Hebrew Bible states the apocalypse will begin when the Temple of Solomon is rebuilt for the third time. The word Apocalypse sounds scary; however, it has never meant the “end of the world,” as it used in common parlance. It means change. The rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon will usher in a time of change. One of the deepest secrets of the mystery traditions no matter what its stripe, is that the mythological story is about you. There is a tendency to externalize everything we learn, salvation is out there far away, the temple will be built out there somewhere. The story of the Temple of Solomon (first degree tracing board) is the story of YOU. YOU are the Temple of Solomon, and the rebuilding of the Temple will usher in a great time of change. This is that case for any mythological story. The story is not external from you, it IS you. Have you ever heard of the concept of green language? Green language is basically occult word play and is used all over the First Degree Tracing Board. The First Degree Tracing Board is given to the Entered Apprentice, or the interred apprentice. In esoteric philosophy, you are dead until you have come into the light of gnosis (divine knowledge). The Masons are no exception to this. To the dead initiate is given this tracing board, a map if you will, to climb out of his interment and into the light of life. With that said, the initiate will likely never be told what all the symbols mean. In a way, the Tracing Board is an inside joke, or a ribbing. All the information that the dead apprentice needs to know to attain the highest ranks of the Order are given to him right at the beginning. It will be years before he can finally see the truth he is given right at the start. This is why you cannot simply be told, what this symbol means. It is kinda like what they say in Karate. When you get your Black Belt, is when you finally begin to learn Karate. I am not where I am because someone simply told me what a symbol meant. I am where I am today because of a thousand of hours of study. This information is alive, and for those who are half hearted about the search, you will be given a halfhearted understanding. The Elements Lets take a moment and go through some of the elements of this very intricate symbol. You will notice that it has a border and on that border there are 4 directions, so we know we are not just looking at a picture, we are looking at a map. West is closest to us, North to our left, East is at the top of the page, and South on the right hand side. We can see two pillars, one light, and one dark, with another in the middle. We can see that each pillar has a letter, S, B, and W. At the top of each pillar there is an object from space, a Sun, an Illuminated Eye, and finally a Moon and Stars. We can see a ladder sitting on top of a book. The Ladder has three people standing on it, a key with a thread, and a letter G that is kinda hard to make out just above person in the middle. There is a checkered floor, a level, a plumb, and a square and compass. In the very back you can see two cubes called “ashlars” one is finished and the other is not. As you can see there is a lot here to go through. This will be a lot of fun, I hope you are ready! The Checkered Floor The checkered floor represents the checkered life of the undelighted man. Who by his ignorance of the causal laws morality and natural law, lives a life of suffering by his own making. The Checkered Floor also is emblematic of a chess board. The unenlightened man is therefor like a pawn to the master player, being manipulated as the master sees fit. This is not difficult, for the pawn can not see the board in its entirety, but only what is placed directly in front of him. The black and white checkers also represent the dualistic tendencies of the unenlightened man or woman. You can see this playing out in everyday life. Conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, gay or straight, oppressor or oppressed, right or wrong, good or evil, hot or not. Ever wonder why you are placed in a box and told you are ether this box or nothing? You are either with us or against us? It is because either you, or the people who you are with are living on the checkered floor of the Temple of Solomon. In short, the checkered floor represents base consciousness, a man or a woman operating in the lizard brain reactionary, fight or flight modality. No effort is made to see things outside of the “box” you are placed, and anything that exists outside of your paradigm is evil. I am not as inclined to do so, however many liken to checkered floor to the colors of a prisoner, a person whose mind is in prison and made to work to satisfy the will of the masters. The Pillars of Duality The two pillars in the foreground are called the Pillars of Duality and symbolize the two hemispheres of the human brain. We have covered the Mother/Father brain dynamic a length in this blog. After a while you will realize that themes in the esoteric traditions repeat. This is because its all the same body of knowledge, presented in different ways. The pillar on the left is called the pillar of Jaquine and symbolizes the masculine logical side of the brain. For those of you who are interested in architecture, this type of pillar is called a Doric pillar. The “S” on the base stands for strength. The Orb hovering above the Jaquine pillar I’m sure you can tell is the Sun. If you have fallowed me for a wile you will understand why the Sun is given to the male pillar. You might remember the concept of “gendered action” that we have covered in other articles. Male action gives and female action receives. The pillar of the right represents the feminine creative, right brain hemisphere. This pillar is called the pillar of Boaz. Because this pillar represents the feminine, the stylized Corinthian pillar is used because of its beautiful floral design. So it should come to no surprise that the “B” at the bottom would stand for beauty. You will notice the moon and stars at the top of Boaz pillar. The moon is very typical Goddess iconography, and this is for two reasons. The first is the Moon receives light from the sun, making it a female action, but more then that, the Goddess (night sky) gives birth to the Sun in the morning. Think of Mary and the baby Jesus, therefore Mary is often painted with a starry cloak. Mary gives birth to the Son of God. See? Most people live in one of these two pillars, either very analytical traditional and logical, or creative exploratory and artistic. Though not a perfect example, an argument could be made to describe conservatives and liberals in terms of these two dualistic tendencies. As I said, its not a perfect example, but you can see how the average person could fall easily into this kind of trap. Why do I say trap? I say trap because dualism is the easiest way to control someone. If you can control the way someone sees the world, you can control what they will buy, or who they will vote. If you are in one of these two modes of thought, you are still playing on the checkered board floor. These pillars only depict which side of the board your playing on. The Pillar of Unity The pillar in the background (middle pillar) is called the Pillar of Unity or sometimes called the Pillar of Wisdom, represented as the “W” at the base. This pillar is symbolic of the merging to the two dualistic pillars in the foreground. Logic based masculine brain merged harmoniously with the creative, artistic, inclusive feminine brain. This pillar represents the ability to SEE the entire picture, notice the Illuminated Eye at the top. This type of pillar is called an Ionic Pillar, and this is not by accident. This is more green language. I-on-ic, or, “Eye On.” Brocken down a little further it would be i-on-i-c, or “Eye on I see.” This tells us, that in order to begin to become “illuminated” one must be able to reconcile both sides of the dualistic spectrum, bring them both together and be able to see the entire “game board.” Remembering that this is a map reinforces this idea of “coming into the light.” If we were looking at this from the top down, the Ionic pillar with the All Seeing Eye sits at the East, the place of the sunrise or the Light that comes into the world. What then would be sitting to the west? The pillars of Duality. They sit in the West, where the light dies and darkness comes into the world. Gaining “One Eye” is major symbol in just about every mystery school to which I am aware. A few examples would be the Eye of Horus for the Egyptians and Odin’s Eye to the old Norse, and of course the All Seeing Eye with the Masons of which we are now talking. Each of these ideas all mean the same thing, which is being able to see Unity, over Duality. Doing so suddenly changes the dynamic of the game. A person who can see the entire board is no longer the played, but rather the player. You might think of this in terms of “Game of Thrones.” There is the oft quoted line that is applicable here. “For those who play the Game of Thrones, either you live, your you die.” However, what the uninitiated don’t know, is that they are already playing the game, they just had any idea. The weight of this statement sinks in a bit deeper when we remember that the uninitiated in mythology are often symbolized by the dead. The truth is we are all divine, we are all gods in a form, we are all playing a “Game of Thrones.” However, instead of playing for land and power (which some do), we play to be set free from the system, and remember our true power. Our power isn’t here on earth though, our power is through the Stargate. To get there, we will need a ladder… The Ladder, The Three Initiates, The Key, and the “G” The masons adopt a great deal of their iconography from the Hebrew Bible, in this case Jacobs Ladder. In the story, Jacob falls asleep with his head on a stone (the stone that the builders rejected), and in a dream he sees a great ladder stretching to heaven, with angels moving up and down from heaven to earth. “10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”–Genesis 28:10-17 NKJV Sleep, death, and blindness in mythology almost always means the same thing, an unenlightened state. At this time in the story you could say that our hero Jacob is on the checkered floor of the Temple of Solomon. He in the “interred apprentice.” He falls asleep (ignorance), and sees a ladder that leads to heaven, with a host of other initiates in various degrees along the path to enlightenment. He hears the voice of God from heaven telling him that God will be with him until Gods promise is fulfilled. When Jacob awakes (no longer in ignorance) he realizes that suddenly he has been in the presence of God and he had no idea. This is a moment that must happen to all of us at some point along our journey, the realization that there is more going on here then what we first thought. The knowledge of the presence of the Divine is the first step along our journey. You will notice that the Ladder is resting on a book. This is symbolic of this foundational knowledge that must be understood before the initiate can even grasp the ladder. It should be said that the Three Initiates are characterized by thought (Entered Apprentice), emotion (Fellow Craft), and action (Master Mason). Thought is the prerequisite for wisdom and is optimized by the symbol of the book to which we are now talking. As they say, in order to solve any problem, you must first realize there is one. In the case of the Entered Apprentice (Jacob), this foundational knowledge is the realization that there is a divine presence in this world, and that until now, Jacob did not realize that God was there the whole time. The symbol of the ladder here actually accomplishes two things, it represents the path off the Checkerboard Floor into the light of Gnosis (divine knowledge). It also represents the unification of the pillars of duality. You can see this at work in the figure of the Fellow Craft, the guy half way up the ladder. The Fellow Craft represented by emotion. You will remember that The Entered Apprentice was represented by the cold hard masculine principal of knowledge. Emotion however is a feminine quality. This rank seeks to take the divine knowledge out of the modality of simply knowing facts, but to turn those facts into something you have an emotional connection with. People forget that the esoteric doctrines are a living breathing force, something you become romantically entangled with. It will be noted that the Fellow Craft has not quite reached the key dangling by a string, or the letter “G.” The Key, sometimes called the “Seven-Pronged Key” is an article unto itself, however for our purposes here, it represents the knowledge of your own divinity, sovereignty, and the knowledge of the Supreme Creator. It is this Divine Knowledge is which that unlocks the stargate, the path to the light represented by the Sun. It is also emblematic of the “Hanged God Myths” found all over antiquity. These myths are an allegory for spirit of divine man dangling by a thread from the Source of all Things. The “G” is important as well. It represents the “Generative Principal” or sometimes called the “Principal of Care.” This principal means “caring” enough to institute change in your life. You have to care enough to study, to learn, to create change, to make things better not only for yourself but for the community around you. You might hold the key in your hand, however without the will do to anything about it, the gate to the world above will remain forever closed to you. The Degree of the Master Mason represents all of these principals all come together. In all mythological systems there are 3 main parts to God, just like there are three main parts to your brain. The Father (knowledge), the Mother (creation/emotion) and the Beloved Son (action). The Master Mason, the figure at the top of the ladder next to the Sun, has mastered these parts of himself. He knows that without action, all knowledge and understanding is mute. He not only posses knowledge, he has a personal and emotional connection to it. He knows and understands his own divinity, with the knowledge of what that means. He cares enough to make the change, he ascends the ladder to the portal to the land of the Gods, and the rank of Master Mason. The Ashlars In the background straddling the Pillar of Wisdom are the two Ashlars, or stone blocks. One is unfinished, and the other is finished. The unfinished Ashlar represents the soul that is in need of work. It is rough, jagged, and doesn’t have much use other then a paper weight. As you probably guessed the finished Ashlar represents the soul that has reached perfection. This is of course impossible, a soul always needs work, however the finished Ashlar represents the goal we strive for. The ideal block of stone that represents the completion of our journey. With this in mind, let’s remember the immortal words of Thoth, “…For all your progress but lengthens the goal. The higher you climb but raises the mountain.” The Tools There is a drawing tool leaning against each of the three pillars. The Level (against the Jaquine pillar) means that our actions require balance. The Plumb (against the Boaz pillar) means our emotions should be in balance, maintaining positivity and goodness as it is possible to maintain. Our emotions need to be upright and steadfast, they are not to be our rulers, however they are our guides. Finally, the square (against the Ionic pillar) inverted like it is here with the pointy end up, means you have conquered your baser nature, and are out of base consciousness. If the pointy end is down, this means you are in base consciousness and are still dwelling in one of the two pillars of duality. The World Now we are going to do something unusual. We are going to turn the whole thing on its side. Remember the four directions? We are going to arrange them in the order they are supposed to be, with North on the top of the page, East to the left, West to the right, and South to the bottom. Something quite interesting happens when we do this. Suddenly we are looking at the earth. The Checkerboard floor now looks like longitudinal and latitudinal lines of demarcation, and the pillars become the Equator, the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. It goes further than that though, it depicts where the sun is at each stage of its journey throughout the year. You can see that the Sun icon is resting on the tropic of Cancer, or above the Pillar of Jaquine. This gives the Jaquine pillar the nickname of “The Pillar of Mercy” because the Sun favors the Northern Hemisphere. However, when the sun is in the Southern Hemisphere or the Tropic of Capricorn, it is represented here on the Tracing Board as the Moon Icon or the Lesser Lights. This gives this pillar the interesting nickname of “The Pillar of Severity” because the Sun is scarce, depriving the Northern Hemispheres of light. Looking at the Temple of Solomon from this angle its interesting isn’t it? From this perspective, we can see that it reinforces that idea that the ladder represents the steps necessary to leave the earth and make it to “heaven.” The ancients believed that you are stuck on earth, doomed to live lives here over and over again until you learn your lessons. This goes beyond knowing your divine parentage, but the cause and effect of bad moral character. All evil is theft in one form or another, so is no wonder that the esoteric thinker Mark Passio stated once, “The earth is a prison for thieves.” You can see that the black and white Checkered Floor looks like a the uniform of a prisoner. Personally I tend to shy away from the “earth is a prison” idea because I think earth is more of a testing ground. A place to prove your mettle. With that said, the system that is set up on earth does seem to encourage people to stay here, tricking them into dualistic thinking, fear, moral relativism, and violence. Lets Conclude The story of the First Degree Tracing Board is learning to take responsibility for your own actions. You are the architect of your own fate. YOU are the builder of the Temple of Solomon. It’s up to you to become the Master Mason and build your Temple in a way that will allow you to rise above the ways of this world and open the path to the stars themselves. It’s this fundamental idea that separates the old ways from that of Salvationism. No one is coming to save you. You can leave this place anytime you wish, however, it requires work and dedication. An idea so simple, yet, because it requires work, very few people will ever try to find the path, much less walk it. I am not saying you should go join the Masons. I’m not a Mason, I was initiated into the mysteries thought the Odinic Mystery Schools. However, embodied in Masonic symbolism is deep and profound truths that we can all learn from, and implement the best we can in our lives. Truth it turns out, doesn’t have a religious affiliations. The question whether the Creator of the Universe is a force that is knowable is a hard question to answer for someone else. Each journey is so unique to each of us that its impossible for me to offer up a secret formula. Because frankly, there is no secret formula. This is frustrating to the seekers, because a great deal of the way we keep track of our progress is by looking that the journey of those who came before us. However each path is different, and no metric exists for which you can measure your journey. Your journey is not mine, and I cannot gain insight into my progress by looking at another. Here is why. For me, I look for God in mythology, philosophy, and symbology. This makes up the bulk of the paths I walk on my journey. Looking for these feels like looking at the footprints of my father. Each footprint offers a clue to his character, his personality, and his mind; a mind in which I desperately want to know. To my Mother, she copies the Bible and writes endlessly in journals. My friend Jacob plumbs the depths of the sciences, such as astronomy, and theoretical physics with heaping handfuls of Christian mysticism. My cousin Colton is also into philosophy and symbology as I am, however for him everything is first run through the filter of the warrior’s mythos. Each of us seek God. Each us have found him in different ways. For the seekers, God reveals himself in the ways that are close to the heart of the individual. If I have learned anything, it is that to put God into a box is to ensure you will never find the true breadth of who he is and what he wants to in your life. Many people believe that they can’t experience God because they don’t seem to have the same experiences that their friend has. In a sense they are right. Experiencing God the way their friend does is an impossibility. What are your interests? I might love mythology, but you might love hiking. Is it possible God for you is enthroned on the lonely wind hushed trails? There is a promise that permeates all the old doctrines. That is, “The seekers will be the finders.” If you are genuine in your search for God, he will not allow you to die empty handed. It is the law. Just like visualizing a cup of coffee will make one magically show up in your life. So it is with the Creator of the Universe. In his case however, he WANTS to be found. Time will not allow me to go into all the Norse symbolism in this article. The primary purpose behind this article is to delve into the symbolism of the initiatory rites of the acquisition of the runes. Other Norse mythological symbolism will be addressed in later articles.
The Odinic Mystery School The mysteries regarding Odin sit rather close to my heart. Many don’t know this, but it was into His Mystery school that I was first initiated into the secret doctrines. I owe him a rather large debt of gratitude for that. It changed my life forever, in a very real and profound way. I hope it will do the same for you as well. You are a smart person, so you are probably asking, “If you really are an initiate into Odin’s mystery school, why are you telling us all this stuff?” Really great question reader. There are a few reasons for this. The first reason, is that I was commanded to teach it. There is a growing mountain of bullshit spreading across the land in the name of Odin. I like to call it the “Cartoon Odin.” Which is a dark threesome of wish fulfillment, Facebook memes, and wanting to be like the TV show “The Vikings.” If you have been following my work to this point, you know a great deal of these teachings already. In fact, they are fairly par for the course as far as Mystery School philosophy goes. The characters and stories might change, however from mystery school to mystery school the symbolism remains the same. The second reason is that Odinists don’t have any real pressing need to maintain secrecy the same way most mystery schools operate. We have a few benefits that other mystery schools don’t have. The first is no one knows about us. Thus the secret doctrines in the case of the Odinists maintain themselves rather well with no effort on our part to maintain them. The second, people either won’t believe that Odin has a mystery school, and thus discounting the information outright. Sighting that history is to vague to know the deeper truths of such a doctrine. Or thirdly they maintain the belief that Odinism is a reactionary belief system, home only to whites, racists, and identitarians. These arguments are good arguments, lets make no bones about it. However, in the era of fake news and false prophets, it is easy to dismiss truth and fall into solipsism. The fear of being duped is a real fear. I have nothing to prove here. All I ask is that you take what I say here and weigh it against what you already know, and then make your own determination. As I said before, the Odinic doctrines have kept themselves secret very well, and I suspect they will continue to do so. Exoteric vs. Esoteric Like all faiths, there are two different bodies of knowledge that is distributed. The first is the exoteric doctrine, which comes from the Greek word exoterikos, meaning outer knowledge. This knowledge is what you find in mainstream Odinism. In this body of knowledge, it is taught the very literal interpretation of the mythological stories, and basic guidelines for living and behavior. Things like keeping the high holidays, living honorably, honoring your ancestors, raising your kids to be strong and independent, and don’t be a dick to people. That sort of thing. Then you have the Esoteric doctrine. Esoteric comes from the Greek word esoterikos, meaning inner knowledge, hidden knowledge, or knowledge which is held only by the few. These esoteric doctrines consist of the knowledge, that the myths are symbols for deeper philosophical, scientific, and divine truths. Going beyond that, initiates into the Odinic mystery schools are expected to adhere to higher standards of morality then what is tolerated by the greater masses. This includes avoiding sins such as ignorance, solipsism, selfishness, and moral relativism. All of which seem to be encouraged in Western society. People also get caught up on the Odin’s war image. However, people seem to forget that Odin’s favorites were the shamans, mystics, and intellectuals. Odin is obsessed with the acquisition of divine knowledge, wisdom and understanding, so he favors those who have the same self-willed passion and drive for the same things as he does. Odin the Gallows God Odin is part of a myth architype called “The Dying God,” and is one of the most common mythological motifs in the ancient mystery traditions you can find. Odin is also part subcategory of mythological Dying God archetypes called the “Hanged Man” or the “Hanged God.” A few examples of this would be Jesus, Mithra, and Quetzalcoatl to a name few. This architype consists of the God who is hung from a tree, so his feet never touches the ground. In the mystery school traditions all the way up even to this present day, you were/are considered dead, blind, or asleep until you were birthed into the light of Gnosis (knowledge). This is the knowledge of your own divinity, immortality, and your connection to the Creator of all Things (The All Father). This rebirth is represented as the God or Goddess rising from the dead, or exiting the gates of the underworld, as it would be in the case of the Goddess Ishtar. It is this allegorical retelling of this story that is the initiation rites of nearly all the mystery school traditions to which I am aware. “Mythology is nearly always the ritual and symbolism of a Mystery school.”-Manly P. Hall. This means that the Dyeing God myths are an allegory about you, and for you. In these stories, YOU are the principal character. In the case of Odin, you rather, hangs himself from the World Tree Yggdrasil for 9 days and 9 nights pierced in the side with his own spear Gungnir. Odin writhing in pain through the ordeal looks down into the crystalline waters of Urd’s well that feed the roots of the mighty world tree Yggdrasil, then in the culmination of delirium and ecstasy Odin beholds the runes before him rising to the surface of the water. In that moment he knows the runes and understands them, with a shout of joy, his bindings fall from his body and he is set free. 109) ‘Tis time to speak from the Sage’s Seat; hard by the Well of Weird I saw and was silent, I saw and pondered, I listened to the speech of men. 110) Of runes they spoke, and the reading of runes was little withheld from their lips: at the High One’s hall, in the High One’s hall, I thus heard the High One say: -- 111) I counsel thee, Stray-Singer, accept my counsels, they will be thy boon if thou obey’st them, they will work thy weal if thou win’st them: rise never at nighttime, except thou art spying or seekest a spot without… (stanzas 112-126 skipped for time) 137) …I trow I hung on that windy Tree nine whole days and nights, stabbed with a spear, offered to Odin, myself to mine own self given, high on that Tree of which none hath heard from what roots it rises to heaven. 138) None refreshed me ever with food or drink, I peered right down in the deep; crying aloud I lifted the Runes then back I fell from thence. 139) Nine mighty songs I learned from the great son of Bale-thorn, Bestla’s sire; I drank a measure of the wondrous Mead, with the Soulstirrer’s drops I was showered. 140) Ere long I bare fruit, and throve full well, I grew and waxed in wisdom; word following word, I found me words, deed following deed, I wrought deeds. 141) Hidden Runes shalt thou seek and interpreted signs, many symbols of might and power, by the great Singer painted, by the high Powers fashioned, graved by the Utterer of gods.” -Excerpt from Hávamál, Poetic Eddas The World Tree The symbol of the tree is not to be taken lightly, for it is used in nearly all mythological structures in history. It makes appearances in Sumerian, Babylonian, Acadian, Celtic, British, Greek, Roman, Jewish, Christian, Gnostic, Nordic, and Mayan art and mythology, and every time it is either associated with one of three things, the acquisition of wisdom as in the case of the Christian, Mayan, and Nordic Adam and Eve stories, the creation of man like it is in Norse and Mayan creation stories, or its used as the structure of the universe, again seen in Norse and Mayan mythology. Then more recently, you have the ancient astronaut people, they claim that the tree is the strand of DNA given to us by alien progenitors. In my opinion, all of these are accurate. The ancient philosophers in the mystery school traditions all took deadly serious the idea that “man” is built in the image of the Creator of All Things. The human body was considered the symbol of symbols, and in it was/is considered the template of all greater wisdom and understanding. The supreme being was often called “The Great Man,” and man was considered “The Little God.” With this in mind, it is not hard to imagine the tree as a metaphor for man himself. The limbs and branches of the tree are the dwelling places of the Gods (the neocortex), or the place of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. In the Sumerian scriptures it is said that “Kingship was lowered from heaven.” If your mind is the limbs and branches of the tree of life, a symbol of the very cosmos itself, then it could be said that your personal sovereignty is given to you from yourself, lowered from heaven from your own mind (This will make more sense after you read the “Rope” section below). Your kingship can never be taken from you, it is a birthright from the Creator of all Things Itself. The roots of the tree is the very earth itself. The source of all life giving energy. The symbol of earth (matter), is not only the lowest on the vibratory hierarchies, but it also the place wear life is birthed. Seeds are planted in the earth (matter), the husk of the seed must die, break apart and be used as fertilizer for the growth of a healthy plant. This is why life here is hard. Its meant to be hard. Only the living are born in the underworld my friends. “…Know thyself, and you will know the gods and the universe.” ~Inscription attributed to Pythia written on the wall at the Oracle at Delphi. The Rope/Noose The poem doesn’t say noose; however, the noose became the symbol attributed to this mythological idea. This is wear we get “Odin The Gallows God,” from. The noose represents the immortal soul being suspended in the realm of matter by a thread. A god dangled from the sky so his or her feet will never touch the ground. This symbol is used in many secret societies still today. There is an idea in ancient philosophy, that the bulk of “you” isn’t here on earth, but somewhere else entirely. Some modern thinkers have called it the “Over Soul.” Which isn’t a bad name for it. “You are a star bound to a body.”-Emerald Tablets of Thoth. In the Corpus Hermeticum, it discusses how your soul is your physical brain, it exists because you spirit is to HOT, for your body to handle. Your body will simply burn up without it acting as a buffer. Your brain/soul is basically equivalent to a TV receiver. The noose, is the TV signal. It is the “tether” between your spirit and your soul. You are dangled by a rope from heaven, so your soul never touches the ground. “The body comes from the elements, the soul from the stars, and the spirit from God. All that the intellect can conceive of comes from the stars ”-Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages If you are up on your String Theory, this idea won’t sound that far fetched. For those of you who don’t understand the basics of what string theory entails, it states that one object can exist in multiple places at the same time. Each object or “particle” is held together by strings of energy. Of course it is a big subject and hard to dumb it down into 1 paragraph. However that is the best short version of it I can come up with. Some of these doctrines we discuss here are not based on fanciful ideas, but on actual provable science. Each tries to explain the same phenomenon but using a different means of doing so. I may not understand string theory, and you may not understand philosophy, however we can both use what we know to come to the same truth of the reality of the universe. These fields of study are not exclusionary from one another, in fact they are the same thing entirely. The Spear The image of spear has been used as a device to symbolize transition since the time spears were invented. “These army guys, they are the tip of the spear in Syria,” or, “This idea is the tip of the spear that will usher in the change we need.” The tip of a spear is in the shape of a teardrop. It bears a striking resemblance to the other transitory symbol of the ages. The Flame. Fire is used in alchemy to “burn off” unwanted baser metals and transform the substance into gold. Gold in this case, is the light of gnosis. Gold that shines like the sun! What we see in this story is Odin (an allegory for you and I) in a state of transition. This process for all intense and purposes is a painful one. Odin being stabbed with his own spear is an important symbol, for it represents the pain the spirit endures as it dangles in the world of physical matter. Not only that, but it being his own spear suggests that the pain he suffers is self-inflicted. “…stabbed with a spear, offered to Odin, myself to mine own self given…” In a sense, Odin’s Spear is an equivalent symbol for the Checkered Floor of the Temple of Solomon in Freemasonry. The Checkered Floor represents the “checkered life” of the unenlightened man, who by his ignorance of the natural consequences of wrong action endures hardships and struggles in his life. However, after man becomes enlightened to the truth of the world around him, soon he ascends the ladder and leaves the checkered floor behind. Learning that life is a test, and that it is transitory takes a lot of the sting out of the experience. The pain of life is you “getting stabbed,” sometimes repeatedly. However the pain does go away and life does become easier once you begin the process of enlightenment and begin to act in accordance to natural law, or what is sometimes called moral law. This is not to say life suddenly becomes easy, its just not hard AND painful at the same time. The 9 days The coming to the underworld is told in two different ways in the mythological stories. The first, you must pass through 7 portals; this can be 7 gates like in the story of the above-mentioned Ishtar, in Irish traditions its 7 rivers of blood to get to realm of Dun Sydhe (fairies), or climb down a seven runged Jacobs Ladder in Freemasonic traditions. These “7 portals” correlate both to the seven visible planetary bodies visual to the naked eye, and your 7 energy centers (chakras). The second way, is through physical birth, the process of the soul becoming matter. In which case the number 9 is used, because it represents the gestational period for a human baby. But upon closer examination, you we can see two different astrological philosophies at play in these mythological numerical delineations, in the geocentric and heliocentric views the solar system. Heliocentric is something that we are all familiar with. The sun is the center of the solar system, and the earth along with all the other planets revolve around the sun. Though the earth is important, it’s considered just another planet. So the soul coming to earth, the other planets are taken into account. Making each planet a “gate” a soul must pass through to arrive here. With the sun as the most important in terms of rank. The opposite is true when the earth (geocentric) considered the center of the solar system. Baked into this world view is that the earth is the main attraction. Because the sun isn’t the highest in importance in this world view, the moon becomes more of a power broker in the day to day lives of earths people, particularly sea fairing peoples who see the moons push and poll of the oceans tides. Instead of the Masculine sun (god), the Motherly moon (goddess) is raised making it equal to the sun in terms of rank, if not even slightly higher in status. Thus the 9-month gestational cycle becomes the method for the entrance of a soul into the world. Thus Odin hanging from the Yggdrasil for 9 days and 9 nights shows us Odin’s journey into matter, and offers important clues to the Nordic peoples astrological preferences. However you get here, through 7 gates or through 9 months inside your mother, to be born into matter is to be born into the land of the dead. Only the enlightened man, who wakes up to his true self is set free. The Runes The runes themselves are a topic of such depth and vastness, you can devote a life time to their study and never find the roots to that sacred tree. For our purposes the runes are an allegory told from the perspective of Odin himself. Having been initiated into the runes, Odin now is now born into the secret wisdom, for he has learned the ancient doctrine, he has seen the truth and understood it. The runes represent the ancient sacred knowledge that sets our hero free from his suffering. Sacred Knowledge = Consciousness = Immortality, these are always seen as the same thing in esoteric doctrines and used interchangeably. One always means the other two at the same time. Closing There is a meme circulating Facebook that displays a Hollywoodized Viking character, looking gruffly into the camera. The caption reads “I live under the runes. I worship the Old Gods. I fallow the Old Ways. Honor the roots.” This is an example of the exoteric doctrine that is handed out to the masses, and is eaten up wholesale. Being a gruff taciturn Viking who eats, drinks, and gets laid every night is a common fantasy. Especially by young white men who are so hungry for a heritage all their own, that they will eat heartily anything that they are served, even more so it offers them strength and power. They take a cartoon Odin for a God, and Hollywood for a prophet, and miss the truth entirely. However, unbeknownst to them they are sitting on the most profound doctrine ever given to mankind, but they can’t see it. Because like all secret doctrines, it is held out in the open for all people to see, even printed on a meme, but the key to interpret the doctrine is withheld and given to the few. This is the doctrine of your own divinity, your personal kingship, sovereignty, immortality and personal power. It teaches how, through seeking out the sacred knowledge of the Creator, the Light of Gnosis, you are given the key to the gates of the underworld, and set fee form this place. You get to ascend to Asgard the limbs of the world tree for houses of Odin are many. Bibliography
This is the last installment in the “Introduction to the First Cause” series. If you have not already done so, it is recommended that you read Volumes 1 and 2, because it contains the necessary background information for this installment.
Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.” – The Kybalion If you read the first two parts of this series, you know that The All (monad or #1) created out of himself the Goddess (duad or #2). Now suddenly for the first time existing in creation you have a Mother/Father mind, a divine will (sacred masculine) which guides divine creation (sacred feminine). Each parent cannot function properly without the other. Together, these divine progenitors gave birth to the Beloved Son. “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” -Romans 8:29 NIV If you were to rewrite this verse, you could rewrite it saying, “For all those self-willed conscious beings, they will be conformed to the pattern his Son, a repeating form passed down to one generation of creation to another (brothers and sisters).” Or said a different way; the form on the higher is always the form on the lower. “As above so below.” A fractal repeating itself. The Mother/Father mind (right and left brain hemispheres respectively) that exists within you, is the same blueprint found in The All Itself. “…Know thyself, and you will know the gods and the universe” ~ Inscription on the wall at the Oracle of Delphi So the best way to unlock the mystery of this divine child is to unlock the mystery of your own mind. This idea will make sense when we remember that The All is one all-prevailing great mind. As above, so below. His mind is your mind, different only in degree. “Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law.” – The Kybalion. We need to first understand the law of Cause and Effect. Because writ into this law is the very building blocks of creative forces for which the Beloved Son is wholly woven. Everything you see around you, was first in the mind of someone, somewhere, at some point in time. Doesn’t matter if it’s a table, a phone, or a church, by law it must first exist in a mind otherwise it cannot exist at all. The realm of the mind is called the Realm of Causality. The realm of Causes is the seed ground from which everything you see in your life is first manifest. The Realm of Causality is where the Sacred Masculine’s principal of will and logic mate with the Sacred Feminine principals of art and creation. This realm builds the ideas and gives birth to what you see in the Realm of Effects. Say for example, a cup of coffee. The Beloved Son is when your “coffee” turns from a causal thought, into an effectual object. It is this that is called the “Birth of the Beloved Son.” The “Birth of the Beloved Son” IS the Realm of Effects. If you are looking for the Realm of Effects, i’ll give you a hint, you’re staring at it. How this plays out in mythology is found in the stories of the Solar Saviors, and is one of the most common archetypes found in ancient stories. A really great example of this comes from Christianity’s Holy Book the Bible. We will use this example because it is one that most people have at least a cursory knowledge. Whenever God of the Bible wants something done, what happens? His son appears. The Son of God shows up to instruct the Israelites to march around Jericho, then He shows up again to die on the cross at the Place of the Skull (the mind), then AGAIN in the Book of Revelation when he rides in on a white horse. It is always a son that is sent into the world. Always. Pick your pantheon, it’s always a male child. The reason for this as you might remember is the concept of “Gendered Action.” This idea is basically universal in ancient philosophical thought. You can think of it in two ways. The first way to think of it using the example of sex. The male gives sperm (male action), the female receives sperm (female action), the female gives birth (male action) see? The second way of thinking of this is the positive (+) and negative (-) charges like you would find on a battery, you will notice that the positive charge pushesenergy out of itself making it a giving action, hence male. While the negative charge receives energy into itself, making it female action. The female gives birth, its that act of giving that makes it a male gendered child. Following me? The way things are gendered in mythology is an important thing to pay attention to. It will offer important clues to the way any given archetype should be interpreted. This is why the goddess figure in any given pantheon is almost always represented as the night sky, because she gives birth to the son in the morning. Sticking with the Christian mythos, go and find old paintings of the Virgin Mary, you will notice that she is sometimes painted wearing a starry cloak or seated underneath a starry sky. Why? Because she gives birth to the sun(son). This is why Christ is called “The Sun of the Morning,” or “The Light of the World.” Just like Adonis, Tammuz, Mithra, and Baldr, to name a few of the other Beloved Sons/Solar Saviors. Thoth (Egyptian wisdom god), laments on the sinking of Atlantis that He (Thoth) was forced flee to the east toward “The Sun of the Morning,” for the “Light of the World” was sinking beneath the waves of the sea. 16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” Mathew 13:16-17 NKJV All this is, is to say that the story of the Beloved Son is the story of what is made manifest in created reality. He is the action taken after you have decided to do something. If you make a cup of coffee, pick your nose, punch a bully, or anytime your thoughts turn into action (energy pushed outward), this is The Beloved Son. Just as the Creator sends his Son into the world throughout the mythologies to perform a variety of tasks, so it is with you my friend. The goddess aspect inside you, gives birth to a son, and his name is action. He is the effect of your causes. Now perhaps you will now understand the deep and profound meaning of one of the names given to the Christian Beloved Son. Emmanuel meaning, “God with us.” Something to keep in mind to finish up. Gender use in mythology is just a mechanism that allow us to internalize a much deeper concept. After all, The All (the creator) has no gender, the Mother/Father mind has no gender, and the Beloved Son doesn’t have a gender either. In truth, the ancient philosophers taught that the true form of the human spirit is androgynous. Teaching that gender as we know it is a symptom, or a byproduct of our fall into the underworld (matter). But with that said, so far as we are concerned, gender is effectively the only frame of reference we have. So, using gender as a descriptor it is a useful tool to illustrate a deep philosophical, and scientific truth about nature; which would be very difficult to describe any other way. It would be like trying to describe the color blue, but with the stipulation that comparing it to something else is not aloud. Myth is just a way of saying “This, is like that.” “The color blue is like the sky…” Right action and wrong action these days seems to be swimming in a sea of gray. I’m sure you have noticed this yourself if you follow the news. Is it okay to punch a Nazi? Is it okay to key the car of a cheating boyfriend? Is ok to call you a bitch, so long as you deserve it? I mean, there are lots of things that would be considered “bad” but are qualified as good because of a special circumstance. We would all agree that keying some random persons car would be a bad thing to do, but its different if the person is a cheating loser. Right? Here is a list of evil things:
I know there are more out there, but this is a very basic list for purposes of explanation. What does all these things have in common? Everything on this list, is theft in one form or another. Rape, among other things, is taking someone’s power, murder is taking someone’s life, stealing is taking someone’s stuff, lying is taking someone’s truth, bullying is taking someone’s safety, and assault is taking someone’s working body away. As a fun intellectual exercise, try to think of some evil that isn’t theft. A few of them I had to really think about, but after learning some of the mechanics of the world in which we live, it became clear that indeed; they were still theft. Let’s take a minute and discuss two or three of the less obvious ones, just to show how some of the things that in the 21st century we might not consider particularly sinful, turn out to be sinful when washed through the ideology of the ancient philosophical schools. Or I should say, “Let run it through the theft test.” Ignorance You might be surprised to learn that idea that ignorance was considered a “sin” to the initiates of the Mystery School traditions. How is ignorance considered a sin? I’m glad you asked that. There is such a thing a taking from yourself it turns out. Suicide is another example of this self-theft. In America we use the word ignorance to describe anything that is unknown, but this is actually the wrong use of the word. Because there is two different kinds of “Not knowing.” Have you ever heard of the word nescience? Nescience is a word that describes not knowing something because the information is physically unavailable or is incapable of being learned. So, for example, a baby would be nescient of thermal nuclear physics, or a caveman would be nescient of iron working. It means that either a person physically can’t comprehend the information, or its just not there to be learned in the first place. Ignorance on the other hand, has the root word ignore. Which literally means that the information about a given subject is there to be learned, however a person chooses not to know it. This was considered a willful taking from yourself. Such an act would adversely affect your growth as a consciousness and therefore a self-wrong. Now of course not all subjects were created equal. You were aloud to not know how to bake a cake or know how to win at hop scotch. But for those who were initiated and therefore expected to know better, to ignore knowledge that would expand your consciousness, that above all sins was one of the worst possible. Nescience is excusable, but ignorance wasn’t. It might be worth noting on the side, that theft against yourself was always considered worse then theft a against someone else. You may, or may not realize you have taken something from another person, however, stealing from yourself either takes ignorance of biblical proportions, or it is willfully chosen to be carried out. This is just one of the many reasons suicide was considered such a terrible act. Lust Lust isn’t typically thought of as a sin outside of Christian and other mainstream religious circles. This is more or less this is understandable. Its considered a “chruchy” idea, and unless you are a “churchy person” you probably don’t think about it much. For those of you who don’t have a familiarity with such things, lust is what happens when you strongly desire something that is not yours to have. Typically, however, its used in terms of sex. Seeing a hot girl on train and mentally taking her close off. That sort of thing. But, even a Christian might be hard pressed to explain the mechanics of why this is considered wrong. Other than the “Sex is evil” angle. After all, you’re not hurting anyone, and what you do in the privacy of your own mind is your own busyness. Right? What this entails is the wrongful turning of the wheels of creation. Let me explain what I mean by this. If you read any of my previous work, you will probably know that the Creator of All Things uses Its mind to create. You and I exist in his mind, and therefor share the same mind as The Creator. So, on a smaller scale we have the same creative powers that It does. This is done through visualization. Don’t believe me? Here is an easy experiment to try. Visualize in your head someone giving you 5 dollars. Don’t worry about the HOW of it. But take 5 mins every day and visualize getting five bucks from someone, anyone. You will be surprised how quickly you will end up with 5 dollars. Seriously give it a shot! I’m not even kidding. Visualization=creation. Of course, the BIGGER the request the more time and power is required on your part to manifest into reality. 5 bucks is easy, it will not take long to manafest. So, assuming you have taken me up on my little experiment and found that I was right (congratulations on the 5 dollars). I bet you can see how visualizing sex with someone who hasn’t given consent is theft. You are spinning the wheals of creation to steal something that isn’t yours to have. Its considered evil for a lot of the same reasons rape is considered evil. Only the person on the receiving end doesn’t know its happening. Name Calling We all know (one could hope) that name calling is bad. But why? Is it really theft? Well, we need to ask ourselves what name calling is designed to do. Is it designed to take someone down a peg? If yep, then it’s a theft. I am not I saying you shouldn’t defend yourself if someone is being a dick. By all means! However, you are responsible for your own morality. You don’t get points for theft, even if Lauren from Marketing is a bully. Listen, no one said this was going to be easy. This is a good guide for deciphering if something is considered moral or immoral. Pick a political issue, or some moral gray area and run it thought the “is it theft on some level” mechanism. If it comes out the other end as taking, then it’s not a gray area anymore. Or if it turns out to be theft free, it’s probably ok. You will find vary quickly that a lot of the things we take for granted in our culture is a theft masquerading as morality. I hope this helps! Everyone is into symbols, because well, they’re super cool. A symbol does something words can’t, and that is communicate 1000 words instantly, a whole idea in the twinkling of an eye. You don’t have to speak my language and you can point to a picture of a toilet, and suddenly I understand, in all its gross detail, what you’re trying to communicate. We use symbols every day, from said toilet sign, to where to stop on the road, to a corporate logos, to how hot our coffee is. We are absolutely obsessed!
But even to the casual observer it’s clear that there could be more to these things. We are filled with wonder and mystery at what could be lurking behind the Nike Swoosh, or what that celebrity is saying when they flash that “illuminati” hand sign. We are curious creatures us humans. We are suspicious about what we don’t understand, fear sets in, and soon Katy Perry magically becomes Satanist. If you read the “Are Some Symbols Evil” article, we talked about this briefly. Symbols at their heart are communication. So the trick truly, is judging what a symbol is attempting to communicate. For instance, the cube is s member of a class of symbols that are called the “archetypes.” An archetype is basically the foundational element of a complex system that has a pretty universal understanding behind it. An example would be, “My friend Mark is a king among men.” You would know what I meant because I invoked the “king” archetype. We will go into in more detail in a later article. But an archetype is pretty benign stuff usually. But a black cube however is a known symbol for Saturn, which has some heavy meaning attached to it. Following me? So If I’m walking down the road, and a local cigar shop has a great big black cube as its logo. What then? Does the cigar shop owner worship Saturn? Why the cube archetype? Is the shopkeeper alluding to the Pythagorean cube as the map of the soul? You can get dig super deep into these things. My guess is that the shopkeeper probably just thinks the black cube looks cool. But if say, it were a winged black cube wearing a golden crown made from a crescent moon…then we might have something to talk about. You kinda need to use a bit of reason to suss out some of this stuff. A cube on a mom and pops shop, probably won’t mean anything. After all there are only so many shapes and people are going to use them. But a cube in front of a multinational banking institution will definitely mean something. So the point of this series will be to define some of these archetypes, and more loaded symbols like the aforementioned black cube, so you can read the language. It’s fascinating stuff, I think you will like it. Soon you will start see these symbols used everywhere, and wonder how you’ve missed it for so long. |
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