“Truth is many sided and eternal; the quest for truth must also be all embracing and never ending. We may liken truth to a mountain, and the various interpretations of that truth to different paths leading up to the summit.
Many people are traveling along all of these paths and every one thinks his path is the only one while he is at the bottom; he sees only a small part of the mountain and may therefore be justified in crying to his brothers, “You are wrong; come over in my path; this is the only one that leads to the top.”
But as all these people progress upward, they shall see that the paths converge at the top and that they are all one in the ultimate.”
— The Rosicrucian Philosophy In Questions and Answers, Volume I, by Max Heindel
The writings of occultism are replete with references to both of these terms, but many such references seem extremely vague and obscure.
The confusion of the terms “God, Deity, Creator and Absolute” make the definitions given extremely contradictory, as also the indiscriminate use of the terms “Universe, Heaven, World, Cosmos, and Chaos.” That the medieval Kabbalists understood and differentiated them is certain, but the manner in which they have employed them in their writings leaves much to be desired.
The usual expression, “the Microcosm of the Macrocosm” applies equally to the reflection of the Greater in the Lesser in all the kingdoms of Life and Creative Manifestation. The use in which these terms will be employed in the Rosicrucian teachings will be as follows:
MICROCOSM – Man
MACROCOSM – God. (Solar)
MICROPROSOPUS – Supreme Being (Universe)
MACROPROSOPUS – Absolute (Cosmos)
The following are some of the attributes of the differentiations as given in the Kabala and Hermetic Writings:
Microcosm— The Lesser World, or Man
* One of the two Tetragrammaton.
* The Heavenly Man, the Manifested Logos.
* The Triangle in the Square ; the Sevenfold Cube.
* The Male-Female.
* Man, a compound of Intellect and Matter, is the Microcosm of the Macrocosm or Great Universe.
* Medieval Kabbalists, following the Jewish, also called Man the Microcosm.
* Ancient philosophers called Earth the Microcosm of the Macrocosm, and Man the outcome of the two.
* Macrocosm and Microcosm, the Universe and our Globe are the dual characters of the Universal Matrix of Cosmos personified.
* Represented by a Pentagon. Pentagon within a Hexagonal Star, the Macrocosm.
* Triad or Triangle becomes Tetraktys, the sacred Pythagorean Number; the Perfect Square and a six faced Cube on Earth.
Macrocosm— The Greater World or God.
* Absolutely Perfect Square or Tetraktys in a Circle.
* AIN—the Negatively Existent.
* God,—Universe; Solar System.
* Represented by a Hexagon.
MICROPROSOPUS & MACROPROSOPUS
Microprosopus
* Universe; Supreme Being.
* Ateh—”Thou,” Ani—”I” when speaking.
* The Lesser Countenance.
* Supernal Adam.
* Six of the Sephiroth.
* The Crown, Kether.
Macroprosopus
* The Greater Countenance.
* The Vast Countenance.
* The Great Face; in Chaldean a pure abstraction.
* The Word or Logos.
* Cosmos, in form of a Man.
* Adam Kadmon.
* Hua—”He,” the Hidden and Concealed.
* The whole ten Sephiroth represent the Heavenly Man or Primordial Being Adm Oilah. Adam Anilah. Arik Anpin.
* Six and Five, Male and Female, Hexagon and Pentagon.
* Hua, Ateh, and Ani—A—Aleph is the ending of one and the beginning of the other two, the connecting link as it were. It is the symbol of the UNITY, and the unvarying idea of the Divine operating through all these. But behind the Aleph in the name Hua are the letters – and n, the symbols of the numbers six and five.
* Man’s resemblance.—The Microcosm of Man resembles the Macrocosm of the Universe in all its aspects except that of external form.
* Man’s midway position.—Thus Man occupies a unique place in the Arcana of Nature—he stands alone midway as it were between the long ages past when his involutional development began, and the untold ages to come, when his evolutional processes shall be accomplished.
* Man, the key to all worlds.—Rosicrucians therefore regard Man as the embodiment of all conditions objective and subjective, and find in him the key to worlds terrestrial and celestial, material and spiritual, seen and unseen.
Our first contemplation of Man, objectively, reveals three conditions:
1. A visible organism.
2. Evidence of an actuating power or motive force.
3. Evidence of a directing intelligence operating from within.
Body, Life, Mind.—The first of these conditions we commonly describe as the BODY, the second as the LIFE and the third as the MIND. Careful analysis shows the error of these concepts. Spirit—Principle.
Rosicrucians teach that MATTER is the external manifestation of an internal or invisible “PRINCIPLE.” That “Principle” is SPIRIT. Everything that exists, visibly or invisibly, objectively or subjectively, MUST HAVE SUBSTANCE.
Force.
—The modus of its operation is FORCE.
—MATTER may be termed the external manifestation of SPIRIT substance, in other words, CRYSTALLIZED SPIRIT. Matter, crystallized Spirit.
—SPIRIT may be regarded as Matter, so sublimated and etherealized as to be invisible and intangible. Spirit, sublimate Matter.
—PRIMORDIAL SUBSTANCE.
Grades of Density.—As there are many grades of density in Matter, so there are many grades of density in Spirit. Life.
—The FORCE by which and through which SPIRIT manifests itself as Matter or through the various so-called phenomena of Nature, is LIFE. Therefore, LIFE may be termed the visible expression of SPIRIT POWER.
Universal Principle.
—Rosicrucians define it as the UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE, the activity of UNIVERSAL SPIRIT OR PRIMORDIAL SUBSTANCE.
Note — Life is present everywhere, in a stone or plant as well as in an animal or Man, and there is nothing in Nature which is entirely destitute of Life; because all things are a manifestation of the ONE LIFE or ONE FORCE which fills the Universe. In some bodies the activity of Life is so slow that it may be looked at as dormant or latent, in others it is rapid; but a form which is deserted by the Life Principle ceases to exist as a form.
ATTRACTION, COHESION, GRAVITATION, etc., are all manifestations of Life, while in animals this activity progresses toward a state of self-consciousness which culminates (is perfected) in Man. To suppose that Life is a product of the mechanical or physiological activity of an organism is to mistake effects for causes, and causes for effects.
—Man is an ABSOLUTELY SPIRITUAL BEING, who by the operation of SPIRIT POWER, UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE OR LIFE ; has, by a specific process, CRYSTALLIZED his external substance into a form of MATTER known as his DENSE or PHYSICAL ENVELOPE or BODY. Man a Spiritual Being.
—This “specific process” is INVOLUTION. Involution is defined as the Descent of Spirit into Matter, or the process of crystallization whereby Spirit attains a vehicle for visible manifestation, expression, or contact with other objective conditions. Involution.
—It has been written that everything that exists, either visibly or invisibly, must have substance. The one reality that can fulfil the requirements of this substance is Spirit. Therefore Spirit is the UNIVERSAL SUBSTANCE. It is the Cosmic Ocean in which all things from Universes and Solar Systems to Man are but its crystallized forms. Universal Substance.
—As the ABSOLUTE exists, it must be Spirit. We are told by theologians that “God is a Spirit.” The ABSOLUTE and Man, both being spirit, are therefore of the same substance, but vastly differentiated. Man being the Creature, leaves the primacy to the ABSOLUTE or Creator. Absolute and Man, both Spirit.
What, then, is the differentiation?
—The ABSOLUTE is the essence of all potentialities in the Cosmic Root Substance. Man is the individualized, self-conscious, differentiated Spirit at the other extreme of the long line of Spiritual Hierarchies, Angelic Hosts, Logoi, Gods of Solar Systems, and the Lesser Spiritual Powers which intervene. Absolute, an Essence.
—Man is thus Divinity incarnated in Humanity.” Divinity and Humanity.
Freemasonry, the teachings and practices of the secret fraternal order of Free and Accepted Masons, the largest worldwide secret society. Spread by the advance of the British Empire, Freemasonry remains most popular in the British Isles and in other countries originally within the empire. Freemasonry evolved from the guilds of stonemasons and cathedral builders of the Middle Ages.
Freemasonry and the Knights Templar are both fraternal organizations, but they have different origins and beliefs.
Freemasonry is a fraternity that traces its origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons, which from the end of the fourteenth century regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. These fraternities were composed of stonemasons who were working on the construction of the great cathedrals and castles of Europe. They developed a system of moral teachings and a code of conduct that was passed on to new members through a series of rituals and ceremonies. Over time, these fraternities evolved into a more speculative organization, which came to be known as Freemasonry. Today, Freemasonry is a fraternity that is open to men of good character who believe in a Supreme Being. It is a fraternity that emphasizes personal development and self-improvement through a system of moral teachings and symbols.
On the other hand, The Knights Templar were a medieval Christian military order founded in the 12th century. The order was created to protect Christian pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. The Templars quickly grew in power and wealth, and they became one of the most powerful organizations in Europe. They were also known for their secrecy and their distinctive white mantles adorned with a red cross. The order was dissolved by Pope Clement V in the early 14th century, and many of the Templars were arrested, tortured and executed.
While Freemasonry uses the imagery and symbology of stonemasonry as a metaphor for personal development, the Knights Templar were a religious order. Some people believe that Freemasonry has its roots in the Knights Templar, but there is no evidence to support this claim. Some conspiracy theories suggest that the Templars went underground after the suppression of their order and that they became the basis of the Freemasons. But there is no historical evidence to support this claim. Furthermore, the principles and beliefs of the two organizations are vastly different. The Knights Templars were a religious order and the Freemasonry is a fraternity, with no religious connotation, but it requires its members to have a belief in a Supreme Being.
The existence of Atlantis has not yet been proven. However, we have the odd testimony described in texts by Plato and in the well-known dialogues of Timaeus and Critias. But, is there concrete evidence about the existence or not of this lost continent?
At the moment we do not yet have conclusive evidence. We are told that Atlantis had a vast territory with a great naval force. That it very possibly rose in front of the Pillars of Hercules (the Strait of Gibraltar) and that it was inhabited by an almost “ideal” society.
They had great natural resources, a varied fauna where, for example, elephants were not lacking. There is also talk of a mountain surrounded by water, of a very distinguished acropolis with a royal palace and of a temple in honor of Poseidon, that god who protected them for a long time.
Until one day, the Atlanteans became too proud and lost the favor of their deity. Timaeus tells us, among other things, that they came to dominate the existing territories from Libya to Egypt, until at the end a violent earthquake made that prosperous country disappear in the absolute silence of the waters.
But do we have feasible evidence to show us the veracity of all this? Today we offer you the latest data available.
The original metal of Atlantis: the Orichalcum
The news appeared in various international media, such as the “Daily Mail”. In these media we are told of a hopeful discovery, made by a group of archaeologists from an Italian university, the “Suor Orsola Benincasa”
And what is this finding about? It was off the coast of Sicily, in a city called Gela. Beneath its calm and blue waters, there was an old sunken ship. Submerged about 300 meters deep.
What was inside it ignited the most subtle anticipation among the experts. In the old ship’s bellies were 39 ingots of something very special.
A material that is known as Orichalcum, Oricalco or Orihalcon. It is a type of legendary metal that appears in detail described in Plato’s work, as the most typical thing that was extracted from the mines of Atlantis. The second most valuable after gold. It is a Greek word that can be translated as “mountain copper.”
One of the lumps of ‘orichalcum’ that was found on the seabed just off the coast of Gela, in southern Sicily.
After various analyzes it has been discovered that the Orichalcum is actually a mixture of copper, zinc, nickel, lead and iron and, in turn, these ingots coincide with the details that Plato himself provided about how they used to be smelted.
But if these ingots are interesting, the ship where they were found is even more interesting. It is a very old ship; According to scientists, it must be just over 2,600 years old, which places it on a route that would go from some point farther in the Mediterranean to Asia Minor , at which point a storm ended up sinking it.
It should also be noted that, until recently, many considered the Orichalcum as something very similar to amber and without any relationship to Atlantis.
Others do relate it to the lost continent, but now, authors such as the British researcher James Allen, tell us that it would be more accurate to place Atlantis in the Andean Altiplano, since orichalcum is very similar to the natural alloy of gold and copper that there are in the mines in Urukilia, near Pampa Aullagas, in Bolivia. In fact, there are beautiful crafts with this material.
But what was recently discovered off the coast of Sicily gives us a new type of metal made up of 75-80% copper, 15-20% zinc and small traces of nickel, lead and iron.
Does it then belong to the mines that Plato said existed in Atlantis? We don’t know yet, but as the investigations progress we will inform you, because the subject undoubtedly deserves it.
What is your opinion? Do you think Atlantis really existed?
Five thousand years ago, the rulers of Upper Egypt cast their gaze upon the kingdoms of the Nile Delta and embarked on a conquest that, according to all indications, was accomplished by Narmer, the ruler of Nekhen, who is considered the first pharaoh of a unified Egypt.
In the 3rd century BC, the Egyptian priest Manetho composed a history of Egypt in Greek for King Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Unfortunately, from this work, known as Aegyptiaca, only a few passages have been preserved, reduced to the enumeration of thirty-one dynasties along with the names of the sovereigns who constituted them and references to some significant events during their reigns.
According to Manetho, the history of dynasties commenced with Menes, acknowledged as the inaugural pharaoh of Egypt and the founder of the First Dynasty. Prior to Menes, also known as Narmer, the land of the Nile was ruled by gods and demigods.
However, modern archaeology has revealed that long before Narmer’s reign, a lengthy process of unification of the entire Egyptian territory was underway. This process was led by monarchs hailing from Upper Egypt, the southern region of the country, who are associated with what we now call “Dynasty 0.”
These monarchs ruled during the Late Predynastic or Protodynastic period, spanning from 3300 to 3100 BC. This period corresponds to the concluding phase of the culture recognized by Egyptologists as Nagada III.
Today, Nagada (known as Nubt in ancient Egyptian and Ombos in Greek) is merely a village. However, it remains a crucial archaeological site for establishing the origins of these rulers of the 0th dynasty who embarked on their campaign to conquer the northern regions of the country.
The Earliest Kingdoms
Prior to the Late Predynastic period, the various “urban” communities in Upper Egypt had clustered along the Nile, where arable land was abundant.
Peasants made use of the river’s annual flooding, combined with early artificial irrigation techniques, to enhance agricultural productivity. This allowed for the cultivation of a wider range of crops, including cereals, fruits, and vegetables, leading to a substantial population increase.
As these communities grew, they began to be governed by leaders who were universally accepted and respected. Undoubtedly, these leaders must have possessed qualities of both military prowess and effective mediation.
Between 3500 and 3300 BC, corresponding to the Nagada II or Gerzense culture, Upper Egypt featured three prominent population centers that outshone the rest: the proto-kingdoms of Hierakonpolis (known as Nekhen in Egyptian), Nagada, and Tinis-Abydos. Their expansion led to fierce competition for dominance over the entire region and control of exotic trade goods.
The rivalries among these three centers eventually culminated in the triumph of Hierakonpolis. It unified Upper Egypt under its rule and established a highly centralized government. The victorious leaders of Hierakonpolis settled in the nearby town of Tinis-Abydos, possibly with plans for future expansion northward.
It’s worth noting that the necropolises of Upper Egypt’s most influential regional centers contained burials of varying social classes during this period. The quantity and quality of funerary objects discovered in certain graves point to the emergence of a powerful elite within an increasingly hierarchical society.
While Upper Egypt achieved military unity (possibly through alliances as well as conflicts), the settlements in Lower Egypt, specifically in the Delta region, did not form a cohesive kingdom. Some prominent elites may have existed in cities like Buto (known as Pe in Egyptian) or Sais. However, in general terms, the various communities remained autonomous from one another.
Furthermore, these Lower Egyptian communities had experienced limited social changes since the Neolithic era. They were societies with minimal social disparities, as evidenced by the simplicity of the tombs unearthed in the region. These tombs typically consisted of small, ground-dug oval graves with basic funerary belongings.
Upper and Lower Egypt
Gradually, the cultures in the northern regions abandoned their traditional practices and material culture in favor of those from Upper Egypt. They adopted features like wheel-turned pottery with a red glaze and the crafting of stone vessels, which were characteristic of Nagada II.
By the onset of the Late Predynastic period, around 3300 BC, the indigenous culture of Lower Egypt had vanished, supplanted by elements from Upper Egypt. Now, the entire country was culturally united, though not politically. The political unification that would ultimately lead to the formation of the pharaonic state commenced in the south during the final phase of the Predynastic era. The expansion of Upper Egypt toward the north must have been gradual and intricate, occurring under the rule of various kings from Dynasty 0.
It is intriguing to note that in later dynastic times, starting in the 3rd millennium BC, the falcon god Horus, symbolizing order, was regarded as the protective deity of Lower Egypt, while the warrior god Set, symbolizing chaos, served as the patron deity of Upper Egypt. According to mythology, Horus and Set clashed when the latter slew Osiris, the father of Horus. Until recently, scholars interpreted this mythical conflict between Horus and Set as a reflection of the struggles between two predynastic kingdoms: one from Upper Egypt and the other from Lower Egypt.
However, contemporary understanding suggests that the unification process did not result from a confrontation between an Upper Egyptian ruler and a unified Delta. In reality, Egypt’s transformation into a territorial state resulted from the successive conquests carried out by the kings of Upper Egypt over several generations.
In this context, the concept of Egypt as a land of the Two Lands (comprising two kingdoms) lacks historical grounding. Instead, it aligns with the Egyptian notion that a whole is constituted by two opposing yet complementary parts. These two halves, Upper and Lower Egypt, had their own patron gods and emblematic symbols. Consequently, Set and the city of Hierakonpolis became the protective deity and symbolic capital of Upper Egypt, while the falcon god Horus and the city of Buto assumed the role of the protective deity and symbolic capital of Lower Egypt.
The Tomb of an Unknown King
Archaeological excavations conducted in Tinis-Abydos have unveiled the history of Egypt’s unifiers—the rulers of the 0th dynasty.
Starting from the Nagada III period, Abydos, serving as the necropolis of the city of Tinis (whose precise location remains unknown), became the final resting place for these rulers.
Their tombs have been identified in what we now recognize as Cemetery U and Cemetery B. Among the tombs, the most extensive and intricate one is the Uj tomb, associated with a leader or sovereign who lived around 3250 BC.
The discovery and excavation of this tomb took place in 1988, led by archaeologists from the German Institute in Cairo under the guidance of Egyptologist Günter Dreyer. Covering an area of 66.4 square meters, the tomb comprises twelve interconnected chambers linked by narrow vertical slots.
Despite being plundered in ancient times, archaeologists uncovered bone and ivory artifacts, including intricately carved knife handles, stone containers, a significant cache of ceramics (including plates, bread molds, and jugs containing scented oil, fats, and beer), as well as up to 400 vessels believed to have been imported from Canaan, possibly used to store wine.
Within the burial chamber, remnants of a wooden chapel and a complete ivory heqa scepter were discovered. The heqa scepter, shaped like a staff, symbolized royal authority during dynastic periods. Its presence in the tomb strongly suggests the royal status of its occupant.
Among the diverse array of funerary objects found in the Uj tomb of Abydos, the most significant for researchers may be the 150 small bone or ivory tablets engraved with the earliest hieroglyphic signs recorded in Egyptian history. These signs also appeared inscribed in black ink on ceramic vessels and represent the oldest known evidence of writing in the Nile region, possibly even the oldest writing in the world. These inscriptions confirm the indigenous origin of Egyptian writing and suggest its connection to the realm of royal funerals.
While the identity of the tomb’s occupant remains a mystery, the frequent appearance of the scorpion symbol on the ceramic vessels found there has led to the suggestion that the sovereign interred here might have been referred to as King Scorpion I. However, this is likely a symbolic name, and the prominently depicted scorpion sign may represent one of the many symbols of his power and strength rather than a literal name.
The Trials of Unification
As previously explained, the political unification of Egypt was the outcome of an extended series of military conquests in the Delta region carried out by the kings of Upper Egypt, predating the First Dynasty.
Our sole evidence of these conquests stems from the relief scenes found in the “unification documents,” which date back to the conclusion of the Predynastic era. These documents include knife handles, votive mace heads, and sizable ceremonial palettes, originally utilized as platforms for cosmetics preparation.
The Palettes of the Lion and the Bull depict the king in the guise of a lion or a bull, engaged in combat against enemies or fortified cities. These themes frequently recur in the iconography of the period and likely offer a representation of actual events.
The rulers credited with accomplishing the unification of the Two Lands are Narmer and Scorpion, though many experts propose that they might be one and the same individual.
In their respective city of origin, Hierakonpolis, a significant cult center linked to the falcon god Horus, numerous votive objects bearing these names have been unearthed. These include the renowned Palette of Narmer and the mace heads featuring Scorpion and Narmer.
It is highly probable that the scenes etched on the Narmer votive palette portray the culmination of this unification process. Narmer, recognized as the first ruler of the First Dynasty and the founder of the city of Memphis, is credited with finalizing the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt around 3100 BC.
Source: Irene Cordón i Solà-Sagalés, National Geographic
Shoulder of the bulls, from Abydos. Louvre Museum, Paris. BridgemanHandle of the Gebel El-Arak knife, made of ivory. Louvre Museum, Paris. Bridgeman
Throughout most of ancient Egyptian history, the god Ra was the supreme deity who governed the passage of hours, days, months, years, and seasons.
He brought order to the universe and made life possible. Ra could manifest in two other forms: Khepri, symbolizing birth or rebirth as the dung beetle, and Atum, representing the complete being.
The ancient Egyptian clergy explained that the sun star could assume different forms during its journey across the sky: Khepri represented the rising sun, Ra symbolized the sun at its zenith, and Atum represented the setting sun.
Ra’s daily emergence from the depths of the Duat (underworld) symbolized the cyclical nature of creation, and he was particularly venerated at Heliopolis.
During the Old Kingdom, the cult of Ra had a significant influence, combining with the two primary deities of creation, Atum and Amun, to give rise to hybrid entities like Atum-Ra and later Amun-Ra.
This is how the sun god became worshipped as a creator god. Ra was also considered the ancestor of the pharaohs, and his role grew even more complex as he merged with other gods.
The Birth of Ra
There are various versions of Ra’s birth. In a classic rendition, as recounted notably by Neil Philip in his work “Myths and Legends,” Ra created himself by naming himself, just as he would create the elements of life by drawing them from the Nun, the primordial ocean.
In a variant, Ra is said to have been brought into the world by the goddess Neith during the darkness that presided over the emergence of life on Earth.
When confronted by this darkness, he began to cry, and humanity was born from his tears. Neith also gave birth to the serpent Apophis (Apep). Apophis and Ra were in constant conflict, clashing night after night.
Ra, whether as Atum-Ra or Amun-Ra, was not only the god of the sun but also the ruler of both gods and humans. Ra, and later his sons, reigned on Earth. The eye of Ra watched and observed everything, sparing nothing from its gaze.
The Papyrus of Ani is one of the best-known versions of the Book of the Dead. It is believed that it was written about the nineteenth dynasty.
Among other things, its importance is because it contemplates the largest number of chapters among all the texts that have been found, explaining in detail the judgment of Osiris, a moment in which the soul of the deceased faces a judgment on the conduct of his past life.
The ancient Egyptians had a lot of respect for death. They cared more about the afterlife than the present one. For this reason, those who could afford it, as it was very expensive, did not hesitate to purchase their own Book of the Dead.
They could be made to order, thus bearing the name of the deceased and having previously chosen the spells for his papyrus. On the other hand, series of the Books of the Dead were also frequent, in which space was left to place the name of the deceased (they would obviously be cheaper).
Taking this into account, we can affirm that Ani was someone of great relevance. In the text, it is already said that he was a scribe, and the truth is that the scribes enjoyed an excellent social position at that time.
The text thus reveals that Ani was a “true royal scribe and administrator of the divine offerings of all the gods”, “Governor of the granary of the lords of Abydos and scribe of the divine offerings of the Lords of Thebes,” and “Beloved of the lord of the north and south”.
All this makes us see that he was of a high rank and that his position allowed him to pay for such a complex and elaborate book.
Egyptologists believe that the book was written by three different scribes. This is because three very different spellings can be identified, although it is true that they are from the same school and that one of them stands out above the other two.
On this occasion, the text was adapted to the images, as can be seen in the changes of signs, repetition of chapters, and omission of others. This was unusual for this type of book.
The book itself is nothing more than a perfect manual of the steps that the ka of the deceased must follow in the Duat. A Guide to the Perils of the Path to Judgment with Osiris. Thus, this book would have been called the book of eternal awakening.
Although approximately twenty-five thousand different copies of the Book of the Dead have been found, this papyrus of Ani is, without a doubt, one of the best-preserved copies. Therefore, the book itself has been a great source of knowledge about the religiosity of the ancient Egyptians.
The “strange” find of the papyrus
Discovered in the tomb of Ani at Thebes (nineteenth dynasty ca. 1250 BC), it recounts the journey to the afterlife of this high official and royal scribe together with his wife, the priestess Tutu.
It was purchased by the controversial Ernest Wallis Budge (1857-1934). Given the “strange” circumstances by which the piece was taken, the authorities of the Antiquities Service surrounded the Egyptologist’s house to seize the pieces. But Budge did not flinch, and he evaded the pieces.
In order to more easily take out the papyrus from the country, he cut its more than twenty-three meters into thirty-seven fragments, which are the ones that can be seen today in the British Museum in London.
Isis and Nephthys before Osiris, in the form of a Djed pillar. Papyrus of Ani.
Whether an apprentice or an adept, each practitioner of Mysticism/Magic of any kind should have for themselves some understanding of what we could call, for the moment, the Subtlety of Results. For […]
The true teaching of Brahma Vach is enshrined in the secret code language of Nature. A new mode of initiation has already begun. Invisible beings in their mayavi rupas cherish the teaching, but no visible beings are entirely excluded. The quintessential teaching is conveyed in so many different ways that prepare for the sacred instructions in deep sleep, even for those struggling souls who seize their last chance in this life. The more any person can maintain during waking hours the self-conscious awareness of what is known deep within — even though one cannot formulate it — the more one can hold it and see it as blasphemous to speak thoughtlessly about it. Though such persons participate in all the fickle changes of the butterfly mind, the more attentively they can preserve and retain the seminal energy of thought with a conscious continuity, the more easily will every anxiety about themselves fade into a cool state of contentment. Like a shadow following the lost and stumbling seeker of the light, a true disciple will unexpectedly encounter the forgotten wisdom, the spiritual knowledge, springing up suddenly, spontaneously, within the very depths of his being. Then he may receive the crystalline waters of life-giving wisdom through the central conduit of light-energy, symbolized in the physical body by the spinal cord. One may walk in the world with deep gratitude for the sacred privilege of being a self-conscious Manasaputra within the divine temple of the universe for the sake of shedding light upon all that lives and breathes. In seeing, one can send out beneficent rays. In hearing, one can listen beyond the cacophony of the world. Whilst one is listening constantly to the music of the spheres echoing within one’s head and heart, one is able to send forth thoughts and feelings that are benevolent and unconditional, extended towards all other human minds. These thoughts could become living talismans for the men and women of tomorrow in the fields of cognition wherein the war between light and darkness, the living and the dead, is now being waged.
The Philosophy of Perfection of Krishna, the Religion of Responsibility of the Buddha and the Science of Spirituality of Shankara, constitute the Pythagorean teaching of the Aquarian Age of Universal Enlightenment. There are general and interstitial relationships between the idea of perfectibility, the idea of gaining control over the mind, and the exalted conception of knowledge set forth in the eighteenth chapter of the Gita. To begin to apprehend these connections, one must first heed the mantramic injunction from The Voice of theSilence: “Strive with thy thoughts unclean before they overpower thee.” Astonishingly, there was a moment in the sixties when millions became obsessed with instant enlightenment; fortunately, this is not true at present. Few people now seriously believe that they are going to die as perfected beings in this lifetime. This does not mean that the secret doctrines of the 1975 cycle are irrelevant to the ordinary man who, without false expectations, merely wants to finish his life with a modicum of fulfilment. All such seekers can benefit immensely from calmly meditating upon the Sthitaprajna, the Self-Governed Sage, the Buddhas of Perfection. This is the crux of Krishna’s medicinal method in the Gita. He presents Arjuna with the highest ideal, simultaneously shows his difficulties and offers intensive therapy and compassionate counsel. This therapeutic mode continues until the ninth chapter, where Krishna says, “Unto thee who findeth no fault I will now make known this most mysterious knowledge, coupled with a realization of it, which having known thou shalt be delivered from evil.” In the eighteenth chapter he conveys the great incommunicable secret — so-called because even when communicated it resides within the code language of Buddhic consciousness. The authors of all the great spiritual teachings like the Gita, The Voice of the Silence and The Crest Jewel ofWisdom knew that there is a deep mythic sense in which the golden verses can furnish only as much as a person’s state of consciousness is ready to receive.
H.P. Blavatsky dedicated The Voice of the Silence to the few, to those who seek to become lanoos, true neophytes on the Path. Like Krishna, she gave a shining portrait of the man of meditation, the Teacher of Mankind. In chosen fragments from the Book of the Golden Precepts, the merciful warning is sounded at the very beginning: “These instructions are for those ignorant of the dangers of the lower IDDHI.” In this age the consequences of misuse of psychic powers over many lives by millions of individuals have produced a holocaust — the harvest of terrible effects. Rigid justice rules the universe. Many human beings have gaping astral wounds and fear that there is only a tenuous connecting thread between their personal consciousness and the light of the higher nature. Human beings have long misused Kriyashakti, the power of visualization, and Itchashakti, the power of desire. Above all, they have misused the antipodal powers of knowledge,Jnanashakti, so that there is an awful abyss between men of so-called knowledge and men of so-called power. What is common to both is that their pretensions have already gone for naught, and therefore many have begun to some extent to sense the sacred orbit of the Brotherhood of Bodhisattvas. On the global plane we also witness today the tragic phenomenon of which The Voice ofthe Silence speaks. Many human beings did not strive with their unclean hobgoblin images of a cold war. The more they feared the hobgoblin, the more they became frozen in their conception of hope. Human beings can collectively engender a gigantic, oppressive elemental, like the idea of a personal God, or the Leviathan of the State, which is kept in motion by reinforcement through fear, becoming a kind of reality and producing a paralysis of the will on the global plane.
Today, for the first time in recent decades, we live at that fortunate moment when psychopathology and sociopathology have alike become boring, throwing the individual back upon his intuitions, dreams and secret intimations. Individuals cannot suddenly create refined vestures for the highest spiritual thought-energy, but they can at least desist from self-degradation. No protection a human being can devise is more potent or powerful than the arc of light around every human form. Any individual with unwavering faith in the divine is firmly linked with the ray descending into the hollow of the heart. One can totally reduce the shadowy self to a zero. The cipher may become a circle of sweetness and a sphere of light. It is imperative to keep faith with oneself in silence and secrecy, as every telling weakens the force that is generated. Krishna says, “In whatever way men approach me, in that way do I assist them.” This is offered unconditionally to all. Near the end of his instruction he says, “Act as seemeth best unto thee.”
Basic honesty will go far to clean out the cobwebs of delusion and confusion so that the seeds of spiritual regeneration may be salvaged. Patience is needed together with enduring trust in the healing and nurturing processes of Nature that protect the seeds silently germinating in the soil. They cannot be pulled up and scrutinized again and again, but must be allowed to sprout in the soft light of the dawn, enriched by the radiant magnetism of universal love which maintains the whole cosmos in motion. Even a little soul-memory shows that there is no need to blame history or Nature, much less the universe, for the universe is on the side of every sincere impulse. Even the most wicked and depraved man may have some hope. Even a little daily practice delivereth a man from great risk. Even a minute grain of soul-wisdom, when patiently assimilated with a proper mental posture in relation to the sacred teachings and the sacrificial Teachers, will act as a beneficent influence and an unfailing guide to the true servant of the Masters of the Verbum. This incommunicable secret of Krishna is the sweetest and most potent gift of the divine Logos of the cosmos to the awakened humanity of today and the global civilization of tomorrow.
Hello, Isiacs! No new post this Sunday as I am off in the wilds of Ffynnon celebrating the Rites, Devotions, and Mysteries of Hekate for Fall Equinox. Many blessings of the Equinox to all of you an…
The Gita presents a magnificent portrait of the man of meditation who has all his senses and organs under complete control. Whatever he does, he remains seated like one unaffected and aloof (kutastha). He does not identify with any of the instruments musically necessary for the creative transformation of the cosmic process. The Religion of Responsibility is rooted in Ṛta, sattvic motion in unmanifested Nature, and it makes sattvic consciousness (dharma) accessible to imperfect individuals. A human being who valiantly journeys in consciousness behind and beyond the visible process of Nature — like a ballerina in Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” becoming Spring itself while remaining a single character in the concordant ballet — maintains a joyous and silent awareness of the whole process while coolly functioning at various levels with deft dexterity. All human beings, insofar as they can smoothly function at diverse levels of precise control and painless transcendence, can attain to firm fixity of mind and serene steadfastness of spirit — the sacred marks of initiation through sattvic ideation in the secret heart. Sattvic knowledge is the invisible common thread transcending all apparent differences. It gives support to rhythmic activity which is simultaneously precise, liberating and intrinsically self-validating, without the creeping shadow of inconstancy.
The self of the individual who is sattvic is integrated with the Self which surveys the whole world with its congeries of forms and objects, whilst seeing all of these appearances in local time and visible space as evanescent parts of a continuous process of interconnected if conceptually discrete causes and consequences. This is like a mighty river that flows from a hidden stream issuing from a sacred source in the depths of the highest mountain ranges. Dnyaneshvari offers an apt analogy which applies both to anamnesis and to Turiya-Sattva. Just as when a stream becoming a river empties itself into the great ocean, so too will individual consciousness when it withdraws itself from its reflected sense of ‘I-ness’ within the world of insupportable illusions. When the principle of self-consciousness initiates this inner withdrawal, it quietly empties itself into the great ocean of primordial light, Daiviprakriti, universal and self-luminous consciousness. Yet at the same time it remains active within Hiranyagarbha, the pristine golden egg of immortal individuality, cosmic and trans-human.
From the standpoint of the man of meditation, light and darkness are archetypal categories applicable at many levels. Philosophically and mystically, darkness at the level of inversion is chaos, and light as we understand it in nature is associated with the illumination of a field of consciousness. Psychologically, for many sad souls darkness is the deepening shadow of loneliness, and light shines as the resplendent vision of human brotherhood and the spiritual solidarity of all that lives. This can become a glorious vision of enduring hope, invulnerable faith and unwavering affirmation. Rodin’s well-known simile in stone suggests that the pilgrim-soul and weary toiler is plunged in deep thought. All such persons are asking the oldest question — “Who am I?” Significant trends are emerging across the globe, and the crisis is aggravated by the breakdown of alternatives everywhere and especially in the North American continent. Light and darkness refer to every revivified conception of what is real, what is abstract and what concrete in the vast field of unilluminated objects and hazy memories, the negations and affirmations of consciousness resulting from the repeated negation of a false sense of ‘I’ in a fast-changing world.
The Secret Doctrine offers the ancient analogy of the Sun to the individual emerging out of the cave of avidya in search of Universal Good (SAT). Though difficult to exemplify, a talismanic exercise in practical instruction is conveyed. Close your eyes, and from the depths of inmost consciousness travel outward to the extremest limits in every direction. You will find equal lines or rays of perception extending evenly in all directions, so that the utmost effort of ideation will terminate in the vault of a sphere. Think of yourself as within a numinous golden egg, a divine sphere. Close your eyes, draw within, behind and beyond your own shadowy conception of yourself, behind the superficial and self-limiting images of the mind’s surface, cast there by the lunar activity of the world, and eclipse your own restless lunar self.
As you withdraw behind your five senses, focus upon the point between your eyes and see that point as only a representation in the physical face of a field of consciousness where there are innumerable points, each of which is at the centre of a radiant sphere formed by a reflection of the fiery substance of the dark ocean of space.
From the standpoint of your own self-conscious ray of light, try to think outward to the extreme limits of boundless space in every direction. You will find that equal lines or rays of perception will terminate in all directions in the invisible vault of a macrocosmic sphere. The limit of the sphere will be a great circle, and the direct rays of thought in any direction must be right-line radii from a common centre in an immaterial, homogeneous medium. This is the all-embracing human conception of the manifesting aspect of the ever-hidden Ain-Soph, which formulates itself in the geometrical figure of a circle with elements of continuous curvature, circumference and rectilinear radii. This geometrical shape is the first recognizable link between the Ain-Soph and the highest intelligence of man. The rule proclaimed at the portals of the Pythagorean School and the Platonic Academy limited entry to those who had deeply reflected upon divine geometry.
According to Eastern esotericism, this great circle, which reduces to the point within the invisible boundless sphere, is Avalokiteshwara, the Logos. It is the manifested God, the Verbum of the Gospel According to St. John, unknown to man except through its manifested universe and the entirety of mankind. The One is intuitively known by the many, although the One is unthinkable by any mode of mere intellection. Reaching within consciousness means going behind and beyond every possible perception and conception, every possible colour and form. Form corresponds to knowledge on the lower reflected lunar plane; colour corresponds to the knower at the level of the reflected ray. The objects of knowledge are merely modifications of a single substance. These do not yield any simple triadic diagram, but involve a gradual ascent within consciousness, in a tranquil state of contemplation, towards the greatest parametric conception of the One. The Logos sleeps in the bosom of Parabrahm— in the Abstract Absolute — during pralaya or non-manifestation, just as our individual Ego is in latency during deep, dreamless sleep. We cannot cognize Parabrahm except as Mulaprakriti, the mighty expanse of undifferentiated cosmic matter. This is not merely a vesture in cosmic creation through which radiate the energy and wisdom of Parabrahm. It is the Divine Ground.
The Logos in its highest aspect takes no notice of history. The Logos is behind and beyond what appears important to human beings, but the Logos knows itself. That transcendent self-knowledge is the fons et origo of all the myriad rays of self-conscious, luminous intelligence focused at a certain level of complexity in what we call the human being, rays which, at the same time, light up the infinitude of points in space-time. As the Logos is unknown to differentiated species, and as Parabrahm is unknown to Prakriti, Eastern esotericism and the Kabbalah alike have resolved the abstract synthesis in relatively concrete images in order to bring the Logos within the range of human conception. We have images, therefore, such as that of the sun and the light, but there is freedom through concentration, abstraction and expansion, while there is bondage through consolidation, concretization and desecration. The Logos is like the sun through which light and heat radiate, but whose energy and light exist in some unknown condition in space and are diffused throughout space as visible light. If one meditates at noon on the invisible midnight sun, which sages reflect upon in a calm state of ceaseless contemplation, and if one remains still and serene, one could exercise the privilege of using the divine gift of sound. The sun itself is only the agent of the Light in The Voice of the Silence. This is the first triadic hypostasis. The Tetraktys is emanated by concentrating the energizing light shed by the Logos, but it subsists by itself in the Divine Darkness. A tremendous light-energy flows from the deepest thought, wherein one continuously voids every conception of the reflected ray of egoity or the individual self, all objects and universes, everything in what we call space and time. Thus the individuating mind enters subtler dimensions, through which it can approach universal cognition in a resplendent realm of noumenal reality, opening onto a shared field of total awareness in Mahat, wherein the self-consciousness of divine wisdom (Vach) is eternally enacted by self-luminous Mahatmas, the Brotherhood of Light.
Since, then, the soul is immortal and has been born many times, since it has seen all things both in this world and in the other, there is nothing it has not learnt. No wonder, then, that it is able to recall to mind goodness and other things, for it knew them beforehand. For, as all reality is akin and the soul has learnt all things, there is nothing to prevent a man who has recalled — or, as people say, ‘learnt’ — only one thing from discovering all the rest for himself, if he will pursue the search with unwearying resolution. For on this showing all inquiry or learning is nothing but recollection.
Plato
Anamnesis is true soul-memory, intermittent access to the divine wisdom within every human being as an immortal Triad. All self-conscious monads have known over countless lifetimes a vast host of subjects and objects, modes and forms, in an ever-changing universe. Assuming a complex series of roles as an essential part of the endless process of learning, the soul becomes captive recurrently to myriad forms of maya and moha, illusion and delusion. At the same time, the soul has the innate and inward capacity to cognize that it is more than any and all of these masks. As every incarnated being manifests a poor, pale caricature of himself — a small, self-limiting and inverted reflection of one’s inner and divine nature — the ancient doctrine of anamnesis is vital to comprehend human nature and its hidden possibilities. Given the fundamental truth that all human beings have lived many times, initiating diverse actions in intertwined chains of causation, it necessarily follows that everyone has the moral and material environment from birth to death which is needed for self-correction and self-education. But who is it that has this need? Not the shadowy self or false egoity which merely reacts to external stimuli. Rather, there is that eye of wisdom in every person which in deep sleep is fully awake and which has a translucent awareness of self-consciousness as pure primordial light.
We witness intimations of immortality in the pristine light in the innocent eye of every baby, as well as in the wistful eye of every person near the moment of death. It seems that the individual senses that life on earth is largely an empty masquerade, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Nevertheless, there is a quiet joy in the recognition that one is fully capable of gaining some apprehension not only of the storied past but also of the shrouded future by a flashing perception of his unmodified, immutable divine essence. If one has earned this through a lifetime of meditation, one may attain at the moment of withdrawal from the body a healing awareness of the reality behind the dense proscenium of the earth’s drama.
Soul-memory is essentially different from what is ordinarily called memory. Most of the time the mind is clouded by a chaotic association of images and ideas that impinge upon it from outside. Very few human beings, however, are in a position to make full use of the capacity for creative thinking. They simply cannot fathom what it is like to be a thinking being, to be able to deliberate calmly and to think intently on their own. Automatic cerebration is often mistaken for primary thinking. To understand this distinction, one must look at the fundamental relation between oneself as a knower and the universe as a field of knowledge. Many souls gain fleeting glimpses of the process of self-enquiry when they are stilled by the panoramic vistas of Nature, silenced by the rhythmic ocean, or alone amidst towering mountains. Through the sudden impact of intense pain and profound suffering they may be thrown back upon themselves and be compelled to ask, “What is the meaning of all of this?” “Who am I?” “Why was I born?” “When will I die?” “Can I do that which will now lend a simple credence to my life, a minimal dignity to my death?”
Pythagoras and Plato taught the Eastern doctrine of the spontaneous unfolding from within of the wisdom of the soul. Soul-wisdom transcends all formal properties and definable qualities, as suggested in the epistemology, ethics and science of action of the Bhagavad Gita. It is difficult for a person readily to generate and release an effortless balancing of the three dynamic qualities of Nature — sattva, rajas and tamas — or to see the entire cosmos as a radiant garment of the divine Self. He needs to ponder calmly upon the subtle properties of the gunas, their permutations and combinations. Sattvic knowledge helps the mind to meditate upon the primordial ocean of pure light, the bountiful sea of milk in the old Hindu myths. The entire universe is immersed in a single sweeping cosmic process. Even though we seem to see a moving panorama of configurations, colours and forms, sequentiality is illusory. Behind all passing forms there are innumerable constellations of minute, invisible and ultimately indivisible particles, whirling and revolving in harmonic modes of eternal circular motion. A person can learn to release anamnesis to make conscious and creative use of modes of motion governing the life-atoms that compose the variegated universe of his immortal and mortal vestures.
The timeless doctrine of spiritual self-knowledge in the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita suggests that human beings are not in the false position of having to choose between perfect omniscience and total nescience. Human beings participate in an immense hinterland of differentiation of the absolute light reflected within modes of motion of matter. To grow up is to grasp that one cannot merely oscillate between extremes. Human thought too often involves the violence of false negation — leaping from one kind of situation to the exact opposite rather than seeing life as a fertile field for indefinite growth. This philosophical perspective requires us to think fundamentally in terms of the necessary relation between the knower and the known. Differences in the modalities of the knowable are no more and no less important than divergences in the perceptions and standpoints of knowers. The universe may be seen for what it is — a constellation of self-conscious beings and also a vast array of elemental centres of energy — devas and devatas all of which participate in a ceaseless cosmic dance that makes possible the sacrificial process of life for each and every single human being. If one learns that there are degrees within degrees of reflected light, then one sees the compelling need to gain the faculty of divine discrimination (viveka). That is the secret heart of the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita.
The Gita is a jewelled essay in Buddhi Yoga. Yoga derives from the root yog, ‘to unite’, and centres upon the conscious union of the individual self and the universal Self. The trinity of Nature is the lock of magic, and the trinity of Man is the sole key, and hence the grace of the Guru. This divine union may be understood at early stages in different ways. It could be approached by a true concern for anasakti, selfless action and joyous service, the precise performance of duties and a sacrificial involvement in the work of the world. It may also be attempted through the highest form of bhakti or devotion, in concentrating and purifying one’s whole being so as to radiate an unconditional, constant and consistent truth, a pure, intense and selfless feeling of love. And it must also summon forth true knowledge through altruistic meditation. Jnana and dhyanado not refer to the feeble reflections of the finite and fickle mind upon the finite and shadowy objects of an ever-evolving world, but rather point to that enigmatic process of inward knowing wherein the knower and the known become one, fused in transcendent moments of compassionate revelation. The pungent but purifying commentary by Dnyaneshvari states in myriad simple metaphors the profoundest teaching of the Gita. In offering numerous examples from daily life, Dnyaneshvari wants to dissolve the idea that anything or any being can be known through a priori categories that cut up the universe into watertight compartments and thereby limit and confine consciousness. The process of true learning merges disparate elements separated only because of the looking-glass view of the inverted self which mediates between the world and ourselves in a muddled manner. The clearest perception of sattva involves pure ideation.
Isis leading the initiate… Part 3 For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been looking into the history—occult and otherwise—of the unique artifact known as the Mensa Isiaca or Table/t of I […]
Grand Temple of Horus Behdety 