A New Look At Some Old Gods

“But then to what end was this world formed?,” said Candide. “To drive us mad.” replied Martin.—Candide, by Voltaire.

     The Deities of the ancient world were not conceived in the same manner as the “gods” of today. They were forces of nature, aspects of the psyche, concepts…they embodied this and more, and in consequence while the ancients revered them, they had no trouble having a laugh at their expense. They were realistic, as opposed to the modern sensibility of a dogmatic “correctness” that is the end of the artistic, natural spirit. Indeed, modern man is reaching a point of no return with Nature…unless he is forced to that return soon, as seems likely.

     The Greeks and Romans seem, if not obviously, then furtively, to have very often thought of their deities in male and female pairs, or syzygies to use a term popularized by Dr. Carl Jung. But beyond that there were even considerations of “mixed” deities composed of attributes of two supposedly opposed ideas, yet in this is great Truth to be found. Hermes or Mercury is a symbol of the mind or intellect, and his counter was pure emotion or Aphrodite. Hermes was male but effeminate; Aphrodite female but with masculine attributes. Combined you see them as their child Hermaphroditos in which both conceptions are balanced in equal proportion, and this is symbolic of the Philosopher’s Stone of Alchemy, and what Jung referred to as integration. It is a symbol of wholeness, rather than a deity in and of itself; but this is just a rather familiar example of the ideas I am trying to express. Hermes was often said have a deep love for Aphrodite, and symbolically this is very much like the popular conception of the interaction between the two hemispheres of the brain.

     The child of Aphrodite, or emotional love, with Ares, the God of War, was Eros, or “erotic”, sensual love. Not surprising that the “lower” form of love would be the spawn of love and war! The Goddess of Discord, however, was Eris…and while one brought people together the other pushed them apart. These two are the opposing aspects of a single phenomenon that is familiar with anyone who has been in a relationship: While there is an attraction, there is also a repulsion, and just as with the “Hermaphrodite” the Key is to learn to stand poised between the two extremes represented by these deities. This, of course, may prove easier said than done, as is everything that is worth doing.

     A pair without actual historical association, but with a strong implication of association, is the Janus-Diana couple. Janus is the God of beginnings (c.f. ‘January’) and his name is related to the Latin word ianua, ‘gate, door’. He is double-faced, having one in front and one behind, seeing both the past and the future, but a closer look shows that he can only see the ‘now’, for it is the ‘now’ in which the past and future exist simultaneously; yet ironically the case can equally be said that he can see all but the present! With his attention firmly fixed backwards and forwards simultaneously, the present is dark to him.

     It is strongly suggested that the Student study the myths of the world (particularly those “classical” stories of the Greeks and Romans) and attempt to work out the natural and/or psychological meaning behind what is meant by a given deity. The examples above should provide a more than adequate start, and the assiduous and inventive Student should come to find that this learning will be an ongoing process throughout his or her development. A close study of Joseph Campbell and the aforementioned C.G. Jung should prove of invaluable assistance.

©2012 Kevin L. Davis

Autumnal Equinox

September 22, 2012

Operators: Fratres H.A., M., & Soror L.

H.A. as Hierophant; M. as Hiereus; L as Hegemon. Temple set up for the performance of the Ceremony of the Equinox of A.'.A.'..

"Verily, being now three, we are fitted to receive the presence of the Shekinah."--Zohar 3:25b

The Ceremony of the Equinox followed as is known to all who are Neophytes or above in A.'.A.'., but with Ritual 473 Opening and Closing rather than that of Liber 671, the Hegemon receiving the WORD, which was ..., meaning "to come; to go" in Hebrew.

Afterwards we celebrated the Mass as written by myself for the Neo-Pythagorean Gnostic Church, with Duane F., Jimmy C., LeAnn, and T. in attendance, all partaking of the Eucharist. It went over well, with many from very different religious backgrounds coming together in agreement.

H.A., Frater A.'.A.'.

About time that I get this blog on the move, and actually do something about it. Top further describe myself, I am a Freemason, a 32* of the AASR, a K.T. (inactive), a Priest-in-training of the Gnosis, and have also recently received the degrees of Martinism. In the past I was in A.'.A.'., and also represent the "Choronzon Club" in its original form as an alternative approach to the Outer Order of the A.'.A.'. I'm essentially a 20+-year veteran of the "Great Work", and may start to catalog some of my current work here in this semi-anonymous forum. 

I figured that that little mini-bio might help you place me in the "occult spectrum", and let you know my interests, and where I'd like to take this blog. I don't want this to turn into a place for me to vent and rail about others (FB is for that!), but some profitable discussion is welcome....

A Good Friend

This kind man has shown more consideration than my own family:

20 guesses who it is....

Catharsis

I'd thought this blog might prove to be a type of catharsis...I don't promote it much simply because I want to keep it semi-public and out of the eye at large...although I did expect it to get a few more hits than this! Nearly finished with my first Atua (and if you don't know what that is I'm not in the mood to explain it--finally got some clear-coat)...but little of what I'd call real Work in some time. Of course, there are others who'd say I need to do this or do that, but I'm at a level of confidence now where "gurus" are the last thing on my mind. The amount of people who have ever really struck me as possibly falling into that category I could probably count on one hand; the rest are just fellow strugglers...
     Well, I'm off to do some mundane work as I have homework to attend to, and this particular professor is a pain in the ass so the best revenge is to do well. Ciao!

Alone in Company

Having a rough time of it lately. Time flows like rain, and I don't even know it's passing until it's gone...I'll be 40 before I even have a degree, & then what? No friends, to speak of...at least any I see regularly. It's a loneliness one never gets used to, hence the name of this rather directionless blog. But...at least I'm in school again, & if I can't vampirize some energy from some of these young louts around me then what kind of Man would I be? Surround myself with inspiration, listen to the conversation of youth, and feel renewed, right? No...because what I see is the same inane drivel again and again and again; not that there's anything wrong with these people, but everything seems like a rerun, and I'm tired. The Preacher was right: There's nothing new under the Sun, or over it either, I imagine. With much knowledge does come much sorrow...and I can't push it back and just "be" like other people...not now. What to do? Who the hell knows, but I'll think about it and rant some more on it later.

My Vices

I'm an addict, not to one thing, but to a combination of mild substances that no ethical veterinarian would ever even hint that you should take in conjunction. I'm cleaning up a bit...but it's in my blood. The only generation I know it to have skipped was my paternal grandfather, and even he had a serious cigarette problem.
     I'm a lucky bastard: My dad was called up for the Vietnam draft before I was born, but he was turned down due to high blood pressure (knowing my mother as I do there is probably a good explanation for it!)...so see folks: Hypertension is not always a bad thing! His name was Ellis, and as my wife once pointed out, I am the son of Ellis D.
     He would put most things in his system, but beer in particular. We like to use the Native American propensity for alcohol as an excuse, but we both know lager is German...
     Of course, if I really wanted to something just to ease the lack of substances at the moment, I have a couple of legal goodies that our wonderful Big Brother hasn't scheduled...yet. I have no doubt that there will eventually be an echo of what has happened in the EU regarding herbal medicine (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/01/new-eu-rules-on-herbal-remedies) here in the States, and bee pollen will gradually be sold for great amounts in shady parking-lot deals...Horny Goat Weed will become as rare as Rhino Horn...and all because Pfizer and that bunch of bastards like them can't patent them. Recently some of my own medication, which had for a long time been old enough to have gone generic, was tweaked a little...not enough to change its effects, but damn well enough for the manufacturer to re-patent it and start charging a testicle a month for it...
     Well...on to necessary things...eventually I may get around to writing something worth reading; until that day, Auf Wiedersehen.