Hercules:

 

Hercules:

 

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

TO HERCULES.

HEAR, strenuous Hercules, untam'd and strong,

To whom grand works and powerful hands belong,

Titan untam'd, rejoicing and benign,

Of various forms, eternal and divine.

Father of Time, the theme of gen'ral praise,

Ineffable, adored in various ways,

Magnanimous, in divination skill'd,

And in thy athletic labours of the field.

'Tis thine, strong archer, all things to devour,

Supreme, all-helping, all-producing pow'r.

To thee mankind as their deliv'rer pray,

Whose arm can chase the savage tribes away.

Unweary'd, earth's best blossom, offspring fair,

To whom calm peace and peaceful works are dear.

Self-born, with primogenial fires you shine,

And various names, and strength of heart are thine:

Thy mighty head supports the morning light,

And bears, untam'd, the silent gloomy night;

From east to west, endu'd with strength divine,

Twelve glorious labours to absolve is thine;

Supremely skill'd, thou reign'st in heav'n's abodes,

Thyself a God, amidst thy immortal Gods.

With arms unshaken, infinite, divine,

Come, blessed pow'r, and to our rites incline;

The mitigations of disease convey,

And drive disastrous maladies away.

Come, shake the branch with thy almighty arm,

Dismiss thy darts, and noxious fate disarm.

Hercules is the most well-known of all the Greek heroes and he symbolizes the struggle of the Great Work, via the Herculean tasks. Although he is associated with the Holy Guardian Angel, he is not, the Angel. Heroes should rather be equated to Demigods for convenience, indeed they are in a certain respect, more venerable, than the Gods themselves. The reason for this is, that they are more real, and communication or union with the Gods and their offices only serve to prepare one for encountering these Heroes. Hercules is thus symbolic of divine inspiration, as representing the True Will, the True Will is realized in Tiphareth, however the influence of the Heroes is established via the connection between an adept and Binah along with Jupiter, hence Chesed being the Sphere of the Devas. The Devas are gods who may choose to incarnate, similar to the Secret Chiefs or the Bodhisatvas and these gods are the equivalent of the Orphic idea of Heroes in relation to the planetary orbs, and Madam Blavatsky’s idea of the Hidden Mahatmas. So, as Iamblichus taught, once K&C is attained, the Theurgist must give his Soul over to the superintendence of a God, by this, I believe he meant the Secret Chiefs or Heroes. 

These Heroes are present in all magickal traditions and this has in the past been noted, it suggests to me, that they present an individual’s connection to tradition. As, what they represent, is the unfolding of Being, the individual’s relationship to the divine is the vehicle for this unfoldment, which they render the expression of. Thus, they become, in a sense, that which is manifested on Earth through an adept’s connection to Heaven via Binah, this is understood in Thelemic parlance as the True Will. The True Will is what orders the Great Work but cannot do so, unless it has been grounded in tradition, and this is where these entities come in as being symbolic of Phanes' relationship with Aether, who, it’s said created Heaven and Earth. Therefore, these Heroes, are indicative of the Daughter, having taken the place of the Mother, as representing the cycle of creation, thus evolution. Contact with Demigods ensures that the evolution is guided in a specific direction, via the Will of a magician. The importance of the Heroes is thus, that they are the expression of the Soul's will.

Tiphareth is said to be the first summit, where an adept gets a glimpse at the Unity, although we could say that it is also at Tiphareth, that he gets a proper look at Phanes. The impression from an adept's encounter with his True Self is what summons the Heroes, which equates to the True Will. As Tiphareth joins the Astral and Ethical Triads and Chesed joins the Supernal and Ethical Triads, interaction with the Demigods is what joins Heaven and Earth and becomes the means by which equilibrium is re-established. This expresses the difficulty of the task and how the story of the Herculean task has been formulated, to express this idea. 

“Since, according to Orpheus, there is an intellectual which is the source of the sensible world; the former containing in a primary and causal manner what the latter comprehends secondarily and sensibly; hence the former contains an intellectual heaven and earth, not like the material existing in place, and conversant with the circulations of time; but subsisting immaterially in the stable essence of eternity.”

The above quote is concerned with the creative influence from the Supernal Triad, as in this Theology, Saturn is also called Intellectual Heaven and Earth and is establishing that the influence from the Heroes proceeds from this Triad. Thus, the Heroes are clearly established as Gods, but more than that, they link the sensible to the intellectual and are said to subsist within “the stable essence of eternity” establishing their connection with the Spirit, hence we can see the connection between these Heroes and the Holy Guardian Angel. "Now as Hercules is celebrated in this hymn as the Sun, and the Sun is the same with Hyperion, the reason is obvious why Hercules is called " Earth's best blossom.""  However, they are of an inspirational quality and still don’t form part of the Soul, in the strict sense of the word. Deducing from the above expressed nature and asking the question, what is immortality? I conclude that their relevance, is only expressed within the framework of tradition, and gives us the reason for their diverse natures, as being universally present. Therefore, once dialogue with the Heroes has been established, a person is integrating their influence, which becomes an expression of the dialogue between the individual Soul and the All-Soul. Their influence becomes prophetic, as it is interpreted by a Soul that has harmonized with the Gods and is grounded in having an affinity with the Demigods, who are guiding this influence. "In this divine world another sun and moon and stars shine with intellectual light; for every thing there is perfectly lucid, light continually mingling with light. From this heaven and earth resident in the intellectual Phanes, Orpheus, according to Proclus, derives the sublunary orders of the Gods;..." 

“Phanes, as we are informed by Athenagoras, is denominated by Orpheus Hercules and Time. Hence, we see the reason why Hercules in this hymn is said "to shine with primogenial fires;" since he is no other than Protogonus in the intelligible and intellectual worlds, and the Sun in the sensible world.”

Once the 'Vision of Beauty' is experienced, a person gets a look at Phanes, who is said to be absorbed and revealed by Chesed. It is this vision that unfolds the true nature of the All and can only be expressed by one’s direct relationship to the Supernal Light, both of which are unconsciously perceived at this point, as the True Will and symbolically represented in the subject of this essay. The above quote is a perfect representation of The Hermit ATU in the Thoth Tarot, which is a visual depiction of Jupiter’s influence. Wherein the card, the Hermit is holding the World Egg, which is symbolic of Phanes, in his right hand and the lamp he carries in his left is the Sun and symbolic of Tiphareth, thus, the Hermit himself reflects the connection between Jupiter and the Sun and the unfolding of Being for an adept.

“Love under will, love under will.”

Pan:

 

 

Pan:

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

STRONG past'ral Pan, with suppliant voice I call,

Heav'n, sea, and earth, the mighty queen of all,

Immortal fire ; for all the world is thine,

And all are parts of thee, 0 pow'r divine.

Come, blessed Pan, whom rural haunts delight,

Come, leaping, agile, wand'ring, starry light.

Thron'd with the Seasons, Bacchanalian Pan,

Goat-footed, horn'& from whom the world began;

Whose various parts, by thee inspir'd, combine

In endless dance and melody divine.

In thee a refuge from our fears we find,

Those fears peculiar to the humankind.

Thee, shepherds, streams of water, goats rejoice,

Thou lov'st the chase and Echo's secret voice:

The sportive Nymphs thy ev'ry step attend,

And all thy works fulfill their destin'd end.

0 all-producing pow'r, much-fam'd, divine,

The world's great ruler, rich increase is thine.

All-fertile Pean, heavenly splendour pure,

In fruits rejoicing, and in caves obscure.

True serpent-horned Jove, whose dreadful rage,

When rous'd, 'tis hard for mortals to assuage.

Pan is the essence of being in its highest form, and Pan is also the ego that fights to establish its godliness. The nature of this is clear, as an expression of our divine nature, or genius, that must be fought for. I suppose in most cases, folly must then be the nickname of Pan, however he shares this with actualization and through his sensuality, he shows us, who we truly are and what we truly are, thus his office is with Babalon. He guides man into the arms of Babalon, via the above presented character. He is the mirror image of being in its highest form and we worship him by expression of each our own uniqueness. The light of Pan can be seen as truth and one’s recognizing Pan may in some instances translate to the Path of Return and his obvious connection with Adam Qadmon or Baphomet is thus established. The following quote illustrates this point: "Pan, as we are informed by Damascius, first subsists at the extremity of the intelligible order, being there no other than the celebrated Protogonus or Phanes; but, according to his mundane subsistence, he is the monad or summit of all the local Gods and daemons. In the statues of him his upper parts resemble those of a man, but his lower parts those of a brute [viz. of a goat] indicating by this, that in the universe rationality has dominion over irrationality. As, therefore, according to his first subsistence, he is the primary exemplar of the universe; the reason is obvious why in this hymn he is celebrated as all things." Thomas Taylor: The nature of our relationship with Pan may be the potentiality of being that keeps evolving and unfolding, and so, it is never fully realized but establishes ever greater insights into the All. This is not a thing that we need to be aware of or chase consciously, hence Pan is the All and truly a God. His obscurity may be likened to the uncertainty of stepping into a cave and that which is ever joyous is experiencing the familiar summits of those things we have mastered or playfully take part in, but there is always that which is steeped in obscurity, which still needs to be illuminated and conquered. 

Pan is not Nature; he is more akin to my and your True Natures, and that which we need to learn before we will find the freedom to experience the gifts of Pan. Thus, he is associated with the lowest, as he is in every way a perfect shadow and angel, that needs to be integrated for us to attain insights into any higher wisdom, although it is All-Pan, which makes our relationship with him a mortal test, and establishes his character as the All-Devourer. But the latter is upon the cusp of Tiphareth and not yet the highest, where he takes the same office. Pan joins the higher and the lower and represents the Macrocosm with the Microcosm, but in a very unique way, as he is veiled in obscurity. His obscurity is borne from the fact, that within him is included the whole evolution, hence he is All-Pan. There is something hidden and as he, is that thing and he is also our link to it, via our acknowledgement of it. Every ordeal, every initiation, every minute change in consciousness, has Pan as the initiator. He is the only true God, as he is the very essence of what it means to be human, and therefore, he is always present, as either devourer or begetter. By realizing ourselves at the basest level of our beingness, we embrace Pan and as this occurs the veil is lifted, although with our understanding, a new veil appears, the obscurity which it symbolizes, is equally All-Pan.

Pan could be likened to aspiration, as the intuitive sense of knowing, that he is the essence of what we are looking for, or at least that he has the means to the truth. Every man and woman along the path, is in search of Being, and Pan has been there to show us the way since the day we were born. So, it is entirely reasonable and without so much as a hint of superstition to worship this most venerable God as the All. “Pan, as we have already observed, first subsists at the extremity of the intelligible order, and is the same with Protogonus or Phanes. This being the case, in the intellectual order he is analogous to Jupiter the Demiurgus, by whom, according to Orpheus, Phanes was absorbed. Hence, as Jupiter is said to be the mingler of all things by Orpheus, as we learn from Io.” Thomas Taylor: The above quote sums up the nature of Pan, Jupiter is Chesed and the last of the intellectual world which is established by the decent of Phanes and Aether, which is how we are perceiving creation. Thus, Jupiter becomes the Demiurge, via his relationship to Phanes who is none-other than Hadit. The relationship between Phanes and Aether, is the same relationship the I has with Not-I or Hadit has with Nuit respectively. Pan is our link to our higher natures, although it is realized from an intuitive sense of being. Phanes is absorbed by Jupiter, thus Aether obscures the nature of being through this initial split between the higher and the lower order of things, symbolizing the birth of the intellect or ego. Pan is the god that is born into this world, who by his dispassionate nature, has the ability to guide the soul of man towards the Sun and beyond to Jupiter.

“Love is the law, love under will.”

Nature:

 

Nature:

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”

TO NATURE.

NATURE, all-parent, ancient and divine,

0 much mechanic mother, art is thine;

Heav'nly, abundant, venerable queen,

In ev'ry part of thy dominions seen.

Untam'd, all taming, ever splendid light,

All ruling, honour'd, and supremely bright.

Immortal, first-born, ever still the same,

Nocturnal, starry, shining, powerful dame.

Thy feet's still traces in a circling course,

By thee are turn'd, with unremitting force.

Pure ornament of all the Pow'rs divine,

Finite and infinite alike you shine;

To all things common, and in all things known,

Yet incommunicable and alone.

Without a father of thy wondrous frame,

Thyself the father whence thy essence came;

Mingling, all-flourishing, supremely wise,

And bond connective of the earth and skies.

Leader, life-bearing queen, all various nam'd,

And for commanding grace and beauty fam'd.

Justice, supreme in might, whose general sway

The waters of the restless deep obey.

Etherial, earthly, for the pious glad,

Sweet to the good, but bitter to the bad:

All-wise, all-bounteous, provident, divine,

A rich increase of nutriment is thine;

And to maturity whate'er may spring,

You to decay and dissolution bring.

Father of all, great nurse, and mother kind,

Abundant, blessed, all-spermatic mind:

Mature, impetuous, from whose fertile seeds

And plastic hand this changing scene proceeds.

All-parent pow'r, in vital impulse seen,

Eternal, moving, all-sagacious queen.

By thee the world, whose parts in rapid flow,

Like swift descending streams, no respite know,

On an eternal hinge, with steady course,

Is whirl'd with matchless, unremitting force.

Thron'd on a circling car, thy mighty hand 

Holds and directs the reins of wide command:

Various thy essence, honour'd, and the best,

Of judgment too, the general end and test.

Intrepid, fatal, all-subduing dame,

Life everlasting, Parca, breathing flame.

Immortal Providence, the world is thine,

And thou art all things, architect divine.

0, blessed Goddess, hear thy suppliants' pray'r,

And make their future life thy constant care;

Give plenteous seasons and sufficient wealth,

And crown our days with lasting peace and health.

Our relationship with Nature is simply the manifestation of ideas resulting from our union with the LVX, these ideas are reflections of the Forms and involves a very specific state of consciousness, for these ideas to manifest, as inspiring us towards progress. The LVX, is generated with the Supernals, that descend into the lower worlds, with life and consciousness. Without the participation of consciousness, we would not be referring to the light as anything, thus, it is the relationship between consciousness and the world around it, that creates LVX. This cohabitation of Phanes, Aether and the Demiurge, creates what could be referred to as a child, and the relationship between the elements of consciousness, will naturally determine the health of this child. The child here spoken of, is created by what the Orphic Hymns call Nature. The universe is filled with opposites, and it is uniting ourselves with these opposites, through which we grow and develop higher faculties, with which we experience higher insights into reality. Hence, Nature is referred to as the procreative force, this naturally entails union of opposites, such as male and female. But in the simplest case, we may think of these opposites as subject and object, Phanes and Jupiter respectively. So, we may think of Nature, being the inspiration, that occurs from our dealings with the world around us. The following quote from Proclus serves to illustrate the above idea: “… Minerva fashioned the variegated veil of Nature, from that wisdom and virtue of which she is the presiding deity. Nature therefore, from her connecting and uniting power, and from her plenitude of seminal productive powers, has an evident agreement with Minerva; whose divine arts, according to the Orphic theology, reduce whatever is discordant and different in the universe into union and consent.” Minerva was a martial goddess, however unlike Aries, she wasn’t associated with bloodshed, but with progress, her role then being similar to Athena. It is through the office of Nature, that the play of creation is constantly enacted as union, dissolution (death) and birth, wherein the magician takes on the role of God as the creator.

“Love is the law, love under will.”

Sun and Moon:

 

Sun and Moon:

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

TO THE MOON.

HEAR, Goddess queen, diffusing silver light, 

Bull-horn'd, and wand'ring thro' the gloom of Night.

With stars surrounded, and with circuit wide 

 Night's torch extending, through the heav'ns you ride:

Female and male with silv'ry rays you shine, 

 And now full-orb'd, now tending to decline. 

Mother of ages, fruit-producing Moon, 

 Whose amber orb makes Night's reflected noon: 

 Lover of horses, splendid queen of night, 

 All-seeing pow'r, bedeck'd with starry light, 

 Lover of vigilance, the foe of strife, 

 In peace rejoicing, and a prudent life: 

 Fair lamp of Night, its ornament and friend, 

 Who giv'st to Nature's works their destin'd end.

Queen of the stars, all-wise Diana, hail! 

 Deck'd with a graceful robe and ample veil. 

 Come, blessed Goddess, prudent, starry, bright, 

 Come, moony-lamp, with chaste and splendid light, 

 Shine on these sacred rites with prosp'rous rays, 

 And pleas'd accept thy suppliants' mystic praise.

The Moon is symbolic of the lower astral or unconscious, the Sun corresponds to the intellect. Any form of ceremonial magick is a process of illuminating the unconscious with the rays of intellect. Thus, traditionally the relationship between sun and moon on the Tree of Life reflects this idea. This idea is also associated with the hierarchy inherent in ceremonial invocation, with the names associated with the spheres following from the God name to the name of the spirit of that sphere. What a magician is doing, is illuminating the unconscious with the light of the intelligence of any given sphere and establishing rapport with its universal correspondences. For the Greeks this was no different and they ascribed names to the Soul and the Intellect of each planetary influence in order to bring about this shift in perception and unite with the god associated to any particular sphere. So, each sphere was credited with having a soul and intellect, these were essentially the lesser suns and moons. The Moon is feminine and attributed to the astral or unconscious and the Sun is masculine and intellect. So, the practitioner may in this find an alternative, non-Hebraic method of invoking the gods. Within the relationships between man and the gods, the gods are the active roles and we become passive, but in fact, our interaction with the sphere is creating a whirling force of inspiration, that needs to be integrated sensibly by the magician. Thus, the lunar sphere is linked to the other divinities, as the sphere from which we receive this inspiration. Here Thomas Taylor notes this: "As in each of the celestial spheres, therefore, the soul of the ruling deity is of the female, and the intellect is of the male characteristic, it is by no means wonderful that the Moon is called in this hymn "female and male.'' Thus, an invocation of Diana may have consisted of three hymns or dramas to reflect these different aspects, one for Diana (Goddess), one for Thalia (Soul) and one for Liknitan Bacchus (Intellect), which translates to The Bearer of the Vine and associated with Luna. Here is a quote to illustrate the above point by Marcilio Ficino: from The Theology of Plato:  ''The professors (says he) of the Orphic theology consider a twofold power in souls, and in the celestial orbs ; the one consisting in knowledge, the other in vivifying and governing the orb with which that power is connected. Thus, in the orb of the earth, they call the gnostic power Pluto, but the other Proserpine." He goes on to give the corresponding names of all the spheres, but I think the above suffices to illustrate the validity of the point. The method of invocation must have been explored in some depth by these ancient priests, as they associated the intellect of the magician with Apollo who was likened to the invisible sun. This shares a similarity again, to the Hebrew method, where the magician acts as a descendent of Abraham and prophet of God in order to render the operation successful. The souls of the planets were associated with the Muses, owing to their inspirational capacities, thus it is said that these influences revolve around the invisible sun called Apollo. Here is another quote by Marcilio Ficino to illustrate this point: "From all which the Orphic theologists infer, that the particular epithets of Bacchus are compared with those of the Muses, for the purpose of informing us that the powers of the Muses are, as it were, intoxicated with the nectar of divine knowledge ; and in order that we may consider the nine Muses, and nine Bacchuses, as revolving round one Apollo, that is about the splendour of one invisible Sun."  

So, the Sun or intellect analyses reality. This perception is absorbed by the unconscious and its manifestation in the physical world relies on the Ego’s unique dealings with the world, those things that are not useful are then discarded and stored by the unconscious. This is what is meant by Apollo being the twin brother of Artemis, as the moon reflects the light of the sun, and accounts for the location of Tiphareth and Yesod's positions on the Tree of Life. The ego and the unconscious as per the above analogy are generated at the same time and the realm of the unconscious grows via the Ego’s dismissal of those things that it is unable to integrate and express, these form part of the Shadow and the landscape of the unconscious. The sun illuminates the lower and is the source of our connection with the divine, this is indicated in the following quote by Proclus: “those who are skilled in divine concerns attribute two hands to the Sun; denominating one the right hand, the other the left.” The right hand in this quote may be interpreted as the active hand drawing divine influence, and the left hand is the hand which passes it on to the lower. Another quote by Thomas Taylor also serves to illustrate the solar nature: “the reason is obvious why the sun is called Jupiter, a solar Jupiter being one of his attendants. But there is also another reason for this appellation. For what Jupiter is in the intellectual that the sun is in the sensible order of things.” This last quote draws a perfect parallel with the Tree of Life, when we consider the positions of Tiphareth and Chesed, and how each of these spheres link the world below them to the world above, Tiphareth links Briah to Yetzirah and Chesed links Atziluth to Briah, hence illuminating the part of the tree beneath them with the light from above.

TO THE SUN.

HEAR, golden Titan, whose eternal eye

With matchless sight illumines all the sky.

Native, unwearied in diffusing light,

And to all eyes the object of delight:

Lord of the Seasons, beaming light from far,

Sonorous, dancing in thy four-yok'd car.

With thy right hand the source of morning light,

And with thy left the father of the night.

Agile and vig'rous, venerable Sun,

Fiery and bright around the heav'ns you run,

Foe to the wicked, but the good man's guide,

O'er all his steps propitious you preside.

With various-sounding golden lyre 'tis thine

To fill the world with harmony divine.

Father of ages, guide of prosp'rous deeds,

The world's commander, borne by lucid steeds.

Immortal Jove, flute-playing, bearing light,

Source of existence, pure and fiery bright;

Bearer of fruit, almighty lord of years,

Agile and warm, whom ev'ry power reveres.

Bright eye, that round the world incessant flies,

Doom'd with fair fulgid rays to set and rise;

Dispensing justice, lover of the stream,

The world's great master, and o'er all supreme.

Faithful defender, and the eye of right,

Of steeds the ruler, and of life the light:

With sounding whip four fiery steeds you guide,

When in the glittering car of day you ride,

Propitious on these mystic labours shine,

And bless thy suppliants with a life divine.

“Love is the law, love under will.”

Protogonus:

 

Protogonus:

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

TO PROTOGONUS.

0 MIGHTY first-begotten, hear my pray'r,

Twofold, eggborn, and wand'ring thro' the air;

Bull-roarer, glorying in thy golden wings,

From whom the race of Gods and mortal springs

Ericapous, celebrated pow'r;

Ineffable, occult, all-shining flow'r.

'Tis thine from darksome mists to purge the sight,

All-spreading splendour, pure and holy light;

Hence, Phanes, call'd the glory of the sky,

On waving pinions thro' the world you fly.

Priapus, dark-eyed splendour, thee I sing,

Genial, all-prudent, ever blessed king.

With joyful aspect on these rites divine

And holy Telite propitious shine.

 

Mystical Hymns of Orpheus: Hymn no 6

Protogonus or Phanes is symbolic of consciousness and represented as the God of Light. The connection between light and consciousness, is drawn from our first interactions with the world, which are associated with the eyes, so before becoming self-aware, this is the level at which we experience reality. In an egoless state, he is symbolic of being, a child develops an Ego at age three and this is self-awareness attributable to the intellect, the Ego, then serves as a filter, through which an individual interprets reality. Before this occurs, the purity of our experience with the world is experienced in a less diluted manner and this stage is called life. Here we have the first triad, Being, Life and Intellect and these are associated with the Supernal, Ethical and Astral Triads of the Tree of Life. Now, it is immediately apparent, what we are missing and that would be, the unconscious influence of the emotional and sensual parts of being, associated to Malkuth and the Elements and the Shadow associated to Yesod. However, it makes sense, when we consider the Ego’s place in developing our preferences and dislikes via one's experiential interactions with the world as an egoless infant or baby and toddler, which all lead to the way we react to certain stimuli in the world around us. Meaning our emotional and sensual natures, are a consequence of consciousness and its specific interaction with the world around it, that starts forming at the point of life.

“But the reason why Protogonus, or Phanes, is said to purge the sight from the dark mists, is because the primary causes of things which in the deities prior to him subsist in ineffable union, all being in all, are by the first unfolded into intelligible light.”

In the above quote, we see a clear connection to the Supernal Triad of the qabalah, indiferetiated consciousness, these Forms are made intelligible by Phanes, who is joined to the world of Forms and Gods, so that higher insights may be understood or expressed by consciousness as they relate to the Supercelestial realm as per Phanes' association to Chesed or the Demiurge. The Demiurge is said to subsist both within the Saturnian triad and the intelectual world and links to the Nous via this connection. In fact, Phanes is via this association connected to the Supercelestial along with Aether and together, these two Gods descend to create Heaven and Earth, consciousness needs the world to increase its subjective understanding and this pondering of the nature of being and existence, is how these forms may be revealed to the intellect.

“Protogonus, who is intelligible intellect, is very properly called dark eyed splendour; the intelligible, from its occult subsistence, being indicated by darkness, but intellect by the eye and splendour: for it is the province of intellect to see and unfold into the light.”

The intellect which corresponds to the Sun, is the means by which we experience splendour, which should be interpreted, as a spiritual term meaning Beauty. Dark eyed splendour attributable to Being and Life, indicates the missing ingredient for expanding consciousness, which is the Ego, until self-awareness is formed and developed to interpret phenomenon, it is impossible to gain any higher insights into reality, as being itself, is hidden from our interpretation of existence. Thus, the Ego and intellect are the faculties used for attaining higher states of consciousness, or as Thomas Taylor puts it: “it is the province of the intellect to see and unfold into the light.”

"The whole of this first and occult genera of the Gods, which is called by the Chaldean theologists the intelligible triad, was represented by Orpheus under the symbol of an egg, on the exclusion of which the Goddess Night, the God Phanes came forth, who is hence denominated Protogonus."

Here we may conclude; that the Gods of this triad as presenting a perfect union of opposites and the unintelligible is united in Da-ath, wherefrom being originates, which follows, that it is seen as complete and perfect. It is Phanes' descent that brings life, before which Phanes and Nox are the whirling opposites of creation, after Kether. Thus, Nox is not the unconscious, as might be concluded, but being itself; before the Light illuminates the Forms, realizable to the intellect. Thus, the nature of this triad as called the intelligible triad, is in seeming contradiction, however, we are not experiencing being, but interpreting life from the vantage point of this foundation, which is pure being, or pure consciousness. Being hence is symbolized by Nox, which is a part of the Supernal Triad, but the part that isn't perceivable on its own, as Chaos starts becoming recognizable, as Forms within the darkness, once they have been illuminated by the light. The light that illuminates is necessarily twofold, as Aether and Phanes' relationship, is necessary for establishing intellect (the Ego), hence Phanes is said to be of both the intelligible associated with Being, which probably should have been called that which is not yet recognizable and the intellect which is the noetic faculty, that interprets reality and tries to make sense of things, thus lending itself to greater and greater levels of introspection, wherein the Forms are seen and interpreted intellectually, to further development. 

“Love is the law, love under will.”

Chronos, Mist and Aether:

 

Chronos, Mist and Aether:

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

TO ETHER.

0 EVER untam'd Ether, rais'd on high

 In Jove's dominions, ruler of the sky;

Great portion of the Stars and lunar light,

 And of the Sun, with dazzling lustre bright;

All-taming pow'r, ethereal shining fire,

Whose vivid blasts the heat of life inspire;

The world's best element, light-bearing pow'r,

With starry radiance shining, splendid flow'r ;

0 hear my suppliant pray'r, and may thy frame

Be ever innocent, serene, and tame.

The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus: Hymn no 5

Aether is the son of Chronos and Mist and is in qabalistic understanding, the Supernal Light, which is the light that bursts forth from the whirling of Kether to create Chokmah and Binah. These gods are appropriately more suited to Da-ath, however making these associations isn’t easy or clear, with regards to these Primordial Gods, as most of them are associated with the Supernal Triad, which is beyond intellectual understanding. It could be that, that which is associated with Da-ath, is objective experience as disunion, and would make sense, as everything is only real as per one’s relationship to it. It is within Da-ath, where Choronzon is, he is the God of dispersion and above the Abyss is The One, or The Unity. But as we cannot directly experience such unity and survive, The Unity may logically only be perceived, so it is reasonable to assume that this union with the Supernals, must be experienced in Da-ath. Frater Achad said that the grades above the Abyss, are experienced as one grade, and this idea may be worth exploring. If the nature of the ordeal within the Abyss is experienced as dispersion, it may be a result of having attained to this union, where the phenomenal world is experienced entirely foreign to the union and threatens one’s psychic constitution at that level of experience. However uncertain, I assume this ordeal would be an experience of extreme isolation, symbolized as the lonely towers, as at that stage, the world is perceived as Chaos and the only peace could be found internally, which indicates the nature of the Oath as well. Therefore, failure is the inability to re-integrate, like all ordeals, but this particular one, is experienced as a direct relationship between the magician and the universe and leads to insanity, as a result of the incongruent natures between subject and self and subject, self and the world, slowly dispersing being into delirium.

In Orphic theology, the World Egg wherein Phanes gestates, is symbolic of Da-ath and it is placed inside Aether. Therefore, Aether, if the above is true, is linked to the Supernal Triad, or in Neoplatonism, the Intelligible World and the Forms, but so are most of the Primordial Gods, Chronos is Time and Caligo is Mist, it is said that the space wherein the World Egg was placed, is the boundless lap of Erebus, surrounded by Aether, thus linking Time and Space via the relationship between Chronos, Caligo and Aether. This is an extremely elaborate creation story, wherein the division between subject and object is emphasized. Thus, the many different forms of light, which serve to express the relationship between man and the universe around him. Phanes is known as the first born and he is said to have created Heaven and Earth, thus, he is a consequence of Space and Time, who are symbolized by his parents and the evolution from Chaos into form. As Chaos, Time, Mist, Aether, Nox and with the birth of Phanes, Heaven and Earth. Aether is translated or is also known as Brightness and as Aether surrounds the World Egg placed in the lap of Erebus, he generates LVX which is indicated and in this essay is called the Supernal Light, emanating from Kether. Chaos and Chronos are appropriately associated with Chokmah and Binah, it is easier and more convenient to view these gods in question, as relating undefined to the spheres of the Supernal Triad, as owing to the abstruse nature of these gods. Qabalistically it becomes convenient and more intelligible, with Chokmah-Logos (Great Father) and Binah-Saturn (Great Mother), or simply the Primordial Opposites. Or, even more directly, the above theology can be seen as a primitive explanation of the Thelemic formula 0=2. So, if Aether is brightness and Phanes is consiousness, both of these are brought into Heaven and Earth together, as the light generated by Phane’s birth and accordingly, forms the symbolic relationship between Phanes and Jupiter, ergo establishing the Demiurge.

“Love is the law, love under will.”

Death and Life:

 

Death and Life:

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

The first two Hymns are dedicated to the Goddesses of Death and Life, these are Hecate and Prothyrlsea, the latter is the Persian Diana and the Great Mother. She is the gate keeper of life, or that part of the creation story that makes us look away. What is interesting is how these two hymns correspond to the 13^th path of the Tree of Life attributed to Gimel and links Kether to Tiphareth , Gimel is also the path of the Moon, thus it is in perfect harmony with these goddesses. Da-ath can then be considered the gate and womb wherein new life gestates and is finally born into the phenomenal world. This is a great way to symbolize the evolution of being and clearly what these hymns were intended to affirm was the divinity of being itself and not some outwardly projected god. But if the ordeal of birth was overcome, life itself was a celebration of the divine. Interesting too, is that these opposites were symbolized in the form of the goddess. These are emanations of The One, which is easily associated with Kether, however we are presented with a problem considering the sequence wherein these goddesses where worshipped, although it makes sense, Chokmah and Binah are not easily attributable to them within the contexts of these hymns. They are better represented as the path of Gimel, as going from above to below the Abyss. Traditionally the paths are representative of the Microcosm and the sephiroth to the Macrocosm and so qabalistically this analogy makes sense. It is also useful to note the correspondence that this theology shares with the path of Samekh. Samekh is a womb and the path that links Tiphareth to Yesod, it is within this path that the Magickal Childe experiences birth and thus congruent with the path of Gimel. Just like with the path of Gimel where it harmonizes the different parts of being. While within Samekh it takes the Universal Solvent to raise the aspirant to adepthood, being the ingredient needed to congeal the Soul and accomplish the Great Work. Tiphareth as per the triad described by Thomas Taylor, which is Being, Life and Intellect is associated with the Intellect and the congruence between the path of Gimel and Samekh clearly illustrates this part of creation as uniting Heaven and Earth, Phanes who is the God of Light's birth creates Heaven and Earth, which accordingly correspond to Briah and Atziluth.

“And to the herdsman with a fav’ring mind draws near.”

Last line of the Hymn to Hecate:

The herdsman is associated with the Cyclops who were said to be the first herdsmen and they are attributed to Heaven as the LVX which permeates creation, this is analogous to life and consciousness and in the above quote, the favour of the herdsman is what may bring the ordeal to pass. The favour of whom would harmonize the different parts of being into a workable whole, as stated in my previous essay about Nox, the Cyclops symbolize the Astral Light. The Astral Light is the Azoth or the Universal Solvent. It seems that these ancient Greeks were mostly concerned with man’s place in the celestial hierarchy and saw being and life as the most venerable. This may explain the nature of their worship, wherein they acknowledged struggle and celebrated life, as divine.

TO THE GODDESS PROTHYRLSEA

Goddess, hear my pray'r,

For labour pains are thy peculiar care.

 In thee, when stretch'd upon the bed of grief, 

 The sex, as in a mirror, view relief.

Guard of the race, endued vith gentle mind, 

 To helpless youth benevolent and kind; 

 Benignant nourisher; great Nature's key Belongs to no divinity but thee. 

 Thou dwell'st with all irnmanifest to sight, 

 And solemn festivals are thy delight. 

 Thine is the task to loose the virgin's zone, 

 And thou in ev'ry work art seen and known. 

 With births you sympathise, tho' pleas'd to see 

 The numerous offspring of fertility. 

 When rack'd with labour pangs, and sore distress'd, 

 The sex invoke thee, as the soul's sure rest; 

 For thou alone canst give relief to pain, 

 Which art attempts to ease, but tries in vain. 

 Assisting Goddess, venerable pow'r, 

 Who bring'st relief in labour's dreadful hour; 

 Hear, blessed Dian, and accept my pray'r, 

 And make the infant race thy constant care.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if mankind could do away with hatred and superstition as the foundation of western religions? Instead giving worship to those things that are truly venerable, such as the miracle of childbirth and life, and the Goddess' undeniable place within this phenomenal miracle.

 TO HECATE. 

 EINODIAN Hecate, Trivia, lovely dame, 

 Of earthly, wat'ry, and celestial frame, 

 Sepulchral, in a saffron veil array'd, 

 Pleas'd with dark ghosts that wander thro' the shade; 

 Perszea, solitary goddess, hail! 

 The world's key-bearer, never doom'd to fail; 

 In stags rejoicing, huntress, nightly seen, 

 And drawn by bulls, unconquerable queen;

It is noteworthy that the Not-I or Naught, Thelemically associated with either Nuit or in her lower form Babalon as attributed to Bihah is associated with death in these hymns, and that all life comes from death. However, the primitive nature of Orphic theology is also very recognizable in the fact that the symbolism and their associations with the Tree of Life are often very confused. As in this hymn to Hecate, wherein death and the unconscious is seen as the same thing. However primitive the symbolism though, the Moon's association with the unconscious has remained, as symbolized by the sphere of Yesod, also known as The Gate and the sphere on the Tree of Life that leads to the path of Samekh, which shares a remarkable correspondence with the theology presented in these two hymns. This becomes a complete rendering of the Microcosm and the Macrocosm, which could be understood as reflecting both the way of evolution of creation and involution of being, as it illustrates the nature of creation, as seen from above and below. So, we could consider these two hymns as an attempt to illustrate this connection between Heaven and Earth, via the seemingly contradicting symbolism, although there may exist no such contradiction, when we view life in terms of these opposites, as already joined within the light of creation.                                                                                                  

“Love is the law, love under will.”

N.O.X.

 

N.O.X.

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

“For the Goddess Night is superior to certain orders, but inferior to others; and as the first principle of things superessential, so Night is supercelestial [i.e. is above that intellectual order which is denominated Heaven]. Why, however, are souls not said to see Heaven, but to become situated in, and be conjoined with it, yet are not conjoined with the natures above Heaven, but perceive them only? In answer to this it may be said, that it is necessary contact should exist, as far a to a certain thing. Why, therefore, as far as to this? Because neither are the gods under Jupiter said to be united to Phanes; but this is alone asserted of Jupiter, and he is said to be united through Night as a medium.”

According to the qabalah the highest intellectual attainment is Chesed, which is the sphere of Jupiter and directly below the Abyss. One of the tasks for an Adept occupying Chesed is making contact with the world above the Abyss known as the Supernal Triad, as I stated in a previous essay, this world can be likened to Devachan which is the world between life and death. Night or Nox is associated with Da-ath according to the above quote and it is Nox which establishes a link between consciousness and the world above the Abyss. Jupiter becomes a medium for the most direct expression of the Supernal Light being united through Night (Nox) as a medium. Heaven is illuminated by the light that is brought into the phenomenal world by Phanes, this can be seen as consciousness, and Phanes is the creator of Heaven and Earth. Heaven then is LVX, wherein all is united, but it is, the principle which connects everything in Heaven and Earth, and so Jupiter is united to the rest of the gods within the Light but becomes an expression of the Supernal Light. Jupiter is thus separated from the Light via this distinction, the light which is always changing and in continual motion throughout eternity, such as a great ocean wherein life is created, and a metaphor for man's conscious evolution, from which Jupiter represents the highest attainment. Here then we have established man’s constitution via the symbolism of the primordial Orphic deities, whereby Nox is being, Phanes is consciousness or life and Heaven is likened to intellect, Earth accordingly corresponds to the physical body, or even the senses and emotions. Thus, Earth and Heaven are united by the Light with the gods, but Jupiter is joined to the Forms, through his connection with Nox which is the potential for creation, and indeed the source of creation to the lower worlds and everything in it. This establishes Nox’s connection with the Forms, which are made visible by the Supernal Light.

[..] Plato manifests that the place of the Nights is above the kingdom of the Heaven; but through the privation of figure, that it is above the order of the Cyclops. For theology says, that figure is first unfolded into the light in these, and that the divinities, the Cyclops, are the first principles and causes of figures which subsist every where.”

The Cyclops correspond quite perfectly with the Watchers in the Book of Enoch, who gave life to the Nephilim, as they share the same office, as the Nephilim were teachers to mankind and so are the Cyclops. They are the medium through which the supercelestial forms may be understood and communication between man and them is likened to preternatural communication.

“We must not therefore wonder on hearing that Vulcan and Minerva are the cause of figures. For Vulcan is the cause of corporeal figures, and of every mundane figure; but Minerva, of the psychical and intellectual figure, and the Cyclops of divine, and every where existing figure.”

The figures are the forms that are interpreted by the different faculties of the psyche and correspond accordingly to Vulcan, Minerva and the Cyclops, the latter is the highest and are said to be the first divinities. In Hermetic parlance, the Cyclops are likened to the Astral Light as distinguished from the LVX and the Supernal Light, which is the medium for inspiration from the former, as they serve to render the supercelestial figures intelligible. This difference is indicative of what the LVX, Astral Light and Supernal Light indicate, with regards to man’s psyche. For instance, LVX and the Supernal Light are linked to intellect and Spirit, however the Astral Light is representative of the archetypes of the collective unconscious and the lowest incorporeal manifestation of the supercelestial figures, which are beyond the scope of intellectual contemplation. It is only after the decent into the lower worlds or Heaven (LVX), that the Light becomes intelligible and the Astral Light is made manifest, which is here associated with the Cyclops.

“Love is the law, love under will.”