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.”