The Progeny of the Gods:

 

The Progeny of the Gods:

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

“So far likewise as Jupiter receives the whole of Saturn, he gives subsistence to a triple essence, the impartible, the partible, and that which subsists between these; but according to the Rhea which he contains in himself, he scatters as from a fountain, intellectual, psychical, and corporeal life.”

The Demiurge is qabalistically presented as the Adam Qadmon, although below the abyss his function is active and from above, he becomes receptive to the influence from the Saturnian Triad, which makes up Kether, Chokmah and Binah. The latter then represents the impartible and the former the partible aspects of his nature. Here I will look at how these three essences govern one’s development under the Demiurge. It is said that the Demiurge scatters from himself three forms of existence, the first is the intellectual and attributed to the sephiroth, Tiphareth, Geburah, and Chesed, the psychical are below these and correspond to Netzach, Hod and Yesod, whereas the corporeal is attributed to Malkuth. This is purely due to one’s relationship with these, which becomes clearer when considering the nature of reality and the way that it influences the ego’s development. We may think of Netzach, Hod and Yesod as relating to the world of feelings, Chesed, Geburah and Tiphareth is the intellect and leads us to who we truly are. Through this understanding of self and one’s place in the world, a person is no longer led predominantly by his impressions but starts to follow the higher faculties of his being, consciously transforming himself according to his intent. Hence in the qabalah these three triads are known as the Supernal, Ethical and Astral Triads, with Malkuth hanging pendant at the bottom of the tree.

“Farther still, the soul of the world gives life to altermotive natures; for to these it becomes the fountain and principle of motion, as Plato says in the Phaedrus and Laws. But the demiurgus simply imparts to all things life divine, intellectual, psychical, and that which is divisible about bodies. No one however should think that the Gods in their generations of secondary natures are diminished; or that they sustain a division of their proper essence in giving subsistence to things subordinate; or that they expose their progeny to the view, externally to themselves, in the same manner as the causes of mortal offspring. Nor in short, must we suppose that they generate with motion or mutation, but that abiding in themselves, they produce by their very essence posterior natures, comprehend on all sides their progeny, and supernally perfect the productions and energies of their offspring.”

The Demiurge’s role in this essay is attributed to Life, Intellect, Consciousness, and the Material aspects of things and people in the world around us. The intellective order, it should be noted, is where the potential for true creativity is derived from, it is seeing past our limitations that leads to inspiration from this order, and called the intellective as it can be contemplated but never truly expressed in the lower order of reality. This inspiration can only occur once there has been harmony established with the gods, and the nature of Being unfolds, before which a person is merely affected by his impressions without control. The soul of the world could thus be likened to the collective consciousness of humanity, and it is this collective consciousness, that is the progeny of the gods, by which every person’s ego is shaped according to the life into which they were born. The Demiurge rules over the gods, however, the gods’ relationship to the world is affected in a like manner as humans, who are affected by our relationship to the gods. As the world changes the gods must also evolve and adapt as they give birth to heroes throughout history, or as they give birth, indeed, to heroes and villains, who by way of their relationship to the world transform the nature of this first progeny of the gods. Mankind becomes witness to apocalyptic natural events, from which entire civilizations crumble, thus too, shaping this collective soul and the powers that govern it. There is no good and evil, so to speak, there is only nature, and it is by harmonizing one’s soul and becoming more sensitive to the inflections of this progeny, that we may accomplish the Great Work. The quote establishes, that the children of the gods are these heroes, who were able to accurately unite with the soul of the world, and thus venerable as gods themselves, for these half gods have made a sufficient contribution to the soul of man and their own souls, from which they have been immortalized and exemplified as gods among men.

“Love is the law, love under will.”

On the Saturnian Triad and our Connection to Eternity:

 

On the Saturnian Triad and our Connection to Eternity:

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

 

“And though Neptune says,

For we are three brothers from Saturn, whom Rhea bore, Jupiter and I, and the third is Pluto, who governs the infernal realms: " Yet Jupiter is called father by both these divinities; and this because he comprehends in himself the one and impartible cause of all fabrication; is prior to the Saturnian triad; connectedly contains the three fathers; and comprehends on all sides the vivification of Juno. Hence, at the same time that this goddess - gives animation to the universe, he also, together with other Gods, gives subsistence to souls. Very properly therefore do we say that the demiurgus in the Timaeus is the mighty Jupiter. For he it is who produces mundane intellects and souls, who adorns all bodies with figures and numbers, and inserts in them one union, and an indissoluble friendship and bond. For Night also, in Orpheus, advises Jupiter to employ things of this kind in the fabrication of the universe.” Thomas Taylor: The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus, Additional: Notes Page 168-169.

Of course, according to mythology Rhea is the Great Mother and attributed to Binah and also the wife of Saturn. Her daughter Juno is the Earth goddess and shares this connection to Saturn with her mother. It is here stated that Jupiter is called the father by his brothers and the reason is his twofold nature which links us to the Saturnian Triad. It is our link with this triad that may raise us to realizing divinity and it is via the intellect that this awakening is fostered, hence the Intelligible Triad is associated with the Forms. The supposition then being, that via contemplation of these Forms, man is essentially strengthening his connection to eternity, through which he may attain immortality. This immortalization thus occurs at the congealing of the Soul when one’s connection with this triad is rendered inseverable and from which true creativity is inspired.  Night, or Nyx corresponds to the N.O.X. signs of Thelemic ceremonial Magick and in Orphism is wherein Phanes gestates and corresponds to Da-ath. This state reflects Kether and Chaos is seen through the Mist generating our link to the Forms, these Forms are indivisible, however, only partially comprehended by each soul, giving it its unique character. It is Jupiter via his office as the Demiurge, who connects one to understanding these and raises us to wholeness. Nyx according to the Greek QBL has a value of 510, when taking these numbers separately we have Mist, Kether and Zero, the last of which I think may here be attributed to the veils of non-existence. 510 when considered within the context of this essay is attributed to the Head, this Head would be that of Macroposopus and this triad accordingly is analogous to the potential of the intellect to see past its perceived limitations and into this realm of Ideas, qabalistically, the point is made even clearer when reducing the value to 6, which is a sacred number of Binah.

“The proximate bond indeed of mundane natures is that which subsists through analogy; but the more perfect bond is derived from intellect and soul. Hence Timaeus calls the communion of the elements through analogy, and the indissoluble union from life, a bond. For he says, animals were generated bound with animated bonds. But a more venerable bond than these subsists from the demiurgic will.” Thomas Taylor: The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus, Additional Notes: Page 169.

If I look at a dog, there is no more to see, it is a dog, the same with a tree, the souls of these natures are apparent, owing to our knowledge of their functions and characters. However, human beings are more unique, and our distinct natures are derived via the same, our functions that correspond to our intellects, which determine each’s unique nature and the individual characteristics of our Souls. The above also corresponds to Atman and Brahman and it is only by fostering our connection to the Great Mother, that their union is established, hence the union between Heaven and Earth is attributed to Jupiter’s relationship with the Soul and the Intelligible gods. 

“Again, our soul knows partibly the impartible nature of the energy of the Gods, and that which is characterized by unity in this energy, in a multiplied manner: and this especially takes place about the demiurgus who expands intellectual forms, and calls forth intelligible causes, and evolves them to the fabrication of the universe.” Thomas Taylor: The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus, Additional Notes: Page 170.

The union spoken of between an individual and the Demiurge may be felt but can never be entirely rendered intellectually, owing to the limitations of each individual. Although the gods are united and all is bonded within the Demiurge, there is that which one is attracted to, which makes this impartial nature only partially perceived. Even though this is the case, it is not possible to come to the wholeness of self-realization without this union occurring, and to inspire that which is wrought by the gods and given unto man. Following that the bond which is established via this union becomes the True Will and is a point from whence an individual starts to consciously cultivate the nature of his own immortality, as pertaining to the nature of his work, which is inextricably bound up by his Soul.

“Love is the law, love under will.”

On the Demiurge:

 

On the Demiurge:

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

“JUPITER is not said to be, but is, the father of those who genuinely preserve the proper form of life, such as Hercules and the Dioscuri; but of those who are never at any time able to convert themselves to a divine nature, he never is nor is said to be the father. Such therefore, as having been partakers of a certain energy above human nature, have again fallen into the sea of dissimilitude, and for honour among men have embraced error towards the Gods, -of these Jupiter is said to be the father.”

Hercules and the Dioscuri are referring to those who refuse complete desolation in death and return to the world as avatars, not dissimilar to the idea of the Bodhisattvas of Buddhism. The Dioscuri is the office, so to speak, that was given to Castor and Pollux, heroes of the ancient Greek pantheon. It would seem from the above, that one’s relationship as being akin to the Demiurgus, is dependent on Karma, a notion that is not foreign to those of the Great White Brotherhood. Yes, a certain snobbery is indicated, but how many of us are truly drawn to the philosophic life, where it becomes with us the centre of the All? This quote then, is ideal in realizing the importance, that the Greeks, as well as the Egyptians placed on the philosophic pursuit, as intimating their means to transcendence. I would imagine that perfect knowledge of the gods is impossible to convey in terms that may be understood within the limits of temporality, and thus as they “have again fallen into the sea of dissimilitude,” their essences serve as a guidepost for one’s own realization, by means of the philosophic art.

“The paternal cause originates supernally from the intelligible and occult Gods; for there the first fathers of wholes subsist; but it proceeds through all the intellectual Gods into the demiurgic order.”

These paternal causes may be associated with the spheres of Binah, Chokmah and Kether, of course the L.V.X. generated from this realm preserves creation through consciousness and are thus called the fathers of the Gods.

“The fathers, however, who are superior to the one fabrication are called Gods of Gods, but the demiurgus is the father of Gods and men. Farther still, Jupiter is said to be peculiarly the father of some, as of Hercules, who immutably preserve a Jovian and ruling life during their converse with the realms of generation.”

Here it becomes clear why the supernal triad is called the Archetypal World and attributed to the Forms of Platonism, it is via the Demiurge, that the world is created, and we must be Gods as a result of the nature of existence, in other words, “I think therefore I am”. I am the All, a God, omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient, and one with the Demiurge, the peculiarity spoken of in Jupiter’s relationship with Hercules, who could be considered an avenue only followed by the few, is that although the Demiurge is the father of all Gods and humankind, it is only through this unique aspect of the Demiurge, that we may come to realize each our individual godhead within the play of creation.

“Farther still, Jupiter is said to be peculiarly the father of some, as of Hercules, who immutably preserve a Jovian and ruling life during their converse with the realms of generation.”

It follows from these quotes that some are drawn to the Path of Return by the nature of their Souls, indeed "Let my servants be few & secret: they shall rule the many & the known." (Liber AL vel Legis) comes to mind from reading the above.

Quotes taken from Thomas Taylor’s: The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus, Additional notes.

“Love is the law, love under will.”