MA'AT MAGAZINES November, 2008 The Law of Rhythm
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Rhythm — Fifth of the Seven Hermetic Laws
by Bruce Rawles
(This article was excerpted and adapted from the upcoming book, "The Geometry Code: Symbolic Wisdom of Natural Laws Within Us" by Bruce Rawles, available soon from Elysian Publishing. This is the fourth of eight articles; you might want to first read the initial article in the series and the prior article on the Law of Mentalism and Law of Correspondence, Law of Vibration and the Law of Polarity to get the context for this one. The remaining two articles will cover the Law of Cause and Effect, and the Law of Generation.
"Well, Jane, it just goes to show you, it's always something." — Gilda Radner as RoseAnne Roseannadanna on Saturday Night Live …
"It's all nothing." — Gene Bogart, from Gary Renard podcast #21
The Law of Rhythm (Flow, Non-resistance, Surrender as Courage) — Keyword: Beauty
The fifth of the seven laws or principles is given the name Rhythm in the Kybalion, along with the phrase
"Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates." — The Kybalion
Becoming Superconductors For Our Essence — Going with the Inner Flow
"…instead of judging automatically, you will forgive automatically." Arten;
"…the proper response to any situation is always love." Gary, p. 213; from Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard
Like all the Hermetic laws or principles, this one (Rhythm) can be used either by the fragmenting thought system of the ego … or by the non-dualistic thought system of our real self. We've trained ourselves from day one to look 'outside' and emphasize what appears to come our way — the tidal flood of experiences that come and go, to and fro, in endless variations. Seasons, circadian flows, tides, lunations (phases of the moon), precession of equinoxes (Yugas in the Hindu tradition), meandering rivers, our heartbeats and our breath — all follow a rhythmic pattern. The enticement for entrainment is everywhere. The question is not whether there are tides; the question is do we want to be surfers or get caught in the undertow! … We certainly can't stop the waves from reaching the shores of our lives, but we can respond to the surf of this 3D world in very different ways. It isn't about what we do externally, but about how we choose to feel and think internally, and the meaning (or lack thereof) we ascribe to what goes on 'around' us.
I thought the juxtaposition of the Gilda Radner and Gene Bogart quotes above reveals the stark contrast (using the law of Polarity to return to a non-dual state) between the egoic victimhood stance (lose-lose) and the enlightened caring, yet carefree (win-win) perspective that allows us to take all rhythms of life in stride. Our inner graceful choreography in response to the circumstances of our daily forgiveness lessons provides all we need to ultimately dance our way to serenity beyond the stars. Roseanne's whiny caricature reminds us to maintain a sense of humor about our grievances regarding things that come and go … How much will we fret and fuss about all of our current seemingly insurmountable obstacles in a year? In a millennium?
Have you ever felt "in the flow?" Being in a 'groove' where you simply respond inwardly to whatever comes up … instantly … is something we often associate with Olympic athletes, charismatic speakers, superstar musicians and the like. Yet we can gradually achieve our own state of inner superconductivity by lowering our resistance to inspiration, humbly acknowledging that everything we have is a gift (true for everyone!) and surrendering to the wiser and saner transpersonal self that always votes for the optimal welfare of all. When we look back on those moments when everything seemed to flow, we realize that we were willing to get our sense of a separate 'self' out of the way, and allow our unified identity (beyond space and time, yet acting within those dimensions) to take over the controls… I'd call this surrendering to one's higher self, and the best part is that this sort of surrender doesn't involve any compromises, since our metapersonal awareness isn't after any kind of special or exclusionary goals and benefit is assured for all from this encompassing intent.
We naturally are superconductors for spirit … We've just trained ourselves to believe otherwise! In order to hear the inner voice consistently, we must be willing to acknowledge that our finite perceptions (as observed from our little micro-dot in the cosmos of temporal and spatial delusions) are incomplete, and because of that minuscule window on truth, rather distorted. Letting go of our biases and hopelessly provincial, territorial perspectives (hint; those of us who still occasionally believe we're limited to a human body are in that category :-) gives us the lucidity to receive guidance beyond what we currently believe possible. We become superconductors for the joyous experience of freedom by letting the trivial go and adopting an unyielding allegiance for the eternal. It's a feeling that is all our birthright, no prerequisites and guaranteed by our Creator. Recycling our preconceptions at the curb makes room in our inner pantries for delicacies we haven't even dreamed of!
Beyond Attachment and Aversion
"Non-acceptance is always suffering, no matter what you are not accepting. Acceptance is always freedom, no matter what you are accepting." — Cheri Huber
"Be passersby." — Pursah's Gospel of Thomas, saying 42, from Your Immortal Reality by Gary Renard
"In every instant we have the ability to change our minds about our reality." p. 319; Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard
"One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
'Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go."
— Ella Wheeler Wilcox
When I first experienced being on a sailboat, I was impressed that by tacking back and forth, applying the proper angular relationship (sounds like geometry, doesn't it! :-) one could not only avoid being pushed where one didn't want to go, but a skilled sailor could harness the energy of the wind to actually go in a direction opposite to where the wind was wanting to push the vessel. The metaphor here implies that when we release our attachments and aversions to experiences that we encounter from moment to moment, we are free to learn from our circumstances, rather than being at the mercy of them. This works because we identify with the cause (our infinite nature, and returning inexorably to the home of wholeness and oneness), rather than the temporary situation we happen to find ourselves in.
This usually takes the form (with infinite variations) of relaxing about what's going on, usually a laugh or two (which can be inward, no need for EVERYONE to think you're crazy! :-), and realizing that whatever issue seems to be the big soap opera du jour is probably not worth ruffling your internal feathers about. This doesn't mean that on the "outside" you might do things that appear to be looking after your 'own' interests, defending yourself or taking care of the mundane tasks that require your attention. The crucial point is that INWARDLY the defenses are completely down to allow and welcome spirit! You allow your human perspective to be a passenger, along for the ride, with your transpersonal, metapersonal guidance at the helm. That serenity, ironically allows us to make the best possible decisions that affect the world around us, because that isn't where we're putting our emphasis. If you're not attached to outcomes, you're much freer to actually change them, since the blinders of bias are removed.
"A life without change is not a life; it is a stagnant pool. To change your mind frivolously is a cop-out. To change your mind under the direction of the wisdom of the heart is a brush stroke on the masterpiece you are delivering to the world." — Alan Cohen
The meaningful and effective release of pettiness, judgments, critical attitudes, blame, unconscious guilt, and all their kin occurs because we understand that there's no one "out there" in the rhythm of life's parade of experience doing anything "to us" … We're ultimately doing it all to ourselves — that's applying what Gary Renard calls quantum forgiveness using the assumed dimension of space to our collective advantage. Then when we apply the assumed dimension of time, we realize that we're already home, but we're dreaming all this duality stuff up, so we can afford to forgive the 'events' that, from an eternal vantage point, never happened. Even if it seems like a stretch to bring the full infinity of time into this moment, just consider how important some of the petty things that 'happened to you' a few years ago (or more) seem now… This can give us the inspiration to release our attachments and aversions to particular experiences including favorite seasons, phases of our 'life', places, even people we've been close to.) This doesn't mean in the least that we stop giving 108% of our capacity for kindness, caring and thoughtful responsible action for the myriad of people that constitute our family, friends, and community on every level and realm; it just means that we allow ourselves the exquisite luxury (and freedom) of not being attached to anything happening or not happening. We allow all to be, by giving all to all.
Appreciating the Gifts and Learning the Lessons of Each Moment
"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the 'Universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." — Albert Einstein
"Your brothers are everywhere. You do not have to seek far for salvation. Every minute and every second gives you a chance to save yourself. Do not lose these chances, not because they will not return, but because delay of joy is needless." — A Course In Miracles, Text
"We generally associate the terms of 'rhythm' and 'eurhythmy' with the Arts working in the time dimension (Poetry and Music) and the notion of Proportion with the 'Arts of Space' (Architecture, Painting, Decorative Art.) The Greeks did not care for these distinctions; for them, for Plato in particular, Rhythm was a most general concept dominating not only Aesthetics but also Psychology and Metaphysics. And Rhythm and Number were one. (Rhythmos and Arithmos had the same root: rhein = to flow.)"- Matila Ghyka from "The Geometry of Art and Life"
The law of rhythm is a wonderful tool, when used by our whole self (rather than by the finite, soapy and operatic whiny voice that tries diligently to co-opt who we really are). Every moment has a gift. Every person you meet is a lesson in compassion for self (who else is there?) and kindness via forgiving what seems to be happening. What is going on around us WILL change; that's pretty bankable. :-) Building our inner castle on that sandy seashore is just asking for disappointment. Besides, when we start listening to our deeper wisdom, gleaned from countless lifetimes, investing in the ephemeral outcomes that change with the seasons, tides and generations begins to sound a lot like "been there, done that!" Eventually, we will tire of tricking ourselves out of our inheritance of peace and learn to optimize our receptivity to the gifts that are humbly placed before us by our soul's homecoming agenda. Gratitude is the inevitable result. This can take countless forms, a lyric on the car radio that reminds us that we're not limited to a pitifully finite spot on a backwater planet somewhere on the outskirts of the Milky Way, or perhaps an email with a funny video or touching story that opens us to transpersonal community, or maybe just appreciating the vibrant fall colors and realizing that the warmth we resonate with is not limited to just one time of year…
Another aspect of using the law of rhythm wisely is allowing others to follow their own rhythms. The Aramaic word translated into English as "evil" originally meant "unripe". We're all returning home to a pure non-dual awareness of oneness in seemingly different ways, on different paths, yet all leading to the same experience of oneness. Since our human perspective really leaves us pretty clueless about the true inner adventure of each soul (including our own), it's pretty silly to pass judgment on others, since we're probably just as "unripe" from other perspectives as anyone else and besides, isn't the whole point to discover we're all part of the same tree?
"It is possible to transcend noise, which is a value judgment of an energetic event, and to open your ears, and hear it as music; everything is music. ... My job is to learn to resonate with whatever comes to me." — John Beaulieu
A couple decades ago I took a few classes in Aikido, an oriental martial arts practice. I didn't really stick with that particular practice, but I did learn a great truth from my instructor, Dan. His insight, paraphrased here, was that there's no reason not to assist everyone with where they think they want to go. The key is the concept of non-resistance. If we resist (judge or condemn or limit) others in any way (including thinking of them as being stuck in a particular body), we're using "their energy" against "us". Ideally, the more we practice allowing everyone to be who they are, with their apparent agendas and interests, the more we are free to flow our efforts into the most beneficial path for all (inclusive of 'us'.) Even on the level of form, it's often a good idea to just "get out of the way" and allow what appears to be; our feeling of serenity is a primary indicator of how well we're achieving this. Other times we may (when appropriate) need to act when our hearts require us to get involved; as Caroline Casey advises, (paraphrased here) we can remain united as friends with the soul of someone while opposing their behavior — this works, at times, with inattentive kids AND politicians! :-)
"The way towards freedom from a situation often lies in acceptance of the situation." — Rachel Naomi Remen
"Juggling... is... a symbol of life... What I'm doing over and over and over is ... catching and letting go, I'm catching and letting go; if we hold onto anything for too long, it just doesn't work. ... It's also playing." — Izzy Tooinsky (juggler/storyteller)
"Be patient towards all that is unsolved in your heart and dreams, try to love the questions themselves." — Rainer Maria Rilke
Geometric Symbols of Rhythm — Spirals, Pentagons and Fractals
The very real difference between perception and knowledge becomes quite apparent, if you consider this: There is nothing partial about knowledge. Every aspect is whole, and therefore no aspect is separate." — A Course In Miracles (Text, Chapter 13, From Perception to Knowledge)
"It helps tremendously that the Course is holographic in nature, each thought being related to all the others. In fact, you could say that like a hologram, the whole of the Course's thought system is found in all of its sections, or that each part contains the whole." Pursah; p. 233, from Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard
As always, the particular form (in this case, geometric) we employ as a reminder to invoke the thought system of truth is not what's important. What IS important is the application of non-resistance, the practice of forgiving ourselves for our misperceptions, tending to our mastery of effortless effort in recalling our kinship with all life. If you have a symbol that resonates more effectively for you, by all means use it! Getting hung up on a form (of any kind) is just plain silly. Like the cereal box says, these are just serving suggestions. :-)
Moving in to the eye of the spiral storm, we find the place of calm, while all around us there may be extreme turbulence. The calm fulcrum within the heart of the spiral affords the understanding that change doesn't affect the innermost depths of who we are. Another metaphor is the bottom of the ocean (closer to the center of the earth, incidentally) where the surf and tides and surface swells have negligible impact. Initially one might only encounter these 'places' of serenity in brief epiphanies, mystical revelations or profound meditations, yet, with practice, this state becomes more and more accessible on an everyday basis.
Whenever you see a spiral, it can serve as a reminder, a trigger for the thought system of unlimited peace to calm concerns about the things we think we need. When we shift the attention back to our material concerns, having given them a rest, we often find more practical insights than ever before, since dropping our cares also drops our resistance to hearing viable solutions from our transpersonal guidance, and attunes our thoughts to a happier dream, rather than feeling like we need to plunge into the brunt of the storm.
We can find spirals in nature almost everywhere: weather maps online or on TV, the patterns of fern leaves, parrots beaks, cross sections of mushrooms and cabbages, whirlpools in the sink or your coffee cup, pinecones, clock springs, your inner ear, snail shells, and branches winding around the trunk of a plant. Our personal "yellow brick road" can take us home faster than we can click our ruby slippers together, if we just remember that we have access to the center of the spiral at every moment. Even if our outer conditions appear stormy, our inner cyclonic still point is always available.
Many types of spirals as well as pentagons (which can be extended or partitioned with an endless progression of pentagram/pentagon iterations) are examples of fractals. Fractals are geometric patterns that occur at every level of form, embodying the principle of interconnectedness and relationship. When one 'zooms in' on a portion of a fractal pattern, the same pattern appears at the zoomed in level as the zoomed out level. Examples abound in the natural world. If one looks at any edible fruit, the 5-petalled blossom becomes a delicious metaphor for regeneration, extension, replication and consistency of design regardless of scale. This is inherent in any design that incorporates the golden ratio where the proportion of the whole to the large is the same as the large to the small. The cross section of every DNA molecule is a decagon (10-sided polygon) or two evenly rotated pentagons, and the ratio of the length of one turn of the DNA helical spiral (34 Angstroms), to it's diameter (21 Angstroms), is a pair of successive Fibonacci Numbers, which converge on the golden ratio at infinity. There are countless other examples from the atomic level to minerals, plants, animals, humans, orbits of planets in our solar system, galaxies, and beyond. The important concept (regardless of one's interest in sacred geometry) is that we can use spirals, pentagons, fractals of all sorts, and even anything that just reminds us of interconnectedness as an "on button" or a wake up call for the thought system that restores our thinking to wholeness.
Habits: Centripetal and Centrifugal Movement — Practice, Practice, Practice!
"…Repetition is not only perfectly all right, it's mandatory. That's the only way you can possibly learn a thought system, have it become part of you and get to the point where you apply it automatically — eventually without even thinking about it. That's why it's called practicing forgiveness. You practice over and over, until it becomes second nature. You'll see." Arten; p. 189-190, from Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard
"Thoughts increase by being given away. The more who believe in them the stronger they become. Everything is an idea. How, then, can giving and losing be associated?" … "Now you must learn that only infinite patience produces immediate effects." — A Course In Miracles, text, Chapter 5 — Healing and Wholeness
"And what is a pagan? If you look at the origin of the word, it means a country dweller, a person of nature who lives to the rhythm of seasons and the sun. If that is paganism, then I am a fervent believer." — from Napoleon's Pyramids by William Dietrich, p. 165
"Always do your best." — Don Miguel Ruiz
"Though we seem to be sleeping, there is an inner wakefulness that directs the dream, and that will eventually startle us back to the truth of who we are." — Jelaluddin Rumi
"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." — Albert Einstein
"Perception controls behavior." — Bruce Lipton
"Truth does not vacillate; it is always true." — A Course In Miracles, text, Chapter 9, Grandeur Versus Grandiosity
Remembering that truth never changes can be a way to keep the illusion of change in perspective; if something changes, it is part of the big dream! This means that our bodies (and beliefs and attitudes about them and our relationship to "stuff" of every description), our planet, our galaxy, and the entire material universe with rhythms ranging from the grand cycles of time (Yugas and even slower) all the way to frequencies so fast we don't have instruments to measure them (beyond cosmic rays)… are all just a 'phantom menace' that we made up. The truth of who we are doesn't change, just the projections from our unconscious minds that appear to our sensory thought system seem to be forever shifting, morphing and transforming from one state to another. In terms of the true importance to our spirit, it's just one big holographic carrot on a multidimensional stick! The eastern philosophies, Buddhism in particular, offer a great deal of insight into relinquishing our folly of preoccupation with this ephemeral parade of effects. However, just recognizing that we're dreaming doesn't provide the systematic release from the dream. This can be a passive acknowledgment internally that is equivalent to saying, "OK, so I'm dreaming, now how do I wake up?" A superb and essential first step, but more is needed to awaken.
Fortunately, we can, with help from our transpersonal selves (or Holy Spirit or inner guidance or pure non-dualistic identity or whatever label works for you) recognize the dreaming that we're doing, and not take it too seriously (complete with the pendulum swings of mood, happenstance and the distraction of capricious events) … Inwardly that is! On the level of cause, we can afford to laugh at the whimsy of being caught up in circumstances, knowing — full well — that we're not the events that appear to be happening to us. On the level of effect or form, it's usually a good idea to take care of our everyday responsibilities, like feeding the cat, paying our bills, and prudently planting in spring and harvesting in autumn.
This doesn't mean that we should ignore what is going on around us on the level of form or effect, but it DOES mean that the form has less and less of a white-knuckled, sweaty grip on our reality. This just takes practice, practice, and more practice. With due diligence, an inclusive attitude and philosophy becomes a habit and then when the "bigger" issues suggest we move our backs to the wall, there's no inner wall for us to be pinned to. We are liberated one forgiving thought and feeling at a time… gradually spiraling inward from a nightmarish whirlwind of trying to solve the world in isolation to the peaceful center within where happy dreams become predominant and we ultimately awaken altogether.
When we identify with the eternal, it affords us the poise and serenity needed to not just weather the changing seasons, but to savor, without attachment or aversion, the blessings and offerings of the ephemeral BECAUSE we appreciate the life thread that weaves itself through all of these seasons and changes. We go beyond merely surviving to thriving because we follow the inner promptings to rely on the infinite supply of loving kindness that is ours to give to all without discrimination of time, space, or seeming forms and individuals. When we realize that there are never any limits on giving from the infinite within, we have become truly self-sufficient in the transpersonal sense of that word. If we think we "need" recognition, approval, affection, or any other sort of "positive" feedback, we're using the limited personal thought system of the ego and that seems to place us at the mercy of whim and circumstance, a victim of the rhythms of nature, rather than an ultimate surfer of the cosmic tides.
Continue the persistent practice of quantum forgiveness. Overlook the dream of space/time/duality. Apply that perspective to specifically forgiving what APPEARS to be "happening to us" at this moment until it becomes habit. Then "second nature" becomes "first nature" which, of course it always was!
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
— Jelaluddin Rumi
Copywrite 2008 Bruce Rawles. All rights reserved.
About Bruce Rawles
Bruce Rawles is the author of Sacred Geometry Design Sourcebook: Universal Dimensional Patterns, the co-author of The Geometry Code eBooklet and Screensaver (with Mika Feinberg of LightSOURCE) which is the prequel to a forthcoming book of the same name, and the editor of a website devoted to sacred geometry and the principle of interconnectedness. His fine art series inspired by the astronomical discoveries of John Martineau has been exhibited in Switzerland, Austria, and several galleries in the U.S. He gives presentations and workshops on the integration of timeless Hermetic Laws, sacred geometry, and contemporary insights. His earlier article for Spirit of Ma'at appeared in January 2004, prior to his presentations for the Global Sacred Geometry Conference in Sedona, Arizona.
More inforamtion about Bruce and his work — Media Info Kit.
© 2006 Spirit of Maat
Spirit of Ma'at LLC,
P.O. Box 687, Sedona, AZ 86339
Phone: 928-204-0741
Fax: 928-282-6791
The Anatomy of Self
Sephiroth or Tree of life
1. Origin (p.1)
2. The Sephiroth
3. The Ten Commandments
4. The Lord's Prayer
5. Numerology
The Sephiroth & the Tarot.
6. The Hebrew Alphabet (p.2)
7. Major Arcana of the Tarot
8. Groupings within the Major Arcana
9. Overview
Anatomy of Self
1. The new Tree of Life (p.3)
2. The Aspect of Colour
3. The Chakras
4. Hermetic Alchemy (p.4)
5. Astrology.
6. Spirit, Mind, Soul and Body
7. Overview
Index page
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TL 2.4 - Hermetic Alchemy
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Amphora with dragon, by Claus 1992
Alchemy is commonly known as a Mediaeval process of making an elixir to prolong life or making gold out of the base metals.
However those alchemic processes were originally used in a symbolic sense to describe and define "mastery of mental forces".
Alchemy was forbidden by Christianity.
This mental oriented use of alchemy is also called Hermetic Alchemy or Hermetic Philosophy, after the ancient philosopher Hermes Trismegistus (3000 BC) who is the discoverer of this occult *. wisdom.
The basis of Hermetic alchemy rests on the Seven Hermetic Principles. These Principles form part of a compilation of Basic Hermetic Doctrines called The Kybalion *.
The Kybalion was not written down, but passed on from mouth to ear for several centuries, and forms the basis of several occult wisdoms and ancient philosophies. It was a collection of maxims, axioms, and precepts, which were non-understandable to outsiders, but which were readily understood by teachers and their students.
The Seven Hermetic Principles
After Mentalism . all are dual
1. The Principle of Mentalism (Kybalion : "The All is Mind" - "The Universe is Mental")
This Principle embodies the truth that "All is Mind"
2. The Principle of Correspondence (Kybalion : "As above, so below; as below, so above")
This Principle embodies the truth that there is always a Correspondence between the Laws and the Phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life.
3. The Principle of Vibration (Kybalion : "Nothing rests: everything moves; everything vibrates")
This Principle embodies the truth that everything is in motion, everything vibrates.( Facts which each new scientific discovery tends to verify.)
4. The Principle of Polarity (Kybalion : "everything is dual")
This Principle embodies the truth that everything is dual, everything has two poles, everything has its pair of opposites.
5. The Principle of Rhythm (Kybalion : "everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides")
This Principle embodies the truth that in everything there is manifested a measure of motion, to and fro; a swing backward and forward a pendulum-like movement between the two poles which exist in accordance with the Principle of Polarity .
6. The Principle of Cause and Effect (Kybalion : "every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause")
This Principle embodies the fact that there is a Cause for every Effect; an Effect for every Cause. It explains that " "Everything happens according to Law" that nothing ever 'merely happens".
7. The Principle of Gender (Kybalion : "Gender is in everything")
This Principle embodies the truth that there is Gender manifested in everything : the Masculine and Feminine Principles ever at work.
Not only in the Physical Plane, but also in the Mental and the Spiritual Planes.
"THE KYBALION"
A study of the hermetic philosophy of ancient Egypt and Greece by three Initiates.
Published by: The Yogi publication society. Masonic Temple Chicago, ILL.
The Hermetic Principles correlate with the Tree of Life in the following way.
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TL 2.5 - Astrology - (The DNA of the Soul).
Astrology studies and interprets the motions and relative positions of the planets, sun, moon and the two nodes in terms of human characteristics and activities ( Dynamics ).
It there by provides the Soul with 'the moment of birth Signature' and how that interacts with the present constellation.
Astrology is amongst the oldest sciences.
Because a lack of computing power and the calling on Intuition it is kept out of modern science.
Astrology gives the Soul a character like DNA gives the physical body a Signature.
Below a brief descriptions of the planets, sun, moon, earth and the two nodes.
Pluto - Neptune - Uranus - "Chiron" - Saturn - Jupiter - Mars - Venus - Mercury - Sun - Moon - Nodes - Earth
s
Name Approximate Rotation
around the Earth Symbol Astrological Description
Pluto Once every 240 years tree2p01.gif Pluto is the urge to sacrifice oneself to the demands of an evolving structure. When this dynamic is used positively, it eliminates the parasitic growths that would otherwise destroy its host, man.
Neptune Once every 170 years tree2p02.gif Neptune is the dynamics by which social obligations are fulfilled in response to spiritual duty. It also reflects appreciation for the highest and most sublime creative manifestations.
Uranus Once every 84 years tree2p03.gif Uranus is the individual need to be free from the bonds of responsibility. It expresses great spiritual concern that society enjoy freedom from the shackles of ignorance.
Chiron Once every 50 years chirin.jpg Chiron Represents the aspect of consciousness that eventually developed in the Human condition. It is the search for growth and perfection, personal as well as for the species.
Saturn Once every 29 years tree2p04.gif Saturn is the development of personal worth. It is the judgment refined by experience. It is the wisdom that results from the thoughtful application of knowledge.
Jupiter Once every 12 years tree2p05.gif Jupiter is the higher mental faculty that seeks meaning in the affairs of life beyond labels. Every process that urges growth and expansion of consciousness is given a spiritual value, and a distinction between right and wrong is established.
Mars Once every 2 years tree2p06.gif Mars is the fuel that operates the ego. It represents the residual traces of man's animal nature. It is the force in nature that establishes the survival of the fittest.
Venus Once every year tree2p07.gif Venus shows adjustments made to encourage relationships. Venus is tenderness and affection, understanding and compromise, refinement and beauty.
Mercury Once every year tree2p08.gif Mercury represents the intellectual faculties, curiosity and wanting to know all there is to know. Mercury interprets and solves problems with deductive logic.
Sun Once every year tree2p09.gif The Sun represents the ego, individuality, will, striving for significance and the conscious side of the personality. It is the active life-force aggressively trying to use all potentials and develop all available resources.
Moon 12 times a year tree2p10.gif The Moon is the unconscious side of personality, the set of habits and instincts. It is the constantly changing personality that responds and reacts to external stimuli.
North Node
-
tree2p11.gif The North Node shows the experience that allows a person to access aspects of one's psychological awareness.
The Nodes of the Moon are not planetary bodies. They are points formed in space by the Moon's orbit around the Earth intersecting with the Earth's path around the Sun. There are two nodes, the North Nodal point located to the Earth's North, the South Node located exactly opposite to the Earth's South.
South Node
-
tree2p12.gif The South Node depicts an aspect in our character that has been over-emphasised in one's past lives.
Earth
-
tree2p13.gif The Earth represents the fundamental presence of the individual.
With its own Dailey rotation it creates a 12 House System reflecting the Dailey changes from rest (formation) to activity (expression) .
Descriptions for the planets are based on Planets in Aspect. by; Robert Pelletier *
Descriptions for th the Nodes are based on Astrology for the Soul. by: Jan Spiller *
I have placed the eight planets, the Sun, the Moon, the two Nodes and the Earth on the 13 spheres of the new Tree of Life
* According to their relative speed of rotation around the Earth and their distance away from it.
From bottom to top : their distances increase and their rotation speeds decrease.
* There by creating a perfect mach with their astrological meaning and interpretations.
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TL 2.6 - Spirit, Mind, Soul and Body in The Philosophers' Stone
The Human Identity, as symbolised in the Philosophers' Stone,
consist also of a Spirit, Mind, Soul and Body
overlaping with the Tree ofLife.
Spirit
1. Universal Love - focusing on the All in One
2. Personal Love - considering the other
3. Desire - focused on oneself
4. Bio Energy - building the Body
Mind
1. Universal Understanding - focusing on the All in One
2. Reason - considering the other
3. Will - focused on oneself
4. Instinct - sustaining the Body
Soul (Identity)
1. Wisdom -The union of Understanding and Love
2. Self control - considering the other
3. Essential Nature - focused on oneself
4. Body - the "eye" of Consiousness.
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2005. C.F.
On the Philosophers' Stone the components of the Body, Soul, Mind and Spirit rise upwards and converge until they join at the top in Enlightenment.
On either side the rise is a gradual progression from personal to holistic components. The Philosophers' Stone shows the development from Micro Cosmos to Macro Cosmos, or this material reality achieving spiritual union.
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See also Mutus liber
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TL 2.7 - Overview
15 Plates.
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Sephiroth as Occult Key
What follows is a chapter from the Kybalion, a book published in 1908 by the anonymous "Three Initiates". Being now in the public domain, I include it here as a cogent summary of Hermeticism, the philosophy of Ancient Egypt's Hermes Trismegistus (aka the deity Thoth and Hermes). The original Kybalion is supposedly the writings of the ancient sage himself, quoted in the text below. You can find the complete text of the 1908 book at (www.divineparadox.com/AgelessWisdom/Kybalion/kybalion.htm).
Use an intuitive eye here--you seldom find a Theory of Everything as direct as this. And remember:
"The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding." - The Kybalion
THE SEVEN HERMETIC PRINCIPLES
"The Principles of Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possesses the Magic Key before whose touch all the Doors of the Temple fly open." -The Kybalion.
The Seven Hermetic Principles, upon which the entire Hermetic Philosophy is based, are as follows:
I. THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTALISM.
II. THE PRINCIPLE OF CORRESPONDENCE.
III. THE PRINCIPLE OF VIBRATION.
lV. THE PRINCIPLE OF POLARITY.
V. THE PRINCIPLE OF RHYTHM.
VI. THE PRINCIPLE OF CAUSE AND EFFECT.
VII. THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER.
These seven Principles will be discussed and explained as we proceed with these lessons. A short explanation of each, however, may as well be given at this point.
I. The Principle of Mentalism.
"THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental." - The Kybalion.
This principle embodies the truth that "All is Mind." It explains that THE ALL (which is the Substantial Reality underlying all the outward manifestations and appearances which we know under the terms of "The Material Universe"; the "Phenomena of Life"; "Matter"; "Energy"; and, in short, all that is apparent to our material senses) is SPIRIT, which in itself is UNKNOWABLE and UNDEFINABLE, but which may be considered and thought of as AN UNIVERSAL, INFINITE, LIVING MIND. It also explains that all the phenomenal world or universe is simply a Mental Creation of THE ALL, subject to the Laws of Created Things, and that the universe, as a whole, and in its parts or units, has its existence in the Mind of THE ALL, in which Mind we "live and move and have our being." This Principle, by establishing the Mental Nature of the Universe, easily explains all of the varied mental and psychic phenomena that occupy such a large portion of the public attention, and which, without such explanation, are non-understandable and defy scientific treatment. An understanding of this great Hermetic Principle of Mentalism enables the individual to readily grasp the laws of the Mental Universe, and to apply the same to his well-being and advancement. The Hermetic Student is enabled to apply intelligently the great Mental Laws, instead of using them in a haphazard manner. With the Master-Key in his possession, the student may unlock the many doors of the mental and psychic temple of knowledge, and enter the same freely and intelligently. This Principle explains the true nature of "Energy," "Power," and "Matter," and why and how all these are subordinate to the Mastery of Mind. One of the old Hermetic Masters wrote, long ages ago: "He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe is well advanced on The Path to Mastery." And these words are as true to-day as at the time they were first written. Without this Master-Key, Mastery is impossible, and the student knocks in vain at the many doors of The Temple.
II. The Principle of Correspondence.
"As above, so below; as below, so above." -The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the truth that there is always a Correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life. The old Hermetic axiom ran in these words: "As above, so below; as below, so above." And the grasping of this Principle gives one the means of solving many a dark paradox, and hidden secret of Nature. There are planes beyond our knowing, but when we apply the Principle of Correspondence to them we are able to understand much that would otherwise be unknowable to us. This Principle is of universal application and manifestation, on the various planes of the material, mental, and spiritual universe-it is an Universal Law. The ancient Hermetists considered this Principle as one of the most important mental instruments by which man was able to pry aside the obstacles which hid from view the Unknown. Its use even tore aside the Veil of Isis to the extent that a glimpse of the face of the goddess might be caught. Just as a knowledge of the Principles of Geometry enables man to measure distant suns and their movements, while seated in his observatory, so a knowledge of the Principle of Correspondence enables Man to reason intelligently from the Known to the Unknown. Studying the monad, he understands the archangel.
III. The Principle of Vibration.
"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates." -The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the truth that "everything is in motion, everything vibrates"; "nothing is at rest"; facts which Modern Science endorses, and which each new scientific discovery tends to verify. And yet this Hermetic Principle was enunciated thousands of years ago, by the Masters of Ancient Egypt. This Principle explains that the differences between different manifestations of Matter, Energy, Mind, and even Spirit, result largely from varying rates of Vibration. From THE ALL, which is Pure Spirit, down to the grossest form of Matter, all is in vibration-the higher the vibration, the higher the position in the scale. The vibration of Spirit is at such an infinite rate of intensity and rapidly that it is practically at rest-just as a rapidly moving wheel seems to be motionless. And at the other end of the scale, there are gross forms of matter whose vibrations are so low as to seem at rest. Between these poles, there are millions upon millions of varying degrees of vibration. From corpuscle and electron, atom and molecule, to worlds and universes, everything is in vibratory motion. This is also true on the planes of energy and force (which are but varying degrees of vibration); and also on the mental planes (whose states depend upon vibrations); and even on to the spiritual planes. An understanding of this Principle, with the appropriate formulas, enables Hermetic students to control their own mental vibrations as well as those of others. The Masters also apply this Principle to the conquering of Natural phenomena, in various ways. "He who understands the Principle of Vibration, has grasped the scepter of power," says one of the old writers.
IV. The Principle of Polarity.
"Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled." - The Kybalion
This Principle embodies the truth that "everything is dual"; "everything has two poles"; "everything has its pair of opposites," all of which were old Hermetic axioms. It explains the old paradoxes, that have perplexed so many, which have been stated as follows: "Thesis and antithesis are identical in nature, but different in degree"; "opposites are the same, differing only in degree"; "the pairs of opposites may be reconciled"; "extremes meet"; "everything is and isn't, at the same time"; "all truths are but half-truths"; "every truth is half-false"; "there are two sides to everything," etc., etc., etc. It explains that in everything there are two poles, or opposite aspects, and that "opposites" are really only the two extremes of the same thing, with many varying degrees between them. To illustrate: Heat and Cold, although "opposites," are really the same thing, the differences consisting merely of degrees of the same thing. Look at your thermometer and see if you can discover where "heat" terminates and "cold" begins! There is no such thing as "absolute heat" or "absolute cold"-the two terms "heat" and "cold" simply indicate varying degrees of the same thing, and that "same thing" which manifests as "heat" and "cold" is merely a form, variety, and rate of Vibration. So "heat" and "cold" are simply the "two poles" of that which we call "Heat" -and the phenomena attendant thereupon are manifestations of the Principle of Polarity. The same Principle manifests in the case of "Light and Darkness," which are the same thing, the difference consisting of varying degrees between the two poles of the phenomena. Where does "darkness" leave off, and "light" begin? What is the difference between "Large and Small"? Between "Hard and Soft"? Between "Black and White"? Between "Sharp and Dull"? Between "Noise and Quiet"? Between "High and Low"? Between "Positive and Negative"? The Principle of Polarity explains these paradoxes, and no other Principle can supersede it. The same Principle operates on the Mental Plane. Let us take a radical and extreme example-that of "Love and Hate," two mental states apparently totally different. And yet there are degrees of Hate and degrees of Love, and a middle point in which we use the terms "Like or Dislike," which shade into each other so gradually that sometimes we are at a loss to know whether we "like" or "dislike" or "nither."And all are simply degrees of the same thing, as you will see if you will but think a moment. And, more than this (and considered of more importance by the Hermetists), it is possible to change the vibrations of Hate to the vibrations of Love, in one's own mind, and in the minds of others. Many of you, who read these lines, have had personal experiences of the involuntary rapid transition from Love to Hate, and the reverse, in your own case and that of others. And you will therefore realize the possibility of this being accomplished by the use of the Will, by means of the Hermetic formulas. "Good and Evil" are but the poles of the same thing, and the Hermetist understands the art of transmuting Evil into Good, by means of an application of the Principle of Polarity. In short, the "Art of Polarization" becomes a phase of "Mental Alchemy" known and practiced by the ancient and modern Hermetic Masters. An understanding of the Principle will enable one to change his own Polarity, as well as that of others, if he will devote the time and study necessary to master the art.
V. The Principle of Rhythm.
"Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates." - The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the truth that in everything there is manifested a measured motion, to and fro; a flow and inflow; a swing backward and forward; a pendulum-like movement; a tide-like ebb and flow; a high-tide and low-tide; between the two poles which exist in accordance with the Principle of Polarity described a moment ago. There is always an action and a reaction; an advance and a retreat; a rising and sinking. This is in the affairs of the Universe, suns, worlds, men, animals, mind, energy, and matter. This law is manifest in the creation and destruction of worlds; in the rise and fall of nations; in the life of all things; and finally in the mental states of Man (and it is with this latter that the Hermetists find the understanding of the Principle most important). The Hermetists have grasped this Principle, finding its universal application, and have also discovered certain means to overcome its effects in themselves by the use of the appropriate formulas and methods. They apply the Mental Law of Neutralization. They cannot annul the Principle, or cause it to cease its operation, but they have learned how to escape its effects upon themselves to a certain degree depending upon the Mastery of the Principle. They have learned how to USE it, instead of being USED BY it. In this and similar methods, consist the Art of the Hermetists. The Master of Hermetics polarizes himself at the point at which he desires to rest, and then neutralizes the Rhythmic swing of the pendulum which would tend to carry him to the other pole. All individuals who have attained any degree of Self-Mastery do this to a certain degree, more or less unconsciously, but the Master does this consciously, and by the use of his Will, and attains a degree of Poise and Mental Firmness almost impossible of belief on the part of the masses who are swung backward and forward like a pendulum. This Principle and that of Polarity have been closely studied by the Hermetists, and the methods of counteracting, neutralizing, and USING them form an important part of the Hermetic Mental Alchemy.
VI. The Principle of Cause and Effect.
"Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law." - The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the fact that there is a Cause for every Effect; an Effect from every Cause. It explains that: "Everything Happens according to Law"; that nothing ever "merely happens"; that there is no such thing as Chance; that while there are various planes of Cause and Effect, the higher dominating the lower planes, still nothing ever entirely escapes the Law. The Hermetists understand the art and methods of rising above the ordinary plane of Cause and Effect, to a certain degree, and by mentally rising to a higher plane they become Causers instead of Effects. The masses of people are carried along, obedient to environment; the wills and desires of others stronger than themselves; heredity; suggestion; and other outward causes moving them about like pawns on the Chessboard of Life. But the Masters, rising to the plane above, dominate their moods, characters, qualities, and powers, as well as the environment surrounding them, and become Movers instead of pawns. They help to PLAY THE GAME OF LIFE, instead of being played and moved about by other wills and environment. They USE the Principle instead of being its tools. The Masters obey the Causation of the higher planes, but they help to RULE on their own plane. In this statement there is condensed a wealth of Hermetic knowledge-let him read who can.
VII. The Principle of Gender.
"Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes." - The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the truth that there is GENDER manifested in everything-the Masculine and Feminine Principles ever at work. This is true not only of the Physical Plane, but of the Mental and even the Spiritual Planes. On the Physical Plane, the Principle manifests as SEX, on the higher planes it takes higher forms, but the Principle is ever the same. No creation, physical, mental or spiritual, is possible without this Principle. An understanding of its laws will throw light on many a subject that has perplexed the minds of men. The Principle of Gender works ever in the direction of generation, regeneration, and creation. Everything, and every person, contains the two Elements or Principles, or this great Principle, within it, him or her. Every Male thing has the Female Element also; every Female contains also the Male Principle. If you would understand the philosophy of Mental and Spiritual Creation, Generation, and Re-generation, you must understand and study this Hermetic Principle. It contains the solution of many mysteries of Life. We caution you that this Principle has no reference to the many base, pernicious and degrading lustful theories, teachings and practices, which are taught under fanciful titles, and which are a prostitution of the great natural principle of Gender. Such base revivals of the ancient infamous forms of Phallicism tend to ruin mind, body and soul, and the Hermetic Philosophy has ever sounded the warning note against these degraded teachings which tend toward lust, licentiousness, and perversion of Nature's principles. If you seek such teachings, you must go elsewhere for them-Hermeticism contains nothing for you along these lines. To the pure, all things are pure; to the base, all things are base.
FREEMASONRY AND THE HERMETIC DOCTRINE,
≥CONCLUSIONS≤
By: Carlos Antonio Martinez, Jr.
According to the first principle, everything that exists is Mental. But, Mental, is just a name, Hermes could have stated that everything is Energy, for example, and that would not change anything. Now, then, the fact that everything has the same nature permits the Hermetist or Free-Mason to work with these laws regardless of whether it be with an atom or with a galaxy, keeping always into account that we live in a Holographic Universe, and that every act and action does not succumb in itself, but, it brings repercussions that reach the very boundaries of said universe.
The concept of Mental Transmutation proposed by Hermetic Philosophy is a Transmutation of Conscience in the human being, a Transmutation of Negative into Positive, of Evil into Good, of ≥Lead≤ into ≥Gold≤, of Ignorance into Knowledge, of Hate into Loveä The gradual change of everything that we dislike about ourselves, which is determined solely through Knowledge, Self-Awareness, and Openness of Mind.
Working with the seven hermetic principles, we can change our personal circumstances, and those which surround us. We can attract to ourselves what we need, by the principle of correspondence, grouping the similar with the similar. We can situate ourselves in the adequate vibration to transmute, for example, Poverty into Wealth or Illness into Health, by the principle of vibration. We can transmute the negative into positive by the principle of polarity. We can consciously create the adequate rhythm to break a pernicious habit. We can inundate our lives with favorable effects if we plant good causes, by the principle of cause and effect. And, in short, we can engender all the projects we wish, by the principle of generation.
The Hermetic and/or Masonic Adept must labor earnestly, in order to achieve the expected results with the aid of these principles. Utilizing these laws in the appropriate manner, while working on a superior evolutionary project, the student may also be attaining better changes in his livelihood, his health, his relation with a significant other, his patrimony, and his general success in life, for the adequate use of The Kybalion has no limits. For every person who has a genuine spiritual yearning and dramatic questions concerning the meaning of life, the Kybalion of Hermes Trismegistus can point the right way, a safe and objective path that counters the spiritual fantasies of the Pseudo-Esoterism in which the semi-hypnotized individual dreams of evolving, without actually transmuting his/her animal nature.
Hermeticism, therefore, is not a methodical philosophy, but, the Magisterial Science of
the Universe, the science of all sciences, the science that awakens in man his latent mental capacities, and teaches him to live wisely by means of the correct employment of the Laws of Nature.
Hermetic Philosophy is a Vivid Philosophy, not a mere cognition. Aside from being a sublime teaching, it constitutes a cosmic system of evolution, an escape door which permits the human being to transcend his/her animal condition to become a different species known as The Stellar Man, a superior creature that represents the Evolutive Summit of the homo sapiens, and, at the same time, the beginning of a New Evolutionary Cycle at a higher level.
The Kybalion tells us that ≥to destroy an undesired degree of vibration, one must place in operation the principle of polarity and concentrate oneπs attention on the opposing extreme which we desire to suppress. The undesired is then eliminated by changing its polarity≤.
This operation is one of the principal hermetic axioms, a timeless teaching, of course mastered and explicated by Hermes Trismegistus over five thousand years ago, it indicates to us that we must pay attention to that which we desire to eliminate, by simply applying it to any realm or circumstance of our lives, be it internal and/or external.
We must also ≥maintain the rhythm≤ and not arrive to the completely opposite extreme, to amount to hatred, for if we hate, we will never let loose of that which we hate; Hatred impairs Reason, it turns into an obsession, becoming part of ourselves, of our lives, and will always inhabit our mind and thoughtsä we must seek equilibrium.
Another way, is by changing our interior vision of living things, for example, trees, recognizing the mission they have accomplished by feeding the bonfires of our ancestors, without which we would never be where we are. Time is way past due for us to give them a ≥breather≤, for, after all, they supply oursä It is not the same to observe a tree as a piece of wood rather than as a living being.
To escape inferior causes and effects, to respect our surroundings and harmonize ourselves with ≥the doctrine of no harm≤, we must strive not to cause harm to any sensible or pain sufferable being. This is a way to polarize toward a respect for that which surrounds us; that which hurts me hurts others; that which hurts others hurts me; that which benefits me benefits others; that which benefits others benefits me; However, just like I stated before, this does not only include people, but, all ≥sensible beings≤ä Hippocrates told us: ≥ä make a habit out of two things, help, or, at least, do no harm ä≤. Therefore, just like he suggested, we should all endeavor to cause the least possible damage.
If we control the causes, starting with those minor ones, we shall cease suffering unwanted and/or uncontrollable effects at will; we shall pass from ≥effects≤ to ≥causes≤ escaping from one inferior plane to a superior, we will rule in the inferior, but, being already subject to other superior effects.
Remember the adage: ≥The masses allow themselves to be dragged obeying their ambience, succumbing to the will and desires of men stronger than them, yielding to the effects of inherited tendencies, insinuations, temptations and other foreign causes, thus becoming nothing more than pawns in the chess game of life≤.
He who practices Mental Transmutation works an another state of conscience or plane, transforming conditions and mental states into others in accordance with formulas more or less efficacious.
Even modern Schools of Psychology implement various ≥treatments≤, ≥affirmations≤, and/or ≥autosuggestions≤ which, are nothing more than these same Hermetic Principles, frequently utilized unconsciously and, therefore, imperfect.
With Knowledge, Self-Awareness and Will Power, a human being can pass from one state of conscience to another, from effect to cause, from being destructive to constructive, from apathetic and motionless to one eager to live, respectful, participant and ≥harmonized≤ with his/her surroundings. The Kybalion encourages us to ≥avoid all mental avarice and express into practice all that which we have learned≤, and, again, this can only be attained through study, knowledge, attention and much strength of will.
My Brothers, Hermeticism does not only pursue the possession of theoretical knowledge, but, it engages in it through practice, showing us, at the same time, how we are formed. Carpenters give shape to wood; Iron Forgers give shape to steel; Sculptors give shape to stone; And the Wise give shape to themselves.
The possession of knowledge which is not accompanied by a manifestation and expression in Practice and Deed, is the same as burying precious minerals and metals, an useless and futile thing.
Let us, therefore, ever remember the admonition of The Thrice Great Master of Masters: ≥Knowledge, just like Fortune, must be employed. The Law of Use is Universal, and he who violates it shall suffer for having set himself in conflict with the Forces of Nature≤.
M A R I A
- M A R Y A M -
PURA MARYAM SOPHYAH
www.puramaryam.de / Berlin, Germany
Cosmic LAWS - GOD's Order
The seven Cosmic Laws of
Hermes Trismegistos = Thot
(Hermetic Laws)
Index of all Pages - Alphabetical Register - Seminars
All Philosophy is based on seven Cosmic Laws. Thot, the Egyptian God of WISDOM = Hermes Trismegistos, "The triple great Hermes" of the ancient Greeks, had once written them down on Emerald Tables, so that MEN would know and follow them. These tables have not been found up to this day.
These LAWS are valid in all of CREATION, in all Planes of Being. They are eternal and unchangeable. But above all LAWS stands the UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND THE GRACE OF GOD, able to transcent all LAWS!
1. The Principle of SPIRIT ( MIND)
Everything is Spiritual. The Source of LIFE is CREATIVE SPIRIT, without bounds and limitations. The Universe is mental. Spirit / Mind stands above matter - rules matter.
The Consciousness determines the BEING. Thoughts are creative and changing powers; they are the means of CREATION. The IMAGINATION creates in Visualization. The intensity of the inner wishing and longing is an important factor of CREATION. And just like HIS WORD, MAN's WORD creates, too - as the action of his mind. So every MAN is able to leave his state of ignorance and consciously enter the STATE OF KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE at any time, thus accepting the Heritage of MAN's PERFECTION and of CREATION. He thus changes his world and creates it new.
Be aware of your thoughts - they can create and destroy! Be conscious of your responsibility! Which thoughts and words come from you? What do you CREATE with them? Are they worlds of LOVE - creatures of LOVE?
2. The Principle of Cause and Effect = KARMA
Each cause has an effect - each effect has its cause. Each action has a certain energy which requires that the like energy returns to its source, to its creator.
The effect equals the cause in quality and quantity. 'Equal creates equal'. Action = Reaction.
The cause can be on many different planes. Everything happens in accordance to the LAW. Each MAN is CREATOR, carrier and surmounter of his fate.
Every thought, every feeling, every action is a cause which has an effect. So there is no blame, no guilt or fault, no sin, no 'chance' and no luck - only cause and effect. Between the cause and its effect many centuries and incarnations could extend - as TIME does not exist.
"Luck" and "chance" are expressions of a LAW not yet acknowledged.
Why do you have certain traits? Where do your patterns of behaviour derive from? Be aware of the effect of all your thoughts, feelings and actions! Let go of hatred, aggressiveness and fear and open yourself to Unconditional TRUST and LOVE. You alone are responsible for yourself!
3. The Principle of Correspondence or Analogy
As above - so below, as below - so above. As within - so without, as without - so within. As in great - so in small, as in small, so in great.
For everthing there is in this world, there exists an analogy on every plane of BEING.
So you can realize the great in the small, and the smallest in the greatest. The way you are yourself determines the way you experience the ouside world. Vice versa, the outside world is your mirror. When Du change, everything around you will change.
4. The Principle of Resonance or Attraction
Like attracts like and will be enforced by like. Unlike repels each other.
Your personal behaviour determines your personal conditions and the total conditions of your life.
Negativity attracts more negativity, darkness attracts more darkness, aggression attracts aggression, hate attracts hate, sorrow attracts sorrow, addiction attracts addiction, so if you do not stop, reconsider and reverse your path, your negativity will increase, leading into a downward spiral that - at a certain point - cannot be stopped and leads into depression, desperation, desaster and death.
5. The Principle of Harmony and Balance
Harmony is the flow of life. Everything strives for harmony, for balance. The stronger determines the weaker and makes it equal to itself.
Life is harmonious togetherness, the GIVING and TAKING of elements and powers being active in CREATION. By grasping and holding on we create a blockage which in turn is leading to sickness and death as a result of ERROR: LIFE supports only what furthers LIFE, and anything causing a blockage weakens and must go, because it is a hindrance to LIFE itself. LIFE is mutual balance or compensation, eternal movement. Different effects are finding to a balance, so that as soon as possible harmony is restored. Life is continuous GIVING and TAKING. The universe lives by dynamic balance in EASINESS, HARMONY and LOVE. GIVING and TAKING are different aspects of the Cosmic Energy Stream.
While giving freely what we are seeking, we are letting PLENTY into our lives. While giving HARMONY, PEACE and LOVE, we are creating HARMONY, PEACE and LOVE, opening us for LUCK, SUCCESS and PLENTY.
We will get as much from the PLENTY of LIFE, as we are able to open ourselves to it. To open yourself, you should let go of all your conscious and unconscious thoughts of need and limitations within yourself and dare the NEW, THE UNBOUNDED. He who does not live PLENTY, will not find it.
Open yourself to the PLENTY. Do not enrichen yourself at the cost of others. You have to pay everything you get (unless it is GIVEN to you). GIVE in order to RECEIVE!
Above this LAW - above EACH LAW - is the GRACE of GOD!
6. The Principle of Rhythm or Vibration
Everything flows in and flows out again. Everything has its tides. Everything rises and falls. Everything is vibration.
Nothing is static - everything is moving. The even movement of the pendulum is evident in everything. The swing of the pendulum to the one side equals the swing of the pendulum to the other side. Rhythm equalizes.
Overcome rigidity and live flexibility. Whatever is rigid must break apart.
7. The Principle of Polarity and Sexuality
Everything has a pair of poles. Everything has a pair of contrasting aspects. Like and unlike are the same.
Contrasts are the same by their nature. GOD'S TRUTH IS ONE.
Only in the low-vibrating worlds, like in the 3. dimension, the aspects have different signs marking them as "contrasts", and thus have different vibrational frequencies. The human brain is three-dimensionally oriented; for that reason the ONE-NESS or SAME-NESS appears PARADOX to the polaric mind. But each PARADOXON should be brought together - in the middle - , only this way we can approach TRUTH. Or else our truths are only half truths. We cannot understand TRUTH - only grasp it with the HEART!
In the 3rd dimension we should learn to recognize the ONE-NESS OF ALL - by LEARNING UNCONDITIONAL LOVE ans LIVING this LOVE = THAT is our GOAL IN LIVE-on-Earth! When we are living in UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, we are living in NON-POLARITY.
Do not judge or evaluate others. Do not raise yourself above others. Accept the other opinion. Everyone is right. Everything is justified. Everything is well.
Sexuality is in everything. Both sexual aspects is ONENESS at the same time.
Sexuality manifests itself in everything. Everything has male and female elements. Everything is male and female in ONE. Sexuality strives for ONE-NESS. But actually sexuality IS ONE-NESS or UNITY, as you can see with TAO. The NON-POLARIC UNITY consists of the male and the female aspect. you also cannot divide SEA and WAVES - both is ONE - and ONE is not without the other.
You yourself are male and female at the same time. Live your male and your female aspect equally. Be balanced - be in your middle - BE ONE.
Hermeticism and Hermetic Qabalistic Magick and Mysticism within the Western Mystery Traditions
A Comprehensive, Spiritual Collection and Compilation of Sacred Hermetic Texts and Philosophies. The Ancient Wisdom of Hermetic Esoteric Philosophy and Occult Writings originally attributed to Hermes Mercurius Trismegistos.
Mythological, Hermes Trismegistos was known to the ancient Hebrews as Enoch, to the ancient Egyptians as Thoth, to the ancient Greeks as Hermes and to the ancient Romans as Mercury and was known in medieval times as the Father of Alchemy.
Amongst the most famous ancient texts attributed to Hermes Trismegistos are "The Emerald Tablet", "The Corpus Hermeticum", "The Virgin Of The World", and "The Kyballion" with its "Seven Hermetic Principles and Universal Laws" which derived directly from his ancient teachings and wisdom.
Hermes Trismegistos wisdom has been contemplated, meditated, developed and taught throughout the ages by Teachers, Philosophers, Writers, Alchemists, Priests, Magicians and Masters such as Melchizedek, Pythagoras, Socrates, Heraclitus, Iamblichus, Plato, Plotinus, Jesus, Apollonius Of Tyana, Buddha, Krishna, Mohamed, Rumi, King Solomon, Francis Bacon, Paracelcus, Robert Fludd, Cornelius Agrippa, Dr. John Dee, Eliphas Levi, Helena Blavatsky, Israel Regardie, Paul Foster Case, Max Heindel, Rudolf Steiner, The Three Initiates, Carl Jung, S. MacGregor Mathers, Arthur E. Waite, Wm William Westcott, Aleister Crowley, Franz Bardon, and many others.
Traditions, Practices, Orders and Organizations directly based and derived upon the Hermetic Teachings and Wisdom include the Gnostics and Gnosticism, The Freemasons and Masonic Temples, The Western Mystery and Esoteric Traditions, Theosophy and The Theosophical Society, The Rosicrucian Fellowship, The Hermetic Order Of The Golden Dawn, The Lightworkers and Orders Of Melchizedek, B.O.T.A, Theurgy, Enochian, The Tarot, Astrology, Numerology and The Hermetic Qabbalah or Kabalah.
As the Hebrew and Hermetic Kabbalah the Hermetic Teachings, Philosophy, Wisdom and Spirituality, are not a Religion in itself but are universally independent from any organized Religion. The Hermetic Teachings and Universal Laws are considered by many the make up and interrelation of Cosmic Structure, Purpose and Life including the Principles of Karma and Reincarnation.
The Spirituality of Hermeticism find its application in all major world philosophies and religions such as Esotericism, Platonism, Neo-Platonism, Christianity, Catholicism, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddism, ZEN, Islam, Judaism, Sufism, Yoga, Hinduism, Wicca, Magick, Paganism, and Witchcraft.
Ample evidence of Hermetic application can be found in ancient scriptures like "The Old Testament", "The New Testament", "The Bible", "The Pseudepigrapha", "The Book Of Enoch", "The Dead Sea Scrolls", "The Book Of Mormon", "The Koran or Quran", "The Zohar", "The Bahir", "The Talmud", "The Sepher Yetzira", "Tao Te Ching", "The Tibetian Book Of Dead", "The Egyptian Book Of Dead", "Bhagavad Gita", "Rig Veda" and in various Magickal Books Of Shadows and Grimours of the Wiccan, Alexandrian, Gardnerian, Celtic, Norse, and Germanic Traditions.
Principles of Magic
Posted by : nitahickok on Monday, October 30, 2006 - 07:40 PM
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Hermetics
An interpretation of what I read in the Kybalion.
Principles of Magic
I have learned many of these laws and principles from all the different disciplines of magic I have studied. I always wondered how they were so similar for every type of magic. I speculated upon travelling magicians and people bringing their teachings to distant places around the world. Mysterious books or manuscripts written about these principles never mentioned the root cause of who had thought of all these principles.
I then found Hermetic magic. I had studied different parts of Hermetic magic for years never realizing that it would answer my questions with one manuscript. It is called the Kybalion by the Three Initiates and is worthwhile reading for anyone trying to understand what makes magic work. It has new layers of meaning every time it is reread. I will borrow heavily from the Kybalion and the Three Initiates wisdom. You can find free electronic books on the web if you care to read it. Including upon this website. It made me realize that Hermetic magic encompasses all magic of every type. The Principles apply to everything that could be called magic that is in existence.
The Seven Hermetic Principles are
1. The Principle of Mentalism
2. The Principle of Correspondence
3. The Principle of Vibration
4. The Principle of Polarity
5. The Principle of Rhythm
6. The Principle of Cause and Effect
7. The Principle of Gender
The different principles section and analyze the workings of the world and how things happen. I will try to use a quote from the Kybalion for each principle and put it into my own phrasing. Anyone who is interested in these Principles should read the Kybalion as it explains them more fully. I have been truly grateful to discover this book.
The Principle of Mentalism
The All is mind and the universe is mental-Kybalion
The All is the reality that underlies the physical universe. It is the unexplainable forces that we label as God or divine providence. It has as many different names and parts as the people who believe and worship higher forces. It includes the nothingness of Buddha and all the concepts that we have used to form our religions. We are all parts of the mind of God or the All. I have even heard of the All referred to as the mind of God while he is dreaming. Magic can work because we are mental and formed in the image of our creator. We are all present in the dreams and mind of God and so is everything of life.
Man is mental so he is a spiritual being. The universe and all of its forces and works can be influenced by us in many myriad ways. The main reason for this is we can shape our own future by our mental capacities. We are in charge of ourselves and yet bound by necessity and interaction to the All.
Matter, power, and energy are all changeable by our mental powers. I think everyone can see that in just the inventions we have made to affect our lives in the past century. If not for the mental thoughts none of the inventions would have happened and matter would have remained unchanged. It applies in the physical universe and mental universe in the same way.
We formulate what we want, we plan and visualize how it would work or exist in our lives. We then implement the mental plan. It works for inventions, magic and everything in our daily lives. The mental capacities are what cause us to be able to master existence. The world existing and the lives we live is all possible by understanding a part of the mind of God. You can test this principle the next time you misplace something. State out loud with great belief-Nothing is lost in the mind of God. Concentrate on what is lost and see how quickly it can be found. I was amazed how well this worked in my life for many different problems.
The Principle of Correspondence
As above so below, As below so above-The Kybalion
This is one of the most important tools to realization of how much we can do with our minds and ourselves. It allows us to delve into the secrets of all of the planes and help to create what we want to have in our lives. This principle shows that what we create here affects what energies correspond to our efforts. It helps us to draw down the good things from other planes of existence and manifest them in this plane of existence.
A good example of this is if your mind is in chaos so is your life. Your life being in chaos will also draw chaos into your mind. You can turn this around by creating order in your life. You can do this by physically resolving the problems or create the solutions and bring them into existence in your life. It is done without even consciously thinking of the steps. People create things they want in the other planes all of the time. Everyone has done this without realizing it.
You can also create positive effects within your life. You can visualize yourself with a river of prosperity flowing around you. It is overflowing with good luck, wealth and joy. You draw these things into your life from all of the planes. You will then see how quickly it can manifest in your life. Yet you can not over ride what Divine Providence knows is necessary to keep you upon your path.
The Principle of Vibration
Nothing rests, everything moves, everything vibrates-The Kybalion
This principle explains that the difference between matter, energy, mind and spirit are mainly that they vibrate at different rates. Modern science has proven this principle because it has shown that everything is made up of moving particles. Molecules, atoms, and such all rotate and move endlessly and this movement creates a vibration. Physics has helped to prove a Principle that is centuries old.
It can be used to reshape a person’s mental world as happiness, sadness and upset all have different vibrations and can be duplicated or removed. It is a way to help ourselves and what we unconsciously do when we become inspired or moved by something that causes an emotional response.
We can transmute the things in our lives by changing the vibrations to what we want to exist. A person who is prosperous and happy has different vibrations than one that is depressed and sad. We can implement these vibrations in our lives by raising or lowering the vibration rate until they match what a successful person manifests as their vibration.
To transmute a thing we do not want in our lives we should analyze what it is about. We then think of its opposite that we do want in our life. You then raise the vibration to the state you want to exist. An example is a depressed person thinking of happiness. He analyzes everything about happiness. He then creates all the energy of happiness on another plane and brings it into existence in his life by moving it to this plane. The vibrations change the state of the energies around him and he is no longer depressed.
The Principle of Polarity
Everything is dual, everything has poles, everything has its set of opposites, like and unlike are the same, opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree, extremes meet, all truths are but half-truths, all paradoxes may be reconciled-The Kybalion
The principle points out the dual nature of everything. We have heard proverbs about this our whole life. One example I have heard used is that there is a fine line between love and hate. If you place hate at one end of a scale and love at another end. You would then find in the middle a zone where there was neither hate nor love. The more you move towards hate then the more turbulent and chaotic the emotions. You would find joy, peace, fulfilment, and happiness moving towards the complete emotion of love.
It is true in everything and we can find many opposites existing in our lives. Good and Evil. Ying and Yang is the oriental way of explaining this principle. It is amazing but we would not have any words for the different states or realize what they are without something to compare them too.
You can change things to the polar opposite by moving them up and down the scale. Poverty can be changed to wealth. Hate to Love. The examples are endless. It is a powerful aid used with the other principles especially the principle of Vibration and Rhythm. Combined all three of these principles can help a person to turn their life around. The miracles of this principle can be brought into your life by belief and faith. It will help fuel your results of the use of this principle.
The Principle of Rhythm
Everything flows out and in, everything has its tides, all things rise and fall, the pendulum swing manifests in everything, the measure of the swing to the left is the measure of the swing to the right, Rhythm compensates-The Kybalion
This principle explains the truth that in everything there is a measured motion. An example of this is the moment we are born we start to age. The pendulum then swings all the way over to old age and death. We have bad things happen and then all of a sudden we have a burst of good that equals out the bad. It never happens that obviously but it does happen.
The using of the other principles can help to modify the pendulum swing. I know that I have had times in my life where years passed before the pendulum swung to good. You can replace the swing of the pendulum in the down direction with these moments that were never compensated for in your life.
The change of the pendulum swing is by bringing the energetic conditions into existence that exists higher up the scale. You can give an example of this by going from miserable to sad. You would go from sad to neutral, and then neutral to happy and so on up the scale.
The principle of rhythm also includes chants and rhyming of the spells, prayers, and rituals that we use. Everything is more powerful if it has a rhythm or pattern when it is used in magic.
The Principle of Cause and Effect
Every cause has its effect, every effect has its cause, everything happens according to law. Chance is but a name for law not recognized there are many planes of causation but nothing escapes the law-The Kybalion
I have also heard this principle talked about many times. You read about it in the Bible and almost every Holy book written in this world. Every cause has an effect. Every action has opposite but equal reactions and so on. The cause and effect principle is used to bring about introspection about decisions made by yourself and others. Right choices bring right effects and causes.
Every action you take in your life is a cause or effect. Chance does not exist as it is just a part of the principle that is not yet understood. Your choices impact your life even though you have free will. You pick your destiny but your actions along the way will make it so you go through many causes and effects.
It is what the lessons of life use to bring us to the Path of choices and actions that are correct for us. We are here upon this earth to learn to be better people. We experience life by the right and wrong decisions and actions that we do. The fact is that by making choices whether they are good or bad and accepting responsibility for our actions makes cause and effect work. It is what we need to make our lives work so we move along in our experiencing the challenges or our existence.
The Principle of Gender
Gender is everything; everything has its feminine and masculine principles. Gender manifests upon all planes.-The Kybalion
The principle of Gender is widely known also. You see it in the oriental ying and yang. You see it in the eternal struggle between good and evil. It is everywhere in our existence to the point where we do not really think about it. Everything has it feminine side which is normally considered to have a negative pole and male energy which normally has a positive nature. It does not mean good or bad. It does mean that without these opposites life and mankind would not exist.
Everything has its opposites mentioned in different ways in this world. There are always male and female and most people associate this with sex. Sex does show the principle of gender but only upon the physical plane. The principle of gender is shown in many other ways upon the alternate planes. Demons and angels are a religious example. Everything and nothing is a philosophical example. It is endless.
It is also a principle that compares and incorporates a lot of the other principles every time it is used in this world. The female energies are good for creation and the male energies are good for control. They are used as portions of our thoughts every day.
We use this principle when we create something which is feminine and then build it or implement it which is masculine. Both forces are necessary in life and in anything that we do in this world. It is why people say they have a feminine and masculine side. Everyone has both of the forces with in them. Everyone also uses this principle without knowing it every day of their lives.
I do know that this is what makes mankind capable of doing magic. It is the stuff of miracles because it all exists in the Mind of God or the Divine Presence. The next mention I have of magic is the fact that we create these principles in the physical plane by our rituals, and spells. They are just ways to get our mind to implement these principles and use them in creative ways to create miracles in our lives.
They are also what we use to strive to use to connect to God by our Magic and our choices. The choices we make move us along our personal path. The choices we make also decide what forces we use to create our path.
Negative Magic is when a person puts themselves first before God, and others. It is the path of personal power where the individual is glorified. Everything is done to aid the person to improve things for himself whether it causes harm to others or not. The Negative magician creates only for himself and others are included only for peripheral usage by him or the energies that he wields. Ego is the prime motivation of a person who is willing to do evil and harm others.
Many people try to make examples of negative magic as using force or controlling others. I believe that negative magic is when the person believes that they are all important to the point where they are willing to destroy anyone or anything to create what they want. They do not care or show compassion for others unless it is to create their own image of their world. They convince themselves and others that they are striving to join with God but the way to tell what a magician really is about is by their actions and motivations for the things that they do in their lives. Watch what they do and not what they say or try to portray.
Positive magic is powered by energies that happen from a conduit to God or Divine providence. The Positive magician is put to strict tests showing him or her the way to make correct choices. The positive magician has to decide that the group cause is what is important. He has to be willing to have faith that Divine Providence will take care of him. He has to have belief that good will come to him from his correct choices. He should practice harmlessness and right actions.
The larger the conduit to divine providence the closer the White magician is to joining the unity of life. All his works are powered by the mind of God and not personal power. It makes for a completely different feel to the energies.
I hope this has explained how magic works and the differences between positive and negative magic. A lot of our actions end up a shade of grey but everyone who always strives for the good of the most people and tries not to harm is on the right path of life.
Astrology and As above so Below
February 2, 2007 by radiantwoman
With this article I explore the context of astrology and the nature of astrology. In a way I would like to link it to the universal laws. I will begin with one of the seven hermetic principles: the principle of correspondence. Often used as the axiom “as above so below’. This is an exploration only, I did not find the one answer, just got more clarity on both astrology and the principle of correspondence.
Concepts, Books and Technique
On my quest to understand the workings of astrology I did research. Lots of books, by the kilo sometimes. To broaden my horizon. To find out about astronomy, about the ancient astronomers that were also astrologers.
To learn the technique of astrology. To learn other concepts of life and to find meaningful or meaningless answers. So when researching Hermes Trismegistus I found out about the book ‘Kybalion, A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece’. Download for free is possible at Gutenbergs website. Sometimes the title Kybalion doesn’t react. You can also search on the e-text number 14209. It is about seven hermetic principles and some call it the gist of the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus.
The Kybalion
In the Kybalion I found one of the seven Hermetic Principles; the Principle of Correspondence, with the axiom ‘As above so below’ as part of the explanation. That above and below correspond with each other just as meaningful and meaningless are tied together. In the end the truth/enlightenment/the answer cannot be found within this concept that originates in looking at the world from duality. The axiom ‘As above, so below’ is used by astrologers and many others to prove that astrology is correct.
By the way whomever voiced that axiom a long time ago kept us in duality rather than unity, since the axiom in itself (above and below) is dual! Why this axiom applies to the world, what it means and where it comes from is a mystery. I have read stories about it, from general stories to complex theories. [1] Very nice. But not what I was looking for.
This Principle of correspondence embodies the truth that there is always a Correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life.
Author Unknown -
The Kybalion, Chapter 2
Got it? No? I will tell you again, using understandable Jack and Jill language…
Principle of Correspondence
A universal truth is something that is ALWAYS true and applies to ALL of us. The universal laws apply on different levels. For instance in the material world on a physical level. Science can measure things in length, width, height, thickness or circumference. But at the same time everything vibrates, whether you can see it or not. This entails that everything changes in every moment. I am not the same woman now, as I was five minutes ago. There may not be notable changes, but still. The only thing that is for sure is that there is change. Things move away, things get together, all to do with vibration.
A universal truth exists on all levels, also on the levels that we do not know or don’t experience with our 5 to 6 senses. There is harmony and agreement between all that exists on earth. Everything comes from the same source, no matter how you name that source. Everybody and everything is subject to the same rules. Everything is under the principle of correspondence.
Moment of Astrology
Right now I am reading ‘The moment of astrology’ by Geoffrey Cornelius. On the cover of the book it says:
The description of astrology as a divination [...] This possibility is approached here through closely examined horoscope cases, in order to describe the phenomena that actually occur when astrology comes to life, in contrast to what traditional theory tells us ought to occur.
Author Unknown -
Backcover of The moment in Astrology
I find this very interesting and will post more when I finish.
Astrology as a way to look upon ourselves or myself is a method that people will use as long as we think that we are living in duality. But then again, anything can be divination by itself. It is not just planets that can give meaning to our lives. Something gets meaning because I give meaning to it.
Astrology and I Ching and tarot perhaps belong together after all. The only difference perhaps being that the axiom ‘as above so below’, is too appropriate to astrology. It seems to fit so nicely, the planets and stars are out there, above us and we are below, hence the combination is made and symbols to interpret are born.
Conclusion?
Universal truth.
Everything in the universe connects, always and for all of us.
Next step is that planets and stars belong to the universe.
Harmony, agreement and correspondence exist for all us.
It applies to everything.
Everything in the universe vibrates and changes.
It is looking for harmony and agreement.
How can it not do so?
Planets and stars are connected to everything.
I am connected to the stars.
How?
That is still a question, it might be through universal laws.
Maybe the law of correspondence, maybe through divination.
Sources:
[1] Several websites mention ‘As above, so below’ to explain what astrology is and why it works. Here are several examples. The order is by chance.
- http://www.karmastrology.com/astwork.shtml
- http://www.astroscapes.com/
- http://www.indepthastrology.net/
- Alan Oken wrote a book called ‘As above so below’ in 1973.
- Liz Greene in her article “The Language of the unconscious’ refers to the axiom and that ‘Jung hints in the same direction’. This article is on the website http://www.mindfire.ca.
- Bernadette Brady talked at the annual AA conference in 2005 about astrology and complexity theory. She proposed that astrology has a nature rather like fractals, those beautiful ephemeral patterns of infinite complexity, putting the Hermetic axiom of “as above, so below” into the modern scientific framework of chaos theory.
by Paul Von Ward
How do consciousness and intention relate? In what way does human consciousness differ from the universal? What are the interactions among matter and energy and consciousness? Why should we care? Understanding can dramatically affect our personal lives. And provide solutions to many of society's problems.
[This article deals with one of seven Hermetic Principles.(1) They comprise part of a comprehensive body of knowledge allegedly given to humans by an advanced being (AB) more than 5,000 years ago. He has been known by various names, including Thoth or Seth in Egypt, Manu in India, Hermes in Greece, and Lucifer or Satan in the Judeo-Christian tradition. These principles appear to account for more of the universe's complexity than the four laws of modern physics.]
The Principle of Mentalism, the first Hermetic Principle, deals with consciousness. It states both the source and essence of everything are at the level of ideas, concepts, or patterns. (Remember Fritjof Capra's Tao of Physics.) This facet of reality that I labeled the "noumena" in my book Solarian Legacy includes both the information and the awareness of it. It is both the knowing and the known. The biblical Genesis phrase, "In the beginning was the Word (Logos)," captures this principle. Modern physicists use labels such as "quantum fluctuations, plenum and zero-point" to describe this void from which the manifest universe arises.(2) Theologian Paul Tillich called it the "ground of being."
Thinking about our universe in terms of this principle leads to the assumption that it and all its beings result from a basic repository of ideas (universal consciousness) that has the capability of self-realization through many forms (local incarnations of consciousness). If that is true, it and we are both creator and created. I believe we can validate this hypothesis through personal testing.
Matter and Energy from this perspective do not originate consciousness; it manifests them. "Mentalism" implies that humans and all other conscious beings in some way contribute to their own creation and ongoing re-generation. If this principle is valid, then all entities of the universe were first conscious ideas, before they became physical realities. In this three-faceted universe, consciousness has primacy over matter and energy (subtle or electromagnetic) even though the three are overlapping and interdependent.
Note that this concept of a natural, universal consciousness in which humans are an integral aspect precludes ongoing involvement in the universe's development by an external force. Therefore, Supernaturalism, the belief in a god or other conscious beings independent of the natural system, is incompatible with this Hermetic Principle. It also precludes the idea that consciousness arose after an accidental accretion of pieces of inert matter to each other. The unproven, but widely-held hypothesis that consciousness is an epiphenomenon (or product) of the physical brain is inconsistent with this principle.
Leading edge biologists now recognize that their discipline has changed from one that studies mechanisms that carry out life to one of "informational science."(3) This requires them to address the question of the source of the original information in DNA patterns and the Periodic Table of Elements. That raises the issue of how universal consciousness shapes and incarnates (locally concentrates)in physical form, from atoms to plants to people to galaxies.
We don't know for certain how conscious intent (universal or local) translates its ideas into the forms of ordinary matter and energy, but it appears to involve an intermediate field or force that we know as subtle energies. Given research in "morphic fields" by Rupert Sheldrake and others(4) I believe that conscious intent focuses subtle energies into amorphous patterns. They in turn concentrate electromagnetic charges into the particles and waves of our physical reality. If that interpretation is correct, the same process that worked in the origination of the universe still works in our daily lives.
Conscious Intent functions in all entities, regardless of where they exist in the spectrum of life, if the primary level of everything is consciousness. Entities only differ in their scope of awareness, the extent to which any being or particle is aware of the whole. It follows that the more fully aware the being, the greater flexibility and power it has for conscious co-creation. Human participation, limited only by what I call our "conscious awareness quotient" or CQ, in co-creation requires the focusing of one's intent on a particular idea or concept in the same process as in original creation.
First, there is an awareness of possibilities, and then selection of a choice from among them. Next, the chosen pattern/idea is infused with attention/intent that coheres subtle energy (chi, prana, orgone, ether, etc.) into a morphic field. That happens automatically when the being "puts its mind to it." The particular technique used (visualization, meditation, prayer, etc.) is not important. The crucial points are clarity of idea, individual or group focus, and commitment of one's own volition to the effort. After that, the initiator has no further role. The desired outcome will materialize if it is not incompatible with the prevailing intentions in the "marketplace of morphic fields." Findings from psi research, prayer studies, and psychokinetic experiments(5) imply a process like this outlined for the Principle of Mentalism.
Tools for Actualization of this principle are part of everyone's repertory of inner senses and powers. We create images in our "mind's eye." We receive images telepathically. We "see" distant situations. We affect objects at a distance. We communicate with other conscious beings. We send and receive images and feelings between species. We focus subtle energies on ourselves and others. We read the subtle fields of others.
These functions already operate. Not yet being aware of them doesn't mean we don't have them. It's a matter of becoming conscious practitioners of mind over matter and emotions, instead of passive subjects. One does not need a priest, a guru, or a spirit guide. Some practical techniques for focusing intent learned from others may be of service, but that's all the help we need.
Individual Implications of this principle suggest that humans fall somewhere between the belief that "humans can create their own reality" and the view that all is determined by physical and spiritual forces outside us. Hermeticism sees humans as local incarnations of universal consciousness and aspects of a larger organism. Therefore, certain limitations to our powers are inherent in our beingness and in the system. Our challenge is to identify the real limits to our powers of creation. Human experience with self-healing, inner communications, orchestration of meaningful synchronicities, and physical manifestation point to much greater individual powers than most imagine.
Fully understanding our dormant or under-utilized powers requires more research, but their expression by individuals on their own initiative is the first step. Some scientists tell us these powers don't exist and spiritualists say they come from other beings and other dimensions. In truth, they are part of our natural birthright, simply waiting to be consciously used.
Implications for Social Change. Research at Princeton University's PEAR Laboratory indicates that group focusing of conscious intentions exponentially increases their power. That means significant human progress occurs when people choose to ignore differences and agree on some common values, priorities and directions. For those of us interested in positive social change, that means commitment to the mutual building of a vision of the world we wish to create.
1. The Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece by Three Initiates. The Yogi Publication Society: Chicago, 1912.
2. "Space Propulsion: Can Empty Space Itself Provide a Solution?" H. E. Puthoff. Ad Astra. Jan/Feb. 1997.
3. Leroy Hood, Professor of Biomedical Sciences. "Humanity 3000 News". Foundation for the Future. Winter 1999.
4. Sheldrake, Rupert. Seven Experiments That Could Change the World. Riverhead Books: New York, 1995.
5. Radin, Dean. The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena. Harper: San Francisco, 1997.
Paul Von Ward is a cosmologist emphasizing the fields of prehistory, frontier science, and consciousness studies. Visit his web site www.vonward.com for samples from his work on the Emerging New Human Story. His recent book SOLARIAN LEGACY: Metascience and a New Renaissance, is available in bookstores or for a discount on line at www.Medicinebear.com and www..Amazon.com.
Paul Von Ward Web Site: http://www.vonward.com
Tree of Life
Kabbalah is an interpretation (exegesis, hermeneutic) key, "soul" of the Torah (Hebrew Bible), or the religious mystical system of Judaism claiming an insight into divine nature.
The term "Kabbalah" was originally used in Talmudic texts, among the Geonim, and by early Rishonim as a reference to the full body of publicly available Jewish teaching. In this sense Kabbalah was used in referring to all of known Oral Law. Over time it became a reference to doctrines of esoteric knowledge concerning God, God's creation of the universe and the laws of nature, and the path by which adult religious Jews can learn these secrets.
Kabbalah, according to the more recent use of the word, stresses the esoteric reasons and understanding of the commandments in the Torah, and the occult cause of events described in the Torah. Kabbalah includes the understanding of the spiritual spheres of creation, and the ways by which God administers the existence of the universe.
According to Jewish tradition dating from the 13th century, this knowledge has come down as a revelation to elect saints from a remote past, and preserved only by a privileged few. It is considered part of the Jewish Oral Law by the majority of religious Jews in modern times, although this was not agreed upon by many Talmudic and medieval scholars, as well as many modern liberal rabbis and a minority of Orthodox rabbis.
Origin of Jewish Mysticism
The Shining Ones
According to adherents of Kabbalah, the origin of Kabbalah begins with the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible). According to Midrash, God created the universe with "Ten utterances" or "Ten qualities." When read by later generations of Kabbalists, the Torah's description of the creation in the Book of Genesis reveals mysteries about the godhead itself, the true nature of Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life, as well as the interaction of these supernal entities with the Serpent which leads to disaster when they eat the forbidden fruit, as recorded in Genesis 2.
The Bible provides ample additional material for mythic and mystical speculation. The prophet Ezekiel's visions in particular attracted much speculation, as did Isaiah's Temple vision (Chapter 6). Jacob's vision of the ladder to heaven is another text providing an example of a mystical experience. Moses' experience with the Burning bush and his encounters with God on Mount Sinai, are all evidence of mystical events in the Tanakh, and form the origin of Jewish mystical beliefs.
Jewish mystical traditions always appeal to an argument of authority based on antiquity. As a result, virtually all works pseudepigraphically claim or are ascribed ancient authorship. For example, Sefer Raziel HaMalach, an astro-magical text partly based on a magical manual of late antiquity, Sefer ha-Razim, was, according to the kabbalists, transmitted to Adam (after being evicted) by the angel Raziel. Another famous work, the Sefer Yetzirah, supposedly dates back to the patriarch Abraham. According to Apocalyptic literature, esoteric knowledge, such as magic, divination, and astrology, was transmitted to humans in the mythic past by the two angels, Aza and Azaz'el (in other places, Azaz'el and Uzaz'el) who 'fell' from heaven (see Genesis 6:4).
This appeal to antiquity has also shaped modern theories of influence in reconstructing the history of Jewish mysticism. The oldest versions of the Jewish mysticism have been theorized to extend from Assyrian theology and mysticism. Dr. Simo Parpola, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, has made some suggestive findings on the matter, particularly concerning an analysis of the Sefirot. Noting the general similarity between the Sefirot of the Kabbalah and the Tree of Life of Assyria, he reconstructed what an Assyrian antecendent to the Sepiroth would look like.
He matched the characteristics of En Sof on the nodes of the Sepiroth to the gods of Assyria, and was able to even find textual parallels between these Assyrian gods and the characteristics of god. The Assyrians assigned specific numbers to their gods, similar to how the Sepiroth assigns numbers to its nodes. However, the Assyrians use a sexagesimal number system, whereas the Sepiroth is decimal. With the Assyrian numbers, additional layers of meaning and mystical relevance appear in the Sepiroth. Normally, floating above the Assyrian Tree of Life was the god Assur, this corresponds to En Sof, which is also, via a series of transformations, derived from the Assyrian word Assur.
Jewish mystical traditions always appeal to an argument of authority based on antiquity. As a result, virtually all works pseudepigraphically claim or are ascribed ancient authorship. For example, Sefer Raziel HaMalach, an astro-magical text partly based on a magical manual of late antiquity, Sefer ha-Razim, was, according to the kabbalists, transmitted to Adam (after being evicted) by the angel Raziel. Another famous work, the Sefer Yetzirah, supposedly dates back to the patriarch Abraham. According to Apocalyptic literature, esoteric knowledge, such as magic, divination, and astrology, was transmitted to humans in the mythic past by the two angels, Aza and Azaz'el (in other places, Azaz'el and Uzaz'el) who 'fell' from heaven (Genesis 6:4).
Textual Antiquity of Esoteric Mysticism
Jewish forms of esotericism did, however, exist over 2,000 years ago. Ben Sira warns against it, saying: "You shall have no business with secret things" (Sirach iii. 22; compare Talmud Hagigah 13a; Midrash Genesis Rabbah viii.).
Apocalyptic literature belonging to the second and first pre-Christian centuries contained some elements that carry over to later Kabbalah. According to Josephus such writings were in the possession of the Essenes, and were jealously guarded by them against disclosure, for which they claimed a hoary antiquity (see Philo, "De Vita Contemplativa," iii., and Hippolytus, "Refutation of all Heresies," ix. 27).
That books containing secret lore were kept hidden away by (or for) the "enlightened" is stated in IV Esdras xiv. 45-46, where Pseudo-Ezra is told to publish the twenty-four books of the canon openly that the worthy and the unworthy may alike read, but to keep the seventy other books hidden in order to "deliver them only to such as be wise" (compare Dan. xii. 10); for in them are the spring of understanding, the fountain of wisdom, and the stream of knowledge.
Instructive for the study of the development of Jewish mysticism is the Book of Jubilees written around the time of King John Hyrcanus. It refers to mysterious writings of Jared, Cain, and Noah, and presents Abraham as the renewer, and Levi as the permanent guardian, of these ancient writings.
It offers a cosmogony based upon the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and connected with Jewish chronology and Messianology, while at the same time insisting upon the heptad (7) as the holy number rather than upon the decadic (10) system adopted by the later haggadists and the Sefer Yetzirah.
The Pythagorean idea of the creative powers of numbers and letters was shared with Sefer Yetzirah and was known in the time of the Mishnah (before 200 CE).
Early elements of Jewish mysticism can be found in the non-Biblical texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, such as the Song of the Sabbath Sacrifice. Some parts of the Talmud and the midrash also focus on the esoteric and mystical, particularly Chagigah 12b-14b.
Many esoteric texts, among them Hekalot Rabbati, Sefer HaBahir, Torat Hakana, Sefer P'liyah, Midrash Otiyot d'Rabbi Akiva, the Bahir, and the Zohar claim to be from the talmudic era, though it is clear now that some of these works, most notably the Bahir and Zohar, are actually medieval works pseudepigraphically ascribed to the ancient past.
In the medieval era Jewish mysticism developed under the influence of the word-number esoteric text Sefer Yetzirah. Jewish sources attribute the book to the biblical patriarch Abraham, though the text itself offers no claim as to authorship. This book, and especially its embryonic concept of the "sefirot," became the object of systematic study of several mystical brotherhoods which eventually came to be called baale ha-kabbalah - possessors or masters of the Kabbalah".
Hermetic Kabbalah
The Western Esoteric (or Hermetic) Tradition, a precursor to both the neo-Pagan and New Age movements, differs from the Jewish form in being a more admittedly syncretistic system. However it shares many concepts with Jewish Kabbalah.
Hermetic Kabbalah probably reached its peak in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a 19th-century organization that was arguably the pinnacle of ceremonial magic (or, depending upon one's position, its ultimate descent into decadence).
Within the Golden Dawn, Kabbalistic principles such as the ten Sephiroth were fused with Greek and Egyptian deities, the Enochian system of angelic magic of John Dee, and certain Eastern (particularly Hindu and Buddhist) concepts within the structure of a Masonic- or Rosicrucian-style esoteric order. Many of the Golden Dawn's rituals were published by the legendary occultist Aleister Crowley and were eventually compiled into book form by Israel Regardie, an author of some note. The credibility of Crowley is inconsistent at best, though, as many of the rituals published were actually manipulated versions.
Crowley made his mark on the use of Kabbalah with several of his writings; of these, perhaps the most illustrative is Liber 777. This book is quite simply a set of tables relating various parts of ceremonial magic and Eastern and Western religion to thirty-two numbers representing the ten spheres and twenty-two paths of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
The attitude of syncretism embraced by Hermetic Kabbalists is plainly evident here, as one may simply check the table to see that Chesed "Mercy" - corresponds to Jupiter, Isis, the color blue (on the Queen Scale), Poseidon, Brahma, and amethysts. These associations are not shared with the Jewish Kabbalah.
Although popular within certain groups, especially the Thelemic Orders such as the O.T.O., Crowley is not without critics. Dion Fortune, a fellow initiate of the Golden Dawn, disagreed with Crowley. Samael Aun Weor has many significant works that discuss Kabbalah within many religions, such as the Egyptian, Pagan, and Central American religions, which is summarized in his work The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of Tarot and Kabbalah.
Fiction -- Umberto Eco's 1989 novel Foucault's Pendulum weaves Kaballistic concepts into an imagined global conspiracy involving Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, druidism, and the Knights Templar. The book's ten sections are named after the ten Sefiroth.
References and Additional Information Wikipedia
Many people are studying Kabbalah as they search for healing and answers to the questions ... Who are we, why are we here, and what is the transition humanity and the planet is experiencing?
Key Links:
* Flower of Life
* Merkabah
* Sacred Geometry
* 12 Around 1
* Eye Symbology
* Gemetria
* Dragons - Snakes - Reptilians - DNA Experiment
The Kabala is presented, symbolically in the form of The Tree of Life.
The Tree contains ten centers called sephiroth. In a numerological sense, the Tree of Sephiroth has significance. Between the 10 Sephiroth run 22 channels or paths which connect them, a number which can be associated with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
In addition to each of this channels being assigned a letter of this alphabet, each path is also identified with one of the major trumps of the Tarot deck of symbolic cards. When combined with the 10 Sephiroth, these 22 paths make the number 32 which makes reference to the 32 Qabbalistic Paths of Wisdom and also the 32 degrees of Freemasonry.
To envision the tree, consider each of these ten spheres as being concentric circles with Malkuth being the innermost and all others encompassed by the latter. None of these are separate from the other, and all simply help to form a more complete view of the perfected whole.
To speak simply, Malcuth is the Kingdom which is the physical world upon which we live and exist, while Kether, also call Kaether and Kaether Elyson is the Crown of this universe, representing the highest attainable understanding of God that men can understand.
Hypothetically there also exists an Eleventh Sephirah called Daath. According to Karen Chapdelaine, its meaning is the Abyss and its universal element is Neptune which makes it an important element of the Tree of Sephiroth.
It should be noted, however, that the first Qabbalists did not include any such sphere, making Daath a contested point of philosophical discussion. The Jewish Kabbalists that do accept this entity state that it is not a Sephirah, but rather that absence of one. In the Jewish tradition, the idea of an eleventh Sephirah is tantamount to blasphemy, as stated in the Sefer Yetzirah: "Ten Sephirot of Nothingness, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven."
"Kabbalah and the Hermetic Tradition"
by Mark Stavish, M.A.
The history of Kabbalah is filled with many personalities and events that have shaped not only the development of Kabbalah over the centuries, but Hermeticism as well. While often lost to antiquity, or only remembered by the disciples of their particular schools, it is important to look at some of these illustrious and influential individuals and their contributions to esoteric thought if we are to have a broader and more complete picture of Europe's spiritual development.
Kabbalah, as most readers know, comes from Hebrew and is generally translated as "tradition" or "received oral tradition". It is the unwritten mystical and magical aspects of Judaism that run parallel to the written rules, laws, and rituals of exoteric Jewish thought and philosophy.
What is not generally know however, is that although it existed prior, the word "kabbalah" didn't come into use until the 12th or 13th century to designate the esoteric and mystical thoughts and practices of Jewish philosophy. It was about this time, that Kabbalah, as we understand it, with the Tree of Life and all the sepheroth, also came into being. Like the word that denotes these studies, the Tree of Life also has roots in older traditions and practices. While many schools of kabbalah were, and some still are, exclusively Jewish in orientation, as time went on many were adapted to the Christian world as well as influenced by other schools of mystical and esoteric activity.
Isaac the Blind, a pivotal figure in the study of early 13th century kabbalistic philosophy and ritual studied not only Jewish, but also early Greek, and Christian Gnostic writings, as well as the writing of a Sufi sect at Basra, the Brethren of Sincerity. Isaac the Blind was the leader of the influential Provencal schools of his day. Another key figure in early kabbalistic development was the 14th century Spanish scholar Abraham Abulafia of Saragossa. Said to have been of messianic proportions, Abulafia traveled the Middle East and North Africa and returned with certain yogic techniques of posture, breathing, and rhythmic prayer, and introduced them to his disciples in a new kabbalistic structure.
It is important to note that some of the most profound leaps in human consciousness took place during this period when Europe was in the last death throws of the Dark Ages. Yet despite the ignorance and intolerance that existed in Europe north of the Pyrenees Mountains, in Spain a mystical revival was taking place in a period of Arab ecumenical tolerance. While Christians and Muslims were fighting wars for the political and spiritual control of the Middle East and Spain, Jewish intellectuals rose to positions of power and influence in the Arab empire.
This "Golden Age" of Medieval Judaism peaked in Arab occupied Spain and contributed some of the most profound Jewish mystical philosophers since the period of the Prophets in the Old Testament. Moses ben Maimon, the preeminent commentator on classical Jewish writings, Solomon ben-Gabirol, and Moses of Cordoba, the author, or more likely editor of the Sepher Zohar come from this period. The Zohar, or Book of Illumination, along with the Sepher Yetzirah (Book of Formation), forms the basis for all kabbalistic speculation, meditation, and ritual. Its commentaries on Biblical lore are a never ending storehouse of wisdom for students of Western mysticism. It is because of these activities in Spain, in the region of Catalonia in particular, and Provencal in Southern France, that Kabbalah grew into one of the most powerful and influential mystical philosophies in Western history.
This is also important to mystical students because it is from Arab Spain that the West gets much of its knowledge of Alchemy, and Ritual Magic, the sisters of Kabbalah. Together, these three schools formed the basis for Hermetic philosophy and practices as mentioned in the early Rosicrucian manifestoes: the Fama Fraternitatis, the Confessio Fraternitatis, and The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz. For many students of mysticism, the pilgrimage to these schools was as great and as dangerous as their forbearers had made to the temples of Egypt and Persia. Raymond Lull, Arnold of Villanova, and the famed French mystic, alchemist, and Rosicrucian Nicolas Flamel, bookseller turned patron of cathedrals, all received their initiations into the Hermetic sciences, of which Kabbalah is a part, in Spain and brought it to the rest of Europe.
Thus, the idea of a pure unchanging stream of kabbalistic thought and technique having been handed down to Adam and existing to this day, as perpetuated by some Jewish and Hermetic schools, is mythology or foolishness. It is even suggested by some scholars that while Kabbalah has its roots in earlier Jewish mystical practices, particularly Mercavah, or Chariot mysticism, its ideas were entirely novel to the period of the 12th and 13th centuries. All things in nature change and adapt, kabbalah is one of these changing and evolving creations.
A perfect example of this change is the Christianization of kabbalistic ideas by mystics who sought to preserve the early Jewish writings when they were in danger of being destroyed by the Inquisition, as well as find practical uses for what was contained within them. For this reason a kind of Christian Kabbalah (often spelled cabala) developed in the 15th century. It had as its goal the harmonization of Kabbalah with Christian doctrines, and found ripe justification for the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity in the Kabbalah's first three sepheroth, or "Holy Upper Trinity".
The two primary sources for "Christianized Cabala" were the writings of 'conversio' Jews in Spain (sometimes called "crypto-jews"), or Jews who converted to Catholicism, and the Platonic Academy, supported by the Medicis, in Florence.
Those writing from Jewish converts in Spain that most effected Kabbalah's development began at the end of the 13th century and lasted until the Jewish "Diasphora" from Spain in 1492. Writers such as Abner of Burgos and, Paul de Heredia secretly wrote several Christian Cabalistic works in the name of Judah ha-Nasi and other famous mystical authors. Two of their most famous texts are, Iggeret ha-Sodot and Galei Rezaya. Other works were put out in Spain until the end of the 15th century by Jewish converts, often imitating the styles of other well known and respected works, such as the Zohar. However, such imitation was common and accepted in that period, and in itself is not enough to doubt the integrity of the author involved.
The Florentine schools had a greater impact than the writings of Jewish writers in Spain. While the Spanish texts were often translated and to a greater or lesser degree available, they won few if any converts from Judaism to Christianity, or from Christianity to the effectiveness of the Kabbalah. The Florentine school developed the belief that an indisputable source for the validation of Christianity, and neo-Platonic, Pythagorean, and Orphic thought was discovered in Kabbalah. Also, they believed that in Kabbalah, the long, lost secrets of the Catholic, and possibly original Christian faith, had been rediscovered. The principle founder of this Christian Cabalistic school was Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-94). This young genius began his kabbalistic studies in 1486 at the age of 23, and had a large selection of kabbalistic material translated into Latin by Samuel ben Nissim who was himself a convert to Catholicism. Pico later had Raymond Moncada, known as Flavius Mithridates, translate for him as well. Among his 900 theses that he publicly displayed for debate in Rome included the statement, "no science can better convince us of the divinity of Jesus Christ than magic and the Kabbalah," thus bringing the Kabbalah to many in the Christian world for the first time.
The Church's reaction was one of fierce opposition and rejection to this and other propositions made by Pico. The public debate Pico wanted was guaranteed. Kabbalah now became the principle discussion in the Christian intellectual world, as it was seen as an otherwise unknown Jewish esoteric doctrine that had been overlooked or lost completely. Christian Platonists in Germany, Italy, and France quickly attached themselves to Pico's school of thought. Pico's works also caused Johannes Reuchlin, the famed Christian Hebrew scholar, to undertake kabbalistic studies, publishing two books on it as a result - De Verbo Mirifico (On the Miracle-Working Name, 1494) and De Arte Cabalistica (on the Science of the Kabbalah, 1517).
Between the publishing of Reuchlin's Verbo and Arte, a number of works appeared from the pen of Paul Ricius. Ricius was himself a convert to Catholicism, as well as the physician to Emperor Maximilian, and had a reputation for being erudite. Ricius took the ideas of Pico and Reuchlin and added to them his own conclusions based upon kabbalistic and Christian sources, forming a doctrine of the "Divine Name" and its relationship to world history.
According to Ricius, all of world history could be divided into three stages based upon the names of God found in the Bible. The first period was the natural period where God reveals himself through the three lettered Divine Name Shaddai (The Strong). The second phase is the Torah period, were God reveals to Moses the Divine Name of four letters, the Tetragrammaton, or YHVH. The final period, or period of grace and redemption, God reveals the Tetragrammaton plus the fifth letter shin, or the letter of the Logos (Christ), spelling Yehoshua or the Cabalistic rendition of Jesus, name. Thus, the name of Jesus, or the Miraculous Name, become the pronounceable name of the previously unpronounceable YHVH. To support his argument, Ricius used medieval manuscripts in which Jesus' name was abbreviated JHS, the Jewish-kabbalistic doctrine of three world ages (Chaos, Torah, Messiah), and the similar doctrine of Joachiam of Fiore, who proposed a reign, or age, of the Father, Son, and finally, the Holy Spirit. Many of these concepts, particularly the significance of shin in the Divine Name, and the Reign of the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) would play a significant part in the development of 19th and early 20th century French (Levi and his successors) occult schools and their philosophies.
What makes the writings of Pico and Reuchlin significant, is that they placed for the first time the kabbalah in the broader cultural and theological context of Christian (principally Catholic) Europe and its intelligentsia. Their focus on "Divine Names," practical or magical kabbalah, and the synthesis of Christian doctrine with kabalistic philosophy and speculation, became the zeitgeist of the era.
During this period, the most influential of all magical-mystical kabbalistic texts that came from the newly formed Christo-centric cabalistic tradition that was forming, was Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim's De Occulta Philosophia (1531) in four volumes. This series of works on practical kabbalah was an encyclopedia of all the known occult and magical lore of the day. It is from these works, that much of the Christian world received its information regarding magical and numerological associations with kabbalah.
Other Christian thinkers sought to reconcile this lack of mastery of principle kabbalistic source materials during the 16th century by returning to the Hebrew and Latin originals. While the primary goal was to further prove the connection between Christianity and mystical Judaism, the end result was a broader intellectual understanding of Hebraic studies. Two of the most prominent figures in this movement were Cardinal Egidio da Viterbo (1465-1532) who was heavily influenced by the Zohar and Sefer ha-Temunah in his writings Scechina and "On the Hebrew Letters", and Francesco Giogio of Venice, (1460-1541) a Franciscan, the author of two large volumes on kabbalah that were read extensively at their time, De Harmonia Mundi (1525) and Problemata (1536). In both works the kabbalah was central to the themes developed, and the Zohar, for the first time, was used en masse in a work of Christian origin. Giogio's writings also elaborated extensively on Pico's theses.
Among all of these scholars, the most influential, remembered, and closest to the original Hebrew sources was Guillaume Postel (1510-1581). Postel, a French mystic, translated into Latin the Zohar and Sefer Yetzirah before they were publicly printed in Hebrew. His translations included mystical annotations of his own theosophic philosophy as applied to kabbalah. His publications also include a Latin commentary (1548) on the mystical symbolism of the menorah, and eventually a Hebrew edition.
Throughout the 16th century Christian cabala focused its own internal theosophical development, and not upon evangelizing among the Jewish populations of Europe. However, such a cause could be justification enough for studies that might otherwise get one arrested or killed. With the development of these increasingly Christ-centric theosophical speculations, less and less time was spent with original Hebrew sources or their Latin translations. One of the few exceptions to this was Johann Albrecht Widmanstetter (1560-1557) who amassed a large collection of kabbalistic source materials for his studies.
With the writings of Jacob Boehme and Knorr von Rosenroth in 17th century Germany, Christian Cabala took a definite turn away from Hebrew source material, a turn that would last for some time to come. While Rosenroth's Kabbalah Denudata (1677-84) made much of the Zohar available to Christian readers for the first time, his essay on the Adam Kadom and its relationship to the 'primordial man Jesus' in Christian theology seemed to upstage the Zohar in many respects. The essay appearing at the end of Denudata by the Dutch theosophical speculator, Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont, is particularly strong on this point. The essay is entitled "Adumbratio Kabbalae Christinae" and is anonymously authored.
In England the 'Cambridge Platonists,' led by Henry More and Ralph Cudworth, to made use of kabbalah for their own speculations, and found a link in van Helmont for further Christianization of cabalistic philosophy. In Germany, and later elsewhere, kabbalah had taken on a strongly 'Boehmian' character as it found a strong similarity between Jacob Boehme's writings and those of the various schools of kabbalah. While there is no historical connection between the writings (and visions) of Boehme, this definite link would only further remove Christian Cabala from its earlier tenuous connections with Jewish kabbalah. Boehme's impact would extend into the writings of Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, just prior to the French Revolution, thus helping to change the face of Continental mysticism and the later "French Occult Revival".
Christian Cabala almost from the start developed into what we now call the Hermetic, or Alchemical Kabbalah, for lack of better terms, which sprang out of the Hermetic schools in the Renaissance period. The goals of Hermetic philosophy were to synthesize all of humanity's previous learning, particularly the wisdom or sophia of the ancients, and present it in a single universal philosophy (pansophia). This philosophy was the synthesis of four major stands of thought and practice under the general heading of a form of mystical Christianity. These four schools were Jewish Kabbalah, Hermetic literature, neo-Platonic (Pythagorean) philosophy, and Gnosticism. In fact, the addition of alchemical symbols and motifs to Christian Cabala began as early as the 16th century. Among the chief exponents of this movement in Elizabethan England were Sir Francis Bacon, Elias Ashmole, Thomas Vaughan (1622-1666) and the Rosicrucian apologist Robert Fludd (1574-1637). On the continent, Blaise de Vigenere, Traite du Feu (1617), Heinrich Khunrath, Ampitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae (1609) typified this kind of permanent departure from traditional Jewish literature and the formation of a completely separate system of theosophy. By the mid-18th century, this departure would be complete with the writings of F.C. Oetinger (1702-1782), the Opus Mago-Cabbalisticum (1735) by Georg von Welling, and the virtual explosion of Masonic, and psuedo-masonic, grades, degrees, rites, and orders.
The creation of Masonic and masonic-style systems was nowhere more virulent than in 18th century France. Here, like in Germany, the nobility had an almost insatiable appetite and gullibility for things mysterious and magico-mystical. While many of the rites created were for the purpose of perpetuating the true and authentic mysteries of hermeticism, either on their own or as an addition to Freemasonry through the 'High Grades' system, many were also created to simply fill the pockets of their self-appointed Hierophant or Grand Master. The majority of these systems had little known lasting influence outside of the period, or even the rooms where their 'initiations' and 'conventicles' were held. However, one of these systems, that of Don Martinez Pasquales, was different, and its impact on Western mysticism would be felt for centuries to come.
The appearance of Martinez Pasquales upon the scene of French "Initiation" was like that of many of his contemporaries: mysterious, of unknown origin, filled with claims of supernatural contacts, and filled with Cabalistic signs and symbols. Unlike many of his contemporaries, however, Pasquales' influence would be a lasting one, and his system of magic, restoration, and angelic communications was unique. Nothing of its kind had been revealed to the world since the writings of Dr. Dee and Edward Kelly, and while definitively Christian-Cabalistic in nature, nothing equal to it has been delivered since. This is not to say that all other systems are inferior to Pasquales (or even Dee), only that such uniqueness in thought and form comes around only rarely.
Born in Grenoble, of Spanish descent, Martines Pasquales received his authority to transmit the ancient teachings from his father, who was granted a Masonic charter from Charles Stuart, "King of Scotland, Ireland, and England," dated May, 20, 1738. The power and authority of this charter was transmissible upon death of the holder. As a result, Martines created a movement of distinct masonic character, open only to Master Masons, and named it: Order of Knight Mason, Elect Priests of the Universe, or Elus Cohen (Elect Priests).
While Pasquales' spiritual mission' officially began around 1758, he did create a masonic chapter in Montpellier four years earlier. It was a year later, in 1755, that the Elect Priests were officially founded in Bordeaux. Paris was the site of the ventual Sovereign Tribunal in 1766, which had among its members several prominent masons of the period. Avignon, Montpellier, Metz, La Rochelle, Versailles, and Lyon were all sites of future Lodges of the Order of Elus Cohen.
What made the Elus Cohen distinct from the masonic organizations it drew its membership from, was it emphasis on ceremonial magic, or theurqy, for the 'Reintegration' of humanity. The Martinist doctrine of Pasquales focused around the 'Fall of Man' and its rectification. It's fundamental tenants were:
1. Archetypal Man, or Adam Kadom, was emanated from God, and originally dwelt on a high spiritual plane.
2. Through abuse of his 'free will' Adam Kadom 'fell'.
3. This originally unified being shattered into the many individual souls that now exist.
4. The goal of humanity is to reintegrate itself with the original archetype, thus achieving unity.
The Order of Elect Priests was divided into three principle parts, completed by the secret grade of "Reau+Croix". The first group was composed of those who went through the first three degrees of Craft Masonry, with a complementary degree following; the second group contained the 'Porch Degrees" of Cohen-Apprentice, Fellow-Cohen, and Master Cohen; the third group was the Temple Degrees of: Grand Master Elect Cohen, Grand Architect of Chevalier (Knight) d'Orient, and Grand Elu de Zorobabel.
Through rituals, often lasting up to six or more hours in length, in individual and group work, each member of the Order was given the opportunity to communicate with angelic beings, overcome demonic forces in the universe, manifest the power of God, and "Reintegrate himself with the original Primordial Adam. The Ladder of Spiritual Entities that each member had to contact and become initiated into began with the Minor in Privation (worldly man), Reconciled Minor (one who has begun the spiritual path), the Regenerated Minor, a transition phase exists with the Elect Minor, and followed by the Superior and Major Spirits of the Celestial Hierarchy, ending with God.
While the rites and rituals of the Elus Cohen are still practiced much as they were two-hundred years ago (a lodge is still active in Paris) it was through two of his disciple, who would take radically different paths, that the legacy of Pasquales would be perpetuated. Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin and Jean-Baptiste Willermoz.
Saint-Martin received his initiation into the Elus Cohen in 1786 while serving as an officer in the French garrison at Bordeaux. He was 25 at the time, and would later write, "It is to Martines Pasquales that I owe my introduction to higher truths." His appreciation of his earlier Master would serve him well, for unlike many who break from the tradition that gave them spiritual birth, Saint-Martin was entirely grateful to Pasquales despite his later philosophical disagreements.
After leaving the army in 1770 to devote himself to his esoteric research, Saint-Martin became Pasquales' personal secretary. By 1777, however, three years after the death of his Master, Saint-Martin moved away from the theurigic practices of the Elus Cohen, claiming personal lack of 'talent' for the operations, and entered into the realm of pure, abstract mysticism.
Soon afterwards, he became connected with the 'Order of Unknown Philosophers' and quickly became a teaching force within its ranks, traveling often to establish contacts, study groups, and convey initiations throughout Europe. Claiming connection with an ancient Order, dating back to 1643 of a 'Rosicrucian character' and having Heinrich Khunrath, Alexander Sethon, Sendivogius, and Boehme among its ranks, the Society of Unknown Philosophers also linked itself to "Les Freres d Orient" created in Constantinople in 1090. The teachings of this society were conveyed from teacher to disciple and the their principle unifying form was the distinction of receiving "The Initiation" which gave them the right to be known as "Unknown Superiors" or "Superieurs Inconnus" or S.I. as it is written. Saint-Martin's writings, under the pseudonym "The Unknown Philosopher," made him quite in demand among European aristocracy. Being of aristocratic blood himself, it is often considered a miracle that he not only kept his head during the 'Reign of Terror' but also managed to continue his work relatively unimpeded.
Jean-Baptiste Willermoz however continued the teachings of the Elus Cohen, and even took them into the masonic Order of Strict Observance, an order claiming direct Knights Templar descendency. It was through these two principle forces, the teachings of Willermoz through the Strict Observance, and Saint-Martin through his 'free Initiation' that French esotericism in particular, and European esotericism in general, continued until the period known as the "European Occult Revival".
While the "European Occult Revival" has its origins in France with the writings of Eliphas Levi, it is not until the 1880's that it becomes a full fledged social force, similar to today's "New Age Movement" complete with celebrities, art galleries, mystical compositions of all sorts, the usual ego's, personality failings, and just plain old gossip.
The principle character in all of this was a young medical student by the name of Gerard Encausse, better known by his pseudonym, "Papus" after the Egyptian genii of the healing arts. With Augustine Chaboseau, Stanislas de Guaita, Sedir (Yvon Leloup), Charles Bartlet, Josepin Peladan, and virtually all of the moving forces in French occultism the Martinist Order was founded, by Papus, to perpetuate the ideas and teachings of Saint-Martin, Martinez Pasquales, in a new kabbalistic framework, complete with seven degrees, which were later reduced to three. Soon afterwards the "Kabbalistic Order of the Rosy+Cross" was created, and after several years, and a few 'spitting matches', schisms among the founding members created about a dozen off-shoots, most of which continue to this day in some form.
Yet, by 1914, what petty rivalry, egotism, and oneupsmanshipl had failed to do to European mysticism and magical movements, world war would accomplish. The world wide networks of initiates and lodges that were created out of this period, along with similar movements in England (the Hermetic order of the Golden Dawn, and the Societas Rosicruciana in particular), Russia, and Germany (as well as the United States) were virtually eliminated by two world wars and the totalitarian governments that controlled most of Europe by the 19201 and 1930's.
Unfortunately, not all of the 'hermetic' 'kabbalistic or 'occult' movements that were born at the turn of the century gave fruit to humanitarian offspring. In Germany and Austria the Ariosophist movements gave not only 'spiritual' inspiration, but also men and material support to what became the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP), or the Nazi movement. The Germanen Ordnunq (Order), the Thule Society, and other less well known groups, gave ideological justification for the racist, militant, and nationalistic beliefs of the German Right Wing. In 1934 Hitler declared, "We shall form an Order, the Brotherhood of the Templars around the Holy Grail of pure blood." The Grand Master of this Order was Heinrich Himmler, its knights the Officer Corps of the SS, and the Castle at Wewlsburg, with its Round Table, its spiritual center.
While promoting its own form of occult madness, the Nazis systematically shut down all forms of occult and esoteric activity. Psychics, astrologers, faith healers, writers, publishers, and simply well known individuals in the field, were rounded up under Berlin's "Witchcraft Laws" of 1934, all in a single night. Publishing houses were shut down, books burned or carted off to Ahnenerbe (Racial Ancestry Department) research libraries, people imprisoned or forced into 'domestic exile', and that was just the beginning. Several waves of round ups would continue throughout the war, particularly as the tide turned against German victory.
Viewed as part of the "Jewish Conspiracy" Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Martinism, and other kabalistic-hermetic or esoteric organizations were the special target of these crackdowns, led by "Einsatzgruppen Rosenburg" and the Ahnenerbe. Not since the Inquisition had Western esoteric, initiatic, and cabalistic-hermetic groups especially, been so violently suppressed with such singleness of purpose. The role call of martyrs included many of the leaders of the most prominent magical and mystical movements of the period. The egotistical rivalries that separated them and kept the Light from unifying, was skillfully and brutally used against them by Darkness. The faggots burned again in Europe, this time with smoke stacks.
Despite its opponents, and in spite of some of its most ardent supporters. kabbalah and hermeticism, the life blood of Western esotericism, continues to survive and thrive. Never before has so much material, books, publications, organizations, and students existed so openly and freely. As we head toward the millennium, and pray for the "Reign of the Paraclete," let's look back on history and learn its lessons. With Europe and Asia looking more like 1914 than 1994, let our hearts unite in active prayer and meditation to turn the world toward the Source of Light we all so earnestly seek when we pray "Thy Kingdom come ... after all, that is what kabbalah is all about.
Bibliography
Anonymous. Five Christian Principles. Public Publications, 1984. Forward by Sarah Ibitson.
Epstein, Perle. Kabbalah - The Way of the Jewish Mystic. Boston, 1988.
Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas. The Occult Roots of Nazism. The Aquarian Press, Wellingsborough, Northamptonshire, 1985.
Howe, Ellic. Astrology and the Third Reich. The Aquarian Press, Wellingsborough, Northamptonshire, 1984.
King, Christine Elizabeth. "The Nazi State and the New Religions". Studies in Religions and Society. vol. 4. The Edwin Mellen Press, New York, 1982.
Knight, Gareth. Magic and the Western Mind. Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN., 1991.
McIntosh, Christopher. Eliphas Levi and the French Occult Revival. Weiser, NY., 1974.
The Rosicrucians - The History and Mythology of an Occult Order. Crucible, Wellingsborough, Northamptonshire, 1987.
Scholem, Gershom. Kabbalah, Meridian, New York, 1978.
Stavish, Mark. "A Rosicrucian Approach to the Kabbalah". Lecture delivered to Johannes Kelpius Lodge, AMORC Allston/Boston, Mass., 'Reunion Day' June, 1992.
Periodicals
"The F.U.D.O.S.I. - An International Journal of the Ancient and Honorable Esoteric Orders" Vol. 1, No. 1, November 1946. Brussels, Belgium.
"Now It Can Be Told" part 1 through 8, Ralph M. Lewis, F.R.C., "Rosicrucian Digest", San Jose, Calif., Oct. 1946 though May 1947.
A Basic Historico-Chronological Model of the
Western Hermetic Tradition
by R.Wy. Frater Trevor Stewart, VIII0, SRIA
Part 4.
Some Evidence of Early Masonic Involvement in ‘Hermeticism’
Something has been said already that there may be Hermetic traces in the masonic rituals but it is when we look for any trace of Hermetic involvement in the earliest days of English speculative Freemasonry that we encounter a familiar difficulty. The Lodges’ records from the early decades of the 18th century are scrappy – to say the least. Their secretaries were not always diligent in keeping the records and even in making the required Annual Returns of their members to the Premier Grand Lodge. There was a sustained, widespread resentment of such interference from London. Generally, those Minute Books that do survive only provide dates, places and rough indications who attended the meetings and what office (if any) hey took during the ceremonies. Even the Premier Grand Lodge itself does not seem to have bothered to keep Minutes of its own proceedings until five years after its founding and although Scotland has splendid sets of Lodge records (some of which date from the late 16th century!), they too very fragmentary in their detail. Even so, much has been made of the experience of the ancient Lodges in Kilwinning, Aberdeen and Edinburgh which were attracting ‘gentlemen’ as members even in the middle of the 17th century. The point which David Stevenson and others have made recently is that something extraordinary must have been occupying these Lodges to make these busy educated men want to join and – what is perhaps more important – to retain their memberships over several decades and to celebrate that membership - as does that notable alchemist, Latin scholar and artillery officer Sir Robert Moray FRS for instance.
With this in mind perhaps something tentative might be said about what may have been Hermetic features of the ‘work’ by a few members of some of the earliest English Lodges. There were possibly some esoteric characteristics but they were short-lived and fragmentary. Perhaps they indicated the emergence of a broadly based Hermetic approach but, in the English cultural climate that was severely pragmatic and sceptical in outlook, they did not survive for long. The general nature of those early activities and, by implication, the underlying Hermetic principles seem to have been lost somehow from English-speaking Freemasonry since those formative times.
As indicated above, we have to rely mostly on evidence that does not come from the Lodges themselves. For example, the Letter of Verus Commodus (1725), an anti-masonic pamphlet, refers scornfully to
the August Title of Kabalists … a Knot of whimsical, delirious Wretches who are caballing together, to extirpate all manner of Science, Reason and Religion.
One of the better-known pieces of evidence is part of an obscure 1715 publication entitled Long Livers, an English translation of a French book by De Longeville Harcouet. The translator and editor was one ‘Eugenius Philalethes FRS’ (= the talented Robert Samber, a prolific translator and author). It is his ‘Dedicatory Letter’ to Long Livers that contains some pertinent references to Hermetic activities that may have been occurring among some early groups of English freemasons. Samber claims that Freemasonry belongs to ‘an uninterrupted Tradition’ and that individual freemasons are ‘living stones built [into] a spiritual house’, ‘a chosen Generation, a royal Priesthood’ as well as ‘imprisoned … exiled Children …’ and ‘Sons of Science … who are illuminated with the sublimest Mysteries and profoundest secrets …’. God is conceptualised as ‘the Centre of all Things, yet [HE] knows no Circumference’. There were many hermetic books published in a great variety in European languages in the early decades of the 18th century so Samber was probably well acquainted with at least the vocabulary. This is shown repeatedly, for example, in his Treatise of the Plague (1721) which he also dedicated to the then Grand Master, the Duke of Montague. What is also interesting to note in this ‘Dedicatory Letter’ is that Samber mentions that were several levels of masonic understanding and this was within a mere five years of the founding of the Premier Grand Lodge. When he addresses his fellow freemasons, the dedicatees, he draws a clear distinction between
those of you who are not far illuminated, who stand in the outward Place and are not yet worthy to look behind the Veil
and ‘those who have … greater Light’.
There is some evidence of Hermetic involvement in some of the Lodges’ inventories. English Lodges owned very few books, of course, but one of those titles which features often in these lists is The Voyages of Cyrus by the Chevalier Andrew Michael Ramsay (1686-1743). Ramsay had probably been initiated in c. 1728 in the Old Horn Lodge (Westminster) shortly after his return to England after a 20-year sojourn in various European cities. His career and his [in]famous Oration (1737) have attracted plenty of attention. Apart from his education connections with the Royal House of Stuart in exile, he was masonically and culturally the equal of many of the FRS who joined that Lodge at about the same time. His first work, however, which dealt in a fictional form with copious learned excursions into ancient theological and philosophical systems, was his very popular Voyages de Cyrus (1727). In this and other writings, Ramsay shows himself to have been the intellectual heir of the Cambridge Platonist, Ralph Cudworth (1616-1688), whose True Intellectual System of the Universe (1st end.,1678) was hugely influential in the cultural life of the nation then. It was after his Initiation that Ramsay had his Voyages de Cyrus translated into English by Bro. Nathaniel Hooke (d. 1763) and he added a long ‘Discourse upon the Theology and Mythology of the Ancients’ in which he attempted to support his narrative with precise if somewhat obscure references to classical literature, providing extensive quotations in the original languages and including copies extracts from esoteric texts such as the Hermetica, the Oracula Chaldaica and the Orphica. It was an extremely popular venture which went through 30 English editions, and was even translated in German, Italian, Spanish and Greek. The fact that the masonic Lodges purchased copies and loaned them out to members would seem to suggest a taste of such Hermetic ‘exploration’ then amongst ordinary freemasons.
Then there are other clues in the following hitherto unexploited particular sources:
* the records of the Old King’s Arms Lodge, now no. 28, which still meets in London;
* the mysterious collection of Kaballistic drawings known as the Byrom Collection and named after their enigmatic former owner, John Byrom FRS (1691-1763), a Jacobite, inventor of a primitive form of short-hand writing, freemason and spy;
* the ritual of the Order of Heredom which became transmuted eventually into the present day Royal Order of Scotland and
* the Royal Arch Ceremony.
The Old King’s Arms Lodge began its long history in 1725. When it began there were only 14 members. The first extant Minute Book covers the years 1733-1756 after the Lodge had moved to the King’s Arms Tavern in the Strand. By then there were 43 new members, none of whom had been among the original founders. A tradition had been acquired somehow of being ‘entertained’ by lectures on a whole variety of abstruse subjects at the regular meetings. Within just one decade (6 August 1733 to 4 January 1743) there were 36 lectures/demonstrations that can be described broadly as ‘Hermetic’ in the broadest sense. It is worthwhile recalling the subjects of these lectures:
Topic No. of Lectures
(Human) Physiology, including practical dissections (!) 7
Scientific phenomena and techniques 7
Ethical concepts 6
Architecture 5
Industrial processes 3
Mechanical inventions and scientific apparatus 3
Art and aesthetics 2
History (classical) 1
Masonic apparel 1
Mathematics 1
Even though it was only one of about 60 Lodges in and around London at that time, the frequency of these meetings of the Old King’s Arms Lodge and the fact that they were continued over a decade would seem to suggest at least something about the character and intellectual background of the membership of this particular London Lodge. It hints at what they regarded a legitimate or proper working of a masonic Lodge (i.e., that it was not merely a Degree ‘factory’ or a convivial foregathering in a tavern).
The variety of topics is revealing itself. It shows the London Enlightenment gentlemen freemason at his leisure, interested in the practical application of sciences and in the philosophical bases of ethical concepts, his vision rooted firmly in this world though hardly limited or inward-looking. His Freemasonry has not yet become introverted, feeding only on itself. His was a clearly marked fascination with measuring and quantification which not only suggests something of the English Enlightenment mentalite in general but also goes some way to explaining in particular the frequency of the references to geometry and practical measuring apparatus which came to proliferate throughout the English masonic rituals.
Sadly, however, the ‘Hermetic’ exploration by the members of this Lodge declined in the late 1740s. Even by the early years of that decade there is some indication in the Minute Book that the original impetus for papers was abating. On 2 February 1743 there is a reference to fact that
frequent Disappointments had happened by Brethren not performing their Promises of giving Lectures
and by the end of the year (7 December 1743) things had become even more desperate obviously because the Minutes state
The Master called upon several Brethren to oblige the Lodge with a Lecture upon any useful subject which not being compiled with, Sir Robert Lawley was so kind to offer a further continuance of a lecture in Masonry either on the next or the succeeding Lodge night…
In case it may be thought that this approach to Freemasonry was unique to only one London Lodge in those days, it may be worthwhile recalling that the practice of having lectures delivered regularly at Lodge meetings was wide-spread. According to Francis Drake of York in 1726
… most Lodges in London, and several other Parts of this Kingdom, [my emphasis] a Lecture on some Point of Geometry or Architecture is given at every Meeting …
Bro. William Smith of Gateshead, in the Preface to his compilation The Book M (1736), wrote that he recommended to his subscribing readers in their Lodges
the Studys (sic) of Geometry and Architecture and that there should never pass a Lodge Night without some Discourse upon those Heads….
The anonymous author of the half-exposure/half-apology of Freemasonry, A Word to the Wise (1795), reported that
from the Minute Books of various lodges in the earliest dates, it would appear that the Members were not content with merely proceeding in the usual form of Masonry, but Lectures were occasionally given by those who were qualified in the branches of the Arts and Sciences.
The same author noted that the members of the Grand Stewards’ Lodge meeting in London
in particular on their public nights entertained their visitors with a diversity of knowledge … Natural Philosophy in general, dissertations on the laws and properties of Nature, the doctrine of fluids etc., were commented upon and explained. These subjects were gratifications to the intelligent and which primarily distinguished this fountain of honour.
There are traces of ‘Hermetic’ lectures being delivered to meetings elsewhere. For instance, Desaguliers delivered such an oration on 24 June 1721 to the Premier Grand Lodge in Stationers’ Hall in the City of London. Five years later, referring to an as yet untraced London Lodge of ‘Antediluvian Masons’ due to meet in the Ship Tavern in Bishopsgate Street on 24 June 1726, a newspaper advertisement mentioned that there would be
several lectures on Ancient Masonry, particularly on the Signification of the Letter G … a particular Description of the Temple of Solomon … [as well as] an Oration in the Henlean stile (sic).
Martin Clare, a London schoolmaster, ‘entertained’ the members of the Grand Stewards’ Lodge on 17 November 1735 with
an excellent Discourse containing some maxims and Advice that concerned the Society in general.
According to the later ‘testimony’ of Oliver, Clare’s
grave and quiet method of delivery made a strong impression on the audience and [his] conclusion was received with loud approbation…
Certainly his lecture was considered to be so good by those present that they asked the Master of the Lodge, one Sir Robert Lawley – a Kabbalistic associate of Byrom (see below) – to recommend to the Grand Lodge that they hear it again. This was done on 11 December 1735 to ‘great Attention and Applause’. Clare later had the revised text printed in a yet untraced pamphlet and this version was translated thereafter into both French and German (1754).
John Byrom’s life and taste for Hermeticism have been described already by Joy Hancox. His library is revelatory. A catalogue of his 3,300+ titles and 40+ MSS was printed privately in 1848 and fortunately most of the collection came to the Chetham Library in Manchester in 1870. This collection reveals Byrom’s sustained interest in theology, ecclesiastical history, liturgy, apologetics, mysticism and ‘the occult’. For instance, there were 26 titles by his close friend, the non-juror mystic William Law (1636-1761) as well as first editions of Agrippa’s De Occulta Philosophia (1533) and Porta’s Natural Magick (1591). There were also books on necromancy and witchcraft together with copies of Reuchlin’s De Arte Caballistica, The Divine Pymander and Dee’s Monas Hierogylphica. There were many of the standard mathematical and geometrical texts, works by Descartes, books on trigonometry and a wide selection of alchemical texts, ranging from Bacon to Boyle. There were contemporary scientific works too, including the standard works of Newton and the then latest volumes on electricity and magnetism as well as books on codes, including a rare, valuable copy of John Falconer’s early work on codes Cryptomenis Patefacta (1685). Byrom’s interest in physiology and medicine is reflected in his ownership of texts ranging from Galen and Paracelsus, Elizabethan herbals and pharmocopeias to the latest research in inoculation. In addition, his collection contained Rosicrucian texts by Andrea, Maier and Vaughan.
Byrom’s enthusiasm for Hermetic exploration is also evidenced in his membership of a discussion group known only from many references to it in his journal as the ‘Sun Club’. This group of freemasons met weekly at various London taverns from the late 1720s, including the Goose and Gridiron tavern in St Paul’s Churchyard. It included some interesting personalities some of whom, such as Martin Folkes, George Graham, James Jurin and Ralph Leycester, were active freemasons. Sadly, there are no surviving clues as to what these enthusiasts discussed at their weekly gatherings but we can glean some impression perhaps by reference to the published records of a comparable provincial group of which some of them were also members: the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society. The latter group had a permanent home. This enabled them to accumulate their own library and museum, a physics garden and even their own harpsichord (for their frequent musical recitals). Their lectures, demonstrations and discussions covered a wide range of literary and scientific topics, including archaeology, astronomy, biology, engineering, horticulture, mathematics, medicine and ornithology, and the prestige of the group might be indicated by the fact that no less a personage than Newton was a member.
These were the fairly conventional enthusiasms of leisured middle-class amateurs. The general features of their interest in literature, history, science and mathematics, as cultural phenomenon have been very well delineated and there is nothing much that might be called classically Hermetic in their discussions. However, Byrom wanted to expand the range of his inquiries with his companion explorers so, on 9 March 1725, he proposed to the members of the ‘Sun Club’ the formation of an inner group to be called the ‘Caballah Club’. This also met regularly but more secretly in London taverns and it is the activities of this smaller group of Hermeticists, some of whom at least were freemasons, that is most interesting.
The range of their occult discussions is shown by the unique Byrom Collection which was found (accidentally) in 1969. This collection consists of 516 separate pieces of paper and card, of varying thicknesses, sizes and shapes. The materials range from thick and mottled coarse card to fine paper. Some of them (171) can be dated from the mid- to late-17th century using watermarks which are well-known. They consist of drawings, done very carefully by hand and using geometrical precision instruments. Some are coloured yellow and gold and a few have the telltale press marks which show that they may have been patterns for printing. There is a variety of styles of calligraphy, beautifully styled and executed, displaying a remarkable consistent standard of penmanship over several generations of scribes. Viewed generally, the drawings date from the late 1570s to 1732 but the MS comments in margins are written in English, French, German and Latin in a variety of cursive styles that were common in the mid-17th and early-18th centuries. At least some of these drawings may have been copied from a curious Rosicrucian collection, or scrapbook, in the British Library that had been compiled pseudonymously by a ‘Theophilus Schweighardt’ and is entitled Speculum Sophicum Rhodo-Stauroticum (1618).
There are two crucial considerations to take into account when assessing the importance and relevance of this collection. Firstly, it was a collection, kept secretly in tact among the Byrom family archives. Secondly, there are several signs that these curious pieces of MSS were actually working drawings that were referred to and passed around (perhaps among several people who knew their significance). For instance, many of them have very old coffee stains and candle wax marks. Some others have hastily scrawled notes added. Yet others have pierced holes from the repeated practical use of compasses. Moreover, the whole sequence, as it was discovered, had been rearranged by someone so that they do not appear in any logical sequence. Still others have larger holes at their ‘top’ edges hinting probably that they were hung up on string in displays. Others have tiny pencil dots which would imply that at least one user has been engaged in measuring the dimensions of the figures therein.
The drawings cover an interesting range of topics. Lots of them display plans of at least five well-known London theatres dating from Elizabethan and Jacobean times. These are based largely on the plans of Roman theatres based on a French version of Vitruvius and others based on Palladian designs. Several are drawings of complex timber roofing constructions, such as the Rhenish Helm format. The drawings are so accurate that it has been proved possible to reconstruct a three-dimensional scale model of the Globe Theatre using some of them.
Another group of the drawings are concerned with ‘sacred’ locations – such as King’s College Chapel, Cambridge; the Temple in London and Westminster Abbey. Others depict complex military fortifications from Renaissance Italy. Another group shows miscellaneous symbols that have Hermetic significance: the letter Tau, the Swastika, the Hexalpha and the Hexagon. There is a group of compass cards to be used in navigation. One card depicts the five Platonic Solids; another shows the Tree of Life and several show designs for three-dimensional lectern-shaped sundials and 24-hour clocks such as those at Lamancha and Haddington in Scotland.
Of especial interest and relevance in the present connection are the names of men whom the MSS mention and who are known to have strong Rosicrucian and/or Hermetic connections: Colet, Riley, Fludd, Dee, Le Bon, Boehme, Meirer and Khunrath. This is a veritable Who’s Who of the western Hermetic tradition.
The Order of Heredom originated among Scots freemasons living mostly in or around London. It was formed in the early 1730s to correct the abuses which they perceived to have crept into St John’s Masonry. This so-called ‘Scots (or Ecossais) Masonry’ was intended to form a superior, more knowledgeable Freemasonry and its members attributed to themselves a sort of supervisory, inspectorial role. It was certainly resented by some of the leading members of the Premier Grand Lodge because its very raison d’etre was to correct the mistakes which the latter were alleged to have been introducing into Freemasonry by, inter alia, abbreviating the ‘Lectures’. Another reason for it being rejected by the London-based masonic authorities then could have been its popularity among freemasons in France, England’s traditional enemy.
The ritual contains distinctively Hermetic and Kabbalistic themes. Among the most important of these are:
1. mystical perambulations representing the soul’s pilgrimage in search of a Lost Word;
2. an recurring emphasis on numbers (e.g., 9, 7, 5 and 3);
3. references to the Seven Wonders of the World;
4. allusions to men who are said never to have died (e.g., Enoch transported by fire into Heaven);
5. references to the descent and removal of the Divine Shekinah;
6. escape from the imprisoning confines of human physicality;
7. admission into a ‘Cabinet of Wisdom’;
8. allusions to Kabbalistic dimensions assigned to the Christian Church and to the generality of the east-west alignment of all sacred buildings;
9. remarkable passages encapsulating an apocalyptic vision of the Last Judgement.
Part of its regalia is a thistle green cordon or baldrick and so the Order of Heredom may have been the so-called ‘green-ribbonned cabal’ which is referred to several times in some of the contemporary anti-masonic literature. However, it died out quickly in England probably because of the determined opposition of the Premier Grand Lodge. After c. 1756 it was transported to Edinburgh where it became transformed into what is now called ‘The Royal Order of Scotland’. That Order is still very active on a world-wide basis, is much cherished and continues to contribute a distinguished Scottish variety of Hermetic ‘lived-through’ experience in a masonic context for the Brethren who are privileged to be invited to join its elite ranks.
With the departure into Scotland of the Order of Heredom (‘Heredim’ = ‘Princes’ or ‘Rulers’), the English masonic landscape became even more impoverished as far is any emergent Hermeticism is concerned. In one way the intensity of the esoteric vision which it represented was replaced by the Royal Arch ceremony with its emphasis on the deliberate burial of a secret ‘Word’ in an underground vault within the Temple precincts and the accidental discovery of that secret ‘text’ by stonemasons employed in the reconstruction of the Temple after the return of the remnant of faithful Jews from their 70 years of captivity in Babylon. The esoteric features of the Royal Arch ceremony include the following:
* a subterranean cave;
* concealment of arcaneities (texts and carved inscriptions) in that vault in order to preserve them from the profane;
* the legend of the accidental discovery of those secrets by ordinary workers who could not understand at first what it was they had found until the significance was explained to them;
* the rewarding of those discoverers;
* the revealing of the meaning of that hitherto hidden Word which is taken to refer to the Supreme Deity.
The theme of a subterranean vault containing hidden artefacts and accompanying the discovery of these with Hermetic instruction is echoed also in the Royal Master Degree – one of a sequence of four Degrees invented in the mid—19th century. In that ceremony, the Neophyte is accompanied by a ‘Magus’ figure on seven circular perambulations around the precious Ark of the Covenant buried below Solomon’s Temple. During that journeying, the elder man imparts his accumulated wisdom to his new disciple in a lengthy oration. However, the sequence of Degrees, known collectively as the Royal and select Masters, is not very popular among English-speaking freemasons and only a tiny minority of brethren ever bother to join.
Furthermore, what cannot be denied is that the Royal Arch ceremony was not always accepted officially among members of the Premier Grand Lodge as part of ‘pure’ Freemasonry, even though some of them were active members of what they regarded as a separate masonic Order. Indeed, for several decades in the early 18th century there was active opposition and discouragement of Premier Grand Lodge Brethren from taking part in Royal Arch ceremonies. It found acceptance only slowly and its popularity increased fitfully throughout the 18th century. Its ritual is preserved today (more or less) although some of its zodiacal features were removed in the extensive revisions in the 1830s. However, the presence today of the Royal Arch ceremony does not prove that there are surviving Hermetic elements in speculative Freemasonry that influence the ‘living-through’ experience of English-speaking freemasons generally. The Royal Arch is still not popular. Only a third of English freemasons ever bother to join it. In Scotland it is still regarded officially by that Grand Lodge as no part of ‘ancient’ Freemasonry. Officially, the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Royal Arch of Scotland do not recognise each other’s existence even though, of course, most of the Royal Arch ‘Chapters’ do meet in premises owned and operated by Craft Lodges and some of the leading office-bearers of the Scottish Craft have also been simultaneously the prominent office-bearers in the Royal Arch Order.
http://www.hermeticgoldendawn.org/Documents/Essays/tarot.htm
http://www.digital-brilliance.com/kab/essays/Emanation%20Ascent.pdf
http://books.google.com/books?id=hGNw2yphixoC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=the+Seven+Hermetic+Principles/Hermetic+Laws+%26+THE+TRE+OF+LIFE&source=web&ots=Ooc0tGLi4y&sig=na33TJWz6sExKo0QzP5Rbty8Dqc
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Rhythm — Fifth of the Seven Hermetic Laws and other writings...
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