"The future enters into us, in order
to transform itself in us, long before it happens..."
- Ranier Maria Rilke
This is an attempt at some esoteric history, and also a window on how a
post-modern magickal lodge can function in the Information Age. In
preparation for this I have been thinking about how the HML hangs
together. We are an international and very diverse group, working with
a wide variety of cultural mythologies and esoteric traditions on a
personal as well as a collective basis. While we discard dogma and
doctrine, we do share some core influences, favorite authors, and
unusual paradigms.
The Foundation of the Horus/Maat
Lodge took place in Ohio on April 26th
of 1979 during the first physical meeting of Soror Nema of the Bate
Cabal and the members of the Grove of the Star & the Snake from
NYC. At the time we were all members of Kenneth Grant’s Typhonian
O.T.O., but our intention was to create something entirely new: a
constellation of magical stars activated by the Double Current 93/696,
of the hawk-god Horus as revealed in Liber AL vel Legis and the
vulture-goddess Maat as foretold in Liber Pennae Praenumbra. We
believed that the secretive and hierarchal model inherited from
Freemasonry and the Golden Dawn was obsolete, and that the
authoritarian elements they maintained were contrary to the spirit of
the New Aeon. We were tired of Orders, and full of creative Chaos.
In the years that followed our gestalt expanded by word of mouth and of
print in the journals Mandragore, the Cincinnati Journal of Ceremonial
Magick, Aeon, and others. A key event was the publication of Nema’s
grimoire Maat Magick, which remains essential reading. There were also
a number of festival events, including the Warrior Lord Workings, the
Convocations of the Magi, and various Pagan gatherings which drew
together a number of new initiates. We also formed informal and formal
connections with many fellow travelers and sister organizations. Yet we
still remained limited to paper, phones, and personal contact.
Then came the Internet, and it changed the World! The HML Website was
established by Frater Aion in 1994, and with it a wide-ranging
discussion list which has now expanded to well over 200 self-initiated
members worldwide. We may not have been the first occult presence on
the Web, but perhaps we may lay claim to being one of the first fully
functioning Cyber-Lodges, a new portal to the stellar planes, a
mercurial transformation of magical links and forms of communication.
Our group rites take place on every night of the New Moon, in part
because this gateway was the time when the Lodge was founded, and in
part because so many members also have Full Moon commitments (witches,
lycanthropes, etc.). We have established a collective astral temple,
and more recently this online journal Silver Star. Our website has more
complete information, but here I would like to discuss a supernatural
form of machinery that has come to power our operations as a
functioning magical organism: the Elevenstar Working.
Nema planted the seeds in the 1980s, and it was worked then in various
ways. With the rebirth of the HML online it has continually mutated and
been modified to fill the needs of the collective. In this opus
individual members assume the Throne of a particular Sphere of the Tree
of Life, most often for the period of a year; at each New Moon magical
rites are roughly synchronized and performed by all in their unique
ways, a meeting is in progress in the HML astral temple on the Moon,
and records are then posted upon the list. It has been found that this
focusing of our various paths has yielded many useful results. The
original 11 Star Ritual can be found on the HML homepage:
www.horusmaat.com
On the list there has generally been a loose and informal discussion of
monthly themes beforehand, and those competent in astrology have been
kind enough to inform us of the current aspects. Most of the spheres
now have multiple Throneholders, and the individual choice of which
planet to inhabit seems to synchronistically synchronize with one’s
personal path of initiation. There is no rigid ritual structure
involved, simply an added focus for your particular affinities. Nothing
is True, All is Permitted, and Anything Goes, as it were. However, I
think that most participants would be inclined to agree with me that
this working has tended to accelerate our own changes, and Change is
the formula of Magick. It is a transformative experience, and that's
what magick is all about. You can use it to change your life.
In trying to pull together this essay on our history I have been
cutting and pasting and revisiting a lot of old records. For some years
now I have served as gatekeeper and coordinator of the HML list, so it
has often fallen on me to smooth out or somehow explain the concepts of
what has (after a lot of early experimentation and some calendrical
chaos) become a much-debated series of year-long operations on various
themes, often roughly structured around some mutant variation of the
qabalistic Tree of Life (despite the fact that many of us, including
myself, deeply dislike the Judeo-Christian veneer imposed upon this
ancient Pagan symbol).
I’d like to emphasize that all of this should be regarded as just my
individual point of view, and that aside from a few core concepts and
shared symbols everyone is actually creating their own diverse rites
and merging the Double Current with solo personal practices, drawing
upon their own Traditions or dreams or inspirations. The decade-long
record of this process is made up of many hundreds of postings by
scores of many very odd, unique and delightful people. Yes, there has
been controversy…
As I understand it at this moment, the Elevenstar Working is designed
and intended to give birth to the cosmic egregore and androgynous
entity called N’Aton as a Magickal Childe, seen as the potential or
ultimate evolutionary gestalt of humanity’s future collective
consciousness, the global mind, the awakening group soul, Gaia’s human
child. Perhaps this golden N'Aton also incarnates the process of
transformation hirself, the zeitgeist ('time-spirit') of the unknown
future just as Aiwass the Minister of Hoor-par-kraat is of the present.
This goal and transition may well be the ultimate purpose of the
Horus/Maat Lodge. It would seem to me that the world could use all the
Waking Up it can get!
"If the symbol method works well for you, I guess the most precise one
for N'Aton is the Maat wand he/she carries. It has a lotus-bud cupping
the bottom of the shaft, the shaft is elbow-to-fingertip long, and at
the top is a heart girt with a serpent (3 1/2 turns, a cobra with a
spread hood), topped by the Feather. Visually, he/she's golden all
over, skin, hair, and eyes - wears a pleated linen cloak with vulture
shoulder-piece, and always appears half-in-light, half-in-shadow.
Sometimes the shadow-side is invisible, with the stars and galaxies
shining through. About in the region of the genitals is a
downward-facing Bee."
- Letter from Nema, late 1970s
My own meditations on this tend to overlap or link certain key
concepts: the cosmic tree/macrocosm as identical with the human
body/microcosm; my Self with the group-soul N'Aton as perfected
humanity; the Buddha (or Maitreya, who is the Bodhisattva of the future
age) as the Golden Man or Alchemical Androgyne; Metatron the Angel of
Kether (the N’Aton / Metatron link is that his medieval seal shows
Metatron as the Face of God, half in darkness, half in light); and that
all living forms of consciousness exist as individual atmans ultimately
identical to the Universal Atman. I also link the 93 dayside vortex
with the 696 nightside maelstrom, the spheres with chakras, new aeon
with next aeon, and so on.
Ipsos/Abrahadabra/Open,
Abrahadabra/Ipsos/N’Aton!
Some have also intuited a possible link between N’Aton and the ancient
Egyptian god Aton, who was briefly worshipped in the heretic pharaoh
Akhenaton's unique new religion, perhaps as the first monotheistic god
without a given form. Personally, I always thought there was some sort
of trans-temporal connection there. This was a remarkably revolutionary
conceptual breakthrough for its time, impacting art and politics as
well as temple practice, and I suspect that the ripples spread more
rapidly than many historians admit. It is unfortunate that his
authoritarian impulses led him to repress all other deities, probably
not the best way to win hearts and minds. Frankly, in any sense other
than the abstract, monotheism usually turns out to be very unhealthy.
Let me emphasize: if you feel an affinity, you do not even need to be a
member of the Lodge or personally assume a Throne to participate in
this Great Work, and we welcome everyone who does tune in, in their own
way.
Our main symbols or pantacles are the Mirror (Thou art N'Aton!) and the
Globe (and so is everyone else!), and perhaps the Mask. The Key is the
HML symbol, the scarlet descending triangle of Horus marked with Maat's
feather of black flame. The three points of the downward-pointing
triangle refer to the triple aspects of Horus in the Book of the Law:
Geburah/Mars: Ra-Hoor-Khuit: the Warrior (or Force)
Chesed/Jupiter: Hoor-par-kraat: the Priest (or Child)
Tiphareth/Sun: Heru-Ra-Ha: the King (or Hawk)
I often lay out the various tarot trumps associated with the 11-Star
order and muse on them for a while before performing the rite and
connecting with my present Throne. Some of our rites involve arranging
all the cards in the form of the cosmic lemniscate (a figure-8, symbol
of infinity). For many of us the lunar temple manifests in our dreams,
which often turn out to have some remarkable parallels. We are all the
true face of N’Aton.
I've also devised a talisman for the 11 Star, and invite you all to
make one. Begin with an 11-pointed star in a circle. Just trace
something round and pencil 11 small marks approximately equidistant
around the rim, then draw two lines from the top point to the two at
the bottom, and then spin around connecting them until you have an 11
pointed star made by one continuous line (actually pretty easy if you
try a couple of rough ones first, and use a straight-edge). Do this in
black ink on white cardboard, then in red draw in the 11 planetary
signs from the Tree of Life, one in-between each point with their bases
towards the center. Use the order from Nema's 11 Star Ritual, going
clockwise: Terra, Luna, Venus, Saturn, Mercury, Uranus, Sol, Pluto,
Mars, Neptune, and Jupiter.
In Nema’s original Elevenstar rite these are the planetary god-forms:
KETHER (Truth): CHOKMAH (Will): BINAH (Love): DAATH
(Heru-par-kraat): CHESED (Pan): GEBURAH
(Shaitan-Aiwass): TIPHARETH (Ra-Hoor-Khuit): NETZACH
(Babalon): HOD (Therion): YESOD (Hadit): MALKUTH
(Nuit). However, they are presented on a circle and not in the
traditional order of the qabalistic Tree of Life. Some members have
also chosen to inhabit THE SPACES INBETWEEN.
Sometimes there are questions about the timing of all this, including
why we use the conventional calendar, and how we synchronize rituals
with people in Europe, North & South America, Australia, and
possibly extraterrestrial locations. For the first question:
simplicity. The fact is that there were so many projects, revisionings,
personal rhythms, scenarios and changes on both the group and
individual level over the early years (some of us function on entirely
other calendars, including Mayan) that we are now quite happily unstuck
in Time and completely arbitrary about the calendar, just like
everything else. Many have also asked if we should coordinate exact
times for the Nu Moon rites; well, we really aren't all in the dark at
the same time. However, Maatian magick is not time-bound, and has words
of power:
“The Hidden One of the Abyss now
gives the two wherein is wrought the higher Alchemy: supporting Earth
is CHTHONOS - learn it well, and all bonds shall be loosed for the
Will's Working. Surmounting Spirit, there is YCHRONOS,
whose nature is duration and the passing away thereof. The two are one, and form the
Kingdom's essence. Who masters them is Master of the World. They are
the utter keys of Transmutation, and keys of the power of the other
Elements.”
- Liber Pennae Praenumbra
I have a strong sense of the importance of the 93 current transmitted
by Aiwass to further the process of revolutionary change, and the
unifying world-mind principle of N’Aton joining not only our individual
human consciousness, but that of angels and demons, gods and beasts as
well. I have always seen Nema's rituals as mutational hand-grenades
bouncing into the time-stream and spreading ripples outwards. As far as
filling the thrones goes, I don't really see one single human as having
full responsibility for the manifestation of a sphere at a given time;
rather, I think that the passing of energy through the astral circuitry
of the tree of life, colored by the various strengths of successive
magi, serves to collectively activate the process of global awakening.
I believe in the power of magick to plant seeds that manifest in the
world: from vision to art to movement to paradigm to the mutation of
human nature. I believe in alchemy, the turning of rage into
compassion, inertia into change, war into peace, famine into feast,
death into birth. And I believe that out of this awakening from global
nightmare, the golden child of a future transformation will soon be
reborn from humanity’s continuous evolution.
This etheric machinery running through the Horus/Maat Lodge is an
engine for change in the World and the Self. Participation does not
have to be a big freaking deal, just a matter of tuning in to our
current project and then merging the energy of your customary magicks
to that of the HML. Our astral temple is open for business or pleasure;
see what comes up in your dreams. And if it is your will, post your
record and see what kinds of synchronicities pop up from other people’s
experiences. I’m concluding with the outlines of some of our yearly
workings, which have evolved over time; and I am including a few of our
discussions and debates.
To conclude, I hope this gives a taste of the kind of creative magick
and lively debate that takes place on the HML list; and once again, I
would like to express my deep appreciation of the many people who have
contributed to this ongoing process over the years, and to apologize if
I have misinterpreted anyone’s work, and for mentioning so few by name…
A B R A H A D A B R A B R A H A D A B R R A H A D A B A H A D A H A D A I P S O S
UP TO 2002: 11*STAR: A NEW BEGINNING
With the reinvention of the Lodge sparked by the Internet, and an
increasingly active discussion list, the Elevenstar Working was resumed
by the now-easily-linked members as a practice of personal evolution,
and we attempted to have all 11 thrones or spheres filled by at least
one person at all times, with annual sign-up times in August (for some
reason or other; we eventually went with the secular year). There was
discussion on the list for various projects including healing work,
tuning into popular holidays as a way to connect with the collective
energy of the mass mind (Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras) and in general a
ferment of creative chaos.
2003: 11*STAR: WORD, IMAGE, THEME
This year the HML linked our Dark Moon Rites to a series of concepts
involving a procession through the Tree of Life, with the Throneholders
in each sphere declaring a Word, Image and Theme for each month. The
point was to push energy through the Tree structure and catalyze the
Great Work of alchemical transmutation in accord with everyone's True
Will more-or-less harmoniously blended. This enabled various groups of
people to set the creative agenda on a monthly basis, and was something
of a transition to a subsequent series of Grand Schemes.
2004: 11*STAR ASTRAL MENTORING OF AGE GROUPS
(This year saw an ongoing project of communicating with human
age-groups worldwide in 7-year increments, along the structure of the
Tree, a concept suggested by Nema. I’m reproducing some of the debate
as a good example of how the Lodge debate works…)
from Nema:
Notes of contemplation....
This rite celebrated the completion of a cycle of the Elevenstar
working. Does it stop here? No, because there's more to it in the form
of an added dimension. Although we've been aware of our planet
throughout the new/Nu moon rite progression, many of the results have
been in our own personal progress/development as magi.
There's been some discussion about what the next step should be, and
more discussion is welcome. As a general principle, I suggest that we
should focus more on our fellow humans and *their* progress, even as we
continue with our individual courses of self-Initiation. IMO, that
never stops until one disappears.
Basic features of Elevenstar 2.0 would include:
1. The concept and practice of astral mentoring worldwide. For each of
13 New Moons, we would concentrate on an age group, usually of seven
years' spread, to which we would be available for assisting the people
in it. I think we should maintain our availability for that group until
the following new moon.
2. The construction of a new chamber in Moonbase Temple, (perhaps in a
tower?) dedicated to this astral mentoring, wherein we could meet in a
central space, and then proceed to individual alcoves. These alcoves
would be vestibules opening on the Astral commons, where our clients
would meet us one-on-one, usually in their dreams.
3. A linking of the age-groups with the Sephiroth of the Tree. Frater
Aion, would you share what you've seen on this?
4. A reporting system that would include the ritual itself, as usual,
plus a second report, a summary of encounters experienced during the
month following that rite. It needn't be long and detailed, unless you
feel there are remarkable events to note.
5. The demographics would be ages 0 to 1 (Opening of the cycle) 1 to 7,
8 to 14, 15 to 21, etc.
This is the general skeleton.
Comments?
Om Ha
Nema
*
* *
from Aion:
Om
OK, here is the 'ages of mankind' breakdown that came to me in deep
meditation- It is somewhat different from what Nema has proposed but I
think, from a human developmental point of view, it makes more sense.
A bit of explanation: As part of what I do (Teacher Training) I spend
time on the theories of linguistic and neuro-development in
infants-adults in terms of learning abilities and development of
body/brain/senses re: appropriateness. This and the traveling I’ve done
where I collected lots of myths/rites from all over the world leads
somewhat to the following, though I want to stress that the whole
schema came as one long vision- I also have thought deeply on my
Grandmother who died at 95 and who remained vibrant, communicative and
in touch for all but the last 2 years.
Well, so what, eh? This is simply my 2 cents on this and I’m fine with
it being torn up, altered, tweaked or rejected- it is only an idea....
All comments, thoughts etc appreciated- NOTE: The ages are approximate
because they are based on human development and there are, of course,
grey areas here... 131
_____________________________
A DEVELOPMENTAL TREE OF LIFE
AGE: In Utero- to birth
SPHERE: Kether
WHY: The person is non-differentiated, is Part of the Whole, is still
in pure nirvana and is still a part of the Mother though becoming
separate- this is the time when Spirit indwells.
AGE: Birth-1 (0r 1.5)
SPHERE: Chokmah
WHY: The child is now a separate being- (2....) from the mother, though
unable to survive completely without her- still needing breast feeding
for key 'elixirs' (Colostrums-sp?)... in many cultures the child is
unnamed, present on the earth but has not 'landed'- this is usually
commemorated at about age 1 or so with various rituals (baptism in this
culture) at this time, for example, in Bali, children are considered
angels- not yet human-
until they touch the ground at age 1 or so... Also, the child is pure
awe and wonder, experience, senses have not fully developed neither
have neuro-patterns, these become fully operational at...
AGE: 1-3
SPHERE: Binah
WHY: The being of the child is now settling as have all the senses and
true consciousness arrives with the formation of the ego- the terrible
2s as it were- this is also when kids began to talk- this is firmly
rooted usually by the time they are three. With speech comes the 'fall'
of ego, the consciousness of being a separate person and thus the
consciousness of pain and suffering. WHY??? Becomes the focal question
along with ME and NO… thus, they cross the abyss that separates pure
consciousness and so they land in.
AGE: 3-11 or so
SPHERE: Chesed
WHY: Childhood is the time when linguistic as well as behaviors as
patterns are learned/imitated and owned. It is really the time of key
development that will set the tone (plan- a key concept of Chesed) for
life. Parents are key to this development here and it is here the most
key life-teachings and patterns are set, until...
AGE: 12-17 Puberty
SPHERE: Geburah
WHY: There are so many reasons to put puberty here...the most obvious
is that this is the time of the most intensive and accelerated growth-
it literally looks like a huge spike on kids maturity charts- hormones
hit, kids grow so fast their neuro-development can not keep us (thus
the awkwardness etc) Most of this hyper growth/development ends at
16-18 and then it levels out for life. These kids are, for all these
reasons, volatile, aggressive, their sexuality suddenly explodes and in
general it is a wild time. It is also the time they break from the
patterns/teaching, their parents and culture set- or at least challenge
them as they establish autonomy- very Geburah.
AGE: 17-23...?
SPHERE: Tiphareth
WHY: This is the time of full body mind maturity in terms of growth,
yet the person is still immature/becoming who they will be- it is
during this stage that likes/dislikes/tendencies during the first
stages are finally (as the flood of hormones and growth subside)
understood, acknowledged and the person becomes WHO they really are and
will be. This also corresponds with the contact with the Self or HGA,
for now that the person IS who they will be for the rest of their life,
the vehicle is stable enough to create it's own sphere. In the
ENNEAGRAM system, a person's 'type' can not be discovered until they
are 21 because it is only at this time that psychological growth has
set- not also, this is when a person becomes an ADULT, this is when
most initiations into adulthood occur (In Japan, it is 20, in the USA
and many other countries, it is 21, for enrolling in various things
etc, it is 18).
AGE: 23- 33...ish
SPHERE: Netzach
WHY: Though most have sexual and emotional adventures, affairs and so
on in the previous few time periods, it is here, after some experience
as an adult, that mature love flowers and compassion is truly
experienced do to the pains and tribulations of living as a fully
responsible adult. Up until now, the person has been mostly centered on
Self, Self development, Self pleasure etc- here, after experience, one
is more likely to love the Other more than the self and also to begin
to comprehend a variety of different loves... on a wider Earth-centered
view: With this maturity, ramifications and long-term affects of one's
actions are now understood more and more as 'youthful folly' is
outgrown. This is also the time of most marriages and the having of
children- sexually, we are at our breeding peak (though women peak
earlier biologically- the sexes intersect in this manner here)- if kids
are in the plan, they will statistically most likely happen here :) I
chose 33 to end this because it is a significant age for a number of
reasons, quite a few times it is mentioned (Jesus died at 33 as have
many great figures...)
AGE: 33-60 ish
SPHERE: Hod
WHY: Full maturity is now combined with lots of experience and the
following of the plans, likes/dislikes and tendencies rooted in earlier
ages- the fruit of this is an active career, a vision of what one is to
do in the world and doing it, a rooting in material possessions, a
flowering of family and all the burdens of that if that is the 'plan'-
in any event, this is when artists, painters and so on tend to do the
bulk of their 'real' work, their mature work as it is called. This is
also the time of great self-confidence, personality is basically set by
mid 30s (most psychologists agree) and so there are few identity
questions involved. One knows who one is and what they should be doing
and is, hopefully, doing it. We could see this as the time & sphere
of doing one's Great Work- all you have done up to now at this time
manifests.... or doesn¹t.
AGE: 60-75 ish
SPHERE: Yesod
WHY: This is the winding down of the great production/work/career etc,
though one is still, of course, active & engaged- but on a very
different level. The burdens of society lift somewhat with retirement,
or shift- one is now an elder of the tribe, a teacher of the schema, a
holder of wisdom and tribal knowledge. The hormonal fires of sexuality
burn lower, one is slower to emotional swings due both to slowing
biology and amassed wisdom and experience. One has traversed the whole
tree and, now in FOUNDATION, has an overview of the Tree (LIFE) that
gives both perspective and deep understanding that can be giving to
others- thus the great respect almost all cultures give the elders.
Often it is the elders who also politically/socially guide the tribe...
AGE: 75- Death
SPHERE: Malkuth
WHY: This is the final passage of life, the final period of reflection.
Here most are thinking on their legacy, if they have the time left, and
prepare for passing on what they have accomplished on the TREE to
future generations- continuity of generations, settling affairs,
setting up trusts, giving collections and libraries away etc. etc. The
physical is seen as ephemeral as one is about to depart it, but one's
final Work must be attended to. This is also the time that the true
wonder and joy of life is the most appreciated- the Kingdom (BRIDE)
that is Malkuth is truly see for the whole that it is, as one begins to
leave, true perspective of Life is grasped...
AGE: Death &.....?
SPHERE: DAATH
WHY: Death is the shadow pervading every sphere of the tree. It can
come at any time (one can leap from any sphere into DAATH) it is both
the beginning and the end. It is the void that makes manifestation have
meaning. All things on the tree come to and leave from DAATH- Death.
And, of all the spheres, it is truly unknown expect for those who can
access experiences in the supernals, before the Fall of Ego
occurred...the Buddha, for example, could only truly see the truth of
past lives reincarnation until he had passed through the Abyss...
*
* *
from Mermaid:
I am very interested in this proposal and think it would be an
interesting and useful vehicle for learning more about our humanity and
for teaching those who are ready and willing. (I strongly
think/feel that the more one knows about one's self, the more one knows
about others in general and the better one is able to assist one's self
and others.)
One eight-stage theory that might be useful is Erik Erikson's eight
stages ("psychosocial stages") of human development. Although Erikson's
model does not follow the 7 year long stage model you propose, perhaps
it (along with other models/theories) could help open up discussion for
our future rituals. One of the things Erikson addresses is the issues
confronting each age group - and these may be of interest. Of
course, I think that drawing upon our own experiences and observations
is vital!
Erikson's ages of the stages are as follows:
Infancy - 0-1
Toddler - 1-2
Early Childhood - 2-6
Elementary and Middle School Years - 6-12
Adolescence - 12-18
Young Adulthood - 19-40
Middle Adulthood - 40-65
Late Adulthood - 65-death
Thoughts?
93/696
Mermaid
*
* *
from Ra'en:
Orryelle and I were just talking about this whole ages of humans thing
that Nema has introduced to the HML list. Orryelle asked me if I
could sum up my ideas for your perusing. So here it is:
My approach to age using the Tarot is straight forward, if you give the
Fool the right to be both before I and XXII. In life, we are
born, live a year, then turn 1: That is the year of the fool. The
Mage is one year old, the High Priestess is 2, the Empress is 3, etc.
The cycle of childhood finishes around 21 with the realization that the
World does not have to be what is offered, but may be effected by our
wills. The incredible freedom and/or burden that occurs around 22 is
then the return of the Fool. But this Fool is a Fool who instead
of having just left the womb, is just leaving whatever home they have
known. Of course, the numbers are more symbolic than specific,
but that's the Tarot all over.
At 23 the next cycle is well and truly entered into (many people have
their first children about here, propagating the cycle). This
circuit is pervaded with responsibility for one's existence, and
perhaps for a child. So the Magician occurs again, but the emphasis is
focused on the second age. The High Priestess is the 24th year, the
Empress the 25th, the Emperor the 26th...
At 44 the Second Age ends and the Third begins: Mage 45, High Priestess
46, Empress 47 years old...to the Fool again at 66, 88, 110. Each
Age with its own characteristics.
Orryelle has mentioned a possible meditation cycle of seven years at a
time. Within the paradigm I have been talking about, I offer this
idea:
The first meditation (this Dark Moon) the contemplation of the Fool as
S/he exists as the unborn/newborn children. The souls moving towards
and seeking out existence, and what those souls go through as they die
into this World from Faery (or whatever your word is for the Un-).
The second Dark: In order: the Mage and being one, the High Priestess
and being two, the Empress and being 3, the Emperor and being 4, The
High Priest and being 5, The Lovers and being 6, The Charioteer and
being 7.
The 3rd Dark: On Justice and being 8, A Hermit and being 9, The
crossroads--the Wheel of Fortune and being 10 (and the first inkling of
the teen years to come), The Strength of being 11, the suspense of the
Hanged at 12, the sexual transformation of Death at 13, the tentative
rebalance with Temperance at 14.
4th: begins with the unrelenting Shadow/Devil (a word I've read that
comes from the old Germanic word for the Dead) at 15 years old, The
Storm/Tower -16 years, Star-17, World-21.
On the 5th dark, I would suggest only the Fool again with the
finish/beginning of the 21 years before, the year of the present, and
the 21 years coming...
6th: moving through the cycle again... Mage-23, High
Priestess-24, Empress-25, Emperor-26, High Priest-27, Lovers-28,
Charioteer-29 yo.
7th: Justice-30, Hermit-31, Wheel/Crossroads-32, Strength-33,
Hanged One-34, Death-35, and Temperance-36.
8th: The Shadow/Devil-37, Storm/Tower-38, Star-39, Moon-40,
Sun-41, the Gatekeeper/Judgement-42, and the World-43.
9th: The Fool, 44, the years behind and before, and the present.
The movement into the next cycle.
On the Dark Moon beginning the 12th month: Shadow-59, Tower-60,
Star-61, Moon-62, Sun-63, Gate-64, and the World-65.
At the beginning of the next year's work, and the end of the year’s
meditation cycle, The Fool could be contemplated again with the
connotations of 0, 22, 44, and 66, simultaneously.
Thinking about this just now, I remembered that Neptune changes sign
every 7 years, and that might be another layer added onto the work,
with Neptune moving through the zodiac sign by sign with each Dark moon.
Also, I work with the lemniscate spread and the reflections (those that
add up to 20), counter-panes (those with a difference of 11), and
courts (the four cards whose relationship is generated by the other
two) that that system produces.
There are seasonal associations, too: World-spring Equinox + dawn,
Mage-Beltane + morning, Emperor-Summer Solstice + Midday,
Justice-Lughnasad + afternoon, Wheel-Autumn Equinox + dusk, Hanged
One-Samhain + early night, Devil-winter solstice + midnight, Sun-Imbolg
+ late night, the World again...
The landscapes I work with are: 0-paths, I-fire, II-river, III-valley,
IV-mountains, V-ocean, VI-forest, VII-paddocks/pastureland, VIII-city,
IX-sacred places, X-the middle/crossroads, XI-desert/wastes,
XII-orchards, XIII-grain fields/harvest, XIV-swamp/labyrinth,
XV-darkness, XVI-storm, XVII-stars, XVIII-moon, XIX-sun, XX-gateway,
XXI-all the World.
Those last are just for interest, but they can inform the work if you
are seeking images. There are rites for each landscape, too, by
that's a whole nuther kettle o' fish.
Hope that all helps,
Ra'en
*
* *
from Shade:
malkuth - pre-natal, 0-1, the unborn ones, HPK as all-fetus, N’Aton as
descendents
yesod - 1-7, infancy/childhood, babes of abyss
hod - 8-14, language skills, age of reason, school
netzach - 15-21, sexual maturity/role-playing
tiphareth 22-28, individuation/awakening HGA
geburah - 29-35, career/struggle/maturity
chesed - 36-42, the fabled joys of parenthood, householder
binah - 43-49, seniority, liberal shift to conservative
chokmah - 50-56, wake-up call, creativity renewed
kether - 57-63, master of one's domain
daath - 64-70, stare into the face of the beyond
!? - 71-78 and beyond, Lam to Tarot, geriatrics and ancestors,
primordial
unified spirit, the honored dead
2005: 11*STAR MANIFESTATION/BIRTH OF N’ATON
(this somehow emerged out of some sort of consensus)
The Eleven Star Working in 2005 is designed and intended to give birth
to the entity N’Aton as a Magickal Childe, progressing through the tree
of life model in order from Throne to Kingdom, emerging on a personal
and biological level touching
the entire human genome.
The 11*Star process is now officially on perpetual open enrollment as
well, so that any assumptions of the planetary Thrones are freely and
individually chosen at the appropriate times by our Magi, entirely
according to their own True Wills and personal rhythms. For the rest of
us (we know you are out there!) we hope that all of you silent lurkers
are participating in your own ways.
However, we are also experimenting with the notion of having every
member assume every Throne. On the nights of the next 11 dark moons,
each member of the Lodge may assume and work with the Throne of each
sphere in turn from 1 to 11, as we birth our Magickal Childe into
being. It is hoped that this project will fully engage our entire
Constellation of Stars. In addition, for those also working with
individual Thrones, for example Hod, as we begin one is the
Kether-of-Hod, next month the Chokmah-of-Hod, and so forth. In the
traditional qabala each sphere becomes in turn the Kether of its own
tree of life, generating 10x10=100 spheres in the creation of the
multiverse.
I also have a sense of the ways the spheres pair off numerically, first
with the 1=10 of Kether/Malkuth (Nirvana is Samsara), through 2=9, 3=8,
the 5=6/6=5 reversal at Tiphareth, etc. It also occurred to me that
this process of fully engaging all levels of the tree for each throne
in this way might be an interesting way of manifesting this cycle, by
completely linking each throne/sphere in a dyad with every other
throne/sphere in the course of the year. This 1 to 11 pattern is the
lightning-flash of creation, colored by each planetary energy in its
own unique mode. From the concept to the completion, to earth the
current.
2006: 11*STAR COLLECTIVE INSTITUTIONS
(this was my proposal with input from Aion & Nemus)
I suggest that this year we concentrate on fully manifesting this
double current and channeling evolutionary energy through the
collective institutions that hold our planet together:
Malkuth: all ethnic, tribal and national groupings and institutions.
Yesod: mating partnerships and socio-sexual links, communities and
families.
Hod: conceptual infrastructure of communications, news and infotainment
corporations, print or electronic systems, the Internet, all media
institutions.
Netzach: medical, healing and ecological bodies, NGOs, charities.
Tiphareth: religious, philosophical and spiritual institutions.
Geburah: military forces, both official or guerilla movements.
Chesed: all government, state, political and financial structures.
Daath: occult cabals, dreaming communities, hidden conspiracies and
secret organizations.
Binah: legal and justice systems and entities.
Chokmah: our educational and academic institutions.
Kether: truly global organizations like the UN and international
councils.
Add: the Paths In-between: physical infrastructure: buildings, roads,
telephones, water and power.
The mantras ABRAHADABRA and IPSOS remain central to this. It might also
be interesting to start at the kingdom and work upwards toward the
crown this time around.
2007: 11*STAR SIGIL WORKING
(this was proposed by Nema & Aion)
New Elevenstar Procedure:
A sigil will be posted on the HML website for each month’s Nu moon.
Sigils will be generated by members of the Inner Council- no overt
explanations will be given, all will be new.
All who Will to do the Work within the Lodge (and without if wanting
to) will focus/activate/reify the sigil in whatever manner he or she
Wills to do under love!
Participants will share/post results on the HML list.
Sigils/energies will follow the earthing path: ‘The stars rain down
upon my body’.
JANUARY NU MOON- Sahasrara Chakra - Crown.
FEBRUARY NU MOON- Ajna Chakra - Third Eye.
MARCH NU MOON- Vishuddha Chakra - Throat.
APRIL NU MOON- Anahata Chakra - Heart.
MAY NU MOON- Manipura Chakra - Belly.
JUNE NU MOON- Svadhisthana Chakra - Genitals.
JULY NU MOON- Muladhara Chakra - Base.
AUGUST NU MOON- Vayu - Air - blue circle (East).
SEPTEMBER NU MOON- Tejas - Fire - red equilateral triangle (South).
OCTOBER NU MOON- Apas - Water - purple half circle / silver crescent
(West).
NOVEMBER NU MOON- Prithivi - Earth - yellow square (North).
DECEMBER NU MOON- Akasha.- Spirit - Black Vesica Piscis / Black egg
(Center).
Orryelle’s Chakra tones should be worked in appropriately for the
Chakras, Tattvas/elements - follow the 5 note scale.
2008: 11*STAR GEOGRAPHIC WORLD-ZONES
WORKING
(Papa Nick mostly plotted this out on Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic
global map, after a lively debate by many on the HML list. World Peace,
ecological and humanitarian concerns were major themes.)
ZONE 1 - Jan 8 2008 - the bottom tier, the upright triangle on the
left, which includes most of Australia and New Zealand, and the two
parts of the triangle to its right, which include northern Australia,
and the eastern part of Indonesia, and the Philippines.
To complete this Zone we include the triangle on the far right of the
bottom tier, which includes Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, etc. This zone
comprises 3 full triangles, a lot of area but not a disproportionate
amount of population.
ZONE 2 - Feb 7 2008 - Middle tier, second upright triangle from the
left (the first is mainly ocean, but could be included here). Includes
much of India, Sri Lanka, all of Southeast Asia, plus Malaysia and the
largest land masses in Indonesia.
ZONE 3 - Mar 7 2008 - The third triangle, from the left, of the middle
tier. Includes northern India, Tibet, much of China and Russia, Iran,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, among others. This is certainly one of the "hot
zones" in this model, although Iraq is included in Zone 5.
ZONE 4 - Apr 6 2008 - Top left triangle on the upper tier. The tapering
southern half of continental Africa, including Kenya, the Congo,
Tanzania, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, etc.
ZONE 5 - May 5 2008 - Second triangle from left on upper tier: includes
a large part of northern/eastern Africa, including Egypt, also Israel,
Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Turkey, most of Eastern Europe.
ZONE 6 - Jun 3 2008 - Third triangle from left on upper tier:
northwestern African including Mali, Algeria, Morocco, Spain, plus the
United Kingdom.
ZONE 7 - Jul 3 2008 - Fourth triangle from left, middle tier, plus the
triangle below it on the bottom tier. This includes parts of eastern
Russia and China, as well as Korea and Japan, and also Alaska in the
Northern Hemisphere. A good part of the Arctic Circle is included in
this zone.
ZONE 8 - Aug 1 2008 - Fifth triangle from the left on middle tier: this
is the sort of the "center" of the map. It includes Greenland, Iceland,
all of Canada and the northeastern United States.
ZONE 9 - Aug 30 2008 - Sixth triangle from left on the middle tier plus
the triangle below it (to pick up Hawaii way out there in the ocean).
The US from northwestern to southern, part of the Caribbean plus Mexico
and most of Central America.
ZONE 10 - Sep 29 2008 - Fourth triangle from left on upper tier. The
eastern half of South America and just a smidge of the Caribbean.
ZONE 11 - Oct 28 2008 - The seventh and eighth triangles from the left
in the middle tier. Includes the western half of South America,
Nicaragua, Panama and Costa Rica.
ZONE 12 - Nov 27 2008 - The ninth full triangle from the left on the
middle tier plus the half-triangle to its right, which together make
the full continent of Antarctica.
ZONE 13 - Dec 27 2008 - the world as a whole - ending/earthing.
2009: 11*STAR GLOBAL HEALING WORKING
(this proposal was mostly mine)
Our current 11-Star theme for 2009 is summed up in the word:
HEALING
With the world rather thoroughly screwed up right now, in financial
collapse, ecological disaster, famine, plague, and war, we feel that
this is a fairly practical endeavor on a macrocosmic level, and it must
also be linked to our individual human bodies on the microcosmic plane.
This is Healing in the widest sense of the word, including the concepts
of Balance, Harmony and Evolution.
Our monthly group workings take place in the darkness of the New Moon
each month and are usually loosely based on the qabalistic Tree of Life
model:
January 26: Truth/Kether: the entire concept of Universal Healing for
humanity through the awakening manifestation of
N'aton as World Soul.
February 25: Will/Chokmah: healing all the diseases, epidemics, famines
and other horrors externally afflicting people.
March 26: Love/Binah: healing all the internal fears,
misunderstandings, paranoia and hatreds as well as all
individual skeletal structures.
April 25: Harpocrat/Daath: projecting universal waves of healing
through the astral dream-sphere.
May 24: Pan/Chesed: healing the planet’s financial and trade networks,
and our endocrine systems.
June 22: Shaitan Aiwass/Geburah: healing the wounds of war, our
physical infrastructure, and the individual
circulatory system (blood).
July 22: Ra-Hoor-Khuit/Tiphareth: healing of the Whole Self, and the
religio-spiritual and cardiovascular systems.
August 20: Babalon/Netzach: healing of relationships and sexuality in
all their diversity,
AIDS awareness, and our reproductive systems.
September 18: Therion/Hod: healing communications and diplomacy, the
Internet and free information flow, and the psychological and nervous
systems.
October 18: Hadit/Yesod: healing all family and community networks, and
the digestive and urinary systems.
November 16: Nuit/Malkuth: healing the global and local ecology, the
lymphatic system, and the body of all Nature.
December 12: Ain/Ain Soph/Ain Soph Aur. Limitless Light, culmination of
this cycle.
***
Part of this group working is work with the Norse Runes, studying the
24 futhark in 12 monthly pairs and forming them into magical bind-runes
to share with one another - all aimed towards the focus of HEALING as
per above.
........................
January 26 Nu Moon:
FEHU (F): Wealth, Cattle.
A rune of golden energy, power, fertility, growth, expansion and
success. Wealth in the form of both herds of cattle and of money.
Linked to the Vanir (fertility gods).
URUZ (U): Aurochs; Rain.
This now-extinct wild ox was a symbol of wild animal power and phallic
vitality, and also of life-giving rain.
February 24 Nu Moon:
THURISAZ (TH): Giant; Thorn.
The power of both attack and defense, linked to both the dangerous
storm-giants and the protective thunder god Thor and his hammer. Also a
phallic symbol.
ANSUZ (A): Ancestral God, Aesir, Odin.
The primary rune of magick and spells. Odin is king of the gods,
speaker of poetry and wisdom, shamanic ecstasy. The Aesir are sky-gods.
March 26 Nu Moon:
RAIDHO (R): Riding, Way; Wagon, Chariot.
Represents the rhythmic course of life, and the sun-goddess. Linked to
rhythm in ritual and music.
KENAZ (K, C, Q): Torch, fever.
The primary rune of Fire, and the craft and skill of the blacksmith,
shaman, warrior or lover. Lust.
April 24 Nu Moon:
GEBO (G): Gift; Wedding.
The grain-goddess as Giver; sacrificial offerings; the primary rune of
love-magick.
WUNJO (W, V): Joy, pleasure, delight; meadow, pasture.
Rune of joyful life, and the golden apples of the goddess Idunna that
grant immortality.
May 24 Nu Moon:
HAGALAZ (H): Hail, hailstone, world-egg.
The seed or creative power of the storm, and the union of the primal
powers of fire and ice.
NAUTHIZ (N): Need, necessity, constraint; need-fire.
The sacred fire annually rekindled; also the negative forces like
hunger and cold, with which humans must constantly strive. The
Forgotten Ones.
June 22 Nu Moon:
ISA (I): Ice; bridge, jewel.
Ice is the contracting and crystallizing power solidifying the universe
(paired with expanding energy of Fire). May also be linked to rainbow
bridge Bifrost.
JERA (J, Y): Year, good harvest; eagle.
The cosmic cycle of the yearly harvest completed in festival. Eagles
and ravens are Odin’s birds.
July 21 Nu Moon:
EIHWAZ (EI): Yew tree, Yggdrasill.
The world-tree whose branches are over heaven and roots beneath the
earth; and the shamanic journey between life and death.
PERTHRO (P): Lot box, dice cup, chess piece.
The rune of the Norns, triple goddesses who weave the web of fate,
chance, and destiny. Symbolic grid and/or container of the runes.
August 20 Nu Moon:
ELHAZ (Z, X): Elk, swan, protection, eelgrass.
A complex rune, symbolizing the fylgja or follower, a hereditary
guardian or animal totemic spirit; also a protective shield or
outspread hand; and other meanings.
SOWILO (S): Sun; jewel, sail.
Solar power, breath and light, the Sun goddess, health, energy and
wholeness.
September 18 Nu Moon:
TIWAZ (T): Tyr; a star.
The rune of victory. Tyr is a very old star and sky-god connected to
both justice and war, and is called upon in single (judicial) combat.
BERKANO (B): Birch Tree, or Goddess.
The main rune of the goddess Freya, patron of love and sorcery; and of
spring and the fertility of plant life, the green rebirth of the earth.
She is queen of the Vanir or earth-gods.
October 18 Nu Moon:
EHWAZ (E): Horse, or twin horses.
Horses are the sacred steeds of the sun and moon, and the way of riding
and of power for humans. May be linked to Odin’s 8-legged steed
Sleipnir.
MANNAZ (M): Man, Human Being.
The human condition; perhaps also the moon, which is male in Norse
myth. Also may be linked to the Hawk (Horus?) and to N’Aton, the
collective human evolutionary genome.
November 16 Nu Moon:
LAGUZ (L): Water, Sea, Lake; Leek.
The power of Water; waterfalls are sacred places. Also the sea, healing
(often by herbs), dreams and fertility.
INGWAZ (NG): Ing (god or hero).
Ing is a form of Frey, twin brother of the goddess Freya; he is a
phallic, solar and harvest deity, linked to burial mounds, sacred
bonfires, human heroes, and the wain or wagon representing the course
of the sun by day.
December 16 Nu Moon:
DAGAZ (D): Day.
The magical or enlightened state of consciousness, cosmic paradox, and
mystery; a rune of Odin.
OTHALA (O): Ancestral Property, Homeland.
Inherited property; the house, homeland, tribe or gild. Completion.
*
* *
As god-forms for the Healing work I suggested Aesklepios, son of Apollo
and Imhotep, son of Ptah as divine physicians along with N'aton. This
sparked a debate about other cultures and healing goddesses as well,
which appears below. We invite everyone to tune in to this working on
the New Moons in their own way, merging your own customary practices
with our magicks as you Will.
93/696,
<-O( ~ Shade Oroboros
Might I suggest, not for
the sake of duality but for the sake of balance, that if the Divine Physician
is to be the patron of our 2009 11*, we also need a Divine Midwife?
IMO healing/balancing
the individual/global psyche is only the first half of the equation.
The manifestation of N'Aton suggests the genesis of a new, integrated
humanity -- homo veritas, in Nema's words -- which could be pictured as
a Golden Child or a Star Child (ala 2001 - A Space Odyssey). For this
purpose, a doctor is seldom necessary; midwives are usually all the
help that is needed to bring a new life into the world.
What would be an
appropriate midwife for this series of workings? I know Isis is
considered a Divine Midwife... what about other
cultures/religions? Just a thought.
- Papa Nick
Nice thought. The
Egyptian goddess Heqet is also a midwife (Grant equates her with
Hekate) and there is also a roman birth goddess, Lucina I believe, an
aspect of Juno.
HATHOR!!!! She was even more popular
for longer than Isis and she was the patron of childbirth- her temple at Dendera (we went
to) had a huge birthing temple...
- Aion
AUDHUMBLA!!!! --This is a great runic name, the B
rune in there denotes her pregnancy. At present I think one of these two
may be the "secret name" of Nuit (due to "secret name" = 103 in serial
english):
AUDHUMBLA = 103, 1111 in serial and
metric runes. ALCHIMIA = 58, 103 in serial and
metric latin (greek based).
Hathor really is a beautiful goddess,
I consider Her, AUDHUMBLA, Nuit, and ISIS to be very closely
related. Liber P.P. I:7 has a neat verse: "The Land of Milk
shall have the honey also, dropped down as dew by the Divine
Gynander." This reinforces the interpretation of Nuit as
pangenitor or creatrix, self-dividing "for love's sake." The Milk
may signify her and the feminine principle while the honey she drops
(gives birth to) may be interpreted as the male golden Horus child, or
just the child principle without gender. Verses 7 & 8 may be
interpreted aeonically too, with Nuit being eternal beyond time.
In fact in verse 8 is direct mention of PVER AETERNVS, the "Eternal
Child".
I personally interpret it as there is
a continual Goddess Aeon beyond time which is the "Maatian current",
but that "The Lord of Parts" (the unity of the divisions of the
time-based universe) is Hadit/Horus, as it says "His Kingdom." I
see Thelema as one of many Phoenix/Horus aeons based in time which will
change their words, while there will always be a concurrent and
continuous Nuitian/Maatian goddess current streaming beyond it or
parallel to the changes. A bizarre notion is the question "Is
IPSOS the eternal Word for the continuous goddess Aeon?!" (some Maatian
conspiracy theory for ya!), there is warning upon its secret power in
Liber P.P.: "...be circumspect in its usages--for if its truth be
known abroad, it would perchance drive the slaves to madness and
despair." Does this imply slaves, or those resistant to change
and transformation (giving up of themselves to the all), cannot adapt
to the mind bending gnosis of the continuity of Nuitian consciousness?
--Btw, the pentagram ritual
represents this putting back of the pieces or parts of Osiris:
1-4 are the four elements brought together; 5 is the Spirit, soul, and
unity thereof; 6 is "The Lord of Parts" Himself as Hadit/Osiris, etc.;
7 is the Goddess Nuit/AUDHUMBLA/Hathor/ISIS/Maat; then 8 is the Child
Horus she births which may start the process anew.
- Walter
Hequat, bactrachian midwife of
predynastic Khem...
-kreese7
Pondering about a * Feminine
Counterpart* to Asclepios, I recall that, in various mythologies ~
Asclepius was married to Epione ~ The Soother of Pain ~ Epione, being a
mortal, may be a good mediator between (most of ;-) us mortals and the
God ~ they had some say five some six daughters ~ who each performed a
facet of Apollo's Art ~ this feminine pantheon surrounding the God was
intricately woven into and part of the Asclepian Rites ~ And may be
useful to call upon as * the Midwifes of the God* ~ And the these many
faces of the * daughter * seem to tie in nicely with Maat ~ They
were, according to various sources:
Hygieia ~ the goddess of Prevention,
cleanliness and sanitation and sometimes: the moon ~ played an
important part in her father's Cult ~ and she had her own temples,
notably at Epidaurus. Her statues were oft covered by women's hair and
pieces of clothes as ex-votos. While her father was more directly
associated with healing, she was chiefly associated with the prevention
of sickness and the continuation of good health.
Aglaea, the Charis ~ or Aglaia
("splendor, brilliant, shining one") who was Hephaestus ' wife ~ who,
in some myths, was one the three Charites ~goddesses of charm, beauty,
nature, human creativity and fertility ~
Meditrina ~(the serpent-bearer)
~ Goddess of longevity and, later, in Roman Cults, wine ~
Panacea ~ literally: *All
Healing *~ the goddess of healing through Cures ~ said to have a
Poultice or Potion with which she healed the sick ~ hence the Goddess
of all remedies & medicines~
Aceso, Goddess of the healing process
~
and Iaso, Goddess of recovery ~
In other mythologies, daughters are
named Ippone, Lampetea, and Xanthe ~Asclepios and Epione also had one,
three or four sons ~ pending on the mythologies~ notably Machaon and
Podalarius, both legendary healers.
Finally, whenever Aesclepios is
called, Cheiron the Centaur isn’t far...
Also wish to offer that The Rod of
Asclepius is considered by some to represent the constellation
Ophiuchus, also known as Ophiuchus Serpentarius, the thirteenth sign of
the sidereal zodiac. This seems to me to *tie in* in some mysterious
way with recent conversations about the 13 moons ~ and leaves me with
an instinct that, under Aesclepios, finding a way to incorporate the
specific healing face of the respective signs of the Zodiac each Nu
Moon falls in might be interesting.
~ Ariel
Was also reminded that, according to
some (ref: The Symbol of Modern Medicine: Why One Snake Is More Than
Two, Wilcox and Whitham Ann Intern Med.2003)
The Rod of Asclepios, symbol the
healing arts, is not the same as the Caduceus (Belonging to Hermes ~
which is nevertheless often mistakenly used as a symbol by the medical
profession) ~ the former bearing a single snake ~ symbol of
rebirth and fertility ~ entwined around the staff, as opposed to two on
the caduceus ~
A very different symbolic for very
different Mysteries ~
I have always sensed that said rod
was a symbol of the roots of the Asclepian Mysteries laying within the
Snake Cult of the Minoans ~
Clarifying this also feels relevant
in view of Asclepios having notoriously incurred the wrath of Hades ~
Of whom by contrast Hermes Psychopompos was the Mediator ~
According to Wikipedia: (featuring
fine pix of said Rod)
"Widespread confusion regarding the
supposed medical significance of the caduceus appears to have arisen as
a result of events in the United States in the 19th century.[1] It had
appeared on the chevrons of Army hospital stewards as early as
1856.[11] In 1902 it was added to the uniforms of Army medical
officers. The inconsistency was noticed several years later by the
librarian to the Surgeon General, but the symbol was not changed.[1] In
1901 the French periodical of military medicine was named La
Caducée. The caduceus was formally adopted by the Medical
Department of the United States Army in 1902. "
~ Ariel
I recognized in your description of
the Rod of Asclepios a 3' carving I'd seen near the entrance of a
veterinarian's office. It was a rod with a single serpent twined around
it.
Also: From
JewishEncyclopedia.com brazen serpent - Biblical Data:
An image set up by Moses which is
said to have healed those who looked upon it. When the people of
Israel, near the close of the desert wanderings, were marching
southward to go around Edom to the east of Palestine, they murmured
against God and against Moses. As a punishment "fiery serpents"
(compare Isa. xiv. 29; xxx. 6) of the region were sent against them,
and very many died of their poisonous bites. On their showing
repentance Moses was bidden to put upon a lofty pole an image in bronze
of such a serpent, which, according to II Kings xviii. 4, was known as
"neḥushtan." The sufferers, when they looked upon the image from any
part of the camp, were healed of their sickness (Num. xxi. 4-9). This
"brazen serpent" became an object of adoration to Israel, and so
remained until Hezekiah destroyed it by breaking it into fragments (II
Kings xviii. 4).
93/696, Nema
I see no reason (at this point!) to
keep our god/desses confined to hermetic- TARA is very much the
patron of healing in Tibet and Nepal- esp Green Tara- which works well
for me in terms of a feminine healing spirit and an image of the Earth
Mother as healer- So I plan to use her as the feminine healer deity- http://www.horusmaat.com/tarahakra.html
I think it also important to remember that Asclepios was a deified
human, that Apollo was the healer god before he was declared a god-
another Greek goddess associated with healing was the Greek Maat:
Themis.
- Aion
Ah, but don't forget Ningishzida -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ningishzida And, IIRC, there's a Sumerian version
of the Staff of Asclepius too.
- Io Phanes, Tzeenj
For my part, I don't wish to focus on
specific deities, but the staff and serpent of Asclepios speak strongly
to me, as the Divine Surgeon. The other is the Pomegranate, a
fitting symbol of the midwife, bursting with potential life, and full
of healing energy. The Tree and the Fruit thereof.
