Harpocrates

(Revision as of 07:24, 29 Sep 2004)

The Egyptian God of Silence. Harpocrates is Greek for the Egyptian Hoor (or Heru) -paar (or par/pa) -kraat (or kraath) and means "Horus the Child."

Hoor-paar-kraat is the silent god whose minister, Aiwass, communicated The Book of the Law to the Prophet Ankh-af-na-khonsu. In the New Comment, Harpocrates, the "Babe in the Egg of Blue", is described as not only the God of Silence, but as the Higher Self, the Holy Guardian Angel. "The connexion is with the symbolism of the Dwarf in Mythology" (see Besz)and "the Serpent with the Lion's Head." "He contains everything in Himself, but is unmanifested." In Columns XIX ('Selection of Egyptian Gods') and XX('Complete Practical Attribution of Egyptian Gods'), Harpocrates/ Heru-pa-Kraath are attributed to 0 or the "unmanifest".

As One, Harpocrates is the first letter in the 'magical alphabet' (hebrew), Aleph, and represents:

-the Male Principle

-the First Cause

-the free breath of Life

As 0, Harpocrates represents "the female Principle, the fertile Mother. (An old name for the card is Mat, from the Italian 'Matto', fool, but earlier also from Maut, the Egyptian Vulture-Mother-Goddess). Fertile, for the 'Egg of Blue' is the Uterus, and in the Macrocosm the Body of Nuith, and it contains the Unborn Babe, helpless yet protected and nourished against the crocodiles and tigers shown on the card, just as the womb is sealed during gestation. He sits on a lotus, the yoni, which floats on the 'Nile', the amniotic fluid".

Additonally, the element of air associated to Aleph connects Harpocrates with Zeus Arrhenothelus - Zeus being the "lord of air." "As Air we find the "Wandering Fool" pure wanton Breath, yet creative. Wind was supposed of old to impregnate the Vulture, which therefore was chosen to symbolize the Mother-Goddess." In Christian symbollism, Harpocrates is further identified as air with the "Holy Ghost" - "the agency of a Spirit -- Spiritus, breath, or air -- in the shape of a dove."

Furthermore, Harpocrates is identified with Horus,who will "avenge his father Osiris". Harpocrates is the passive and concealed "form twin" in contrast to the active and conquering Ra-Hoor-Khuit. As "the Babe God", Harpocrates is also identified with "the New Aeon about to be born."; from the Class A text,Liber CCCLXX, Harpocrates is "hidden within him" (i.e. Horus). Contrastly, the Tarot card, Atu XX, the AEon ,shows Ra-Hoor-Khuit as being within a crowned Harpocrates. In Atu XVI, Harpocrates is identified as one of two Ayin's (eyes) that are emitted from the Tower(the other being his twin brother).

The Silence of Harpocrates is the "Act of Adoration; not the dumb callousness of heaven toward man, but the supreme ritual, the Silence of supreme Orgasm, the stilling of all Voices in the perfect rapture."

Aleister Crowley has described the image of Harpocrates as a young boy or babe, pink in color, his right forefinger to his lips, and standing on two crocodiles.

In ritual, the Sign of Harpocrates consists of putting the right forefinger to the lips and pertains to the 0=0, Probationer Grade (which is typically paired with the Sign of Horus) of the A.'.A.'.(see the "The Silent Watcher" in The Equinox Vol. I No. I). In Liber Aleph, Chpt. 70, it is written to "Neglect not...the Assumption of the Form of Hoor-pa-Kraat." This Sign is also described in Liber O, Part III, 3-6, "The Vibration of God-names", and occurs in Liber XXV, Liber XLIV, Liber CC, and Liber DCLXXI.

In the Neophyte hall of the old Golden Dawn Neophyte Grade, Harpocrates is considered the "younger brother of Horus" and his station is in the path of Samech "between the place of Thmaist and that of the Evil Triad".