Thelemapedia - User contributions [en]

Talk:William Bernard Crow

2005-10-29T04:28:00Z

Hierophag(e):

This article should be blanked and written from scratch. The article has been copied over from FET, which site contains degree secrets of OTO. As a project of OTO, it is inappropriate for Thelemapedia to link to FET; and any content originating from that site must be cited with a link back; therefore, we should not copy or derive articles from FET. [[User:Thiebes|Thiebes]] 04:57, 28 Oct 2005 (CDT)

:Isn't that censorship? --[[User:Ahavah veemet|Ahavah veemet]]

::No, it is a request for total rewrite. [[User:Thiebes|Thiebes]]

:Motivated solely by a desire to censor out a link to a particular website. Censorship isn't restricted soley to content. Restricting the publication of information based on its source is still [[censorship]]. --[[User:Ahavah veemet|Ahavah veemet]]

:: Call it what you like, it is in accordance with our oaths and there is noting in the policy which forbids selective editing, except in the specific case of censoring content for minors. [[User:Thiebes|Thiebes]]

:Hmm, I went over there and read the oaths. There doesn't seem to be anything about Internet linking in them. Nor anything about controlling or censoring other people. As long as you personally keep your oaths, there would appear to be no problem here. Unless the oaths about Internet linking are in Degrees higher than the Fifth?? --[[User:Ahavah veemet|Ahavah veemet]]

I would have no problem with a rewrite. All information from FET regarding this article was taken from other sources anyway, so all we'd be doing is gitting rid of the "middle man".

AV--I believe you are not understanding Thiebes' problem. There are articles on FET that reveal oaths that we in OTO are sworn to keep secret. By linking to FET, we are doing two things: providing a link to a site that contains our secret oaths and supporting a site that is willing to do so. I consider their revelations of the oaths to be in bad taste, and Thelemapedia has no obligation to support them or acknowledge their existance. Moreover, rewriting this article wouldn't be censorship, since the intention is not to eliminate information from this article regarding the topic at hand (in fact, an intrepid writer might dig up even more useful data). The point is to eliminate a link which is currently required by the license, since somwhere in here, the original writer referenced FET.

[[User:Ash|Fr. Ash]] 20:41, 28 Oct 2005 (CDT)

:No, I don't believe that I am misunderstanding at all. You both seem to want to censor a link for political purposes. But thank you for making that and the political purposes explicit. It's quite illuminating. --[[User:Ahavah veemet|Ahavah veemet]]

:Oh, and please feel free to delete my account. I won't be participating in this twisted charade and caricature of free and open communication any longer. -[[User:Ahavah veemet|Ahavah veemet]]

"... twisted charade and caricature of free and open communication?" What planet is this guy from? FET continually rips off original articles from this site ''daily'' without properly citing that the works originated with this site. I noticed pretty much every one of my entries are up on FET in the short time I've been actively working with Thelemapedia.

The entries presented on this Site are written by Thelemites who have chosen to take oaths which they place in the highest regard. And if not written by Thelemites, then the sources are at least cited properly. [[User:Hierophag(e)|Hierophag(e)]]

User:Hierophag(e)

2005-10-29T04:27:12Z

Hierophag(e):

[[Image:Award star.gif|frame|Oct. 26, 2005 ev: I, [[User:Thiebes|Thiebes]], award you this [[Thelemapedia:Awards#Star of Thelemapedia|Star of Thelemapedia]] for the excellent contributions you have made.]]

'''Hierophag(e)''' is the moniker of an initiate of the O.T.O. who has been a member of Bubastis Camp in Dallas, Texas since 1993 e.v.

User:Hierophag(e)

2005-10-29T04:26:49Z

Hierophag(e):

[[Image:Award star.gif|frame|Oct. 26, 2005 ev: I, [[User:Thiebes|Thiebes]], award you this [[Thelemapedia:Awards#Star of Thelemapedia|Star of Thelemapedia]] for the excellent contributions you have made.]]

'''Hierophag(e)''' is the moniker of an initiate of the O.T.O. and has been a member of Bubastis Camp in Dallas, Texas since 1993 e.v.

Talk:William Bernard Crow

2005-10-29T04:25:40Z

Hierophag(e):

New Age

2005-10-28T05:38:18Z

Hierophag(e): Wikipedia entry on New Age

<div style="padding-left:50px;color:#897C9C;padding-bottom:7px;margin-bottom:15px;border-bottom:1px solid #cccccc;">
<div style="float:left;margin-right:10px;">[[Image:Unicursalsmall.gif]]</div>''This article needs more information within the context of Thelema (i.e. Aleister Crowley, historical event, organization, text, or cultural aspect of Thelema). You can help by [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}|action=edit}} expanding it].''</div>

'''New Age''' describes a broad movement of late twentieth century and contemporary Western culture characterised by an individual eclectic approach to [[spirituality|spiritual]] exploration. It has some attributes of a new, emerging religion but is currently a loose network of spiritual seekers, teachers, healers and other participants. The name "New Age" also refers to the market segment in which goods and services are sold to people in the movement.

Rather than follow the lead of an organised religion, "New Agers" typically construct their own spiritual journey based on material taken as needed from the [[Mysticism|mystical]] traditions of all the world's religions as well as [[shamanism]], [[neopaganism]] and [[occultism]]. Participants are likely to dip into many diverse teachings and practises, some mainstream and some fringe, and formulate their own beliefs and practices based on their experiences in each. No clear membership or rigid boundaries actually exist. The movement is most visible where its ideas are traded--for example in specialist bookshops, music stores, and fairs.

Most New Age activity may be characterized as a form of alternative spirituality. Even apparent exceptions (such as alternative health practices) often turn out to have some spiritual dimension (for example, the integration of mind, body, and spirit). "Alternative" here means, with respect to the dominant Western Judeo-Christian culture. It is no accident that most New Age ideas and practices seem to contain implicit critiques of mainstream Christianity in particular. An emphasis on meditation suggests that ordinary prayer is insufficient; belief in reincarnation (which not all New Age followers accept) challenges familiar Christian doctrines of the afterlife.

==History==
The name New Age was popularized by the American mass media during the late 1980s,to describe the alternative spiritual subculture interested in such things as [[meditation]], channeling, reincarnation, crystals, psychic experience, holistic health, environmentalism, and various “unsolved mysteries” such as UFOs, Earth mysteries and Crop circles. Typical activities of this subculture include participation in study or meditation groups, attendance at lectures and fairs; the purchase of books, music, and other products such as crystals or incense; patronage of fortune-tellers, healers and spiritual counselors.

The New Age subculture already existed in the 1970s, and arguably continued themes from the 1960s counterculture. Earlier generations would have recognized some, but not all, of the New Age's constituent elements under the practices of [[Spiritualism]], [[Theosophy]], or some forms of New Thought / the Metaphysical movement, all of which date back to the nineteenth century, as does alternative health. These movements in turn have roots in [[Transcendentalism]], [[Mesmerism]], [[Swedenborgianism]], and various earlier Western [[esoteric]] or [[occult]] traditions, such as the [[Hermetic]] arts of [[astrology]], [[magic]], [[alchemy]], and [[cabbala]].

In the English-speaking world, we should make special mention of study groups devoted to American trance-diagnostician Edgar Cayce, who inspired many of today's channelers. The British neo-Theosophist Alice Bailey's writings may have supplied the term ''New Age'' (or New Era). The Findhorn Foundation, an early intentional New Age community in northern Scotland founded in 1962 played a significant role. The movement in Russia has been heavily influenced by the legacy of Nicholas Roerich and Helena Roerich, who taught in the Theosophical tradition. Another former Theosophist, [[Rudolf Steiner]] and his [[anthroposophy|anthroposophical movement]], is a major influence, especially upon German-speaking New Agers. In Brazil, followers of Spiritualist writer Allan Kardec blend with the Africanized folk traditions of Candomblé and Umbanda.

Key moments in raising public awareness of this subculture include the '''Harmonic Convergence''' organized by Jose Arguelles in Sedona, Arizona in 1987; and the wave of interest in the broadcast of Shirley MacLaine's television mini-series ''Out on a Limb'' (also 1987). This was an autobiographical account of her mid-life spiritual exploration. Also influential are the claims of channelers such as Jane Roberts (Seth) and J.Z. Knight (Ramtha), as well as revealed writings such as ''A Course In Miracles'' (Helen Schucman), ''The Celestine Prophecy'' (James Redfield), ''Mutant Message Down Under'' (Marlo Morgan), and ''Conversations with God'' (Neale Donald Walsch).

The question of which contemporary cultural elements ought to be included under the name of "New Age" is quite vexed. New Age channelers have many points of similarity with Spiritualist mediums. Many spiritual movements, such as neo-paganism and transpersonal psychology partially overlap with it. Many groups prefer to distance themselves from the possible negative connotations of the "New Age" name such as the media hoopla, commercialism, and perhaps hucksterism. For example, key individuals in the New Thought movement, such as Ernest Holmes, have focused on a more scientific approach and do not share New Age beliefs in [[reincarnation]], [[magic]], or channeling. Major attempts to present the New Age as a values-based sociopolitical movement included Mark Satin's ''New Age Politics'' (orig. 1976), Theodore Roszak's ''Person/Planet'' (1978), and Marilyn Ferguson's ''Aquarian Conspiracy'' (1980). The New Age is a wide menu of ideas and activities, from which participants in the subculture select their own preferred streams to patronise or identify with.

==Beliefs==
The following are some common — though by no means universal — beliefs found among New Agers:

# All humanity—indeed all life, everything in the universe—is spiritually interconnected, participating in the same energy. “God” is one name for this energy.
# Spiritual beings (e.g. [[angels]], ascended masters, [[elementals]], ghosts, and/or space aliens) exist, and will guide us, if we open ourselves to their guidance.
# The human mind has deep levels and vast powers, which are capable even of overriding physical reality. “You create your own reality.”
# Nevertheless, this is subject to certain spiritual laws, such as the principle of cause and effect (karma).
# The individual has a purpose here on earth, in the present surroundings, because there is a lesson to learn. The most important lesson is love.
# Death is not the end. There is only life in different forms. What some refer to as an afterlife does not punish us but teaches us, perhaps through the mechanisms of [[reincarnation]] or near-death experiences.
# Science and spirituality are ultimately harmonious. New discoveries in science (evolution, [[quantum mechanics]]), rightly understood, point to spiritual principles.
# It shares with many major world religions the idea that [[Intuition]] or "divine guidance" is a more appropriate guide than [[rationalism]], skepticism, or the [[scientific method]]. Western science wrongly neglects such things as parapsychology, meditation, and holistic health.
# There exists a mystical core within all religions, Eastern and Western. Dogma and religious identity are not so important.
# The [[Bible]] is a wise and holy book. Many important truths are found in the Bible, or are referred to only very obliquely. Some say that Jesus was an Essene, or that he traveled to India in his youth to study Eastern religions. Others say that Jesus was a later, more advanced avatar of [[Buddha]].
# Feminine forms of spirituality, including feminine images of the divine, such as the female [[Aeon]] [[Sophia]] in Gnosticism, are viewed as having been subordinated, masked, or obliterated by patriarchal movements that were widely practiced when sacred teachings were first committed to writing. A renaissance of the feminine is particularly appropriate at this time.
# Ancient civilizations such as Atlantis may truly have existed, leaving behind certain relics and monuments (the Great Pyramid, Stonehenge) whose true nature has not been discovered by mainstream historians.
# There are no coincidences. Everything around you has spiritual meaning, and spiritual lessons to teach you. You are meant to be here, and are always exactly where you need to be to learn from what confronts you.
# The mind has hidden powers and abilities, which have a spiritual significance. Dreams and psychic experiences are ways in which our souls express themselves.
# [[Meditation]], [[yoga]], [[t'ai chi]], and other Eastern practices are valuable and worthwhile.
# Ultimately every interpersonal relationship has the potential to be a helpful experience in terms of our own growth.
# We learn about ourselves through our relationships with other people by getting to see what we need to work on ourselves and what strengths we bring to the other party in order to help them in their life.
# All our relationships are destined to be repeated until they are healed, if necessary over many lifetimes.
# As [[Soul]]s seeking wholeness, our goal is eventually to learn to love everyone we come in contact with.

==Quotations==
In [http://www.dianebrandon.com/index_files/page0022.htm ''Experiential Spirituality and Contemporary Gnosis''] Diane Brandon writes:
: ''"And this emphasis on spirituality and consciousness reflects an acknowledgment that we are, in essence, spiritual beings - and beings of pure energy, as consciousness is a form of energy - even though we are "in the body."''

As Wayne Dyer says,
:''"We are spiritual beings having a human experience."'' This is a paraphrase of an idea first developed by Christian theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

As Deepak Chopra says,
:"''...our bodies are contained within our consciousness, not our consciousness contained within our bodies."

==Underlying assumptions==
Judging by its name, the New Age movement ought to involve millenarian claims, perhaps of a glorious future age which is about to begin. As such it could theoretically be traced back to the time of [[Zoroaster]], or to biblical apocalypticism. While such expectations are encountered often enough—e.g., the dawning of the [[Age of Aquarius]], pole shifts and [[paradigm]] shifts, the imminent end of the [[Mayan calendar]]—the predominant themes of the New Age are [[mystical]] rather than apocalyptic. Hence the widespread interest within this subculture in the mystical traditions within the world’s various religions, especially [[Vedanta]], [[Yoga]], [[Tibetan Buddhism]], [[Zen]], [[Sufism]], [[Taoism]], [[Shamanism]], [[Kabbalah]], [[Gnosticism]], and mystical forms of [[Christianity]].

Globalisation was and still is an important social phenomenon of the 20th and early 21st centuries, with religious [[syncretism]] inevitably being one consequence. New Age religious developments are eclectic, hence multifarious. Some synthesize Christian ideas with beliefs involving many gods or goddesses, [[pantheism]], include aliens, [[reincarnation]], or the use of drugs, together with other spiritual beliefs from different parts of the world. Likewise, the movement may incorporate differing beliefs about, or attempts to practice, [[magic]].

Though many New Age terms are associated with Eastern religions, they should not be considered as being identical with the concepts and practices of those religions. Ancient traditions such as [[Hinduism]], [[Taoism]], and [[Buddhism]] can hardly be referred to as New Age religions. It just so happens that the New Age movement has 'adopted' many of the ideas of eastern religions, incorporated them into their own beliefs and practices. The [[gnostic]] approach of experiential insight and revelation of truth may be closest to the New Age methodology of prayers and spirituality.

In keeping with a relativist stance, New Agers believe they do not contradict traditional belief systems, but rather some of them say that they are concerned with the ultimate truths contained within those systems, separating these truths from false tradition and dogma. On the other hand, adherents of other religions often claim that the New Age movement has a vague or superficial understanding of these religious concepts, leaving out that which may seem "negative" or contradict contemporary Western values and that New Age attempts at religious [[syncretism]] are vague and self-contradictory. Some people within the New Age movement claim a particular interest in Buddhism, Hinduism, [[Sufism]], and Taoism — however eclectic or in-depth such an interest may be depends arbitrarily upon each individual's pursuit and focus.

New Age is syncretic in nature and has roots as a counter-cultural phenomenon. Thus New Age adherents tend to emphasize a relativist approach to truth, often referring to the Vedic statement of "one truth, but many paths," the mainstay of [[Hinduism]], which idea is also found in the later Zen Buddhist spiritual dictum of "many paths, one mountain". This belief is not only an assertion of personal ''choice'' in spiritual matters, but also an assertion that truth itself is ''defined'' by the individual and his or her experience of it.

This relativism is not merely a spiritual relativism, but also extends to physical theories. Reality is considered largely from an experiential and subjective mode. Many New Age phenomena are not expected to be repeatable in the scientific sense, since they are presumed to be apparent only to the receptive mind; for example, telepathy may not be achievable by a skeptical mind, since a skeptical mind is not pre-conditioned to expect the phenomenon to exist.

The New Age worldview typically involves a mysticism-based (rather than experiment-and-theory-based) view of describing and controlling the external world; for example, one might believe that tarot card reading works ''because'' of the "interconnectedness principle", rather than regarding the success (or failure) of tarot card reading as ''evidence'' of the interconnectedness principle. The various New Age vitalist theories of health and disease provide further examples.

Some New Age practices and beliefs could make use of what British anthropologist [[Sir James George Frazer]] termed [[magical thinking]], in ''The Golden Bough'' (1890). Common examples are the principle that objects once in contact maintain a practical link, or that objects that have similar properties exert an effect on each other.

In contrast to the [[scientific method]], the failure of some practice to achieve expected results is not considered as a failure of the underlying theory, but as a lack of knowledge about (hidden) extenuating circumstances. This stance has led some skeptics to pronounce the New Age movement to be primarily anti-intellectual in nature.

The emphasis on subjective knowledge and experience is a connection between New Age beliefs and postmodernism. The shift to a feeling of control over one's expression of spirituality reflects a trend towards personal responsibility, as well as personal empowerment. Its populist origins help characterize the New Age approach. This emphasizes an individual's choice in spiritual matters; the role of personal intuition and experience over societally sanctioned expert opinion and an experiential definition of reality.

==Critiques of the New Age==
Major critiques of the New Age have emerged from rational philosophical and scientific views that seek to understand the nature of New Age notions. These often highlight the discrepancies between New Age's seemingly irreconcilable mix of occultism and acceptance of the laws of physics. Rather more extreme views have emerged from evangelical Christians who reject all forms of [[occultism]]; from skeptics suspicious of paranormal claims and woolly beliefs in general; and from New Agers themselves. Some, including neo-pagans, who are frequently labeled as New Age, might find the term inappropriate since it appears to link them with beliefs and practices they do not espouse. Others think that the classification of beliefs and movements under New Age has little added value due to the vagueness of the term. Instead, they prefer to refer directly to the individual beliefs and movements. Indeed, use by religious conservatives, scientists and others has caused the term "New Age" to sometimes have a derogatory connotation.

Many adherents of traditional disciplines from cultures such as [[India]], China, and elsewhere; a number of orthodox schools of [[Yoga]], [[Qigong]], Chinese Medicine, and martial arts (the traditional Taijiquan families, for example), groups with histories reaching back many centuries in some cases, eschew the Western label ''New Age'', seeing the movement it represents as either not fully understanding or deliberately trivializing their disciplines.

New Age detractors also say that a true understanding of reason and empiricism produces just as rich an experience as the New Agers claim for themselves, but with emotions and feelings based on thinking and logic instead of the other way around. They also point out that the definition of ''empiricism'' is: ''"the view that experience, especially of the senses, is the only source of knowledge."''

Much of the strongest criticism of New Age eclecticism has come from Native American writers and communities. The '''Declaration of War Against Exploiters of Lakota Spirituality''' [http://puffin.creighton.edu/lakota/war.html] is one of the strongest statements of disapprobrium from traditional tribal religious leaders. Other Natives who have issued statements against "white shamanism" include Wendy Rose, Leslie Marmon Silko and Geary Hobson. The Native argument is that New Age [[shaman]]s profit from tribal beliefs in a way that is fundamentally inconsistent with those beliefs, while ignoring the communal aspects of tribal religious belief and practise.

===New Age Communities===
Significant New Age communities exist in the following places:
* Arcosanti, Arizona, USA
* Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India
* Boulder, Colorado, USA
* Byron Bay, Australia
* Free State of Christiania, Copenhagen, Denmark
* Federation of Damanhur, Italy
* Dornach, Switzerland
* Esalen at Big Sur, California
* Findhorn Foundation, near Forres, Scotland
* Glastonbury, Somerset, England
* Monte Verità near Ascona, Switzerland
* Mount Shasta, California, USA
* Sedona, Arizona, USA
* Totnes, Devon, England

==References==
===Academic Study of the New Age===
* Albanese, Catherine L. (1990) ''Nature Religion in America; From the Algonkian Indians to the New Age'', University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London.
*Barna, George , (1996) ''The Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators'', Word Publishing, Dallas TX.
* Bloch, Jon P., (1998) ''New Spirituality, Self, and Belonging: How New Agers and Neo-Pagans Talk About Themselves'', Praeger, Westport, Connceticut & London.
* Drane, John, (1999) ''What is the New Age Still Saying to the Church?'' Marshall Pickering, London.
* Ferguson, Marilyn (1982) ''The Aquarian Conspiracy'', Paladin, London.
* Godwin, Joscelyn, (1994) ''The Theosophical Enlightenment'', State University of New York Press, New York.
* Hanegraaff, Wouter J., (1998) ''New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought'', State University of New York Press, Albany, New York.
* Heelas, Paul, (1996) ''The New Age Movement'', Blackwell, Oxford.
* Heelas, Paul and Linda Woodhead (2004) ''The Spiritual Revolution: Why Religion is Giving Way to Spirituality'', Blackwell, Oxford.
* Kemp, Daren, (2004) ''New Age: A Guide. Alternative Spiritualities from Aquarian Conspiracy to Next Age'', Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
* Kohn, Rachael, (2003) ''The New Believers: Re-Imagining God'', HarperCollins, Sydney.
*[http://www.csj.org/rg/rgessays/rgessay_newage.htm What Is “New Age?”] Retrieved 26 Aug 2005
* Lewis, James R. and J. Gordon Melton (eds). (1992) ''Perspectives on the New Age'', State University of New York Press, Albany, New York.
*Melton, J.Gordon , (1995) ''Whither the New Age?'' Chapter 35 of T. Miller's , ''America's Alternative Religions'', SUNY Press, Albany, NY .
*Naisbitt J. & Aburdene P., (1990) ''Megatrends 2000'', William Morrow & Company, New York, NY.
* Pike, Sarah M., (2004) ''New Age and Neopagan Religions in America'', Columbia University Press, New York.
* Roof, Wade Clark (1999) ''Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion'', Princeton University Press, Princeton.
* Rothstein, Mikael (ed). (2001) ''New Age Religion and Globalization'', Aarhus University Press, Aarhus, Denmark.
* Saliba, John A., (1999) ''Christian Responses to the New Age Movement: A Critical Assessment'', Geoffrey Chapman, London.
* Sutcliffe, Steven & Marion Bowman (eds). (2000) ''Beyond New Age: Exploring Alternative Spirituality'', Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
* Sutcliffe, Steven J., (2003) ''Children of the New Age: A History of Spiritual Practices'', Routledge, London and New York.
* York, Michael, (1995) ''The Emerging Network: A Sociology fo the New Age and Neo-Pagan Movements'', Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Maryland.

==External Links==

===New Age Belief===

====Movements====
* [http://www.celestinevision.com The Celestine Prophecy]
* [http://www.acim.org A Course in Miracles]
* [http://www.findhornroots.com Findhorn Roots, a history]
* [http://www.michaelteachings.com The Michael Teachings]
* [http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html Nag Hammadi Library]
* [http://www.nlp.com/ Neurolinguistic programming]
* [http://www.zyworld.com/jamus/NewAge.htm New Age of Aquarius]
* [http://www.rosicrucian.com/zineen/magen119.htm Rosicrucian Age of Aquarius]
* [http://www.scientology.org/ Scientology]
* [http://www.traininginpower.org/ Training in Power - Official Website]
* [http://www.spirithistory.com/newage.html What is the New Age?]
* [http://www.spiritwritings.com/kardecspiritstoc.html The Spirit's Book], by Allan Kardec

====Leading Personalities====
* [http://www.anthonyrobbins.com Anthony Robbins' Official website]
* [http://www.castaneda.com/ Carlos Castaneda official website]
* [http://www.enya.com Enya official website]
* [http://www.leonardorr.com/english.php Leonard Orr- Rebirthing]
* [http://www.marianne.com Marianne Williamson official website]
* [http://www.adishakti.org/age_of_aquarius.htm The Age of Aquarius - Mataji Nirmala Devi]
* [http://www.medwyngoodall.com Medwyn Goodall official website]
* [http://www.adishakti.org/new_age_children.htm New Age Children from Mataji Nirmala Devi]
* [http://swami-center.org/ Divine Way of Spiritual Heart]
* [http://www.radicalmiddle.com/newagepolitics.htm New Age Politics]
* [http://www.radicalmiddle.com/new_world_all.htm New World Alliance]

====Personal Websites by Individuals====
A sample of the range of spiritual beliefs held by New Agers.
* [http://www.feeltheforce.org A Path to Enlightenment]
* [http://www.abundance-and-happiness.com Attracting Unlimited Abundance and Happiness Through Belief]
* [http://www.starstuffs.com Healing Mind, Body and Spirit : New Age, Old Concepts]
* [http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/newage3.html Roots of New Age Movement - Dutch homesteader site]
* [http://www.new-age-spirituality.com New Age Spirituality]
* [http://observationsnperspectives.blogspot.com New Age Perspectives- A Spiritual blog for the New Age]
* [http://www.muraqaba.netfirms.com/ Spiritual Vision]
* [http://www.hippy-life.co.uk Information on new age beliefs and ways of living]

====New Age Metaphysics====
* [http://www.starstuffs.com/physcon2/ Physics of Consciousness]
* [http://www.users.bigpond.com/phdaley/ Metaphysics for the New Age]
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gnosticist_since_20050101/ Possibilities and Gnosis for Metaphysics]
* [http://www.ascensione.com School of Global Ascension]

===New Age Critics===
* [http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html A Catholic Christian Reflection on the New Age]
* [http://www.sram.org/ The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine]
* [http://www.quackwatch.org Quackwatch]
* [http://logosresourcepages.org/Occult/na-dict.htm Christian Logos Brief Dictionary of New Age Terminology]
* [http://www.csicop.org/si/2001-11/alternative.html Magical Thinking in Complementary and Alternative Medicine]
* [http://www.csicop.org/si/2004-05/new-age.html A New Ager's path to becoming a skeptic]
* [http://www.stelling.nl/simpos/simpoeng.htm Dutch skeptic website with articles and links to criticism of a range of New Age topics]
* [http://www.randi.org/ James Randi, skeptic debunker of New Age and occult claims.]

===New Age academic studies===
* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SOR/is_3_61/ai_66498057 “Who Buys New Age Materials? Exploring Sociodemographic, Religious, Network, and Contextual Correlates Of New Age Consumption” Mears and Ellison 2000]
* [http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/newage.html "Beyond Millennialism: The New Age Transformed" Melton, Institute for the Study of American Religion]
* [http://nccam.nih.gov National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine]
* [http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/newage3.html Roots of New Age Movement, a history]
* [http://www.religioustolerance.org/newage.htm Religious Tolerance.org, has a list of academic references and survey sources]

'''Large portions of this article came from: Wikipedia. (2005). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_age New Age] entry retrieved on October 28, 2005 e.v.'''

Thelemic Holidays

2005-10-28T02:37:18Z

Hierophag(e): /* Joined links for Feast for Death and Greater Feast */

{{religion}}

The official holy days of [[Thelema]] are set forth in ''[[The Book of the Law]]'', Chapter II, v. 36-41.

:''There are rituals of the elements and feasts of the times.<BR>A feast for the first night of the Prophet and his Bride!<BR>A feast for the three days of the writing of the Book of the Law.<BR>A feast for Tahuti and the child of the Prophet—secret, O Prophet!<BR>A feast for the Supreme Ritual, and a feast for the Equinox of the Gods.<BR>A feast for fire and a feast for water; a feast for life and a greater feast for death!''

=== Explanations of the ''Liber Legis'' Holidays ===

*The [[Rituals of the Elements]] are observed at the [[Equinox]]es and [[Solstice]]s.
*The [[Feasts of the Times]] are observed as follows:
**The [[Feast for the First Night of the Prophet and His Bride]] is observed on August 12.
**The [[Feast for the Three Days of the Writing of the Book of the Law]] is observed on April 8, 9 and 10, beginning at noon on each day.
**The [[Feast for Tahuti and the child of the Prophet]] This particular feast is of a character suited only to [[initiation|initiates]].
**The [[Feast for the Supreme Ritual]] (the [[Invocation of Horus]]) is observed on March 20.
**The [[Feast for the Equinox of the Gods]] is held on the [[Vernal Equinox]] of each year to commemorate the founding of Thelema in 1904 [[EV]], and represents the opening of the [[#Thelemic New Year|Thelemic New Year]].
**The [[Feast for Life or Lesser Feast]] is celebrated at the birth of an individual.
**The [[Feast for Water]] is celebrated at puberty for a girl.
**The [[Feast for Fire]] is celebrated at puberty of a boy.
**The [[Greater Feast|Feast for Death]] or [[Greater Feast]] is celebrated at the death of an individual.

== Thelemic New Year ==

According to Aleister Crowley (''777'', ''The Law is for All''), each Thelemic year starts on the [[Aries]] [[equinox]], coinciding with the Thelemic Holiday called the [[Feast for the Equinox of the Gods]]. There are, however, several different modes of observance among Thelemites today. These include:

*'''Strict Observance''': The '''Thelemic New Year''' is celebrated on the [[Aries]] [[equinox]].
*The [[Feast for the Supreme Ritual]]: This holiday is explicitly different trom the [[Feast for the Equinox of the Gods]], and Crowley states that the holiday is March 20 (''The Law is for All''). Since the [[Equinox of the Gods]] typically will be March 19, 20, or 21, this can be confusing. Quite often, in fact, the two holidays occur on the same day. Because of this, the two are sometimes conflated and the '''Thelemic New Year''' said to be March 20.
*[[Thelemic High Holy Season]]: This holiday is recognized as the period of twenty-two days falling between the common dates of March 20 ([[The Feast for the Supreme Ritual]]) and April 10 (the [[Three Days of the Writing of the Book of the Law|Third Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law]]). Thelemites observing this Season variously attribute the '''Thelemic New Year''' to the [[Aries]] [[equinox]], March 20, or the First or Third day of the [[Three Days of the Writing of the Book of the Law]]. Some have treated this Season as existing outside any "year," in the conventional sense, or as one long, twenty-two day '''Thelemic New Year'''. Some celebrate the Thelemic High Holy Season by conducting a 22-day [[Pathworking]].
*'''Convenience''': Due to the fact that Thelemites today live in a worldwide culture which does not use the [[Thelemic Calendar]], the Holidays are often translated to a date on the common calendar. When the [[Feast for the Equinox of the Gods]] is translated in this way, it is typically ascribed to March 20 as a matter of convenience. As another matter of convenience, '''Thelemic New Year''' is at times observed on the weekend, when the accepted date occurs on a weekday.

Many Thelemites combine two or more of the above approaches, and possibly others, sometimes varying from year to year.

== Other Holidays ==

Various other events in the career of [[Aleister Crowley]] are sometimes recognized with holidays. His birth on October 12 is "Crowleymas," an occasion often celebrated with comical rites. 18 November was the date of his first initiation, and is therefore "Perdurabo Day." His "Annihilation" or attainment to Mastery of the Temple was on December 3. The general feast in honor of ''To Mega Therion'' should be on the anniversary of his death, December 1.

The memories of historical individuals among the [[Gnostic Saints]] may be celebrated on the anniversaries of their deaths. Some legendary saints, such as [[Priapus]] and [[Tahuti]], have traditional festival dates (March 24 and August 6, respectively, for these examples).

Some Thelemites celebrate the midpoints between the [[equinox]]es and [[solstice]]s as seasonal festivals, replacing the old [[pagan]] and [[Christianity|Christian]] denominations for those dates. February 2 (formerly Imbolc and Candlemas) is the Feast of the Stars, with the sun in [[Aquarius]]. May 1 (former Beltane and Roodmas) is the Feast of Cattle, with the sun in [[Taurus]]. August 1 (formerly Lugnasadh and Lammas) is the Feast of the Lion-Serpent, with the sun in [[Leo]]. And October 31 (formerly Samhain and Hallowmas) is the Feast of the Dragon, with the sun in [[Scorpio]].

==Quotations==

*"The supreme ritual is the [[Invocation of Horus]], which brought about the opening of the [[New Aeon]]. The date is March 20. The Equinox of the Gods is the term used to describe the beginning of a new aeon, or a new magical formula. It should be celebrated at every equinox, in the manner known to Neophytes of the [[A.'.A.'.]]" -- Aleister Crowley, ''The Law is for All'' (1996)

*"[[Aries]] is scarlet, being the House of [[Mars (astrology)|Mars]] and the sign of the [[Spring Equinox]], where occurs the fiery outburst of the new year." -- Aleister Crowley, ''777 Revised'' (1993)

==See also==

*[[Thelemic Calendar]]
*[[Astrology]]
*[[Equinox]]
*[[Solstice]]

== References ==
*Crowley, Aleister. (1993). ''777: And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley Including Gematria & Sepher Sephiroth''. P. 67 in ''777 Revised'', ed. Israel Regardie. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser.
*Crowley, Aleister. (1996). ''The Law is for All.'' Tempe, AZ : New Falcon Publications.
*Crowley, Aleister. (1997). ''Magick: Book Four.'' Edited, annotated, and introduced by Hymenaeus Beta. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.
*[http://www.billheidrick.com/tlc1987/tlc0487.htm Grand Lodge News: Historic Bylaws Meeting] (1987). ''Thelema Lodge Calendar''. April, 1987 e.v. Retrieved October 6, 2004 e.v.
*Thriambos, Dionysos. [http://hermetic.com/dionysos/xquart.htm Feasts of the Cross Quarters] ''The Exposed Adytum.''

[[Category:Thelema]]

Oil of Abramelin

2005-10-26T04:29:35Z

Hierophag(e): /* Oil of Abramelin */

{{stub}}

The '''Oil of Abramelin''' is a [[Holy Oil]] used to consecrate the magician and any [[magical weapons]] he or she will be utilizing while in the [[Temple]]. It is also used in [[Thelema]] in the construction of the [[Eucharist]], the [[Cake of Light]].

=History of the Oil of Abramelin=

The manuscript that served as the basis for ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' was believed to have been written in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century e.v. It is generally accepted on faith as being a French translation of the original work written in 1458 e.v. The recipe for the Holy Oil given therein is derived from a much older recipe mentioned in the Jewish Holy Book of Exodus (vv. XXX:22-25).

These verses contain a recipe that is given to [[Moses]] directly from Jehovah and was to be used in annointing the Holy Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant and all other ritual implements of importance to the Israelites. The recipe given in the Old Testament is very similar to that of the Abramelin text with differences in some of the herbs used as well as the proportions necessary for its production. A comparison of the recipes may be made below.

Crowley, who believed in the supreme importance of the Abramelin Operation to the magician's progress, changed the recipe further to include only essential oils and modified the proportions given in the Abramelin text. It was his belief that the oil was to be the [[Holy Oil]] of the [[Aeon of Horus]]. The Oil of Abramelin is the only oil to be mentioned in [[the Book of the Law]].

Since the technology to distill essential oils from plants wasn't generally available until around 1500 in Europe it is questionable whether Abraham of Wurzburg, the supposed author of the original Abramelin text, had access to such knowledge in 1458. However, by that time the Arabs had already developed the art of distillation and it is not inconceivable that the mage, Abramelin, had access to this information and may have passed it on to Abraham.

=Recipes from Various Sources=

*Recipe for Oil of Abramelin from ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' - by [[Samuel_Liddell_MacGregor_Mathers|S.L. Mathers]]

::''You shall prepare the Sacred Oil in this manner: Take of myrrh in tears, one part; of fine cinnamon, two parts; of galangal half a part; and the half of the total weight of these drugs of the best oil olive. The which aromatics you shall mix together according unto the Art of the Apothecary, and shall make thereof a Balsam, the which you shall keep in a glass vial which you shall put within the cupboard (formed by the interior) of the Altar.''
:::- From the Eleventh Chapter: ''Concerning the Selection of the Place''

*Recipe from the Book of Exodus, vv. XXX:

::''Exd 30:22'' Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
::''Exd 30:23'' Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, [even] two hundred and fifty [shekels], and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty [shekels],
::''Exd 30:24'' And of cassia five hundred [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
::''Exd 30:25'' And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

* Recipe from Crowley's ''Liber ABA: Book 4'' (1994), footnote number 233, page 715:
::8 parts cinnamon oil
::2 parts galangal
::7 parts olive oil
::4 parts myrrh

=External Links=
* [http://www.arcane-archive.org/faqs/aboilref.php Abramelin Oil FAQ]
* [http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/oil.htm Basis for a Consecration Ritual for the Holy Oil from the Invisible Basilica]
* [http://www.sekhetmaat.com/www/html/ritual/misc/abramelin_group_bhw.html Holy Oil Consecration Ritual from Sekhet Maat Lodge, OTO]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-24T03:52:58Z

Hierophag(e):

{{MTP}}

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display meaningful sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potency is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
: A Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===
:Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[ALHIM]]===
:Formula derived from the Hebrew name of God. It means "Gods" and is formed by giving '''EL''' a feminine case followed by a masculine plural ending.

===[[ALIM]]===
:Formula derived from the masculine plural form of the Hebrew word for "Gods".

===[[ARARITA]]===
: Formula derived from a Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[AUMGN]]===
: A Thelemic magical formula based on the Sanskrit [[mantra]] '''OM''' or '''AUM'''.

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[gematria]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-24T03:52:43Z

Hierophag(e): /* Magical Formulae */

{{MTP}}
A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display meaningful sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potency is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
: A Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===
:Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[ALHIM]]===
:Formula derived from the Hebrew name of God. It means "Gods" and is formed by giving '''EL''' a feminine case followed by a masculine plural ending.

===[[ALIM]]===
:Formula derived from the masculine plural form of the Hebrew word for "Gods".

===[[ARARITA]]===
: Formula derived from a Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[AUMGN]]===
: A Thelemic magical formula based on the Sanskrit [[mantra]] '''OM''' or '''AUM'''.

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[gematria]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-24T03:52:01Z

Hierophag(e): /* VIAOV */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display meaningful sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potency is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
: A Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===
:Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[ALHIM]]===
:Formula derived from the Hebrew name of God. It means "Gods" and is formed by giving '''EL''' a feminine case followed by a masculine plural ending.

===[[ALIM]]===
:Formula derived from the masculine plural form of the Hebrew word for "Gods".

===[[ARARITA]]===
: Formula derived from a Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[AUMGN]]===
: A Thelemic magical formula based on the Sanskrit [[mantra]] '''OM''' or '''AUM'''.

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[gematria]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-24T03:51:09Z

Hierophag(e): /* AUMGN */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display meaningful sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potency is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
: A Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===
:Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[ALHIM]]===
:Formula derived from the Hebrew name of God. It means "Gods" and is formed by giving '''EL''' a feminine case followed by a masculine plural ending.

===[[ALIM]]===
:Formula derived from the masculine plural form of the Hebrew word for "Gods".

===[[ARARITA]]===
: Formula derived from a Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[AUMGN]]===
: A Thelemic magical formula based on the Sanskrit [[mantra]] '''OM''' or '''AUM'''.

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-24T03:49:51Z

Hierophag(e): /* ARARITA */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display meaningful sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potency is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
: A Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===
:Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[ALHIM]]===
:Formula derived from the Hebrew name of God. It means "Gods" and is formed by giving '''EL''' a feminine case followed by a masculine plural ending.

===[[ALIM]]===
:Formula derived from the masculine plural form of the Hebrew word for "Gods".

===[[ARARITA]]===
: Formula derived from a Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-24T03:48:29Z

Hierophag(e): /* ABRAHADABRA */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display meaningful sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potency is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
: A Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===
:Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[ALHIM]]===
:Formula derived from the Hebrew name of God. It means "Gods" and is formed by giving '''EL''' a feminine case followed by a masculine plural ending.

===[[ALIM]]===
:Formula derived from the masculine plural form of the Hebrew word for "Gods".

===[[ARARITA]]===

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-24T03:47:54Z

Hierophag(e): /* ALHIM */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display meaningful sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potency is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
:is a Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===
:Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[ALHIM]]===
:Formula derived from the Hebrew name of God. It means "Gods" and is formed by giving '''EL''' a feminine case followed by a masculine plural ending.

===[[ALIM]]===
:Formula derived from the masculine plural form of the Hebrew word for "Gods".

===[[ARARITA]]===

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-24T03:47:00Z

Hierophag(e): /* ALIM */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display meaningful sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potency is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
:is a Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===
:Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[ALHIM]]===
:Hebrew name of God meaning "Gods" formed by giving '''EL''' a feminine case followed by a masculine plural ending.

===[[ALIM]]===
:Formula derived from the masculine plural form of the Hebrew word for "Gods".

===[[ARARITA]]===

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-24T03:46:05Z

Hierophag(e): /* ALHIM */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display meaningful sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potency is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
:is a Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===
:Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[ALHIM]]===
:Hebrew name of God meaning "Gods" formed by giving '''EL''' a feminine case followed by a masculine plural ending.

===[[ALIM]]===

===[[ARARITA]]===

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-24T03:44:18Z

Hierophag(e): /* AGLA */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display meaningful sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potency is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
:is a Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===
:Hebrew name of God constructed through [[notariqon]].

===[[ALHIM]]===

===[[ALIM]]===

===[[ARARITA]]===

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Hathor

2005-10-23T21:56:48Z

Hierophag(e): /* Additional Titles */

{{egyptiangods}}
Complex Egyptian Goddess related to fertility, music, pleasure, love, and divine kingship.

==General Attributes==
In Egyptian mythology, '''Hathor''' ('''Het-Heru''' - "the house of Horus") was an extremely popular fertility goddess, associated with the cow. Her name refers to her position as the celestial cow which encircles the sky and hawk god, [[Horus]]. She was also a goddess of royalty and since the pharaohs were seen as related to Horus, she was seen as the divine mother of the reigning pharaoh. Her [[cult]] was centered in Dendera and was led by priests who were also dancers, singers or other artists, for she was a goddess of art as well. Her priests were also oracles and midwives. She was the mother of Ihy and of Horus. Some academics have suggested a sacred marriage between Hathor and Horus as part of the annual festival at Luxor and Edfu.

In earlier Egyptian mythology, Hathor was portrayed as a [[cow]] with a stylized [[sun]] between her [[horns]], a woman wearing a headdress with a solar disk and horns or a woman with the ears of a cow. She sometimes also wore a [[uraeus]]. One of the myths of Hathor sees her as the wandering eye of [[Amun]] or [[Ra]], which he replaced. When Hathor returned he made her into his uraeus. This story is similarly found in the legends surrounding [[Sekhmet]], which is sometimes said to be a form Hathor, and of [[Udjat|Wadjet]]. Correspondingly, Hathor was associated with [[falcon]]s, [[cobra]]s, [[lion]]esses, as well as with hippopotami.

She was associated with the ''menat'', the ''sistrum'' (a type of rattle), and [[mirror]]s, as well as with other goddesses like [[Bata]] and [[Bastet]]. Many of her qualities became conflated with those of the goddess, [[Isis]].

Hathor was deeply loved by the general population and truly revered by women, who aspired to embody her multifaceted role as wife, mother, and lover. Hathor’s cult was unusual, as both men and women were her priests (most Egyptian deities had clerics of the same gender as they.) A hymn to Hathor says:

:“Thou art the Mistress of Jubilation, the Queen of the Dance, the Mistress of Music, the Queen of the Harp Playing, the Lady of the Choral Dance, the Queen of Wreath Weaving, the Mistress of Inebriety Without End.”

Hathor was a loving mother and a goddess of joy, love, beer, song, dance, and foreign lands. Often called “Golden Hathor,” she was also the protector of lovers and the patroness of festivals. She greeted the souls of the dead in the underworld and offered them refreshments of food and drink. The worship of Hathor was so popular that more festivals were dedicated to her honor that any other Egyptian deity, and more children were named after this goddess than any other. Because her worship stretches back to pre-dynastic times, we find Hathor identified with many local goddesses, and it can be said that all the goddesses were forms of Hathor.

Hathor had so many manifestations that eventually seven of the most important ones were selected and widely worshiped as the “Seven Hathors,” also associated with the seven planets that the ancient Egyptians knew. These Seven Hathors were invoked to act as sort of fairy godmothers to children. Hathor was pictured as a cow (sometimes covered in stars), a lioness, a hawk, a cobra, a Nile goose, a hippopotamus, a sycamore tree, and as a woman with the ears of a cow and a headdress of horns holding the sun-disk. Sometimes Hathor was depicted as a cow standing in a boat, surrounded by tall papyrus reeds; the pharaoh was often pictured as a calf standing next to her. As the “Mistress of the Necropolis” Hathor was also shown as the head of a cow protruding from a mountainside, watching over the city. Interestingly, the Egyptian hieroglyphic of the head of the cow was the symbol for wisdom.

The image of Hathor the Divine Cow suckling the pharaoh was quite common in ancient Egyptian art—however, it was not confined to Egypt. Similar motifs have been found on a wide variety of objects throughout the ancient Near East—in Crete, Syria, Mesopotamia, Greece, and on Phoenician objects as well. This image was thought to express the joyous tenderness, warmth, and contentment that sustains the flow of life. The Egyptian hieroglyphs for “to be joyful” was represented by a cow turning round to a young calf nestling at her side.

As a provider of milk, the cow is a universal symbol of motherhood, nourishment, and abundance. The cow’s large eyes with long lashes and her generally quiet demeanor suggest a gentle aspect of feminine beauty. There are still cultures in the world where to say that a girl is “as pretty as a heifer” is a great compliment. The cow’s careful tending of her calf was also a model for motherhood. Royal ladies often took the title of “Priestess of Hathor” in her honor. Yet although she was intrinsically connected to the female of the species, Hathor cannot be considered only a women’s deity. She also had a large and devoted following among men.

Hathor’s image was often used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Unlike other Egyptian gods and goddesses, Hathor was sometimes shown full-face in images (highly unusual by Egyptian artistic conventions). The only other deity to ever be pictured this way was Bes. Hathor was also represented by the menat, the turquoise “musical necklace” often worn by women, the mirror, a field of reeds, and the Egyptian rattle called the sistrum.

==Relation to Other Gods==
Hathor was both the daughter and wife of [[Ra]]. (Hathor and Ra once argued, and she left Egypt. Ra quickly decided he missed her, but she changed into a [[cat]] that destroyed any man or god that approached. [[Thoth]], disguised, eventually succeeded in convincing her to return.) At different times and in different cities she was considered to be the wife and sister, or mother of [[Horus]]. She was also seen as the daughter of [[Nuit]] and the mother of Anhur and Isis. Also, the wife of [[Sobek]], and the mother of Ihy.

==Additional Titles==
Some of the many titles of Hathor were:
* “Mistress of Heaven” or "Lady of the Sky"
* "Mistress of Byblos"
* "Lady of Faience"
* "Lady of the Sycamore"
* “The One Who Shines Like Gold”
* “[[Eye of Ra]]”
* “The One Who Fills the Sanctuary with Joy”
* “The Great Cow Who Protects Her Child”
* “Lady of the Scarlet-Colored Garment” (she was often pictured in a red dress)
* “Mistress of the Sanctuary of Women”
* “Cow of Gold”
* “Lady of the House of Jubilation”
* “Mistress of the Necropolis” or "Lady of the West"
In the earliest dynasties, the name of Hathor was a component of all royal Egyptian names.

==History of Worship==
Hathor was a very old goddess of Egypt, worshiped as a cow-deity in Dendera from the Old Kingdom (about 2700 BCE) period onwards.

During the Ptolemaic period the Greeks embraced Hathor and equated her with their own goddess of love and beauty, [[Aphrodite]]. Also during the Roman period a new temple center in Dendera was built dedicated to Hathor, [[Horus]] and Ihy.

Hathor was worshiped in Israel in the 11th century BC at her holy city of Hazor, which the Old Testament claims was destroyed by Joshua (Joshua 11:13, 21.) The Sinai Tablets show that the Hebrew workers in the mines of Sinai about 1500 BC worshiped Hathor, whom they identified with the goddess [[Astarte]]. Some theories state that the “golden calf” mentioned in the bible was a meant to be a statue of the goddess Hathor (Exodus 32:4-32:6.)

==Hathor and Thelema==

The goddess Hathor appears sporadically throughout the works of Crowley where she is usually seen as either a solar deity or as the Egyptian equivalent of Venus or Aphrodite.

She is mentioned in an adoration to [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]] in [[the Book of the Law]] as Ahathoor. This adoration is Crowley's poetic paraphrasing of a translation of the front side of the [[Stele of Revealing]].

It is also this adoration which is generally used by Thelemites when performing the Solar Adorations mentioned in [[Liber Resh]]. Hathor is mentioned within these adorations as the Egyptian Godform that personifies the [[Sun]] at midday.
::''Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.''

In this solar role Crowley also uses her in his manuscript notes for Liber Cadaveris, or "The Ritual of Passing Through the Tuat." This was a ritual constructed for the Zelator or "Man of Earth" Grade of the Order of Thelemites. In this ritual Hathor is called the "Lady of Amentet." She is also addressed as the "mighty dweller in the funeral mountain, eye of Ra, dweller before Him, beautiful of fire in the boat of millions of years." In this rite the goddess' blessings are petitioned and she is attributed seemingly to the South and the West.

In Crowley's poetic work, [[Tannhauser]], she is one of the characters that is of the "World of the Gods." Therein she has merely one line: "Light, Truth, arise, arise!" In this work she is seen as being synonymous with Aphrodite and Mary. Venus is seen as being the "Evil and Averse Hathoor" of the "World of Demons" who proclaims to Tannhauser:
::''Hathoor am I, and to my beauty drawn
::''All glories of the Universe bow down,
::''The blossom and the mountain and the dawn.
::''Fruit's blush, and woman, our creation's crown.
::''I am the priest, the sacrifice, the shrine,
::''I am the love and life of the divine!
::''Life, death, love, hatred, light, darkness, are surely mine—
::''Are mine.''

Qabalistically, Crowley associated Hathor with the path of Daleth. He also found that the Hebrew spelling of her name, AThOR (אתער) was related Qabalistically to the same words for the Tarot (TARO), wheel (ROTA), Law (TORA), and Gate (ThROA). Each of these equals 671. This number besides being a product of 61 x 11 also is the sum of the values of each of the letters written in full of the Hebrew word [[Adonai]], or Lord.

Outside of the works of Crowley Hathor has a number of Thelemic adherents. Soror Het Heru of the House of Horus website, for instance, has written on the connection between Hathor and other Thelemic goddess figures, namely, [[Nuit]] and [[Babalon]]. In her work she states that Hathor represents a more manifest influence of the same energies found in the other two goddesses.

Additionally, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, is claimed by his son to have a [[Holy Guardian Angel]] by the name of Hathor. Hubbard's involvment with Thelema and [[Jack Parsons]] is well-documented.

==External Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor] article on Wikipedia
* [http://www.geocities.com/houseofhorus156/ House of Horus]

==References==
* Crowley, Aleister. (1983). ''The Holy Books of Thelema''. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.

* Godwin, Daivd. (1994) ''Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia''.St. paul, MN : Llewellyn.

* Nicholson, Paul & Shaw, Ian. (1995) ''The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt''. New York : Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

* Tresidder, Jack (ed.)(2005) ''The Complete Dictionary of Symbols''. San Francisco : Chronicle Books

*Wikipedia. (2005). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor]''. Retrieved on 02/28/2005.

[[Category: Egyptian Gods]][[Category: Egyptian Goddesses]]

Udjat

2005-10-23T21:55:20Z

Hierophag(e):

[[Image:Udjat.jpg|right|frame|The Eye of Horus from Tutankhamen's Tomb, 18th Dynasty]]The '''udjat''' is a famous Ancient Egyptian symbol of a human eye and eyebrow, with extra markings to make it resemble a falcon's eye. It is also known as the Eye of [[Horus|Heru]] (Horus), wadjet, utchat, or sometimes the [[Eye of Ra]].

According to Egyptian mythology, during the contendings of Heru and [[Set|Suti]] (Set/Seth) for [[Osiris]]' throne, [[Set|Suti]] ripped out one Heru's eyes. The damage was later healed, depending on the myth, either by [[Hathor|Het-Hert]] (Hathor) by milking a gazelle and putting the milk into the empty socket, or by [[Thoth|Tehuti]] (Thoth) through his magic. Some myths state that Heru then gave the Eye to [[Osiris]] so that he may rule the underworld.

The healing of Heru's eye gave rise to the symbol being used as a healing and protective amulet. It was believed that placing it over an injury would magically heal it.

From the same myth, some Egyptians also believed that [[Set|Suti]] tore the Eye up into sixty-four pieces. Fractions were assigned to each part of the Eye torn by [[Set|Suti]], which only added up to 63/64. Tehuti restored the eye, compensating for the missing part with his magic, and established it as a symbol of the restoration of natural order.

Heru's right and left eye represent the sun and moon, respectively. Thus, when the udjat is shown as a left eye it is linked with Tehuti, and with [[Ra]] when as a right eye. Together, the two eyes represent the entire universe. There have been suggestions that the two eyes are of a dualist nature, acting much like the [[yin-yang]] symbol of [[Taoism]]; the right eye representing masculine energies, and the left representing female energies.

[[Category:Egyptian Culture]]

Udjat

2005-10-23T21:55:06Z

Hierophag(e):

[[Image:Udjat.jpg|right|frame|The Eye of Horus from Tutankhamen's Tomb, 18th Dynasty]]The '''udjat''' is a famous Ancient Egyptian symbol of a human eye and eyebrow, with extra markings to make it resemble a falcon's eye. It is also known as the Eye of [[Horus|Heru]] (Horus), wadjet, utchat, or sometimes the [[Eye of Ra]].

According to Egyptian mythology, during the contendings of Heru and [[Set|Suti]] (Set/Seth) for [[Osiris]]' throne, [[Set|Suti]] ripped out one Heru's eyes. The damage was later healed, depending on the myth, either by [[Hathor|Het-Hert]] (Hathor) by milking a gazelle and putting the milk into the empty socket, or by [[Thoth|Tehuti]] (Thoth) through his magic. Some myths state that Heru then gave the Eye to [[Osiris]] so that he may rule the underworld.

The healing of Heru's eye gave rise to the symbol being used as a healing and protective amulet. It was believed that placing it over an injury would magically heal it.

From the same myth, some Egyptians also believed that [[Set|Suti]] tore the Eye up into sixty-four pieces. Fractions were assigned to each part of the Eye torn by [[Seth|Suti]], which only added up to 63/64. Tehuti restored the eye, compensating for the missing part with his magic, and established it as a symbol of the restoration of natural order.

Heru's right and left eye represent the sun and moon, respectively. Thus, when the udjat is shown as a left eye it is linked with Tehuti, and with [[Ra]] when as a right eye. Together, the two eyes represent the entire universe. There have been suggestions that the two eyes are of a dualist nature, acting much like the [[yin-yang]] symbol of [[Taoism]]; the right eye representing masculine energies, and the left representing female energies.

[[Category:Egyptian Culture]]

Hathor

2005-10-23T21:53:50Z

Hierophag(e): /* General Attributes */

{{egyptiangods}}
Complex Egyptian Goddess related to fertility, music, pleasure, love, and divine kingship.

==General Attributes==
In Egyptian mythology, '''Hathor''' ('''Het-Heru''' - "the house of Horus") was an extremely popular fertility goddess, associated with the cow. Her name refers to her position as the celestial cow which encircles the sky and hawk god, [[Horus]]. She was also a goddess of royalty and since the pharaohs were seen as related to Horus, she was seen as the divine mother of the reigning pharaoh. Her [[cult]] was centered in Dendera and was led by priests who were also dancers, singers or other artists, for she was a goddess of art as well. Her priests were also oracles and midwives. She was the mother of Ihy and of Horus. Some academics have suggested a sacred marriage between Hathor and Horus as part of the annual festival at Luxor and Edfu.

In earlier Egyptian mythology, Hathor was portrayed as a [[cow]] with a stylized [[sun]] between her [[horns]], a woman wearing a headdress with a solar disk and horns or a woman with the ears of a cow. She sometimes also wore a [[uraeus]]. One of the myths of Hathor sees her as the wandering eye of [[Amun]] or [[Ra]], which he replaced. When Hathor returned he made her into his uraeus. This story is similarly found in the legends surrounding [[Sekhmet]], which is sometimes said to be a form Hathor, and of [[Udjat|Wadjet]]. Correspondingly, Hathor was associated with [[falcon]]s, [[cobra]]s, [[lion]]esses, as well as with hippopotami.

She was associated with the ''menat'', the ''sistrum'' (a type of rattle), and [[mirror]]s, as well as with other goddesses like [[Bata]] and [[Bastet]]. Many of her qualities became conflated with those of the goddess, [[Isis]].

Hathor was deeply loved by the general population and truly revered by women, who aspired to embody her multifaceted role as wife, mother, and lover. Hathor’s cult was unusual, as both men and women were her priests (most Egyptian deities had clerics of the same gender as they.) A hymn to Hathor says:

:“Thou art the Mistress of Jubilation, the Queen of the Dance, the Mistress of Music, the Queen of the Harp Playing, the Lady of the Choral Dance, the Queen of Wreath Weaving, the Mistress of Inebriety Without End.”

Hathor was a loving mother and a goddess of joy, love, beer, song, dance, and foreign lands. Often called “Golden Hathor,” she was also the protector of lovers and the patroness of festivals. She greeted the souls of the dead in the underworld and offered them refreshments of food and drink. The worship of Hathor was so popular that more festivals were dedicated to her honor that any other Egyptian deity, and more children were named after this goddess than any other. Because her worship stretches back to pre-dynastic times, we find Hathor identified with many local goddesses, and it can be said that all the goddesses were forms of Hathor.

Hathor had so many manifestations that eventually seven of the most important ones were selected and widely worshiped as the “Seven Hathors,” also associated with the seven planets that the ancient Egyptians knew. These Seven Hathors were invoked to act as sort of fairy godmothers to children. Hathor was pictured as a cow (sometimes covered in stars), a lioness, a hawk, a cobra, a Nile goose, a hippopotamus, a sycamore tree, and as a woman with the ears of a cow and a headdress of horns holding the sun-disk. Sometimes Hathor was depicted as a cow standing in a boat, surrounded by tall papyrus reeds; the pharaoh was often pictured as a calf standing next to her. As the “Mistress of the Necropolis” Hathor was also shown as the head of a cow protruding from a mountainside, watching over the city. Interestingly, the Egyptian hieroglyphic of the head of the cow was the symbol for wisdom.

The image of Hathor the Divine Cow suckling the pharaoh was quite common in ancient Egyptian art—however, it was not confined to Egypt. Similar motifs have been found on a wide variety of objects throughout the ancient Near East—in Crete, Syria, Mesopotamia, Greece, and on Phoenician objects as well. This image was thought to express the joyous tenderness, warmth, and contentment that sustains the flow of life. The Egyptian hieroglyphs for “to be joyful” was represented by a cow turning round to a young calf nestling at her side.

As a provider of milk, the cow is a universal symbol of motherhood, nourishment, and abundance. The cow’s large eyes with long lashes and her generally quiet demeanor suggest a gentle aspect of feminine beauty. There are still cultures in the world where to say that a girl is “as pretty as a heifer” is a great compliment. The cow’s careful tending of her calf was also a model for motherhood. Royal ladies often took the title of “Priestess of Hathor” in her honor. Yet although she was intrinsically connected to the female of the species, Hathor cannot be considered only a women’s deity. She also had a large and devoted following among men.

Hathor’s image was often used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Unlike other Egyptian gods and goddesses, Hathor was sometimes shown full-face in images (highly unusual by Egyptian artistic conventions). The only other deity to ever be pictured this way was Bes. Hathor was also represented by the menat, the turquoise “musical necklace” often worn by women, the mirror, a field of reeds, and the Egyptian rattle called the sistrum.

==Relation to Other Gods==
Hathor was both the daughter and wife of [[Ra]]. (Hathor and Ra once argued, and she left Egypt. Ra quickly decided he missed her, but she changed into a [[cat]] that destroyed any man or god that approached. [[Thoth]], disguised, eventually succeeded in convincing her to return.) At different times and in different cities she was considered to be the wife and sister, or mother of [[Horus]]. She was also seen as the daughter of [[Nuit]] and the mother of Anhur and Isis. Also, the wife of [[Sobek]], and the mother of Ihy.

==Additional Titles==
Some of the many titles of Hathor were:
* “Mistress of Heaven” or "Lady of the Sky"
* "Mistress of Byblos"
* "Lady of Faience"
* "Lady of the Sycamore"
* “The One Who Shines Like Gold”
* “Eye of Ra”
* “The One Who Fills the Sanctuary with Joy”
* “The Great Cow Who Protects Her Child”
* “Lady of the Scarlet-Colored Garment” (she was often pictured in a red dress)
* “Mistress of the Sanctuary of Women”
* “Cow of Gold”
* “Lady of the House of Jubilation”
* “Mistress of the Necropolis” or "Lady of the West"
In the earliest dynasties, the name of Hathor was a component of all royal Egyptian names.

==History of Worship==
Hathor was a very old goddess of Egypt, worshiped as a cow-deity in Dendera from the Old Kingdom (about 2700 BCE) period onwards.

During the Ptolemaic period the Greeks embraced Hathor and equated her with their own goddess of love and beauty, [[Aphrodite]]. Also during the Roman period a new temple center in Dendera was built dedicated to Hathor, [[Horus]] and Ihy.

Hathor was worshiped in Israel in the 11th century BC at her holy city of Hazor, which the Old Testament claims was destroyed by Joshua (Joshua 11:13, 21.) The Sinai Tablets show that the Hebrew workers in the mines of Sinai about 1500 BC worshiped Hathor, whom they identified with the goddess [[Astarte]]. Some theories state that the “golden calf” mentioned in the bible was a meant to be a statue of the goddess Hathor (Exodus 32:4-32:6.)

==Hathor and Thelema==

The goddess Hathor appears sporadically throughout the works of Crowley where she is usually seen as either a solar deity or as the Egyptian equivalent of Venus or Aphrodite.

She is mentioned in an adoration to [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]] in [[the Book of the Law]] as Ahathoor. This adoration is Crowley's poetic paraphrasing of a translation of the front side of the [[Stele of Revealing]].

It is also this adoration which is generally used by Thelemites when performing the Solar Adorations mentioned in [[Liber Resh]]. Hathor is mentioned within these adorations as the Egyptian Godform that personifies the [[Sun]] at midday.
::''Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.''

In this solar role Crowley also uses her in his manuscript notes for Liber Cadaveris, or "The Ritual of Passing Through the Tuat." This was a ritual constructed for the Zelator or "Man of Earth" Grade of the Order of Thelemites. In this ritual Hathor is called the "Lady of Amentet." She is also addressed as the "mighty dweller in the funeral mountain, eye of Ra, dweller before Him, beautiful of fire in the boat of millions of years." In this rite the goddess' blessings are petitioned and she is attributed seemingly to the South and the West.

In Crowley's poetic work, [[Tannhauser]], she is one of the characters that is of the "World of the Gods." Therein she has merely one line: "Light, Truth, arise, arise!" In this work she is seen as being synonymous with Aphrodite and Mary. Venus is seen as being the "Evil and Averse Hathoor" of the "World of Demons" who proclaims to Tannhauser:
::''Hathoor am I, and to my beauty drawn
::''All glories of the Universe bow down,
::''The blossom and the mountain and the dawn.
::''Fruit's blush, and woman, our creation's crown.
::''I am the priest, the sacrifice, the shrine,
::''I am the love and life of the divine!
::''Life, death, love, hatred, light, darkness, are surely mine—
::''Are mine.''

Qabalistically, Crowley associated Hathor with the path of Daleth. He also found that the Hebrew spelling of her name, AThOR (אתער) was related Qabalistically to the same words for the Tarot (TARO), wheel (ROTA), Law (TORA), and Gate (ThROA). Each of these equals 671. This number besides being a product of 61 x 11 also is the sum of the values of each of the letters written in full of the Hebrew word [[Adonai]], or Lord.

Outside of the works of Crowley Hathor has a number of Thelemic adherents. Soror Het Heru of the House of Horus website, for instance, has written on the connection between Hathor and other Thelemic goddess figures, namely, [[Nuit]] and [[Babalon]]. In her work she states that Hathor represents a more manifest influence of the same energies found in the other two goddesses.

Additionally, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, is claimed by his son to have a [[Holy Guardian Angel]] by the name of Hathor. Hubbard's involvment with Thelema and [[Jack Parsons]] is well-documented.

==External Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor] article on Wikipedia
* [http://www.geocities.com/houseofhorus156/ House of Horus]

==References==
* Crowley, Aleister. (1983). ''The Holy Books of Thelema''. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.

* Godwin, Daivd. (1994) ''Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia''.St. paul, MN : Llewellyn.

* Nicholson, Paul & Shaw, Ian. (1995) ''The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt''. New York : Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

* Tresidder, Jack (ed.)(2005) ''The Complete Dictionary of Symbols''. San Francisco : Chronicle Books

*Wikipedia. (2005). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor]''. Retrieved on 02/28/2005.

[[Category: Egyptian Gods]][[Category: Egyptian Goddesses]]

Hathor

2005-10-23T21:52:23Z

Hierophag(e): /* References */

{{egyptiangods}}
Complex Egyptian Goddess related to fertility, music, pleasure, love, and divine kingship.

==General Attributes==
In Egyptian mythology, '''Hathor''' ('''Het-Heru''' - "the house of Horus") was an extremely popular fertility goddess, associated with the cow. Her name refers to her position as the celestial cow which encircles the sky and hawk god, [[Horus]]. She was also a goddess of royalty and since the pharaohs were seen as related to Horus, she was seen as the divine mother of the reigning pharaoh. Her [[cult]] was centered in Dendera and was led by priests who were also dancers, singers or other artists, for she was a goddess of art as well. Her priests were also oracles and midwives. She was the mother of Ihy and of Horus. Some academics have suggested a sacred marriage between Hathor and Horus as part of the annual festival at Luxor and Edfu.

In earlier Egyptian mythology, Hathor was portrayed as a [[cow]] with a stylized [[sun]] between her [[horns]], a woman wearing a headdress with a solar disk and horns or a woman with the ears of a cow. She sometimes also wore a [[uraeus]]. One of the myths of Hathor sees her as the wandering eye of [[Amun]] or [[Ra]], which he replaced. When Hathor returned he made her into his uraeus. This story is similarly found in the legends surrounding [[Sekhmet]], which is sometimes said to be a form Hathor, and of [[Wadjet]]. Correspondingly, Hathor was associated with [[falcon]]s, [[cobra]]s, [[lion]]esses, as well as with hippopotami.

She was associated with the ''menat'', the ''sistrum'' (a type of rattle), and [[mirror]]s, as well as with other goddesses like [[Bata]] and [[Bastet]]. Many of her qualities became conflated with those of the goddess, [[Isis]].

Hathor was deeply loved by the general population and truly revered by women, who aspired to embody her multifaceted role as wife, mother, and lover. Hathor’s cult was unusual, as both men and women were her priests (most Egyptian deities had clerics of the same gender as they.) A hymn to Hathor says:

:“Thou art the Mistress of Jubilation, the Queen of the Dance, the Mistress of Music, the Queen of the Harp Playing, the Lady of the Choral Dance, the Queen of Wreath Weaving, the Mistress of Inebriety Without End.”

Hathor was a loving mother and a goddess of joy, love, beer, song, dance, and foreign lands. Often called “Golden Hathor,” she was also the protector of lovers and the patroness of festivals. She greeted the souls of the dead in the underworld and offered them refreshments of food and drink. The worship of Hathor was so popular that more festivals were dedicated to her honor that any other Egyptian deity, and more children were named after this goddess than any other. Because her worship stretches back to pre-dynastic times, we find Hathor identified with many local goddesses, and it can be said that all the goddesses were forms of Hathor.

Hathor had so many manifestations that eventually seven of the most important ones were selected and widely worshiped as the “Seven Hathors,” also associated with the seven planets that the ancient Egyptians knew. These Seven Hathors were invoked to act as sort of fairy godmothers to children. Hathor was pictured as a cow (sometimes covered in stars), a lioness, a hawk, a cobra, a Nile goose, a hippopotamus, a sycamore tree, and as a woman with the ears of a cow and a headdress of horns holding the sun-disk. Sometimes Hathor was depicted as a cow standing in a boat, surrounded by tall papyrus reeds; the pharaoh was often pictured as a calf standing next to her. As the “Mistress of the Necropolis” Hathor was also shown as the head of a cow protruding from a mountainside, watching over the city. Interestingly, the Egyptian hieroglyphic of the head of the cow was the symbol for wisdom.

The image of Hathor the Divine Cow suckling the pharaoh was quite common in ancient Egyptian art—however, it was not confined to Egypt. Similar motifs have been found on a wide variety of objects throughout the ancient Near East—in Crete, Syria, Mesopotamia, Greece, and on Phoenician objects as well. This image was thought to express the joyous tenderness, warmth, and contentment that sustains the flow of life. The Egyptian hieroglyphs for “to be joyful” was represented by a cow turning round to a young calf nestling at her side.

As a provider of milk, the cow is a universal symbol of motherhood, nourishment, and abundance. The cow’s large eyes with long lashes and her generally quiet demeanor suggest a gentle aspect of feminine beauty. There are still cultures in the world where to say that a girl is “as pretty as a heifer” is a great compliment. The cow’s careful tending of her calf was also a model for motherhood. Royal ladies often took the title of “Priestess of Hathor” in her honor. Yet although she was intrinsically connected to the female of the species, Hathor cannot be considered only a women’s deity. She also had a large and devoted following among men.

Hathor’s image was often used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Unlike other Egyptian gods and goddesses, Hathor was sometimes shown full-face in images (highly unusual by Egyptian artistic conventions). The only other deity to ever be pictured this way was Bes. Hathor was also represented by the menat, the turquoise “musical necklace” often worn by women, the mirror, a field of reeds, and the Egyptian rattle called the sistrum.

==Relation to Other Gods==
Hathor was both the daughter and wife of [[Ra]]. (Hathor and Ra once argued, and she left Egypt. Ra quickly decided he missed her, but she changed into a [[cat]] that destroyed any man or god that approached. [[Thoth]], disguised, eventually succeeded in convincing her to return.) At different times and in different cities she was considered to be the wife and sister, or mother of [[Horus]]. She was also seen as the daughter of [[Nuit]] and the mother of Anhur and Isis. Also, the wife of [[Sobek]], and the mother of Ihy.

==Additional Titles==
Some of the many titles of Hathor were:
* “Mistress of Heaven” or "Lady of the Sky"
* "Mistress of Byblos"
* "Lady of Faience"
* "Lady of the Sycamore"
* “The One Who Shines Like Gold”
* “Eye of Ra”
* “The One Who Fills the Sanctuary with Joy”
* “The Great Cow Who Protects Her Child”
* “Lady of the Scarlet-Colored Garment” (she was often pictured in a red dress)
* “Mistress of the Sanctuary of Women”
* “Cow of Gold”
* “Lady of the House of Jubilation”
* “Mistress of the Necropolis” or "Lady of the West"
In the earliest dynasties, the name of Hathor was a component of all royal Egyptian names.

==History of Worship==
Hathor was a very old goddess of Egypt, worshiped as a cow-deity in Dendera from the Old Kingdom (about 2700 BCE) period onwards.

During the Ptolemaic period the Greeks embraced Hathor and equated her with their own goddess of love and beauty, [[Aphrodite]]. Also during the Roman period a new temple center in Dendera was built dedicated to Hathor, [[Horus]] and Ihy.

Hathor was worshiped in Israel in the 11th century BC at her holy city of Hazor, which the Old Testament claims was destroyed by Joshua (Joshua 11:13, 21.) The Sinai Tablets show that the Hebrew workers in the mines of Sinai about 1500 BC worshiped Hathor, whom they identified with the goddess [[Astarte]]. Some theories state that the “golden calf” mentioned in the bible was a meant to be a statue of the goddess Hathor (Exodus 32:4-32:6.)

==Hathor and Thelema==

The goddess Hathor appears sporadically throughout the works of Crowley where she is usually seen as either a solar deity or as the Egyptian equivalent of Venus or Aphrodite.

She is mentioned in an adoration to [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]] in [[the Book of the Law]] as Ahathoor. This adoration is Crowley's poetic paraphrasing of a translation of the front side of the [[Stele of Revealing]].

It is also this adoration which is generally used by Thelemites when performing the Solar Adorations mentioned in [[Liber Resh]]. Hathor is mentioned within these adorations as the Egyptian Godform that personifies the [[Sun]] at midday.
::''Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.''

In this solar role Crowley also uses her in his manuscript notes for Liber Cadaveris, or "The Ritual of Passing Through the Tuat." This was a ritual constructed for the Zelator or "Man of Earth" Grade of the Order of Thelemites. In this ritual Hathor is called the "Lady of Amentet." She is also addressed as the "mighty dweller in the funeral mountain, eye of Ra, dweller before Him, beautiful of fire in the boat of millions of years." In this rite the goddess' blessings are petitioned and she is attributed seemingly to the South and the West.

In Crowley's poetic work, [[Tannhauser]], she is one of the characters that is of the "World of the Gods." Therein she has merely one line: "Light, Truth, arise, arise!" In this work she is seen as being synonymous with Aphrodite and Mary. Venus is seen as being the "Evil and Averse Hathoor" of the "World of Demons" who proclaims to Tannhauser:
::''Hathoor am I, and to my beauty drawn
::''All glories of the Universe bow down,
::''The blossom and the mountain and the dawn.
::''Fruit's blush, and woman, our creation's crown.
::''I am the priest, the sacrifice, the shrine,
::''I am the love and life of the divine!
::''Life, death, love, hatred, light, darkness, are surely mine—
::''Are mine.''

Qabalistically, Crowley associated Hathor with the path of Daleth. He also found that the Hebrew spelling of her name, AThOR (אתער) was related Qabalistically to the same words for the Tarot (TARO), wheel (ROTA), Law (TORA), and Gate (ThROA). Each of these equals 671. This number besides being a product of 61 x 11 also is the sum of the values of each of the letters written in full of the Hebrew word [[Adonai]], or Lord.

Outside of the works of Crowley Hathor has a number of Thelemic adherents. Soror Het Heru of the House of Horus website, for instance, has written on the connection between Hathor and other Thelemic goddess figures, namely, [[Nuit]] and [[Babalon]]. In her work she states that Hathor represents a more manifest influence of the same energies found in the other two goddesses.

Additionally, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, is claimed by his son to have a [[Holy Guardian Angel]] by the name of Hathor. Hubbard's involvment with Thelema and [[Jack Parsons]] is well-documented.

==External Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor] article on Wikipedia
* [http://www.geocities.com/houseofhorus156/ House of Horus]

==References==
* Crowley, Aleister. (1983). ''The Holy Books of Thelema''. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.

* Godwin, Daivd. (1994) ''Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia''.St. paul, MN : Llewellyn.

* Nicholson, Paul & Shaw, Ian. (1995) ''The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt''. New York : Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

* Tresidder, Jack (ed.)(2005) ''The Complete Dictionary of Symbols''. San Francisco : Chronicle Books

*Wikipedia. (2005). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor]''. Retrieved on 02/28/2005.

[[Category: Egyptian Gods]][[Category: Egyptian Goddesses]]

Hathor

2005-10-23T21:51:11Z

Hierophag(e): /* Hathor and Thelema */

{{egyptiangods}}
Complex Egyptian Goddess related to fertility, music, pleasure, love, and divine kingship.

==General Attributes==
In Egyptian mythology, '''Hathor''' ('''Het-Heru''' - "the house of Horus") was an extremely popular fertility goddess, associated with the cow. Her name refers to her position as the celestial cow which encircles the sky and hawk god, [[Horus]]. She was also a goddess of royalty and since the pharaohs were seen as related to Horus, she was seen as the divine mother of the reigning pharaoh. Her [[cult]] was centered in Dendera and was led by priests who were also dancers, singers or other artists, for she was a goddess of art as well. Her priests were also oracles and midwives. She was the mother of Ihy and of Horus. Some academics have suggested a sacred marriage between Hathor and Horus as part of the annual festival at Luxor and Edfu.

In earlier Egyptian mythology, Hathor was portrayed as a [[cow]] with a stylized [[sun]] between her [[horns]], a woman wearing a headdress with a solar disk and horns or a woman with the ears of a cow. She sometimes also wore a [[uraeus]]. One of the myths of Hathor sees her as the wandering eye of [[Amun]] or [[Ra]], which he replaced. When Hathor returned he made her into his uraeus. This story is similarly found in the legends surrounding [[Sekhmet]], which is sometimes said to be a form Hathor, and of [[Wadjet]]. Correspondingly, Hathor was associated with [[falcon]]s, [[cobra]]s, [[lion]]esses, as well as with hippopotami.

She was associated with the ''menat'', the ''sistrum'' (a type of rattle), and [[mirror]]s, as well as with other goddesses like [[Bata]] and [[Bastet]]. Many of her qualities became conflated with those of the goddess, [[Isis]].

Hathor was deeply loved by the general population and truly revered by women, who aspired to embody her multifaceted role as wife, mother, and lover. Hathor’s cult was unusual, as both men and women were her priests (most Egyptian deities had clerics of the same gender as they.) A hymn to Hathor says:

:“Thou art the Mistress of Jubilation, the Queen of the Dance, the Mistress of Music, the Queen of the Harp Playing, the Lady of the Choral Dance, the Queen of Wreath Weaving, the Mistress of Inebriety Without End.”

Hathor was a loving mother and a goddess of joy, love, beer, song, dance, and foreign lands. Often called “Golden Hathor,” she was also the protector of lovers and the patroness of festivals. She greeted the souls of the dead in the underworld and offered them refreshments of food and drink. The worship of Hathor was so popular that more festivals were dedicated to her honor that any other Egyptian deity, and more children were named after this goddess than any other. Because her worship stretches back to pre-dynastic times, we find Hathor identified with many local goddesses, and it can be said that all the goddesses were forms of Hathor.

Hathor had so many manifestations that eventually seven of the most important ones were selected and widely worshiped as the “Seven Hathors,” also associated with the seven planets that the ancient Egyptians knew. These Seven Hathors were invoked to act as sort of fairy godmothers to children. Hathor was pictured as a cow (sometimes covered in stars), a lioness, a hawk, a cobra, a Nile goose, a hippopotamus, a sycamore tree, and as a woman with the ears of a cow and a headdress of horns holding the sun-disk. Sometimes Hathor was depicted as a cow standing in a boat, surrounded by tall papyrus reeds; the pharaoh was often pictured as a calf standing next to her. As the “Mistress of the Necropolis” Hathor was also shown as the head of a cow protruding from a mountainside, watching over the city. Interestingly, the Egyptian hieroglyphic of the head of the cow was the symbol for wisdom.

The image of Hathor the Divine Cow suckling the pharaoh was quite common in ancient Egyptian art—however, it was not confined to Egypt. Similar motifs have been found on a wide variety of objects throughout the ancient Near East—in Crete, Syria, Mesopotamia, Greece, and on Phoenician objects as well. This image was thought to express the joyous tenderness, warmth, and contentment that sustains the flow of life. The Egyptian hieroglyphs for “to be joyful” was represented by a cow turning round to a young calf nestling at her side.

As a provider of milk, the cow is a universal symbol of motherhood, nourishment, and abundance. The cow’s large eyes with long lashes and her generally quiet demeanor suggest a gentle aspect of feminine beauty. There are still cultures in the world where to say that a girl is “as pretty as a heifer” is a great compliment. The cow’s careful tending of her calf was also a model for motherhood. Royal ladies often took the title of “Priestess of Hathor” in her honor. Yet although she was intrinsically connected to the female of the species, Hathor cannot be considered only a women’s deity. She also had a large and devoted following among men.

Hathor’s image was often used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Unlike other Egyptian gods and goddesses, Hathor was sometimes shown full-face in images (highly unusual by Egyptian artistic conventions). The only other deity to ever be pictured this way was Bes. Hathor was also represented by the menat, the turquoise “musical necklace” often worn by women, the mirror, a field of reeds, and the Egyptian rattle called the sistrum.

==Relation to Other Gods==
Hathor was both the daughter and wife of [[Ra]]. (Hathor and Ra once argued, and she left Egypt. Ra quickly decided he missed her, but she changed into a [[cat]] that destroyed any man or god that approached. [[Thoth]], disguised, eventually succeeded in convincing her to return.) At different times and in different cities she was considered to be the wife and sister, or mother of [[Horus]]. She was also seen as the daughter of [[Nuit]] and the mother of Anhur and Isis. Also, the wife of [[Sobek]], and the mother of Ihy.

==Additional Titles==
Some of the many titles of Hathor were:
* “Mistress of Heaven” or "Lady of the Sky"
* "Mistress of Byblos"
* "Lady of Faience"
* "Lady of the Sycamore"
* “The One Who Shines Like Gold”
* “Eye of Ra”
* “The One Who Fills the Sanctuary with Joy”
* “The Great Cow Who Protects Her Child”
* “Lady of the Scarlet-Colored Garment” (she was often pictured in a red dress)
* “Mistress of the Sanctuary of Women”
* “Cow of Gold”
* “Lady of the House of Jubilation”
* “Mistress of the Necropolis” or "Lady of the West"
In the earliest dynasties, the name of Hathor was a component of all royal Egyptian names.

==History of Worship==
Hathor was a very old goddess of Egypt, worshiped as a cow-deity in Dendera from the Old Kingdom (about 2700 BCE) period onwards.

During the Ptolemaic period the Greeks embraced Hathor and equated her with their own goddess of love and beauty, [[Aphrodite]]. Also during the Roman period a new temple center in Dendera was built dedicated to Hathor, [[Horus]] and Ihy.

Hathor was worshiped in Israel in the 11th century BC at her holy city of Hazor, which the Old Testament claims was destroyed by Joshua (Joshua 11:13, 21.) The Sinai Tablets show that the Hebrew workers in the mines of Sinai about 1500 BC worshiped Hathor, whom they identified with the goddess [[Astarte]]. Some theories state that the “golden calf” mentioned in the bible was a meant to be a statue of the goddess Hathor (Exodus 32:4-32:6.)

==Hathor and Thelema==

The goddess Hathor appears sporadically throughout the works of Crowley where she is usually seen as either a solar deity or as the Egyptian equivalent of Venus or Aphrodite.

She is mentioned in an adoration to [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]] in [[the Book of the Law]] as Ahathoor. This adoration is Crowley's poetic paraphrasing of a translation of the front side of the [[Stele of Revealing]].

It is also this adoration which is generally used by Thelemites when performing the Solar Adorations mentioned in [[Liber Resh]]. Hathor is mentioned within these adorations as the Egyptian Godform that personifies the [[Sun]] at midday.
::''Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.''

In this solar role Crowley also uses her in his manuscript notes for Liber Cadaveris, or "The Ritual of Passing Through the Tuat." This was a ritual constructed for the Zelator or "Man of Earth" Grade of the Order of Thelemites. In this ritual Hathor is called the "Lady of Amentet." She is also addressed as the "mighty dweller in the funeral mountain, eye of Ra, dweller before Him, beautiful of fire in the boat of millions of years." In this rite the goddess' blessings are petitioned and she is attributed seemingly to the South and the West.

In Crowley's poetic work, [[Tannhauser]], she is one of the characters that is of the "World of the Gods." Therein she has merely one line: "Light, Truth, arise, arise!" In this work she is seen as being synonymous with Aphrodite and Mary. Venus is seen as being the "Evil and Averse Hathoor" of the "World of Demons" who proclaims to Tannhauser:
::''Hathoor am I, and to my beauty drawn
::''All glories of the Universe bow down,
::''The blossom and the mountain and the dawn.
::''Fruit's blush, and woman, our creation's crown.
::''I am the priest, the sacrifice, the shrine,
::''I am the love and life of the divine!
::''Life, death, love, hatred, light, darkness, are surely mine—
::''Are mine.''

Qabalistically, Crowley associated Hathor with the path of Daleth. He also found that the Hebrew spelling of her name, AThOR (אתער) was related Qabalistically to the same words for the Tarot (TARO), wheel (ROTA), Law (TORA), and Gate (ThROA). Each of these equals 671. This number besides being a product of 61 x 11 also is the sum of the values of each of the letters written in full of the Hebrew word [[Adonai]], or Lord.

Outside of the works of Crowley Hathor has a number of Thelemic adherents. Soror Het Heru of the House of Horus website, for instance, has written on the connection between Hathor and other Thelemic goddess figures, namely, [[Nuit]] and [[Babalon]]. In her work she states that Hathor represents a more manifest influence of the same energies found in the other two goddesses.

Additionally, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, is claimed by his son to have a [[Holy Guardian Angel]] by the name of Hathor. Hubbard's involvment with Thelema and [[Jack Parsons]] is well-documented.

==External Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor] article on Wikipedia
* [http://www.geocities.com/houseofhorus156/ House of Horus]

==References==
* Crowley, Aleister. (1983). The Holy Books of Thelema. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.

* Godwin, Daivd. (1994) ''Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia''.St. paul, MN : Llewellyn.

* Nicholson, Paul & Shaw, Ian. (1995) ''The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt''. New York : Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

* Tresidder, Jack (ed.)(2005) ''The Complete Dictionary of Symbols''. San Francisco : Chronicle Books

*Wikipedia. (2005). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor]''. Retrieved on 02/28/2005.

[[Category: Egyptian Gods]][[Category: Egyptian Goddesses]]

Hathor

2005-10-23T21:48:51Z

Hierophag(e): /* Hathor and Thelema */

{{egyptiangods}}
Complex Egyptian Goddess related to fertility, music, pleasure, love, and divine kingship.

==General Attributes==
In Egyptian mythology, '''Hathor''' ('''Het-Heru''' - "the house of Horus") was an extremely popular fertility goddess, associated with the cow. Her name refers to her position as the celestial cow which encircles the sky and hawk god, [[Horus]]. She was also a goddess of royalty and since the pharaohs were seen as related to Horus, she was seen as the divine mother of the reigning pharaoh. Her [[cult]] was centered in Dendera and was led by priests who were also dancers, singers or other artists, for she was a goddess of art as well. Her priests were also oracles and midwives. She was the mother of Ihy and of Horus. Some academics have suggested a sacred marriage between Hathor and Horus as part of the annual festival at Luxor and Edfu.

In earlier Egyptian mythology, Hathor was portrayed as a [[cow]] with a stylized [[sun]] between her [[horns]], a woman wearing a headdress with a solar disk and horns or a woman with the ears of a cow. She sometimes also wore a [[uraeus]]. One of the myths of Hathor sees her as the wandering eye of [[Amun]] or [[Ra]], which he replaced. When Hathor returned he made her into his uraeus. This story is similarly found in the legends surrounding [[Sekhmet]], which is sometimes said to be a form Hathor, and of [[Wadjet]]. Correspondingly, Hathor was associated with [[falcon]]s, [[cobra]]s, [[lion]]esses, as well as with hippopotami.

She was associated with the ''menat'', the ''sistrum'' (a type of rattle), and [[mirror]]s, as well as with other goddesses like [[Bata]] and [[Bastet]]. Many of her qualities became conflated with those of the goddess, [[Isis]].

Hathor was deeply loved by the general population and truly revered by women, who aspired to embody her multifaceted role as wife, mother, and lover. Hathor’s cult was unusual, as both men and women were her priests (most Egyptian deities had clerics of the same gender as they.) A hymn to Hathor says:

:“Thou art the Mistress of Jubilation, the Queen of the Dance, the Mistress of Music, the Queen of the Harp Playing, the Lady of the Choral Dance, the Queen of Wreath Weaving, the Mistress of Inebriety Without End.”

Hathor was a loving mother and a goddess of joy, love, beer, song, dance, and foreign lands. Often called “Golden Hathor,” she was also the protector of lovers and the patroness of festivals. She greeted the souls of the dead in the underworld and offered them refreshments of food and drink. The worship of Hathor was so popular that more festivals were dedicated to her honor that any other Egyptian deity, and more children were named after this goddess than any other. Because her worship stretches back to pre-dynastic times, we find Hathor identified with many local goddesses, and it can be said that all the goddesses were forms of Hathor.

Hathor had so many manifestations that eventually seven of the most important ones were selected and widely worshiped as the “Seven Hathors,” also associated with the seven planets that the ancient Egyptians knew. These Seven Hathors were invoked to act as sort of fairy godmothers to children. Hathor was pictured as a cow (sometimes covered in stars), a lioness, a hawk, a cobra, a Nile goose, a hippopotamus, a sycamore tree, and as a woman with the ears of a cow and a headdress of horns holding the sun-disk. Sometimes Hathor was depicted as a cow standing in a boat, surrounded by tall papyrus reeds; the pharaoh was often pictured as a calf standing next to her. As the “Mistress of the Necropolis” Hathor was also shown as the head of a cow protruding from a mountainside, watching over the city. Interestingly, the Egyptian hieroglyphic of the head of the cow was the symbol for wisdom.

The image of Hathor the Divine Cow suckling the pharaoh was quite common in ancient Egyptian art—however, it was not confined to Egypt. Similar motifs have been found on a wide variety of objects throughout the ancient Near East—in Crete, Syria, Mesopotamia, Greece, and on Phoenician objects as well. This image was thought to express the joyous tenderness, warmth, and contentment that sustains the flow of life. The Egyptian hieroglyphs for “to be joyful” was represented by a cow turning round to a young calf nestling at her side.

As a provider of milk, the cow is a universal symbol of motherhood, nourishment, and abundance. The cow’s large eyes with long lashes and her generally quiet demeanor suggest a gentle aspect of feminine beauty. There are still cultures in the world where to say that a girl is “as pretty as a heifer” is a great compliment. The cow’s careful tending of her calf was also a model for motherhood. Royal ladies often took the title of “Priestess of Hathor” in her honor. Yet although she was intrinsically connected to the female of the species, Hathor cannot be considered only a women’s deity. She also had a large and devoted following among men.

Hathor’s image was often used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Unlike other Egyptian gods and goddesses, Hathor was sometimes shown full-face in images (highly unusual by Egyptian artistic conventions). The only other deity to ever be pictured this way was Bes. Hathor was also represented by the menat, the turquoise “musical necklace” often worn by women, the mirror, a field of reeds, and the Egyptian rattle called the sistrum.

==Relation to Other Gods==
Hathor was both the daughter and wife of [[Ra]]. (Hathor and Ra once argued, and she left Egypt. Ra quickly decided he missed her, but she changed into a [[cat]] that destroyed any man or god that approached. [[Thoth]], disguised, eventually succeeded in convincing her to return.) At different times and in different cities she was considered to be the wife and sister, or mother of [[Horus]]. She was also seen as the daughter of [[Nuit]] and the mother of Anhur and Isis. Also, the wife of [[Sobek]], and the mother of Ihy.

==Additional Titles==
Some of the many titles of Hathor were:
* “Mistress of Heaven” or "Lady of the Sky"
* "Mistress of Byblos"
* "Lady of Faience"
* "Lady of the Sycamore"
* “The One Who Shines Like Gold”
* “Eye of Ra”
* “The One Who Fills the Sanctuary with Joy”
* “The Great Cow Who Protects Her Child”
* “Lady of the Scarlet-Colored Garment” (she was often pictured in a red dress)
* “Mistress of the Sanctuary of Women”
* “Cow of Gold”
* “Lady of the House of Jubilation”
* “Mistress of the Necropolis” or "Lady of the West"
In the earliest dynasties, the name of Hathor was a component of all royal Egyptian names.

==History of Worship==
Hathor was a very old goddess of Egypt, worshiped as a cow-deity in Dendera from the Old Kingdom (about 2700 BCE) period onwards.

During the Ptolemaic period the Greeks embraced Hathor and equated her with their own goddess of love and beauty, [[Aphrodite]]. Also during the Roman period a new temple center in Dendera was built dedicated to Hathor, [[Horus]] and Ihy.

Hathor was worshiped in Israel in the 11th century BC at her holy city of Hazor, which the Old Testament claims was destroyed by Joshua (Joshua 11:13, 21.) The Sinai Tablets show that the Hebrew workers in the mines of Sinai about 1500 BC worshiped Hathor, whom they identified with the goddess [[Astarte]]. Some theories state that the “golden calf” mentioned in the bible was a meant to be a statue of the goddess Hathor (Exodus 32:4-32:6.)

==Hathor and Thelema==

The goddess Hathor appears sporadically throughout the works of Crowley where she is usually seen as either a solar deity or as the Egyptian equivalent of Venus or Aphrodite.

She is mentioned in an adoration to [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]] in [[the Book of the Law]] as Ahathoor. This adoration is Crowley's poetic paraphrasing of a translation of the front side of the [[Stele of Revealing]].

It is also this adoration which is generally used by Thelemites when performing the Solar Adorations mentioned in [[Liber Resh]]. Hathor is mentioned within these adorations as the Egyptian Godform that personifies the [[Sun]] at midday.
::''Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.''

In this solar role Crowley also uses her in his manuscript notes for Liber Cadaveris, or "The Ritual of Passing Through the Tuat." This was a ritual constructed for the Zelator or "Man of Earth" Grade of the Order of Thelemites. In this ritual Hathor is called the "Lady of Amentet." She is also addressed as the "mighty dweller in the funeral mountain, eye of Ra, dweller before Him, beautiful of fire in the boat of millions of years." In this rite the goddess' blessings are petitioned and she is attributed seemingly to the South and the West.

In Crowley's poetic work, [[Tannhauser]], she is one of the characters that is of the "World of the Gods." Therein she has merely one line: "Light, Truth, arise, arise!" In this work she is seen as being synonymous with Aphrodite and Mary. Venus is seen as being the "Evil and Averse Hathoor" of the "World of Demons" who proclaims to Tannhauser:
::''Hathoor am I, and to my beauty drawn
::''All glories of the Universe bow down,
::''The blossom and the mountain and the dawn.
::''Fruit's blush, and woman, our creation's crown.
::''I am the priest, the sacrifice, the shrine,
::''I am the love and life of the divine!
::''Life, death, love, hatred, light, darkness, are surely mine—
::''Are mine.''

Qabalistically, Crowley associated Hathor with the path of Daleth. He also found that the Hebrew spelling of her name, AThOR (אתער) was related Qabalistically to the same words for the Tarot (TARO), wheel (ROTA), Law (TORA), and Gate (ThROA). Each of these equals 671. This number besides being a product of 61 x 11 also is the sum of the values of each of the letters written in full of the Hebrew word [[Adonai]], or Lord.

Outside of the works of Crowley Hathor has a number of Thelemic adherents.Soror Het Heru of the House of Horus website, for instance, has written on the connection between Hathor and other Thelemic goddess figures, namely, [[Nuit]] and [[Babalon]]. In her work she states that Hathor represents a more manifest influence of the same energies found in the other two goddesses.

Additionally, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, is claimed by his son to have a [[Holy Guardian Angel]] by the name of Hathor. Hubbard's involvment with Thelema and [[Jack Parsons]] is well-documented.

==External Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor] article on Wikipedia
* [http://www.geocities.com/houseofhorus156/ House of Horus]

==References==
* Crowley, Aleister. (1983). The Holy Books of Thelema. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.

* Godwin, Daivd. (1994) ''Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia''.St. paul, MN : Llewellyn.

* Nicholson, Paul & Shaw, Ian. (1995) ''The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt''. New York : Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

* Tresidder, Jack (ed.)(2005) ''The Complete Dictionary of Symbols''. San Francisco : Chronicle Books

*Wikipedia. (2005). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor]''. Retrieved on 02/28/2005.

[[Category: Egyptian Gods]][[Category: Egyptian Goddesses]]

Hathor

2005-10-23T21:46:43Z

Hierophag(e): /* Relation to Other Gods */

{{egyptiangods}}
Complex Egyptian Goddess related to fertility, music, pleasure, love, and divine kingship.

==General Attributes==
In Egyptian mythology, '''Hathor''' ('''Het-Heru''' - "the house of Horus") was an extremely popular fertility goddess, associated with the cow. Her name refers to her position as the celestial cow which encircles the sky and hawk god, [[Horus]]. She was also a goddess of royalty and since the pharaohs were seen as related to Horus, she was seen as the divine mother of the reigning pharaoh. Her [[cult]] was centered in Dendera and was led by priests who were also dancers, singers or other artists, for she was a goddess of art as well. Her priests were also oracles and midwives. She was the mother of Ihy and of Horus. Some academics have suggested a sacred marriage between Hathor and Horus as part of the annual festival at Luxor and Edfu.

In earlier Egyptian mythology, Hathor was portrayed as a [[cow]] with a stylized [[sun]] between her [[horns]], a woman wearing a headdress with a solar disk and horns or a woman with the ears of a cow. She sometimes also wore a [[uraeus]]. One of the myths of Hathor sees her as the wandering eye of [[Amun]] or [[Ra]], which he replaced. When Hathor returned he made her into his uraeus. This story is similarly found in the legends surrounding [[Sekhmet]], which is sometimes said to be a form Hathor, and of [[Wadjet]]. Correspondingly, Hathor was associated with [[falcon]]s, [[cobra]]s, [[lion]]esses, as well as with hippopotami.

She was associated with the ''menat'', the ''sistrum'' (a type of rattle), and [[mirror]]s, as well as with other goddesses like [[Bata]] and [[Bastet]]. Many of her qualities became conflated with those of the goddess, [[Isis]].

Hathor was deeply loved by the general population and truly revered by women, who aspired to embody her multifaceted role as wife, mother, and lover. Hathor’s cult was unusual, as both men and women were her priests (most Egyptian deities had clerics of the same gender as they.) A hymn to Hathor says:

:“Thou art the Mistress of Jubilation, the Queen of the Dance, the Mistress of Music, the Queen of the Harp Playing, the Lady of the Choral Dance, the Queen of Wreath Weaving, the Mistress of Inebriety Without End.”

Hathor was a loving mother and a goddess of joy, love, beer, song, dance, and foreign lands. Often called “Golden Hathor,” she was also the protector of lovers and the patroness of festivals. She greeted the souls of the dead in the underworld and offered them refreshments of food and drink. The worship of Hathor was so popular that more festivals were dedicated to her honor that any other Egyptian deity, and more children were named after this goddess than any other. Because her worship stretches back to pre-dynastic times, we find Hathor identified with many local goddesses, and it can be said that all the goddesses were forms of Hathor.

Hathor had so many manifestations that eventually seven of the most important ones were selected and widely worshiped as the “Seven Hathors,” also associated with the seven planets that the ancient Egyptians knew. These Seven Hathors were invoked to act as sort of fairy godmothers to children. Hathor was pictured as a cow (sometimes covered in stars), a lioness, a hawk, a cobra, a Nile goose, a hippopotamus, a sycamore tree, and as a woman with the ears of a cow and a headdress of horns holding the sun-disk. Sometimes Hathor was depicted as a cow standing in a boat, surrounded by tall papyrus reeds; the pharaoh was often pictured as a calf standing next to her. As the “Mistress of the Necropolis” Hathor was also shown as the head of a cow protruding from a mountainside, watching over the city. Interestingly, the Egyptian hieroglyphic of the head of the cow was the symbol for wisdom.

The image of Hathor the Divine Cow suckling the pharaoh was quite common in ancient Egyptian art—however, it was not confined to Egypt. Similar motifs have been found on a wide variety of objects throughout the ancient Near East—in Crete, Syria, Mesopotamia, Greece, and on Phoenician objects as well. This image was thought to express the joyous tenderness, warmth, and contentment that sustains the flow of life. The Egyptian hieroglyphs for “to be joyful” was represented by a cow turning round to a young calf nestling at her side.

As a provider of milk, the cow is a universal symbol of motherhood, nourishment, and abundance. The cow’s large eyes with long lashes and her generally quiet demeanor suggest a gentle aspect of feminine beauty. There are still cultures in the world where to say that a girl is “as pretty as a heifer” is a great compliment. The cow’s careful tending of her calf was also a model for motherhood. Royal ladies often took the title of “Priestess of Hathor” in her honor. Yet although she was intrinsically connected to the female of the species, Hathor cannot be considered only a women’s deity. She also had a large and devoted following among men.

Hathor’s image was often used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Unlike other Egyptian gods and goddesses, Hathor was sometimes shown full-face in images (highly unusual by Egyptian artistic conventions). The only other deity to ever be pictured this way was Bes. Hathor was also represented by the menat, the turquoise “musical necklace” often worn by women, the mirror, a field of reeds, and the Egyptian rattle called the sistrum.

==Relation to Other Gods==
Hathor was both the daughter and wife of [[Ra]]. (Hathor and Ra once argued, and she left Egypt. Ra quickly decided he missed her, but she changed into a [[cat]] that destroyed any man or god that approached. [[Thoth]], disguised, eventually succeeded in convincing her to return.) At different times and in different cities she was considered to be the wife and sister, or mother of [[Horus]]. She was also seen as the daughter of [[Nuit]] and the mother of Anhur and Isis. Also, the wife of [[Sobek]], and the mother of Ihy.

==Additional Titles==
Some of the many titles of Hathor were:
* “Mistress of Heaven” or "Lady of the Sky"
* "Mistress of Byblos"
* "Lady of Faience"
* "Lady of the Sycamore"
* “The One Who Shines Like Gold”
* “Eye of Ra”
* “The One Who Fills the Sanctuary with Joy”
* “The Great Cow Who Protects Her Child”
* “Lady of the Scarlet-Colored Garment” (she was often pictured in a red dress)
* “Mistress of the Sanctuary of Women”
* “Cow of Gold”
* “Lady of the House of Jubilation”
* “Mistress of the Necropolis” or "Lady of the West"
In the earliest dynasties, the name of Hathor was a component of all royal Egyptian names.

==History of Worship==
Hathor was a very old goddess of Egypt, worshiped as a cow-deity in Dendera from the Old Kingdom (about 2700 BCE) period onwards.

During the Ptolemaic period the Greeks embraced Hathor and equated her with their own goddess of love and beauty, [[Aphrodite]]. Also during the Roman period a new temple center in Dendera was built dedicated to Hathor, [[Horus]] and Ihy.

Hathor was worshiped in Israel in the 11th century BC at her holy city of Hazor, which the Old Testament claims was destroyed by Joshua (Joshua 11:13, 21.) The Sinai Tablets show that the Hebrew workers in the mines of Sinai about 1500 BC worshiped Hathor, whom they identified with the goddess [[Astarte]]. Some theories state that the “golden calf” mentioned in the bible was a meant to be a statue of the goddess Hathor (Exodus 32:4-32:6.)

==Hathor and Thelema==

The goddess Hathor appears sporadically throughout the works of Crowley where she is usually seen as either a solar deity or as the Egyptian equivalent of Venus or Aphrodite.

She is mentioned in an adoration to [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]] in [[the Book of the Law]] as Ahathoor. This adoration is Crowley's poetic paraphrasing of a translation of the front side of the [[Stele of Revealing]].

It is also this adoration which is generally used by Thelemites when performing the Solar Adorations mentioned in [[Liber Resh]]. Hathor is mentioned within these adorations as the Egyptian Godform that personifies the [[Sun]] at midday.
::''Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.''

In this solar role Crowley also uses her in his manuscript notes for Liber Cadaveris, or "The Ritual of Passing Through the Tuat." This was a ritual constructed for the Zelator or "Man of Earth" Grade of the Order of Thelemites. In this ritual Hathor is called the "Lady of Amentet." She is also addressed as the "mighty dweller in the funeral mountain, eye of Ra, dweller before Him, beautiful of fire in the boat of millions of years." In this rite the goddesses blessings are petitioned and she is attributed seemingly to the South and the West.

In Crowley's poetic work, [[Tannhauser]], she is one of the characters that is of the "World of the Gods." Therein she has merely one line: "Light, Truth, arise, arise!" In this work she is seen as being synonymous with Aphrodite and Mary. Venus is seen as being the "Evil and Averse Hathoor" of the "World of Demons" who proclaims to Tannhauser:
::''Hathoor am I, and to my beauty drawn
::''All glories of the Universe bow down,
::''The blossom and the mountain and the dawn.
::''Fruit's blush, and woman, our creation's crown.
::''I am the priest, the sacrifice, the shrine,
::''I am the love and life of the divine!
::''Life, death, love, hatred, light, darkness, are surely mine—
::''Are mine.''

Qabalistically, Crowley associated Hathor with the path of Daleth. He also found that the Hebrew spelling of her name, AThOR (אתער) was related Qabalistically to the same words for the Tarot (TARO), wheel (ROTA), Law (TORA), and Gate (ThROA). Each of these equals 671. This number besides being a product of 61 x 11 also is the sum of the values of each of the letters written in full of the Hebrew word [[Adonai]], or Lord.

Outside of the works of Crowley Hathor has a number of Thelemic adherents.Soror Het Heru of the House of Horus website, for instance, has written on the connection between Hathor and other Thelemic goddess figures, namely, [[Nuit]] and [[Babalon]]. In her work she states that Hathor represents a more manifest influence of the same energies found in the other two goddesses.

Additionally, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, is claimed by his son to have a [[Holy Guardian Angel]] by the name of Hathor. Hubbard's involvment with Thelema and [[Jack Parsons]] is well-documented.

==External Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor] article on Wikipedia
* [http://www.geocities.com/houseofhorus156/ House of Horus]

==References==
* Crowley, Aleister. (1983). The Holy Books of Thelema. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.

* Godwin, Daivd. (1994) ''Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia''.St. paul, MN : Llewellyn.

* Nicholson, Paul & Shaw, Ian. (1995) ''The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt''. New York : Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

* Tresidder, Jack (ed.)(2005) ''The Complete Dictionary of Symbols''. San Francisco : Chronicle Books

*Wikipedia. (2005). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor]''. Retrieved on 02/28/2005.

[[Category: Egyptian Gods]][[Category: Egyptian Goddesses]]

Hathor

2005-10-23T21:46:18Z

Hierophag(e): /* Relation to Other Gods */

{{egyptiangods}}
Complex Egyptian Goddess related to fertility, music, pleasure, love, and divine kingship.

==General Attributes==
In Egyptian mythology, '''Hathor''' ('''Het-Heru''' - "the house of Horus") was an extremely popular fertility goddess, associated with the cow. Her name refers to her position as the celestial cow which encircles the sky and hawk god, [[Horus]]. She was also a goddess of royalty and since the pharaohs were seen as related to Horus, she was seen as the divine mother of the reigning pharaoh. Her [[cult]] was centered in Dendera and was led by priests who were also dancers, singers or other artists, for she was a goddess of art as well. Her priests were also oracles and midwives. She was the mother of Ihy and of Horus. Some academics have suggested a sacred marriage between Hathor and Horus as part of the annual festival at Luxor and Edfu.

In earlier Egyptian mythology, Hathor was portrayed as a [[cow]] with a stylized [[sun]] between her [[horns]], a woman wearing a headdress with a solar disk and horns or a woman with the ears of a cow. She sometimes also wore a [[uraeus]]. One of the myths of Hathor sees her as the wandering eye of [[Amun]] or [[Ra]], which he replaced. When Hathor returned he made her into his uraeus. This story is similarly found in the legends surrounding [[Sekhmet]], which is sometimes said to be a form Hathor, and of [[Wadjet]]. Correspondingly, Hathor was associated with [[falcon]]s, [[cobra]]s, [[lion]]esses, as well as with hippopotami.

She was associated with the ''menat'', the ''sistrum'' (a type of rattle), and [[mirror]]s, as well as with other goddesses like [[Bata]] and [[Bastet]]. Many of her qualities became conflated with those of the goddess, [[Isis]].

Hathor was deeply loved by the general population and truly revered by women, who aspired to embody her multifaceted role as wife, mother, and lover. Hathor’s cult was unusual, as both men and women were her priests (most Egyptian deities had clerics of the same gender as they.) A hymn to Hathor says:

:“Thou art the Mistress of Jubilation, the Queen of the Dance, the Mistress of Music, the Queen of the Harp Playing, the Lady of the Choral Dance, the Queen of Wreath Weaving, the Mistress of Inebriety Without End.”

Hathor was a loving mother and a goddess of joy, love, beer, song, dance, and foreign lands. Often called “Golden Hathor,” she was also the protector of lovers and the patroness of festivals. She greeted the souls of the dead in the underworld and offered them refreshments of food and drink. The worship of Hathor was so popular that more festivals were dedicated to her honor that any other Egyptian deity, and more children were named after this goddess than any other. Because her worship stretches back to pre-dynastic times, we find Hathor identified with many local goddesses, and it can be said that all the goddesses were forms of Hathor.

Hathor had so many manifestations that eventually seven of the most important ones were selected and widely worshiped as the “Seven Hathors,” also associated with the seven planets that the ancient Egyptians knew. These Seven Hathors were invoked to act as sort of fairy godmothers to children. Hathor was pictured as a cow (sometimes covered in stars), a lioness, a hawk, a cobra, a Nile goose, a hippopotamus, a sycamore tree, and as a woman with the ears of a cow and a headdress of horns holding the sun-disk. Sometimes Hathor was depicted as a cow standing in a boat, surrounded by tall papyrus reeds; the pharaoh was often pictured as a calf standing next to her. As the “Mistress of the Necropolis” Hathor was also shown as the head of a cow protruding from a mountainside, watching over the city. Interestingly, the Egyptian hieroglyphic of the head of the cow was the symbol for wisdom.

The image of Hathor the Divine Cow suckling the pharaoh was quite common in ancient Egyptian art—however, it was not confined to Egypt. Similar motifs have been found on a wide variety of objects throughout the ancient Near East—in Crete, Syria, Mesopotamia, Greece, and on Phoenician objects as well. This image was thought to express the joyous tenderness, warmth, and contentment that sustains the flow of life. The Egyptian hieroglyphs for “to be joyful” was represented by a cow turning round to a young calf nestling at her side.

As a provider of milk, the cow is a universal symbol of motherhood, nourishment, and abundance. The cow’s large eyes with long lashes and her generally quiet demeanor suggest a gentle aspect of feminine beauty. There are still cultures in the world where to say that a girl is “as pretty as a heifer” is a great compliment. The cow’s careful tending of her calf was also a model for motherhood. Royal ladies often took the title of “Priestess of Hathor” in her honor. Yet although she was intrinsically connected to the female of the species, Hathor cannot be considered only a women’s deity. She also had a large and devoted following among men.

Hathor’s image was often used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Unlike other Egyptian gods and goddesses, Hathor was sometimes shown full-face in images (highly unusual by Egyptian artistic conventions). The only other deity to ever be pictured this way was Bes. Hathor was also represented by the menat, the turquoise “musical necklace” often worn by women, the mirror, a field of reeds, and the Egyptian rattle called the sistrum.

==Relation to Other Gods==
Hathor was both the daughter and wife of [[Ra]]. (Hathor and Ra once argued, and she left Egypt. Ra quickly decided he missed her, but she changed into a [[cat]] that destroyed any man or god that approached. [[Thoth]], disguised, eventually succeeded in convincing her to return.) At different times and in different cities she was considered to be the wife and sister, or mother of [[Horus]]. She was also seen as the daughter of [[Nuit]]and the mother of Anhur and Isis. Also, the wife of [[Sobek]], and the mother of Ihy.

==Additional Titles==
Some of the many titles of Hathor were:
* “Mistress of Heaven” or "Lady of the Sky"
* "Mistress of Byblos"
* "Lady of Faience"
* "Lady of the Sycamore"
* “The One Who Shines Like Gold”
* “Eye of Ra”
* “The One Who Fills the Sanctuary with Joy”
* “The Great Cow Who Protects Her Child”
* “Lady of the Scarlet-Colored Garment” (she was often pictured in a red dress)
* “Mistress of the Sanctuary of Women”
* “Cow of Gold”
* “Lady of the House of Jubilation”
* “Mistress of the Necropolis” or "Lady of the West"
In the earliest dynasties, the name of Hathor was a component of all royal Egyptian names.

==History of Worship==
Hathor was a very old goddess of Egypt, worshiped as a cow-deity in Dendera from the Old Kingdom (about 2700 BCE) period onwards.

During the Ptolemaic period the Greeks embraced Hathor and equated her with their own goddess of love and beauty, [[Aphrodite]]. Also during the Roman period a new temple center in Dendera was built dedicated to Hathor, [[Horus]] and Ihy.

Hathor was worshiped in Israel in the 11th century BC at her holy city of Hazor, which the Old Testament claims was destroyed by Joshua (Joshua 11:13, 21.) The Sinai Tablets show that the Hebrew workers in the mines of Sinai about 1500 BC worshiped Hathor, whom they identified with the goddess [[Astarte]]. Some theories state that the “golden calf” mentioned in the bible was a meant to be a statue of the goddess Hathor (Exodus 32:4-32:6.)

==Hathor and Thelema==

The goddess Hathor appears sporadically throughout the works of Crowley where she is usually seen as either a solar deity or as the Egyptian equivalent of Venus or Aphrodite.

She is mentioned in an adoration to [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]] in [[the Book of the Law]] as Ahathoor. This adoration is Crowley's poetic paraphrasing of a translation of the front side of the [[Stele of Revealing]].

It is also this adoration which is generally used by Thelemites when performing the Solar Adorations mentioned in [[Liber Resh]]. Hathor is mentioned within these adorations as the Egyptian Godform that personifies the [[Sun]] at midday.
::''Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.''

In this solar role Crowley also uses her in his manuscript notes for Liber Cadaveris, or "The Ritual of Passing Through the Tuat." This was a ritual constructed for the Zelator or "Man of Earth" Grade of the Order of Thelemites. In this ritual Hathor is called the "Lady of Amentet." She is also addressed as the "mighty dweller in the funeral mountain, eye of Ra, dweller before Him, beautiful of fire in the boat of millions of years." In this rite the goddesses blessings are petitioned and she is attributed seemingly to the South and the West.

In Crowley's poetic work, [[Tannhauser]], she is one of the characters that is of the "World of the Gods." Therein she has merely one line: "Light, Truth, arise, arise!" In this work she is seen as being synonymous with Aphrodite and Mary. Venus is seen as being the "Evil and Averse Hathoor" of the "World of Demons" who proclaims to Tannhauser:
::''Hathoor am I, and to my beauty drawn
::''All glories of the Universe bow down,
::''The blossom and the mountain and the dawn.
::''Fruit's blush, and woman, our creation's crown.
::''I am the priest, the sacrifice, the shrine,
::''I am the love and life of the divine!
::''Life, death, love, hatred, light, darkness, are surely mine—
::''Are mine.''

Qabalistically, Crowley associated Hathor with the path of Daleth. He also found that the Hebrew spelling of her name, AThOR (אתער) was related Qabalistically to the same words for the Tarot (TARO), wheel (ROTA), Law (TORA), and Gate (ThROA). Each of these equals 671. This number besides being a product of 61 x 11 also is the sum of the values of each of the letters written in full of the Hebrew word [[Adonai]], or Lord.

Outside of the works of Crowley Hathor has a number of Thelemic adherents.Soror Het Heru of the House of Horus website, for instance, has written on the connection between Hathor and other Thelemic goddess figures, namely, [[Nuit]] and [[Babalon]]. In her work she states that Hathor represents a more manifest influence of the same energies found in the other two goddesses.

Additionally, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, is claimed by his son to have a [[Holy Guardian Angel]] by the name of Hathor. Hubbard's involvment with Thelema and [[Jack Parsons]] is well-documented.

==External Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor] article on Wikipedia
* [http://www.geocities.com/houseofhorus156/ House of Horus]

==References==
* Crowley, Aleister. (1983). The Holy Books of Thelema. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.

* Godwin, Daivd. (1994) ''Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia''.St. paul, MN : Llewellyn.

* Nicholson, Paul & Shaw, Ian. (1995) ''The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt''. New York : Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

* Tresidder, Jack (ed.)(2005) ''The Complete Dictionary of Symbols''. San Francisco : Chronicle Books

*Wikipedia. (2005). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor]''. Retrieved on 02/28/2005.

[[Category: Egyptian Gods]][[Category: Egyptian Goddesses]]

Hathor

2005-10-23T21:45:14Z

Hierophag(e):

{{egyptiangods}}
Complex Egyptian Goddess related to fertility, music, pleasure, love, and divine kingship.

==General Attributes==
In Egyptian mythology, '''Hathor''' ('''Het-Heru''' - "the house of Horus") was an extremely popular fertility goddess, associated with the cow. Her name refers to her position as the celestial cow which encircles the sky and hawk god, [[Horus]]. She was also a goddess of royalty and since the pharaohs were seen as related to Horus, she was seen as the divine mother of the reigning pharaoh. Her [[cult]] was centered in Dendera and was led by priests who were also dancers, singers or other artists, for she was a goddess of art as well. Her priests were also oracles and midwives. She was the mother of Ihy and of Horus. Some academics have suggested a sacred marriage between Hathor and Horus as part of the annual festival at Luxor and Edfu.

In earlier Egyptian mythology, Hathor was portrayed as a [[cow]] with a stylized [[sun]] between her [[horns]], a woman wearing a headdress with a solar disk and horns or a woman with the ears of a cow. She sometimes also wore a [[uraeus]]. One of the myths of Hathor sees her as the wandering eye of [[Amun]] or [[Ra]], which he replaced. When Hathor returned he made her into his uraeus. This story is similarly found in the legends surrounding [[Sekhmet]], which is sometimes said to be a form Hathor, and of [[Wadjet]]. Correspondingly, Hathor was associated with [[falcon]]s, [[cobra]]s, [[lion]]esses, as well as with hippopotami.

She was associated with the ''menat'', the ''sistrum'' (a type of rattle), and [[mirror]]s, as well as with other goddesses like [[Bata]] and [[Bastet]]. Many of her qualities became conflated with those of the goddess, [[Isis]].

Hathor was deeply loved by the general population and truly revered by women, who aspired to embody her multifaceted role as wife, mother, and lover. Hathor’s cult was unusual, as both men and women were her priests (most Egyptian deities had clerics of the same gender as they.) A hymn to Hathor says:

:“Thou art the Mistress of Jubilation, the Queen of the Dance, the Mistress of Music, the Queen of the Harp Playing, the Lady of the Choral Dance, the Queen of Wreath Weaving, the Mistress of Inebriety Without End.”

Hathor was a loving mother and a goddess of joy, love, beer, song, dance, and foreign lands. Often called “Golden Hathor,” she was also the protector of lovers and the patroness of festivals. She greeted the souls of the dead in the underworld and offered them refreshments of food and drink. The worship of Hathor was so popular that more festivals were dedicated to her honor that any other Egyptian deity, and more children were named after this goddess than any other. Because her worship stretches back to pre-dynastic times, we find Hathor identified with many local goddesses, and it can be said that all the goddesses were forms of Hathor.

Hathor had so many manifestations that eventually seven of the most important ones were selected and widely worshiped as the “Seven Hathors,” also associated with the seven planets that the ancient Egyptians knew. These Seven Hathors were invoked to act as sort of fairy godmothers to children. Hathor was pictured as a cow (sometimes covered in stars), a lioness, a hawk, a cobra, a Nile goose, a hippopotamus, a sycamore tree, and as a woman with the ears of a cow and a headdress of horns holding the sun-disk. Sometimes Hathor was depicted as a cow standing in a boat, surrounded by tall papyrus reeds; the pharaoh was often pictured as a calf standing next to her. As the “Mistress of the Necropolis” Hathor was also shown as the head of a cow protruding from a mountainside, watching over the city. Interestingly, the Egyptian hieroglyphic of the head of the cow was the symbol for wisdom.

The image of Hathor the Divine Cow suckling the pharaoh was quite common in ancient Egyptian art—however, it was not confined to Egypt. Similar motifs have been found on a wide variety of objects throughout the ancient Near East—in Crete, Syria, Mesopotamia, Greece, and on Phoenician objects as well. This image was thought to express the joyous tenderness, warmth, and contentment that sustains the flow of life. The Egyptian hieroglyphs for “to be joyful” was represented by a cow turning round to a young calf nestling at her side.

As a provider of milk, the cow is a universal symbol of motherhood, nourishment, and abundance. The cow’s large eyes with long lashes and her generally quiet demeanor suggest a gentle aspect of feminine beauty. There are still cultures in the world where to say that a girl is “as pretty as a heifer” is a great compliment. The cow’s careful tending of her calf was also a model for motherhood. Royal ladies often took the title of “Priestess of Hathor” in her honor. Yet although she was intrinsically connected to the female of the species, Hathor cannot be considered only a women’s deity. She also had a large and devoted following among men.

Hathor’s image was often used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Unlike other Egyptian gods and goddesses, Hathor was sometimes shown full-face in images (highly unusual by Egyptian artistic conventions). The only other deity to ever be pictured this way was Bes. Hathor was also represented by the menat, the turquoise “musical necklace” often worn by women, the mirror, a field of reeds, and the Egyptian rattle called the sistrum.

==Relation to Other Gods==
Hathor was both the daughter and wife of [[Ra]]. (Hathor and Ra once argued, and she left Egypt. Ra quickly decided he missed her, but she changed into a [[cat]] that destroyed any man or god that approached. [[Thoth]], disguised, eventually succeeded in convincing her to return.)At different times and in different cities she was considered to be the wife and sister, or mother of [[Horus]]. She was also seen as the daughter of [[Nuit]]and the mother of Anhur and Isis. Also, the wife of [[Sobek]], and the mother of Ihy.

==Additional Titles==
Some of the many titles of Hathor were:
* “Mistress of Heaven” or "Lady of the Sky"
* "Mistress of Byblos"
* "Lady of Faience"
* "Lady of the Sycamore"
* “The One Who Shines Like Gold”
* “Eye of Ra”
* “The One Who Fills the Sanctuary with Joy”
* “The Great Cow Who Protects Her Child”
* “Lady of the Scarlet-Colored Garment” (she was often pictured in a red dress)
* “Mistress of the Sanctuary of Women”
* “Cow of Gold”
* “Lady of the House of Jubilation”
* “Mistress of the Necropolis” or "Lady of the West"
In the earliest dynasties, the name of Hathor was a component of all royal Egyptian names.

==History of Worship==
Hathor was a very old goddess of Egypt, worshiped as a cow-deity in Dendera from the Old Kingdom (about 2700 BCE) period onwards.

During the Ptolemaic period the Greeks embraced Hathor and equated her with their own goddess of love and beauty, [[Aphrodite]]. Also during the Roman period a new temple center in Dendera was built dedicated to Hathor, [[Horus]] and Ihy.

Hathor was worshiped in Israel in the 11th century BC at her holy city of Hazor, which the Old Testament claims was destroyed by Joshua (Joshua 11:13, 21.) The Sinai Tablets show that the Hebrew workers in the mines of Sinai about 1500 BC worshiped Hathor, whom they identified with the goddess [[Astarte]]. Some theories state that the “golden calf” mentioned in the bible was a meant to be a statue of the goddess Hathor (Exodus 32:4-32:6.)

==Hathor and Thelema==

The goddess Hathor appears sporadically throughout the works of Crowley where she is usually seen as either a solar deity or as the Egyptian equivalent of Venus or Aphrodite.

She is mentioned in an adoration to [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]] in [[the Book of the Law]] as Ahathoor. This adoration is Crowley's poetic paraphrasing of a translation of the front side of the [[Stele of Revealing]].

It is also this adoration which is generally used by Thelemites when performing the Solar Adorations mentioned in [[Liber Resh]]. Hathor is mentioned within these adorations as the Egyptian Godform that personifies the [[Sun]] at midday.
::''Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.''

In this solar role Crowley also uses her in his manuscript notes for Liber Cadaveris, or "The Ritual of Passing Through the Tuat." This was a ritual constructed for the Zelator or "Man of Earth" Grade of the Order of Thelemites. In this ritual Hathor is called the "Lady of Amentet." She is also addressed as the "mighty dweller in the funeral mountain, eye of Ra, dweller before Him, beautiful of fire in the boat of millions of years." In this rite the goddesses blessings are petitioned and she is attributed seemingly to the South and the West.

In Crowley's poetic work, [[Tannhauser]], she is one of the characters that is of the "World of the Gods." Therein she has merely one line: "Light, Truth, arise, arise!" In this work she is seen as being synonymous with Aphrodite and Mary. Venus is seen as being the "Evil and Averse Hathoor" of the "World of Demons" who proclaims to Tannhauser:
::''Hathoor am I, and to my beauty drawn
::''All glories of the Universe bow down,
::''The blossom and the mountain and the dawn.
::''Fruit's blush, and woman, our creation's crown.
::''I am the priest, the sacrifice, the shrine,
::''I am the love and life of the divine!
::''Life, death, love, hatred, light, darkness, are surely mine—
::''Are mine.''

Qabalistically, Crowley associated Hathor with the path of Daleth. He also found that the Hebrew spelling of her name, AThOR (אתער) was related Qabalistically to the same words for the Tarot (TARO), wheel (ROTA), Law (TORA), and Gate (ThROA). Each of these equals 671. This number besides being a product of 61 x 11 also is the sum of the values of each of the letters written in full of the Hebrew word [[Adonai]], or Lord.

Outside of the works of Crowley Hathor has a number of Thelemic adherents.Soror Het Heru of the House of Horus website, for instance, has written on the connection between Hathor and other Thelemic goddess figures, namely, [[Nuit]] and [[Babalon]]. In her work she states that Hathor represents a more manifest influence of the same energies found in the other two goddesses.

Additionally, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, is claimed by his son to have a [[Holy Guardian Angel]] by the name of Hathor. Hubbard's involvment with Thelema and [[Jack Parsons]] is well-documented.

==External Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor] article on Wikipedia
* [http://www.geocities.com/houseofhorus156/ House of Horus]

==References==
* Crowley, Aleister. (1983). The Holy Books of Thelema. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.

* Godwin, Daivd. (1994) ''Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia''.St. paul, MN : Llewellyn.

* Nicholson, Paul & Shaw, Ian. (1995) ''The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt''. New York : Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

* Tresidder, Jack (ed.)(2005) ''The Complete Dictionary of Symbols''. San Francisco : Chronicle Books

*Wikipedia. (2005). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor]''. Retrieved on 02/28/2005.

[[Category: Egyptian Gods]][[Category: Egyptian Goddesses]]

Hathor

2005-10-23T21:43:30Z

Hierophag(e):

{{egyptiangods}}

==General Attributes==
In Egyptian mythology, '''Hathor''' ('''Het-Heru''' - "the house of Horus") was an extremely popular fertility goddess, associated with the cow. Her name refers to her position as the celestial cow which encircles the sky and hawk god, [[Horus]]. She was also a goddess of royalty and since the pharaohs were seen as related to Horus, she was seen as the divine mother of the reigning pharaoh. Her [[cult]] was centered in Dendera and was led by priests who were also dancers, singers or other artists, for she was a goddess of art as well. Her priests were also oracles and midwives. She was the mother of Ihy and of Horus. Some academics have suggested a sacred marriage between Hathor and Horus as part of the annual festival at Luxor and Edfu.

In earlier Egyptian mythology, Hathor was portrayed as a [[cow]] with a stylized [[sun]] between her [[horns]], a woman wearing a headdress with a solar disk and horns or a woman with the ears of a cow. She sometimes also wore a [[uraeus]]. One of the myths of Hathor sees her as the wandering eye of [[Amun]] or [[Ra]], which he replaced. When Hathor returned he made her into his uraeus. This story is similarly found in the legends surrounding [[Sekhmet]], which is sometimes said to be a form Hathor, and of [[Wadjet]]. Correspondingly, Hathor was associated with [[falcon]]s, [[cobra]]s, [[lion]]esses, as well as with hippopotami.

She was associated with the ''menat'', the ''sistrum'' (a type of rattle), and [[mirror]]s, as well as with other goddesses like [[Bata]] and [[Bastet]]. Many of her qualities became conflated with those of the goddess, [[Isis]].

Hathor was deeply loved by the general population and truly revered by women, who aspired to embody her multifaceted role as wife, mother, and lover. Hathor’s cult was unusual, as both men and women were her priests (most Egyptian deities had clerics of the same gender as they.) A hymn to Hathor says:

:“Thou art the Mistress of Jubilation, the Queen of the Dance, the Mistress of Music, the Queen of the Harp Playing, the Lady of the Choral Dance, the Queen of Wreath Weaving, the Mistress of Inebriety Without End.”

Hathor was a loving mother and a goddess of joy, love, beer, song, dance, and foreign lands. Often called “Golden Hathor,” she was also the protector of lovers and the patroness of festivals. She greeted the souls of the dead in the underworld and offered them refreshments of food and drink. The worship of Hathor was so popular that more festivals were dedicated to her honor that any other Egyptian deity, and more children were named after this goddess than any other. Because her worship stretches back to pre-dynastic times, we find Hathor identified with many local goddesses, and it can be said that all the goddesses were forms of Hathor.

Hathor had so many manifestations that eventually seven of the most important ones were selected and widely worshiped as the “Seven Hathors,” also associated with the seven planets that the ancient Egyptians knew. These Seven Hathors were invoked to act as sort of fairy godmothers to children. Hathor was pictured as a cow (sometimes covered in stars), a lioness, a hawk, a cobra, a Nile goose, a hippopotamus, a sycamore tree, and as a woman with the ears of a cow and a headdress of horns holding the sun-disk. Sometimes Hathor was depicted as a cow standing in a boat, surrounded by tall papyrus reeds; the pharaoh was often pictured as a calf standing next to her. As the “Mistress of the Necropolis” Hathor was also shown as the head of a cow protruding from a mountainside, watching over the city. Interestingly, the Egyptian hieroglyphic of the head of the cow was the symbol for wisdom.

The image of Hathor the Divine Cow suckling the pharaoh was quite common in ancient Egyptian art—however, it was not confined to Egypt. Similar motifs have been found on a wide variety of objects throughout the ancient Near East—in Crete, Syria, Mesopotamia, Greece, and on Phoenician objects as well. This image was thought to express the joyous tenderness, warmth, and contentment that sustains the flow of life. The Egyptian hieroglyphs for “to be joyful” was represented by a cow turning round to a young calf nestling at her side.

As a provider of milk, the cow is a universal symbol of motherhood, nourishment, and abundance. The cow’s large eyes with long lashes and her generally quiet demeanor suggest a gentle aspect of feminine beauty. There are still cultures in the world where to say that a girl is “as pretty as a heifer” is a great compliment. The cow’s careful tending of her calf was also a model for motherhood. Royal ladies often took the title of “Priestess of Hathor” in her honor. Yet although she was intrinsically connected to the female of the species, Hathor cannot be considered only a women’s deity. She also had a large and devoted following among men.

Hathor’s image was often used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Unlike other Egyptian gods and goddesses, Hathor was sometimes shown full-face in images (highly unusual by Egyptian artistic conventions). The only other deity to ever be pictured this way was Bes. Hathor was also represented by the menat, the turquoise “musical necklace” often worn by women, the mirror, a field of reeds, and the Egyptian rattle called the sistrum.

==Relation to Other Gods==
Hathor was both the daughter and wife of [[Ra]]. (Hathor and Ra once argued, and she left Egypt. Ra quickly decided he missed her, but she changed into a [[cat]] that destroyed any man or god that approached. [[Thoth]], disguised, eventually succeeded in convincing her to return.)At different times and in different cities she was considered to be the wife and sister, or mother of [[Horus]]. She was also seen as the daughter of [[Nuit]]and the mother of Anhur and Isis. Also, the wife of [[Sobek]], and the mother of Ihy.

==Additional Titles==
Some of the many titles of Hathor were:
* “Mistress of Heaven” or "Lady of the Sky"
* "Mistress of Byblos"
* "Lady of Faience"
* "Lady of the Sycamore"
* “The One Who Shines Like Gold”
* “Eye of Ra”
* “The One Who Fills the Sanctuary with Joy”
* “The Great Cow Who Protects Her Child”
* “Lady of the Scarlet-Colored Garment” (she was often pictured in a red dress)
* “Mistress of the Sanctuary of Women”
* “Cow of Gold”
* “Lady of the House of Jubilation”
* “Mistress of the Necropolis” or "Lady of the West"
In the earliest dynasties, the name of Hathor was a component of all royal Egyptian names.

==History of Worship==
Hathor was a very old goddess of Egypt, worshiped as a cow-deity in Dendera from the Old Kingdom (about 2700 BCE) period onwards.

During the Ptolemaic period the Greeks embraced Hathor and equated her with their own goddess of love and beauty, [[Aphrodite]]. Also during the Roman period a new temple center in Dendera was built dedicated to Hathor, [[Horus]] and Ihy.

Hathor was worshiped in Israel in the 11th century BC at her holy city of Hazor, which the Old Testament claims was destroyed by Joshua (Joshua 11:13, 21.) The Sinai Tablets show that the Hebrew workers in the mines of Sinai about 1500 BC worshiped Hathor, whom they identified with the goddess [[Astarte]]. Some theories state that the “golden calf” mentioned in the bible was a meant to be a statue of the goddess Hathor (Exodus 32:4-32:6.)

==Hathor and Thelema==

The goddess Hathor appears sporadically throughout the works of Crowley where she is usually seen as either a solar deity or as the Egyptian equivalent of Venus or Aphrodite.

She is mentioned in an adoration to [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]] in [[the Book of the Law]] as Ahathoor. This adoration is Crowley's poetic paraphrasing of a translation of the front side of the [[Stele of Revealing]].

It is also this adoration which is generally used by Thelemites when performing the Solar Adorations mentioned in [[Liber Resh]]. Hathor is mentioned within these adorations as the Egyptian Godform that personifies the [[Sun]] at midday.
::''Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.''

In this solar role Crowley also uses her in his manuscript notes for Liber Cadaveris, or "The Ritual of Passing Through the Tuat." This was a ritual constructed for the Zelator or "Man of Earth" Grade of the Order of Thelemites. In this ritual Hathor is called the "Lady of Amentet." She is also addressed as the "mighty dweller in the funeral mountain, eye of Ra, dweller before Him, beautiful of fire in the boat of millions of years." In this rite the goddesses blessings are petitioned and she is attributed seemingly to the South and the West.

In Crowley's poetic work, [[Tannhauser]], she is one of the characters that is of the "World of the Gods." Therein she has merely one line: "Light, Truth, arise, arise!" In this work she is seen as being synonymous with Aphrodite and Mary. Venus is seen as being the "Evil and Averse Hathoor" of the "World of Demons" who proclaims to Tannhauser:
::''Hathoor am I, and to my beauty drawn
::''All glories of the Universe bow down,
::''The blossom and the mountain and the dawn.
::''Fruit's blush, and woman, our creation's crown.
::''I am the priest, the sacrifice, the shrine,
::''I am the love and life of the divine!
::''Life, death, love, hatred, light, darkness, are surely mine—
::''Are mine.''

Qabalistically, Crowley associated Hathor with the path of Daleth. He also found that the Hebrew spelling of her name, AThOR (אתער) was related Qabalistically to the same words for the Tarot (TARO), wheel (ROTA), Law (TORA), and Gate (ThROA). Each of these equals 671. This number besides being a product of 61 x 11 also is the sum of the values of each of the letters written in full of the Hebrew word [[Adonai]], or Lord.

Outside of the works of Crowley Hathor has a number of Thelemic adherents.Soror Het Heru of the House of Horus website, for instance, has written on the connection between Hathor and other Thelemic goddess figures, namely, [[Nuit]] and [[Babalon]]. In her work she states that Hathor represents a more manifest influence of the same energies found in the other two goddesses.

Additionally, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, is claimed by his son to have a [[Holy Guardian Angel]] by the name of Hathor. Hubbard's involvment with Thelema and [[Jack Parsons]] is well-documented.

==External Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor] article on Wikipedia
* [http://www.geocities.com/houseofhorus156/ House of Horus]

==References==
* Crowley, Aleister. (1983). The Holy Books of Thelema. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.

* Godwin, Daivd. (1994) ''Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia''.St. paul, MN : Llewellyn.

* Nicholson, Paul & Shaw, Ian. (1995) ''The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt''. New York : Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

* Tresidder, Jack (ed.)(2005) ''The Complete Dictionary of Symbols''. San Francisco : Chronicle Books

*Wikipedia. (2005). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hathor Hathor]''. Retrieved on 02/28/2005.

[[Category: Egyptian Gods]][[Category: Egyptian Goddesses]]

Liber Resh

2005-10-23T19:13:21Z

Hierophag(e): /* The Egyptian godforms in Liber Resh */

{{MTP}}

'''Liber Resh vel Helios''', by [[Aleister Crowley]], comprises four daily adorations to the [[Sun]], to be performed at dawn, noon, sunset, and midnight. The general object is to focus the conscious mind on the center of our solar system.

==Quotes==
*"The object of this practice is firstly to remind the aspirant at regular intervals of the Great Work; secondly, to bring him into conscious personal relation with the centre of our system; and thirdly, for advanced students, to make actual magical contact with the spiritual energy of the sun and thus to draw actual force from him." (''Confessions'', p. 673)

*"Particularly useful against the fear of death is the punctual and vigorous performance of Liber Resh. Meditate on the sun in each station: his continuous and even way: the endless circle." (''Magick Without Tears'', Chapter LXIII)

*"The first essential is the dedication of all that one is and all that one has to the Great Work, without reservation of any sort. This must be kept constantly in mind; the way to do this is to practice Liber Resh vel Helios...The important thing is not to forget." (''Magick Without Tears'', Introduction)

=="Resh"==
''Resh'' is a Hebrew letter. It equates to the English "R" and translates as "head." Within the [[Qabalah]], Resh is on the [[Path of Resh|30th Path]] between [[Hod]] and [[Yesod]]. This Path is symbolized by the Sun and the various sun gods, such as Ra, Helios, and Apollo.

==Performance==

Liber Resh was written for members of Crowley's order, the [[A.'.A.'.]]. There are ten grades in this order, and each is assigned a [[Ritual signs|sign]], or bodily posture, generally used for [[meditation]] or ritual purpose. If a member of A.'.A.'. is performing Resh, he or she is to stand in the sign representing their current grade in all four stations. If the adorant is not in A.'.A.'., Crowley gives four signs to be used for each station:
*Dawn: all four L.V.X. Signs (Osiris Slain, Isis Mourning, Typhon, and Osiris Risen)
*Noon: Sign of Fire, Thoum-aesh-neith (4°=7#)
*Sunset: Sign of Air, the God Shu supporting the sky (2°=9#)
*Midnight: Sign of Water, the Goddess Auramoth (3°=8#)

===The text===

0. These are the adorations to be performed by aspirants to the A.'. A.'.

1. Let him greet the Sun at dawn, facing East, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:

:'''Hail unto Thee who art Ra in Thy rising, even unto Thee who art Ra in Thy strength, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Uprising of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Night! '''

2. Also at Noon, let him greet the Sun, facing South, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:

:'''Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Morning!

3. Also, at Sunset, let him greet the Sun, facing West, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:

:'''Hail unto Thee who art Tum in Thy setting, even unto Thee who art Tum in Thy joy, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Down-going of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Day!

4. Lastly, at Midnight, let him greet the Sun, facing North, giving the sign of his grade, and let him say in a loud voice:

:'''Hail unto thee who art Khephra in Thy hiding, even unto Thee who art Khephra in Thy silence, who travellest over the heavens in Thy bark at the Midnight Hour of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Evening.

5. And after each of these invocations thou shalt give the sign of silence, and afterward thou shalt perform the adoration that is taught thee by thy Superior. And then do thou compose Thyself to holy meditation.

6. Also it is better if in these adorations thou assume the God-form of Whom thou adorest, as if thou didst unite with Him in the adoration of That which is beyond Him.

7. Thus shalt thou ever be mindful of the Great Work which thou hast undertaken to perform, and thus shalt thou be strengthened to pursue it unto the attainment of the Stone of the Wise, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness.

==The Egyptian Godforms in Liber Resh==

*'''[[Ra]]'''—The sun god.
*'''[[Tahuti]]'''—The god of knowledge, wisdom, and writing.
*'''[[Ra-Hoor]]'''—The hawk-headed patron god of the Pharaohs.
*'''[[Hathor|Ahathoor]]'''—The cow-headed goddess of love, music and dance.
*'''[[Tum]]'''—The first formed of the nine primary Egyptian gods.
*'''[[Khephra]]'''—Form of Ra as a scarab, or dung beetle.

==See also==
*[[Magick in Theory & Practice#Rituals of Thelema|Rituals of Thelema]]

==References==
*Crowley, Aleister. (1982). ''Magick Without Tears.'' Phoenix, AZ : Falcon Press
*Crowley, Aleister. (1979). ''The Confessions of Aleister Crowley.'' London;Boston : Routledge & Kegan Paul.
[[Category:Thelema]] [[Category:Ritual]] [[Category:Works of Aleister Crowley]]

Oil of Abramelin

2005-10-23T16:15:26Z

Hierophag(e): /* History of the Oil of Abramelin */

{{stub}}

=Oil of Abramelin=

The '''Oil of Abramelin''' is a [[Holy Oil]] used to consecrate the magician and any [[magical weapons]] he or she will be utilizing while in the [[Temple]]. It is also used in [[Thelema]] in the construction of the [[Eucharist]], the [[Cake of Light]].

=History of the Oil of Abramelin=

The manuscript that served as the basis for ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' was believed to have been written in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century e.v. It is generally accepted on faith as being a French translation of the original work written in 1458 e.v. The recipe for the Holy Oil given therein is derived from a much older recipe mentioned in the Jewish Holy Book of Exodus (vv. XXX:22-25).

These verses contain a recipe that is given to [[Moses]] directly from Jehovah and was to be used in annointing the Holy Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant and all other ritual implements of importance to the Israelites. The recipe given in the Old Testament is very similar to that of the Abramelin text with differences in some of the herbs used as well as the proportions necessary for its production. A comparison of the recipes may be made below.

Crowley, who believed in the supreme importance of the Abramelin Operation to the magician's progress, changed the recipe further to include only essential oils as well as modifing the proporations given in the Abramelin text. It was his belief that the oil was to be the [[Holy Oil]] of the [[Aeon of Horus]]. The Oil of Abramelin is also the only oil to be mentioned in [[the Book of the Law]].

Since the technology to distill essential oils from plants wasn't generally available until around 1500 in Europe it is questionable whether Abraham of Wurzburg, the supposed author of the original Abramelin text, had access to such knowledge in 1458. However, by that time the Arabs had already developed the art of distillation and it is not inconceivable that the mage, Abramelin, had access to this information and may have passed it on to Abraham.

=Recipes from Various Sources=

*Recipe for Oil of Abramelin from ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' - by [[Samuel_Liddell_MacGregor_Mathers|S.L. Mathers]]

::''You shall prepare the Sacred Oil in this manner: Take of myrrh in tears, one part; of fine cinnamon, two parts; of galangal half a part; and the half of the total weight of these drugs of the best oil olive. The which aromatics you shall mix together according unto the Art of the Apothecary, and shall make thereof a Balsam, the which you shall keep in a glass vial which you shall put within the cupboard (formed by the interior) of the Altar.''
:::- From the Eleventh Chapter: ''Concerning the Selection of the Place''

*Recipe from the Book of Exodus, vv. XXX:

::''Exd 30:22'' Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
::''Exd 30:23'' Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, [even] two hundred and fifty [shekels], and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty [shekels],
::''Exd 30:24'' And of cassia five hundred [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
::''Exd 30:25'' And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

* Recipe from Crowley's ''Liber ABA: Book 4'' (1994), footnote number 233, page 715:
::8 parts cinnamon oil
::2 parts galangal
::7 parts olive oil
::4 parts myrrh

=External Links=
* [http://www.arcane-archive.org/faqs/aboilref.php Abramelin Oil FAQ]
* [http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/oil.htm Basis for a Consecration Ritual for the Holy Oil from the Invisible Basilica]
* [http://www.sekhetmaat.com/www/html/ritual/misc/abramelin_group_bhw.html Holy Oil Consecration Ritual from Sekhet Maat Lodge, OTO]

Oil of Abramelin

2005-10-23T16:05:24Z

Hierophag(e): /* Oil of Abramelin */

{{stub}}

=Oil of Abramelin=

The '''Oil of Abramelin''' is a [[Holy Oil]] used to consecrate the magician and any [[magical weapons]] he or she will be utilizing while in the [[Temple]]. It is also used in [[Thelema]] in the construction of the [[Eucharist]], the [[Cake of Light]].

=History of the Oil of Abramelin=

The manuscript that served as the basis for ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' was believed to have been written in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century e.v. It is generally accepted on faith as being a French translation of the original work written in 1458 e.v. The recipe for the Holy Oil given therein is derived from a much older recipe mentioned in the Jewish Holy Book of Exodus (vv. XXX:22-25).

These verses contain a recipe that is given to [[Moses]] directly from Jehovah and was to be used in annointing the Holy Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant and all other ritual implements. The recipe given in the Old Testament is very similar to that of the Abramelin text with subtle differences in the herbs used.

Crowley, who believed in the supreme importance of the Abramelin Operation to the magician, changed the recipe further to include only essential oils. He also believed the oil to be the Holy Oil of the [[Aeon of Horus]]. The Oil of Abramelin is also the only oil to be mentioned in [[the Book of the Law]].

Since the technology to distill essential oils from plants wasn't generally available until around 1500 in Europe it is questionable whether Abraham of Wurzburg, the supposed author of the original Abramelin text, had access to such knowledge in 1458. However, by that time the Arabs had already developed the art of distillation and it is not inconceivable that the mage, Abramelin, had access to this information and may have passed it to Abraham.

=Recipes from Various Sources=

*Recipe for Oil of Abramelin from ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' - by [[Samuel_Liddell_MacGregor_Mathers|S.L. Mathers]]

::''You shall prepare the Sacred Oil in this manner: Take of myrrh in tears, one part; of fine cinnamon, two parts; of galangal half a part; and the half of the total weight of these drugs of the best oil olive. The which aromatics you shall mix together according unto the Art of the Apothecary, and shall make thereof a Balsam, the which you shall keep in a glass vial which you shall put within the cupboard (formed by the interior) of the Altar.''
:::- From the Eleventh Chapter: ''Concerning the Selection of the Place''

*Recipe from the Book of Exodus, vv. XXX:

::''Exd 30:22'' Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
::''Exd 30:23'' Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, [even] two hundred and fifty [shekels], and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty [shekels],
::''Exd 30:24'' And of cassia five hundred [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
::''Exd 30:25'' And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

* Recipe from Crowley's ''Liber ABA: Book 4'' (1994), footnote number 233, page 715:
::8 parts cinnamon oil
::2 parts galangal
::7 parts olive oil
::4 parts myrrh

=External Links=
* [http://www.arcane-archive.org/faqs/aboilref.php Abramelin Oil FAQ]
* [http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/oil.htm Basis for a Consecration Ritual for the Holy Oil from the Invisible Basilica]
* [http://www.sekhetmaat.com/www/html/ritual/misc/abramelin_group_bhw.html Holy Oil Consecration Ritual from Sekhet Maat Lodge, OTO]

Lon Milo DuQuette

2005-10-23T16:02:52Z

Hierophag(e): /* Lon Milo DuQuette */

==Lon Milo DuQuette==

Lon Milo DuQuette, IX° is one of a handful of individuals initiated (1975) by [[Hymenaeus Alpha]] 777 (Grady L. McMurtry’s) after the death of [[Karl Germer]] and prior to McMurtry’s formal reorganization of the OTO. 1n 2004, upon the death of his former teacher, [[Phyllis Seckler]], DuQuette inherited the distinction of being in the OTO longer than any other living member.

He is currently the [[U.S. Deputy Grand Master General]], and enjoys the unique position of Archbishop of [[Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica]], a prelacy conferred upon him by both Hymenaeus Alpha, and [[Hymenaeus Beta]].

DuQuette has written numerous books, many of which pertain to magick and Thelema. He lives in Costa Mesa, California with his wife (since 1967), Bishop [[Constance Jean DuQuette]], an OTO initiate since 1976.

Oil of Abramelin

2005-10-23T03:46:40Z

Hierophag(e):

{{stub}}

=Oil of Abramelin=

The '''Oil of Abramelin''' is a Holy Oil used to consecrate the magician and any [[magical weapons]] he or she will be utilizing while in the [[Temple]]. It is also used in [[Thelema]] for the construction of the [[Eucharist]], the [[Cake of Light]].

=History of the Oil of Abramelin=

The manuscript that served as the basis for ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' was believed to have been written in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century e.v. It is generally accepted on faith as being a French translation of the original work written in 1458 e.v. The recipe for the Holy Oil given therein is derived from a much older recipe mentioned in the Jewish Holy Book of Exodus (vv. XXX:22-25).

These verses contain a recipe that is given to [[Moses]] directly from Jehovah and was to be used in annointing the Holy Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant and all other ritual implements. The recipe given in the Old Testament is very similar to that of the Abramelin text with subtle differences in the herbs used.

Crowley, who believed in the supreme importance of the Abramelin Operation to the magician, changed the recipe further to include only essential oils. He also believed the oil to be the Holy Oil of the [[Aeon of Horus]]. The Oil of Abramelin is also the only oil to be mentioned in [[the Book of the Law]].

Since the technology to distill essential oils from plants wasn't generally available until around 1500 in Europe it is questionable whether Abraham of Wurzburg, the supposed author of the original Abramelin text, had access to such knowledge in 1458. However, by that time the Arabs had already developed the art of distillation and it is not inconceivable that the mage, Abramelin, had access to this information and may have passed it to Abraham.

=Recipes from Various Sources=

*Recipe for Oil of Abramelin from ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' - by [[Samuel_Liddell_MacGregor_Mathers|S.L. Mathers]]

::''You shall prepare the Sacred Oil in this manner: Take of myrrh in tears, one part; of fine cinnamon, two parts; of galangal half a part; and the half of the total weight of these drugs of the best oil olive. The which aromatics you shall mix together according unto the Art of the Apothecary, and shall make thereof a Balsam, the which you shall keep in a glass vial which you shall put within the cupboard (formed by the interior) of the Altar.''
:::- From the Eleventh Chapter: ''Concerning the Selection of the Place''

*Recipe from the Book of Exodus, vv. XXX:

::''Exd 30:22'' Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
::''Exd 30:23'' Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, [even] two hundred and fifty [shekels], and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty [shekels],
::''Exd 30:24'' And of cassia five hundred [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
::''Exd 30:25'' And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

* Recipe from Crowley's ''Liber ABA: Book 4'' (1994), footnote number 233, page 715:
::8 parts cinnamon oil
::2 parts galangal
::7 parts olive oil
::4 parts myrrh

=External Links=
* [http://www.arcane-archive.org/faqs/aboilref.php Abramelin Oil FAQ]
* [http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/oil.htm Basis for a Consecration Ritual for the Holy Oil from the Invisible Basilica]
* [http://www.sekhetmaat.com/www/html/ritual/misc/abramelin_group_bhw.html Holy Oil Consecration Ritual from Sekhet Maat Lodge, OTO]

Oil of Abramelin

2005-10-23T03:38:56Z

Hierophag(e): /* Recipes from Various Sources */

{{stub}}
=Oil of Abramelin=
The '''Oil of Abramelin''' is a Holy Oil used to consecrate the magician and any [[magical weapons]] he or she will be utilizing while in the [[Temple]]. It is also used in [[Thelema]] for the construction of the [[Eucharist]], the [[Cake of Light]].

=History of the Oil of Abramelin=
The manuscript that served as the basis for ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' was believed to have been written in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century e.v. It is generally accepted on faith as being a French translation of the original work written in 1458 e.v. The recipe for the Holy Oil given therein is derived from a much older recipe mentioned in the Jewish Holy Book of Exodus (vv. XXX:22-25).

These verses contain a recipe that is given to [[Moses]] directly from Jehovah and was to be used in annointing the Holy Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant and all other ritual implements. The recipe given in the Old Testament is very similar to that of the Abramelin text with subtle differences in the herbs used.

Crowley, who believed in the supreme importance of the Abramelin Operation to the magician, changed the recipe further to include only essential oils. He also believed the oil to be the Holy Oil of the [[Aeon of Horus]]. The Oil of Abramelin is also the only oil to be mentioned in [[the Book of the Law]].

Since the technology to distill essential oils from plants wasn't generally available until around 1500 in Europe it is questionable whether Abraham of Wurzburg, the supposed author of the original Abramelin text, had access to such knowledge in 1458. However, by that time the Arabs had already developed the art of distillation and it is not inconceivable that the mage, Abramelin, had access to this information and may have passed it to Abraham.

=Recipes from Various Sources=

*Recipe for Oil of Abramelin from ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' - by [[Samuel_Liddell_MacGregor_Mathers|S.L. Mathers]]

::''You shall prepare the Sacred Oil in this manner: Take of myrrh in tears, one part; of fine cinnamon, two parts; of galangal half a part; and the half of the total weight of these drugs of the best oil olive. The which aromatics you shall mix together according unto the Art of the Apothecary, and shall make thereof a Balsam, the which you shall keep in a glass vial which you shall put within the cupboard (formed by the interior) of the Altar.''
:::- From the Eleventh Chapter: ''Concerning the Selection of the Place''

*Recipe from the Book of Exodus, vv. XXX:

::''Exd 30:22'' Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
::''Exd 30:23'' Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, [even] two hundred and fifty [shekels], and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty [shekels],
::''Exd 30:24'' And of cassia five hundred [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
::''Exd 30:25'' And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

* Recipe from Crowley's ''Liber ABA: Book 4'' (1994), footnote number 233, page 715:
::8 parts cinnamon oil
::2 parts galangal
::7 parts olive oil
::4 parts myrrh

Oil of Abramelin

2005-10-23T03:37:30Z

Hierophag(e):

{{stub}}
=Oil of Abramelin=
The '''Oil of Abramelin''' is a Holy Oil used to consecrate the magician and any [[magical weapons]] he or she will be utilizing while in the [[Temple]]. It is also used in [[Thelema]] for the construction of the [[Eucharist]], the [[Cake of Light]].

=History of the Oil of Abramelin=
The manuscript that served as the basis for ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' was believed to have been written in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century e.v. It is generally accepted on faith as being a French translation of the original work written in 1458 e.v. The recipe for the Holy Oil given therein is derived from a much older recipe mentioned in the Jewish Holy Book of Exodus (vv. XXX:22-25).

These verses contain a recipe that is given to [[Moses]] directly from Jehovah and was to be used in annointing the Holy Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant and all other ritual implements. The recipe given in the Old Testament is very similar to that of the Abramelin text with subtle differences in the herbs used.

Crowley, who believed in the supreme importance of the Abramelin Operation to the magician, changed the recipe further to include only essential oils. He also believed the oil to be the Holy Oil of the [[Aeon of Horus]]. The Oil of Abramelin is also the only oil to be mentioned in [[the Book of the Law]].

Since the technology to distill essential oils from plants wasn't generally available until around 1500 in Europe it is questionable whether Abraham of Wurzburg, the supposed author of the original Abramelin text, had access to such knowledge in 1458. However, by that time the Arabs had already developed the art of distillation and it is not inconceivable that the mage, Abramelin, had access to this information and may have passed it to Abraham.

=Recipes from Various Sources=

*Recipe for Oil of Abramelin from ''The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage'' - by [[Samuel_Liddell_MacGregor_Mathers|S.L. Mathers]]

::''You shall prepare the Sacred Oil in this manner: Take of myrrh in tears, one part; of fine cinnamon, two parts; of galangal half a part; and the half of the total weight of these drugs of the best oil olive. The which aromatics you shall mix together according unto the Art of the Apothecary, and shall make thereof a Balsam, the which you shall keep in a glass vial which you shall put within the cupboard (formed by the interior) of the Altar.''
:::- From the Eleventh Chapter: ''Concerning the Selection of the Place''

*Recipe from the Book of Exodus, vv. XXX:

::''Exd 30:22'' Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
::''Exd 30:23'' Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, [even] two hundred and fifty [shekels], and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty [shekels],
::''Exd 30:24'' And of cassia five hundred [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
::''Exd 30:25'' And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

* Recipe from Crowley's ''Liber ABA: Book 4'' (1994), footnote number 233, page 715:
::8 parts cinnamon oil
::2 parts galangal
::7 parts olive oil
::4 parts myrrh

Religion

2005-10-23T02:39:04Z

Hierophag(e): /* Sources of authority */

{{religion}}

'''Religion''' is, in its broadest sense, defined as the answers given to explain humankind's relationship with the universe. In the course of the development of religion, it has taken an almost infinite number of forms in various cultures and individuals. Religion today is dominated by a number of major world religions.

Occasionally, the word "religion" is used to designate what should be more properly described as a "religious organization" - that is, an organization of people that supports the exercise of some religion, often taking the form of a legal entity.

The relationship of Thelema to Religion is arguably a unique one. Consider the motto of the [[Equinox (publication)|Equinox]], published by the [[A.'.A.'.]]:

:'''''The Method of Science; the Aim of Religion'''''

==The nature and content of religion==
===Defining "religion"===

Beyond the above, very broad definition of religion, there are a variety of uses and meanings for the word "religion." Some of the approaches are as follows:

* One definition, sometimes called the "function-based approach," defines religion as any set of beliefs and practices that have the function of addressing the fundamental questions of human identity, ethics, death and the existence of the Divine (if any). This broad definition encompasses all systems of belief, including those that deny the existence of any god, those that affirm the existence of one God, those that affirm the existence of many gods, and those that pass on the question for lack of proof.

* A second definition, sometimes called the "form-based approach," defines religion as any set of beliefs which makes claims that lie beyond the realm of scientific observation, according to some authority or personal experience with the Divine. This narrower definition places "religion" in contradistinction with [[rationalism]], [[secular humanism]], [[atheism]], and [[agnosticism]], which do not appeal to authority or personal experience in coming to their beliefs, but instead appeal to their interpretation of [[science]].

* A third definition, sometimes called the "physical evidence approach," defines religion as the beliefs about cause and effect that [[Occam's Razor]] would remove as recognizing causes that are more than what is both true and sufficient to explain the physical evidence. By this definition then, non-religion is any set of beliefs that admits no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearance.

* A fourth definition, sometimes called the "organizational approach," defines religion as the formal institutions, creeds, organizations, practices, and rules of conduct, of all major, institutionalized religions. This definition places "religion" in contradistinction to "spirituality," and therefore does not include the claims "spirituality" makes to actual contact, service, or worship of the Divine. In this definition, however, religion and spirituality are not mutually exclusive: a religious person may be spiritual or unspiritual, and a spiritual person may be religious or non-religious. By analogy, "religion" is the coal, wood, or gasoline, while "spirituality" is the fire.

===Approaches to distinguishing religion from non-religion===
''Approaches to distinguishing religion from non-religion'' can be divided into two broadly defined schools of thought: function-based approaches and form-based approaches.

Religion is subject to much discussion in the fields of [[theology]], [[psychology]], [[sociology]], and [[anthropology]]. Specialists in these fields, as well as ordinary people—[[theism|theists]], [[atheism|atheists]], and [[agnosticism|agnostics]] alike-often disagree about the fundamental nature of religion. Consequently, any discussion of religion must begin by answering certain "basic" questions such as "What is a religious belief?", "What is the difference between religious and [[secular]] beliefs?", "How do we recognize what are religious beliefs?", "Are religions individual or group activities?", and "What methodology shall we use to investigate these questions?". The answers to these questions and similar questions can then serve as a common ground upon which further discussion can be based.

If the conclusions of a discussion are to be accepted by people from diverse religious backgrounds, then that discussion must make as few assumptions as possible. However, all societies and this article start with the following a priori assumptions:

* There are sets of beliefs that are "religious".

* These beliefs are distinct from non-religious beliefs and recognizable as "religious".

* (The most controversial) There are ways to recognize which beliefs are "religious" and which are "non-religious".

The last one is most controversial because there are two main ways of looking at the world, each bringing with it certain a priori assumptions that are usually not recognized. While a study of a particular religion made by either viewpoint may come to many of the same conclusions, differences between the two approaches include what beliefs are to be considered religious and the effects of religions.

====By function====
One approach, sometimes referred to as "Hebrew thought," defines "religion" as any set of beliefs that fulfills certain functions in an individual’s life, especially answering questions about [[creation belief|our origins]], [[ontology|present existence]] and [[teleology|where are we going and how shall we get there?]], thereby forming the individual's attitudes, values, morality and actions. Consequently, adherents of this approach regard any belief system which answers any of these questions as "religious", including such non-theistic belief systems as Communism, [[Secular Humanism|secular humanism]], and [[evolution|biological evolution]].

The main advantage of this approach is its ability to incorporate seamlessly all of the belief systems that are considered religious, including some of the [[agnosticism|agnostic]] forms of [[Hinduism]] and [[Buddhism]]; according to its advocates, another advantage is its recognition of the fact that the phenomenon usually perceived as conflict between “religion” and “anti-religion” is in fact competition between different [[Fundamentalism|fundamentalisms]].

One difficulty in applying this approach is the fact that many individuals hold multiple belief systems, some of which may be contradictory, and some [[hypocrisy|feigned]]; consequently, it is often difficult to recognize the effect that any particular belief system has on an individual. Another difficulty is that it tries to evaluate what act as the inner guiding principles within an individual, his "religion" as it were, by the fruits those principles produce in his attitudes, values, morality and actions. It does not necessarily consider those beliefs and associations he admits to in public. Though this is a difficulty, it can be used to identify those who truly are adherents to a particular religion versus those who merely join the organization for reasons other than belief.

When studying specific religions or comparative religions, a functional study typically starts with an analysis of the teachings of the belief system, which includes an analysis of the "sacred writings" connected with the belief system if they exist. In this analysis, attention is paid to internal consistency, to whether or not the belief system answers the basic functional questions of origins, ontology and teleology, how well it correlates to observation and how it guides an individual's attitudes, values, morality and actions, even how he thinks. It looks at how integrated the religion is with daily life: is it merely ritual that once acted upon can be forgotten as done, or is it a belief that should inform every action an individual does?

A functional study also looks at those who claim to follow the religion to see if they truly follow it or not, and why.

Questions concerning group beliefs, actions and institutions, though important, are secondary because they are a result of [[doctrine]] and individual response. They may actually represent cultural norms and institutions rather than individual belief and practice, so that though they may appear to be a religion, they really aren't.

Some social scientists, such as Emile Durkheim, emphasize the social aspects of functional forms of religion, as a means of providing social cohesion and community. Other social scientists now define religion by its consequences not in social life but in the personal life of individuals. These authors define religion as “a combination of forms and symbolic acts which relate the individual to the ultimate conditions of his existence." (Richard Bellah, “Religious Evolution”, 1964, p. 358), or as “a system of beliefs and practices through which a group of people faces the fundamental problems of life.” (Yinger, J. Milton, "The Scientific Study of Religion," Macmillan, 1970, p. 7)

This approach is also illustrated by the 4th definition of religion in Webster's Online Dictionary, which defines religion as "a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith."

====By form====
Also called "[[Greek thought]]", it is the method most widely used by far. It is almost universally used in academia and among [[sociology|sociologists]], [[anthropology|anthropologists]] and Western philosophers.

Most people, particularly those influenced by "Western" culture, almost instinctively recognize which of their beliefs are to be called "religious" and which "secular". Usually unconsciously, they have already made a priori assumptions such as "There are beliefs that are 'religious'", "Religious beliefs are not the same as secular beliefs" and typical assumptions imparted by western culture to recognize "religious" beliefs include:

* A belief is religious if those who believe it label it as “religion”.

* A belief is religious if it deals with "spiritual" matters.

* A belief is religious if it results in ritual practices designed to invoke a higher reality. Examples include prayer and worship.

* If a belief is agnostic or atheistic and does not result in ritual practices, it is "secular".

* If a belief, organization and rituals associated with them are not intended to promote a "religious" teaching, then they are "secular". Secular political parties in secular government with their beliefs and rituals are examples of secular organizations.

* If a belief is "[[science|scientific]]" then it is secular.

When studying specific religions and comparative religions, discussions typically begin by answering questions about uncontroversial, easily verifiable facts, such as "What beliefs do different groups of people hold?", "What practices are inspired by these beliefs?", and "What institutions arise as a result of these beliefs and practices?". Hopefully, answering these questions will create a body of data upon which all further discourse, including the answers to the "basic" questions mentioned in the first paragraph of this section, can then be based.

One advantage of this method is that people who hold to agnostic and atheistic belief systems can decide for themselves whether or not what they believe is a religious or secular belief system. Another advantage is that it conforms to widely held societal and academic norms, aiding in communication. Thirdly, in that it conforms to societal and academic norms, it avoids misunderstanding and conflict that can arise when using minority approaches, such as the functional approach above.

In contrast to the functional approach, the use of [[Greek thought]] as the methodology to study religion, with its emphasis on the inherently uncontroversial statements about religion's external manifestations, its expressed statements and rituals, is far less controversial and easily recognizable, therefore are more readily accepted by people with widely differing views of religion. Consequently, most major thinkers prefer to begin by examining the easily observable external forms of religion.

This approach is also illustrated by definition 1b of religion in Webster's Online dictionary, which describes religion as, "the service and worship of God or the supernatural."

====Practical examples====
The question how to distinguish a religion from a non-religion is not just a theoretical question. In the case of [[Scientology]] it has been disputed in court, for example in the [[Netherlands]]. Classification as a religion gives tax privileges. Scientology's critics claim that it is a business and not a genuine religion. See [[Scientology controversy]].

[[Discordianism]] has been described as both an elaborate joke disguised as a religion, and a religion disguised as an elaborate joke. Some of its followers make the claim that it is "a religion disguised as a joke disguised as a religion." Some Discordians have described Discordians as Taoists with a strange sense of humor and the inability to sit still. The reader is welcomed to try their hand at determining what Discordianism is for it is a very difficult case study to discern.

====Religious Thelema====
{{partial}}

See also: [[Arguments for why Thelema is a religion]]

=====Some religious concepts and practices in the Thelemic literature=====
*[[Thelemic Holidays]]
*[[Cakes of Light]]
*[[Eucharist]]
*[[Sacrament]]s
*[[Saying Will]]
*[[Invocation]]
*[[Thelemic Godforms]]
*[[The Holy Books of Thelema]]

=====The O.T.O. as Religious Organization=====
<blockquote>Professor William James, in his ''Varieties of Religious Experience,'' has well classified religion as the "once-born" and the "twice-born"; but the religion now proclaimed in Liber Legis harmonizes these by transcending them. --Aleister Crowley, ''Magick'' p. 159</blockquote>
In ''Magick Without Tears'', Crowley wrote, "To sum up, our system is a religion just so far as a religion means an enthusiastic putting-together of a series of doctrines, no one of which must in any way clash with Science or Magick." (p. 219) He specifically described [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] as "the first of the great religious Societies to accept the Law," strongly implying that the Law of Thelema was a suitable basis for religious activity. O.T.O. Grand Master Sabazius has articulated an advocacy of "scientific religion" under the rubric of Thelema, a phrase that originally occurred in the "Constitution of the Order of Thelemites" approved by Crowley. Crowley also considered Freemasonry to be essentially religious in character, a position detailed in Chapter 49 of his ''Confessions.''

Within O.T.O., the existence of a Church with forms and officers that bear a superficial similarity to Christianity has sometimes led people to assert that the [[Gnostic Catholic Church]] is "the Thelemic religion" to the exclusion of the remainder of O.T.O. (which is in fact religious in both origin and current instantiation), and other Thelemic groups. In fact, Thelema depends on a synchronization of many earlier religious forms, and the vast majority of its expressions can be fairly characterized as religious.

=====Some religious concepts and practices in the O.T.O.=====
*[[Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica]]
*[[E.G.C. Ceremonies|Ecclesiastical Ceremonies]]
*[[Gnostic Mass|The Gnostic Mass]]
*[[Gnostic Creed|The Gnostic Creed]]
*[[The Gnostic Saints]]

====Nonreligious Thelema====
*See [[Arguments against Thelema being a religion]]

====Crowley on Thelema & Religion====
*To sum up, our system is a religion just so far as a religion means an enthusiastic putting-together of a series of doctrines, no one of which must in any way clash with Science or Magick. ... Call it a new religion, then, if it so please your Gracious Majesty; but I confess that I fail to see what you will have gained by so doing, and I feel bound to add that you might easily cause a great deal of misunderstanding, and work a rather stupid kind of mischief. ... The word [religion] does not occur in ''[[The Book of the Law]]''. —''Magick without Tears'', Chapter 31, ''Religion—Is Thelema a "New Religion"?''

*Professor William James, in his Varieties of Religious Experience, has well classified religion as the 'once-born' and the 'twice-born'; but the religion now proclaimed in Liber Legis harmonizes these by transcending them. —''Magick, Book 4''

*[OTO is] the first of the great religious Societies to accept the Law. —''[[Equinox (publication)|Equinox]]'' Volume 3, No. 1

*Human nature demands (in the case of most people) the satisfaction of the religious instinct, and, to very many, this may best be done by ceremonial means. I wished therefore to construct a ritual through which people might enter into ecstasy as they have always done under the influence of appropriate ritual. In recent years, there has been an increasing failure to attain this object, because the established cults shock their intellectual convictions and outrage their common sense. Thus their minds criticize their enthusiasm; they are unable to consummate the union of their individual souls with the universal soul as a bridegroom would be to consummate his marriage if his love were constantly reminded that its assumptions were intellectually absurd. [...] I resolved that my Ritual should celebrate the sublimity of the operation of universal forces without introducing disputable metaphysical theories. I would neither make nor imply any statement about nature which would not be endorsed by the most materialistic man of science. —''Confessions''

*I wish here to emphasize that the Law of Thelema definitely enjoins us, as a necessary act of religion, to 'drink sweet wines and wines that foam.' Any free man or woman who resides in any community where this is verboten has a choice between two duties: insurrection and emigration. —Comment on Liber AL I:63

*Our religion therefore, for the People, is the Cult of the Sun, who is our particular star of the Body of Nuit, from whom, in the strictest scientific sense, come this earth, a chilled spark of Him, and all our Light and Life. —Comment on Liber AL III:22

*Therefore we hold Love holy, our heart's religion, our mind's science. —Comment on Liber AL I:52

*I claim for my system that it satisfies all possible requirements of true freemasonry. It offers a rational basis for universal brotherhood and for universal religion. —''Confessions''

*12. The Order of Thelemites is categorically opposed to: (a) All superstitious religions, as obstacles to the establishment of scientific religion; ... —''Constitution of the Order of Thelemites''

*What is the curse upon religion that its tenets must always be associated with every kind of extravagance and falsehood? ... There is one exception; it is the [[A.'.A.'.]], whose members are extremely careful to make no statement at all that cannot be verified in the usual manner; or where this is not easy, at least avoid anything like a dogmatic statement. —''Magick, Book 4''

*... I agree with practically every word reported of the Yogi Jesus, and nearly every word of the Essene. True, I reject Salvationism, and the Jewish element of prophecies fulfilled, and the praise of the Law of Moses; but trust humbly that any deficiency in these respects may be more than made up by superfluity in another. For not only do I hold the cult of John Barleycorn to be the only true religion, but have established his worship anew; in the last three years branches of my organization have sprung up all over the world to celebrate the ancient rite. So mote it be. —''The Gospel According to St. Bernard Shaw''

=== Questions that religions address ===
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Religions are systems of belief which typically seek to answer questions about the following issues:
*[[Creation belief]]s, which seek to explain the origin of the [[universe]], the [[Earth]], [[life]], and [[humanity]];
*Beliefs regarding the existence (or non-existence) and nature of [[Deity]] (or Deities) (cf [[God]]), the divine, the sacred and the [[supernatural]];
*Beliefs regarding the appropriate means and methods for relating to the divine, the sacred, other people, animals, the natural world around us, and ourselves;
*Means to identify and celebrate the experience of supreme value;
*A sense of identify seeking to achieve completeness in relation to all wants and desires;
*Development of a purpose in life, and the identification of appropriate goals for life;
*An ethical framework, including a definition of activities which are "good" and "bad";
*Beliefs regarding other possible states of being like [[heaven]], [[nirvana]], [[purgatory]] or [[hell]], and how to prepare for them;
*Explanations for and understandings of the existence of evil and suffering, and the articulation of a [[theodicy]];

Generally, the different religions and the non-religious all have different answers for the above concerns, and many religions provide a range of answers to each question.

=== Religious practices ===
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Practices based upon religious beliefs typically include:
* [[Prayer]]
* [[Worship]]
* Regular assembly with other believers
* A priesthood or clergy or some other religious functionary to lead and/or help the adherents of the religion
* Ceremonies and/or traditions unique to the set of beliefs
* A means of preserving adherence to the canonical beliefs and practice of that religion
* Codes for behavior in other aspects of life to ensure consistency with the set of beliefs, i.e., a [[moral code]], like the ten [[yamas]] (restraints) of Hinduism or the [[Ten Commandments]] of the [[Old Testament]], flowing from the beliefs rather than being defined by the beliefs, with the moral code often being elevated to the status of a legal code that is enforced by followers of that religion
* Maintenance and study of scripture, or [[sacred text|texts they hold as sacred]] uniquely different from other writings, and which records or is the basis of the fundamental beliefs of that religion

Adherents of a particular religion typically gather together to celebrate holy days, to recite or chant scripture, to [[pray]], to worship, and provide spiritual assistance to each other. However, solitary practice of prayer and [[meditation]] is often seen to be just as important, as is living out religious convictions in secular activities when in the company of people who are not necessarily adherents to that religion. This is often a function of the religion in question.

=== Contrasts among religions ===
Religions diverge widely with regard in the answers they provide to the questions listed above, and the practices of the religious faithful. For example:

==== Number of gods ====
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* Monotheistic religions assert that there is one God, distinct and separate from Nature as we understand it. Examples include [[Judaism]], [[Sikhism]], [[Christianity]], [[Islam]], the [[Bahá'í Faith]], and the dualistic schools of [[Hinduism]], including the [[Dvaita]] school of [[Vaishnavism]], and the dualist [[Saiva Siddhanta]] school of [[Shaivism]]. The more prevalent form of monotheism present in Hinduism which differs from the monotheism prevalent in Semitic religions is [[monistic theism]] .
** Trinitarian religions assert that there is one God with three persons. Examples include the majority of Christian denominations, with the exceptions of [[Oneness Pentecostals]];
** [[Henotheism | Henotheistic]] religions assert that there are many gods and/or deities of varying attributes, but One God is ultimately supreme. Examples include the strains of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism (especially [[Shaivism]] and [[Vaishnavism]]), that acknowledge [[angels]], [[demons]], [[devas]], [[asuras]], or other gods of whom the One God is greatest, as well as many animistic traditions, particularly in Africa;
* Polytheistic religions such as [[Greco-Roman religion]] assert that there are many Gods;
* [[Pantheistic]] and [[Panentheistic]], or "natural" religions believe that God and everything in nature are aspects of a continuous spiritual plane, and are thus essentially inseparable. Examples include (to various degrees): the pantheistic and panentheistic schools of [[Shaivism]] and [[Vaishnavism]] in [[Hinduism]], [[Shintoism]], and some [[animism|animistic]] traditions.
* Non-theistic religions (such as [[Buddhism]]) make no claim as to the existence or non-existence of God;
* Atheistic religions (such as [[Jainism]] and [[Secular Humanism]]) do not believe in a god, gods or goddesses.;
* Out of point of interest [[agnosticism|agnostics]] will often talk in terms of not knowing the number of gods, whether it be thousands, one, or zero.

==== Gender of gods ====
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* Some religious individuals describe their gods as being without gender, and embodying both traditionally masculine and traditionally feminine attributes;
* Some religious individuals describe their gods as being without gender, but having many traditionally masculine characteristics.
* Other religious individuals describe their gods as being without gender, but having many traditionally feminine characteristics.
* Other religions describe gods as being tangibly masculine or feminine. Examples include traditional mythological religions.

==== Sources of authority ====
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* Sacred Texts provide authority to believers who regard the text as authoritative, divinely dictated, divinely inspired, and/or inerrant. Examples include the [[Qur'an]], the [[Vedas]], the [[Kitáb-i-Aqdas]] and the [[Bible]];
* Prophets provide authority to believers who regard the prophet as having either spectacular personal insight, or direct personal communication with the Divine. Examples include [[Jesus]], [[Buddha]], [[Moses]], [[Bahá'u'lláh]], and [[Mohammed|Muhammad]];
* Science and Reason provide authority to believers who regard science and reason as providing answers to many of the fundamental questions asked and answered by religion. Examples include [[Secular Humanism]], and [[Atheism]];
* Tradition provides authority to believers who regard the customs of their ancestors to be particularly important and a source of Divine Truth; examples include [[Shamanism]] and some aspects of [[Shintoism]];
* Personal Experience provides authority to believers who believe they have had personal contact with Deity or Deities, or some other event of particular religious significance to them.

====Organizational structure ====
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* Centralized religions develop a highly structured organization intended to develop and assure doctrinal purity, and aid believers in their efforts to life by that faith. Examples include [[Roman Catholicism]], early [[Islam]], and [[Hassidic Judaism]];

* Decentralized religions develop independent of any centralizing force, and therefore demonstrate a great deal of variety with regard to belief and practice. Examples include [[Hinduism]], the [[mythology|mythologies]] of ancient Greece and Egypt, and modern [[Paganism|Pagan]] revivals such as [[Wicca]] or [[Asatru]] (see also [[Neopaganism]]).

====Ethical focus====
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* Behavior-based religions emphasize the importance of a believer participating in certain customs, rituals, and behaviors. Examples include Hassidic Judaism, and many animistic traditions;
* Spiritual Philosophy religions emphasize extensive practical teachings for achieving human happiness or equanimity in the natural world with a lesser focus on the supernatural. Examples: [[Buddhism]], [[Taoism]], and [[Confucianism]]. Others like Hinduism emphasize such beliefs but still do believe in a personal, supreme God which can be expressed in a variety of ways.
* Relationship-based religions emphasize the maintenance of a proper relationship with the Divine, either by Personal Relationship (in the case of Evangelical Christianity), by obedience and submission to God's Will (in the case of Islam), or repentance and forgiveness for sin (in the case of traditional Christianity).
* Ideologically-based religions emphasize the achievement of some earthly ideological goal. Some, such as Communism, developed the traditionally "religious" attributes of "sacred" texts, rituals, and the near-deification of certain leaders.

(It should be noted that, to one degree or another, most religions draw from all types of ethics; however, most traditionally emphasize one over the others)

====Afterlife====
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*[[Hinduism]] asserts that humans are continually reborn, until they reach [[Moksha]], a state of union with God or [[Saguna Brahman]] expressed as [[Vishnu]] or [[Shiva]] or as what followers of the [[Advaita]] school believe, union with the Impersonal Absolute and that one's good or evil behavior in this life determines the course of one's next life; accordingly, Hinduism does not believe in ''eternal damnation'' as God gives us many chances through subsequent reincarnations until we reach moksha. However, many Hindus believe there is a purgatory-like state analogous to Christianity where [[Yama]], the Hindu [[deva]], or Lord of Death, punishes humans before they reincarnate again.
*[[Theravada]] [[Buddhism]] asserts that a person's [[Karma|Kamma]] is continually reborn until they attain [[Nirvana]], and that rebirth is undesirable; [[Mahayana]] [[Buddhism]] is more in line with Hinduism with regard to certain beliefs on [[reincarnation]]. However, Buddhism's state of [[nirvana]] is not analogous to the Hindu concept of Moksha as Nirvana is a state of non-being or voidness and does not focus on the concept of a personal, Supreme Being that is allowed in [[Advaita]] and is mandated in the strict theistic schools such as that of [[Ramanuja]] and [[Madhva]].
*Christianity and [[Islam]] posit a Heaven and Hell, and God as judge to decide our eternal fate. Beyond that common ground, however, belief varies widely within the religions.
**[[Catholicism]] asserts that individuals are saved by declaring faith in God, but are still subject to punishment for unrepented sin at death, which is purified in [[purgatory]];
**Traditional [[Protestantism]] asserts that purely declaring their belief in the saving power of Jesus’s death and resurrection saves individuals;
**Some other Christians believe that individuals choose their own heaven or hell: if a person chooses to live in a self-created "Hell on Earth," they continue to choose that after death, and God ultimately gives them what they wish: distance from God and Joy. On the other hand, people that seek "Heaven on Earth" continue to seek Heaven after death, and God gives them what they desire: nearness of God, and Joy. See, for example, "The Great Divorce," by C.S. Lewis.
**Under most traditional Islamic belief, God judges us on the basis of our adherence to the five pillars of Islam, including acknowledgement of God, Muhammad, and living according to God's laws of Justice, Faith, and Mercy, and rewards us according to our acts on Earth.
*[[Judaism]] makes no particular claims regarding the afterlife.
* The [[Bahá'í Faith]] asserts that a person's soul continues to progress in the spiritual worlds of God after death until it reaches God. The purpose of this world is for the soul to acquire spiritual qualities (or virtues) so that it is closer to God once physical death occurs.
*[[Rastafarianism|Rastafarians]] believe in [[Physical Immortalism|Physical Immortality]]. Once their [[God]] [[Haile Selassie]] calls the Day of Judgement and takes them home to Africa and [[Zion]] they will live with him forever in their current physical bodies and on this current physical plane.

== Approaches to relating to the beliefs of others ==
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Adherents of particular religions deal with the differing doctrines and practices espoused by other religions in a variety ways. All strains of thought appear in different segments of all major world religions.

=== Exclusivism ===
People with exclusivist beliefs typically explain other religions as either in error, or as corruptions or counterfeits of the true faith. Examples include:

* Christians believe Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." John 14:6.

* The Qur'an states: "O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people." Qur'an 5:51.

* Jews believe God said to Israel through Moses: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles? wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

=== Inclusivism ===
People with [[inclusivism | inclusivist]] beliefs recognize some truth in all faith systems, highlighting agreements and minimizing differences, but see their own faith as in some way ultimate. Examples include:
*From Hinduism:
** A well-known Rig Vedic hymn stemming from [[Hinduism]] claims that "Truth is One, though the sages know it variously."
** [[Krishna]], incarnation or [[avatar]] of [[Vishnu]], the supreme God in Hinduism, said in the [[Gita]]: In whatever way men identify with Me, in the same way do I carry out their desires; men pursue My path, O Arjuna, in all ways. (Gita:4:11);
** Krishna said: "Whatever deity or form a devotee worships, I make his faith steady. However, their wishes are only granted by Me." (Gita: 7:21-22)
** Another quote in the Gita states: "O Arjuna, even those devotees who worship other lesser deities (e.g., [[Devas]], for example) with faith, they also worship Me, but in an improper way because I am the Supreme Being. I alone am the enjoyer of all sacrificial services (Seva, Yajna) and Lord of the universe." (Gita: 9:23)

* From Christianity:
**[[Jesus]] said, "He who is not against me is for me." Mark 9:40.
**Jesus said, "Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." Luke 12:10.
** The Apostle Peter wrote of God: "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
** An aphorism common in some Christian circles: "All Truth is God's Truth."

* From Islam:
** The [[Qur'an]] states: "Only argue with the People of the Book in the kindest way - except in the case of those of them who do wrong - saying, 'We have faith in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you. Our God and your God are one and we submit to Him.'" (Holy Qur'an, Surat al-'Ankabut; 29:46)
**"Among the people of the Book there are some who have iman in Allah and in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down to them, and who are humble before Allah. They do not sell Allah's Signs for a paltry price. Such people will have their reward with their Lord. And Allah is swift at reckoning." (Holy Qur'an, Surat Al 'Imran; 3:199)
**"...You will find the people most affectionate to those who have iman are those who say, 'We are Christians.' That is because some of them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant." (Holy Qur'an, Surat al-Ma'ida; 5:82)

*From Judaism:
**The Talmud states: "The righteous of all peoples have a place in the World-To-Come" (Tos. to Sanhedrin 13:2, Sifra to Leviticus 19:18), and affirms that the great majority of non-Jewish humanity will be saved, due to God's overwhelming mercy (BT Sanhedrin 105a).
**The Torah mentions a number of righteous gentiles, including Melchizedek who presided at offerings to God that Abraham made (Gen. 14:18), Job, a pagan Arab of the land of Uz who had a whole book of the Hebrew Bible devoted to him as a paragon of righteousness beloved of God (see the book of Job), and the Ninevites, the people given to cruelty and idolatry could be accepted by God when they repented (see the Book of Jonah).
**Rabbinic tradition asserts that the basic standard of righteousness was established in a covenant with Noah: anyone who keeps the seven commandments of this covenant is assured of salvation, no matter what their religion. This is standard Jewish teaching for the past two thousand years.

*From the Bahá'í Faith:
**Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith states: "The fundamental principle enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh, the followers of His Faith firmly believe, is that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process, that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin, that their basic principles are in complete harmony, that their aims and purposes are one and the same, that their teachings are but facets of one truth, that their functions are complementary, that they differ only in the nonessential aspects of their doctrines, and that their missions represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society." (The Faith of Bahá'u'lláh" in World Order, Vol. 7, No. 2 (1972-73)) [http://www.bic-un.bahai.org/47-0701.htm]

=== Pluralism ===
People with [[religious pluralism|pluralist]] beliefs make no distinction between faith systems, viewing each one as valid within a particular culture. Examples include:

* The Qur'an, revealed through Muhammad, states, "Those with Faith, those who are Jews, and the Christians and Sabaeans, all who have Faith in Allah and the Last Day and act rightly, will have their reward with their Lord. They will feel no fear and will know no sorrow." (Qur'an, Surat al-Baqara; 2:62)

* The Christian writer Paul wrote, "God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism. All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)" Romans 2:6-15.

=== Syncretism ===

People with syncretistic views blend the views of a variety of different religions or traditional beliefs into a unique fusion, which suits their particular experience and context.

==Religion in relation to other closely related topics==

=== Religion and spirituality ===
It is common to distinguish the concept of "religion" from the concept of "spirituality."

Individuals who ascribe to this distinction see spirituality as a belief in ideas of religious significance (such as God, the Soul, or Heaven) without being bound to the bureaucratic structure and creeds of a particular organized religion. They choose the term ''[[spirituality]]'' rather than religion to describe their form of belief, perhaps reflecting a large-scale disillusionment with organized religion that is occurring in much of the Western world (see [[#Religion in modernity|Religion in modernity]]), and a movement towards a more "modern" — more tolerant, and more intuitive — form of religion.

Many members of organized religion, of course, see no significant difference between the two terms, because they see spirituality at the heart of their religion, and see the church organization as a means of preserving that spirituality. Many of them associate themselves with an organized religion because they see the religious community as a means of maintaining and strengthening their Faith in fellowship with other believers. They see amorphous "spirituality" movements as "religions of convenience," in which individuals can choose whatever beliefs make them feel comfortable at the time, without being bound to any external standard of accountability.

Finally, it should be noted that many individuals, while still associating themselves with an organized religion, see a distinction between the mundane, earthly aspects of their religion and the spiritual dimension. They note that people may take part in organized religion purely for mundane reasons, for example, gaining security from such things as regular attendance at churches or temples, or the social comfort of fervently agreeing with other believers; they note that this sometimes is done without a corresponding spiritual dimension. They then conclude that such behavior is "religious" without being "spiritual." Further, some aspects of religion (for example, the Catholic Inquisition or Islamic Terrorism), are seen as completely contrary to the teachings of the religions' founders, who many believe taught tolerance and love. In support of this belief that religions may "lose their way," many cite things such as Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees, who represented organized religion in his context.

As a result, many who consider themselves deeply involved with the Divine may have come to reject much of the recognized aspects of established religion, in an effort to free themselves of the mundane trappings or perceived corruption of "religion."

===Religion and science===
Generally speaking, religion and science use different methods in their effort to ascertain [[Truth]]. Religion utilizes methods that are based upon [[subjective]] interpretation of personal intuition or experience, the authority of a perceived prophet or a sacred text. Science on the other hand uses the [[scientific method]], an [[objective]] process of investigation and acquisition of new [[knowledge]] based upon physical evidence, subject only to observable and verifiable phenomena.

Similarly, there are two types of questions which religion and science attempt to answer: questions of observable and verifiable phenomena (such as the laws of physics, or human moral codes), and questions of unobservable phenomena and value judgments (such as how the laws of physics came to be, and what is "good" and "bad").

People apply the two methods to the two categories of questions in a variety of ways.

*Some apply religious methods to all questions, both observable and unobservable; for example, [[Theravada|Theravaada Buddhists]] assert from the authority of the Buddha that the universe and the self are illusions and non-existent, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.
*Some apply religious methods to most questions, and apply scientific methods to a few; for example, up to the mid-16th Century most clergy and natural philosophers asserted, from purported Biblical authority, that the Earth was the [[Geocentrism|center of the universe]] and subject to certain natural laws, despite physical evidence that the Earth was not the center of the universe, and subject to radically different laws.
*Some apply religious methods only to questions of the unobservable and values, and apply scientific methods only to questions of the observable and verifiable; for instance, those that note the empirical evidence of evolution today, but assert from a religious basis that a supernatural God created the Universe and all the laws and phenomena therein.
*Some apply scientific methods to most questions, and apply religious methods to a few; for example, many atheists assert that there is no God for lack of empirical evidence, but still assert that there are fundamental moral laws and values that man ought to follow, ''a priori''.
*Some apply scientific methods to all questions, both observable and unobservable; for example, [[Nazis]], [[Communists]], [[Nihilism|Nihilists]], and [[Materialists]], who assert that Science ''necessitates'' certain philosophical, unobservable, unverifiable, and value-laden conclusions of a strongly religious nature, such as the superiority of certain races, the inevitability of proletarian rule, or the meaninglessness of life.

=== Religion and myth ===
The word "myth" has two meanings, according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:
# a person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence
# a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon

====Myth as "mere story"====
Ancient [[polytheism|polytheistic]] religions, such as those of [[Greek mythology|ancient Greece]], [[Roman mythology|ancient Rome]], [[Norse mythology|the Vikings]], etc., are often studied under the heading of [[mythology]]. Religions of pre-industrial peoples, or [[culture|cultures]] in development to industrial conditions, are similarly observed by the anthropology of religion. Mythology can be a term used pejoratively by religious and non-religious people both, by defining another person's religious stories and beliefs as mythology. Here myths are treated as fantasies, or "mere" stories.

==== Myth as defining and explaining belief ====
The term myth in sociology, however has a non-pejorative meaning, defined as stories that are important for the group and not necessarily untrue. Examples include the death and [[resurrection]] of [[Jesus]] (which, to Christians, explains the means by which they are freed from sin, as well as being ostensibly historical), or the theory of evolution (which, to Secular Humanists, illustrates the course of history, and inspires them to strive to further the evolution of Mankind, as well as being ostensibly scientific). [[Joseph Campbell]], in ''The Power of Myth'', held that myth was a universal human trait, and necessary to well-being. By this definition, therefore, there is no essential difference between the myths of extinct religions, those of extant religions, and those of ostensibly "non-religious" people.

===Religion and Occam's Razor===
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In its simplest form, [[Occam's Razor]] states that one should not take more assumptions than needed. When multiple explanations are available for a phenomenon, the simplest version is preferred.

Some, such as [[Atheism|atheists]], [[Secular Humanism|secular humanists]], and [[Agnosticism|agnostics]] assert that [[Occam's Razor]] makes religious belief unreasonable, because religion requires an individual to make many more assumptions regarding causes in the natural world than Atheistic and Naturalistic explanations require. For instance, some religious beliefs require the believer to assume that an invisible [[God]] created the universe, is concerned with our moral behavior for some reason, yet does not reveal himself, and will judge us after death for decisions we made in relative ignorance, sending us to either an assumed Heaven or an assumed Hell. Atheists conclude that such belief requires a myriad of assumptions, that naturalistic explanations require significantly fewer assumptions, and that the religious beliefs are therefore less reasonable than naturalistic ones.

Others (such as William of Occam himself, who was a Christian and Franciscan friar), assert that Occam's Razor makes religious belief reasonable. Some, for instance, note the empirical phenomena of [[entropy]] and the [[Second Law of Thermodynamics]], which indicate that over time, the universe passes from greater to lesser levels of organization. They further note that the only observable instances of ''increased'' organization are caused by life (in the context of evolution) or by persons (in the context of human creative efforts to alter and organize our universe). They then assert that naturalistic explanations alone are insufficient to explain Order in the universe, because they provide no mechanism by which order may arise from disorder, other than Persons. They conclude that the most reasonable explanation for the origin of Order in the universe is a Person of one form or another, who provided the creative impetus that brought about the remarkable order and structure evident in the universe.

Others assert that Occam's Razor is not a fair test for reasonable belief in all cases, because it is dependent on the available amount of evidence. They note that the history of science is the history of simple and intuitive explanations giving way to more complex and less intuitive ones. They note that belief in a flat Earth gave way to belief in a round Earth; that belief in strict Newtonian physics gave way to the much more complex Einsteinian relativity; and that belief in the doctrine of humors gave way to modern medicine. They note that Occam's razor was the means by which many nay-sayers of these scientific revolutions held back scientific discovery, because new theories required significantly more evidence and assumptions than traditional theory, and were therefore discouraged by many. They conclude that since the universe is often much more complex than our evidence allows for at any one time, one ought not rule out significantly more complex interpretations, simply because they require more assumptions than current theory. One ought instead to devote oneself to the investigation of all hypotheses, both religious and non-religious, allowing one's beliefs to change naturally with one's experience.

==Approaches to the study of individual religions==

===Methods of studying religion subjectively (in relation to one's own beliefs)===

These include efforts to determine the meaning and application of "sacred" texts and beliefs in the context of the student's personal worldview. This generally takes one of three forms:

:* one's own — efforts by believers to ascertain the meaning of their own sacred text, and to conform their thoughts and actions to the principles enunciated in the text. For most believers, this involves a lifetime process of study, analysis, and practice. Some faiths, such as Hassidic Judaism, emphasize adherence to a set of rules and rituals. Other faiths, such as Christianity, emphasize the internalization and application of a set of abstract principles, such as Love, Justice, or Faith. Some believers interpret their scriptures literally, and apply the text exactly as it is written. Other believers try to interpret scripture through its context, to derive abstract principles, which they may apply more directly to their lives and contexts.

:* another's compared to one's own — efforts by believers of one belief system attempt to describe a different belief system in terms of their own beliefs. One example of this method is in David Strauss's 1835 ''The Life of Jesus.'' Strauss's theological approach strikes from the Biblical text the descriptions of [[angel]]s and [[miracle]]s which, due to his presupposition that supernatural events do not occur, he does not believe could have occurred. He then concludes that the stories must have been inserted by a "supernaturalist" merely trying to make an important story more convincing. In this course of his argument, Strauss argues that the supernaturalist who inserted the angels into the story of the birth of [[Jesus|Christ]] borrowed the heathen doctrine of angels from the Babylonians who had held the Jews in captivity. That is, the New Testament's fabulous role for angels "is evidently a product of the influence of the Zend religion of the Persians on the Jewish mind." Due to his presumption that supernatural events do not occur, he dismisses the possibility that both cultures came to believe in angels independently, as a result of their own experiences and context.

:* another's as defined by itself — efforts by believers of one belief system to understand the heart and meaning of another faith on its own terms. This very challenging approach to understanding religion presumes that each religion is a self-consistent system whereby a set of beliefs and actions depend upon each other for coherence, and can ''only'' be understood in relation to each other. This method requires the student to investigate the philosophical, emotional, religious, and social presuppositions that adherents of another religion develop and apply in their religious life, before applying their own biases, and evaluating the other faith. For instance, an individual who personally does not believe in miracles may attempt to understand why adherents of another religion believe in miracles, and then attempt to understand how the individual's belief in miracles affects their daily life. While the individual may still himself not believe in miracles, he may begin to develop an understanding of why people of other faiths choose to believe in them.

===Methods of studying religion objectively (in a scientific and religiously neutral fashion)===

There are a variety of methods employed to study religion which seek to be scientifically neutral. One's interpretation of these methods depends on one's approach to the relationship between religion and science, as discussed above.

*'''Historical, archeological, and literary approaches''' to religion include attempts to discover the sacred writings at the "dawn of humanity." For example, Max Müller in 1879 launched a project to translate the earliest [[sacred text|sacred texts]] of [[Hinduism]] into English in the ''Sacred Books of the East.'' Müller's intent was to translate for the first time the "bright" as well as the "dark sides" of non-Christian religions into English. [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe01/sbe01002.htm]

:Critics note that historical, archeological, and literary approaches are scientific insofar as they uncover the facts of ancient religions, and seek to understand and interpret those facts within their context. They assert that the approaches are unscientific, however, insofar as they make value judgments as to which parts of ancient religions are "bright" and which are "dark," because value judgments are beyond the realm of the verifiable phenomena of science.

*'''Anthropological approaches''' include attempts to lay out the principles of [[Indigenous peoples|native tribes]] that have had little contact with [[Scientific Revolution|modern technology]] as in [[John Lubbock|John Lubbock's]] ''The Origin of Civilization and the Primitive Condition of Man.'' [http://darwin.lib.cam.ac.uk/perl/nav?pclass=calent&pkey=7286]

:The term "religion" is extremely problematic for anthropologists, and approaches to the subject are quite varied within the discipline. Some anthropologists (along with many other academics) take the view that religion, particularly in less technically complex cultures, is a form of ''proto-science''--a primitive attempt to explain & predict phenomena in the natural world, similar to modern science but less advanced.

:However, many (if not most) modern anthropologists reject this view (a form of [[social evolutionism]]) as antiquated, over-simplified, ethnically and intellectually chauvinistic, and unsupported by cross-cultural evidence. [[Science]] has very specific methods and aims, while the term "religion" encompasses a huge spectrum of practices, goals, and social functions. In addition to explaining the world (natural or otherwise), religions may also provide mechanisms for maintaining social & psychological well-being, and the foundations of moral/ethical, economic, and political reasoning.

:While many early anthropologists attempted to catalogue and universalize these functions and their origins, modern researchers have tended to back away from such speculation, preferring a more holistic approach: The object of study is the meaning of religious traditions & practices for the practitioners themselves--religion in context--rather than formalized theories about religion in general.

:Critics note that this approach is relativistic, informal, and primarily descriptive--possibly putting it outside the realm of science. Anthropologists themselves remain divided on the issue.

*'''Sociological approaches''' include attempts to explain the development of the ideas of [[morality]] and law, as in for example, Auguste Comte's ''Cours de philosophie positive'' hypothesizing in 1842 that people go through stages of evolution 1) obeying supernatural beings, then 2) manipulating abstract unseen forces, and finally 3) exploring more or less scientifically the social laws and practical governmental structures that work in practice. Within a sociological approach, religion is but the earliest primitive stage of discovering what is morally right and wrong in a civilized society. It is the duty of intelligent men and women everywhere to take responsibility for shaping the society without appealing to a non-existent Divinity to discover empirically what moral concepts actually work in practice, and in the process, the shapers of society must take into account that there is no Divine authority to adjudicate between what are only the opinions of men and women. Comte wrote, in translation, "It can not be necessary to prove to anybody who reads this work that Ideas govern the world, or throw it into chaos; in other words, that all social mechanism rests upon Opinions. The great political and moral crisis that societies are now undergoing is shown by a rigid analysis to arise out of intellectual anarchy." The intellectual anarchy includes the warring oppositions among the world's religions. [http://www.forum-global.de/soc/bibliot/comte/comtepositivephilosophy.htm]

: Critics note that the sociological approaches are scientific insofar as they note that the three "stages" are empirically observable, but unscientific insofar as it makes the value judgment that any one is superior to another, because value judgments are beyond the realm of the verifiable phenomena of science.

*'''Psychological approaches''' include attempts to explain religious urges as invasions from the [[unconscious]], as in [[William James]]'s 1902 ''The Varieties of Religious Experience.'' The experience of God becomes the object of study even though other aspects of God are unknowable. And [[Afterlife|life after death]] can be approached empirically through case studies. James cumulates case studies of the experience of "religion" and categorizes the experiences, including Encounter with the divine, Healthy-mindedness, Sick soul, Divided-self and reunification, Conversion, Saintliness, Mysticism, Practice, Philosophy, Sacrifice, and Confession. [http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/etext96/varre10.txt]

: Critics note that the psychological approaches are scientific insofar as they document and describe experiences of the divine, but are unscientific insofar as they attempt to refute the proposition that the phenomena also contain a supernatural component, which is, by its very nature, beyond the realm of science.

*'''Philosophical approaches''' include attempts to derive [[rationality|rational]] classifications of the views of the world that religions preach as in [[Immanuel Kant]]'s 1788 ''Critique of Practical Reason.'' Within a philosophical approach, the reason for a religious belief should be more important than the emotional attachment to the belief. [http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/etext04/ikcpr10.txt] And in attempting to provide a reasonable basis for morality, Kant proposed the [[categorical imperative]]: "Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." [http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/etext04/ikfpm10.txt]

: Critics assert that while philosophical approaches are competent insofar as they logically systematize and compare sets of ''a priori'' fundamental values, they are incompetent insofar as they attempt to assert those ''a priori'' fundamental values.

*'''Neuroscientific approaches''' seek to explore the apparent similarities among religious views dominate in diverse cultures that have had little or no contact, why religion is found in almost every human group, and why humans accept counterintuitive statements in the name of religion. In neuroscience, work by scientists such as Ramachandran and his colleagues from the University of California, San Diego [http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro01/web2/Eguae.html] suggests evidence of brain circuitry in the temporal lobe associated with intense religious experiences. See also neurotheology, the scientific study of the biological basis of spiritual experience.
: In sociology, Rodney Stark has looked at the social forces that have caused religions to grow and the features of religions that have been most successful. For example, Stark, who claims to be an [[agnostic]], hypothesizes that, before Christianity became established as the state religion of Constantinople, Christianity grew rapidly because it provided a practical framework within which non-family members would provide help to other people in the community in a barter system of mutual assistance. Similarly, [[evolutionary psychology]] approaches consider the survival advantages that religion might have given to a community of hunter-gatherers, such as unifying them within a coherent social group.

: Critics assert that while neuroscientific and evolutionary approaches are scientific insofar as they note the practical advantages religions provide their adherents, it is unscientific insofar as it asserts that people subscribe to religions ''merely'' in order to take advantage of those advantages, and exclude the religion's purported attraction: closer experience with Truth and God.

*'''Cognitive psychological approaches''' take a completely different approach to explaining religion. Foremost among them is Pascal Boyer, whose book, ''Religion Explained'', lays out the basics of his theory, and attempts to refute several previous and more direct explanations for the phenomenon of religion. Religion is taken in its widest sense (from holy mountains over ancestral spirits to monotheistic deities). An explanation is offered for human religious behaviour without making a presumption, to the positive or the negative, about the actual subject matter of the religious beliefs. Essentially, the reasoning goes that religion is a side effect to the normal functioning of certain [[subconscious]] intuitive mental faculties which normally apply to physics (enabling prediction of the arc a football will take only seconds after its release, for example), and social networks (to keep track of other people's identity, history, loyalty, etc.), and a variety of others. For instance, the same mechanism that serves to link, without explaining, an event (e.g. rustling of tall grass) with a cause (the possible presence of a predator) will help to form or sustain a belief that two random events are linked, or that an unexplained event is linked to supernatural causes. The reasoning would imply that there is no direct causal link between the subject matter of a belief (e.g. whether the ancestors watch over us) and the fact that there is such a belief.

:Critics assert that cognitive psychological approaches are unfalsifiable [[pseudoscience]], because they assert that religious experience is a "side-effect" of another cognitive faculty without showing any actual connection between the two, and without providing any way to falsify the cognitive psychological explanation by showing the religious experience to be genuine.

For a discussion of the struggle to attain objectivity in the scientific study of religion, see ''Total Truth'' by Nancy Pearcey, who argues that some studies performed pursuant to these methods make claims beyond the realm of observable and verifiable phenomena, and are therefore neither scientific nor religiously neutral.

== Development of religion ==
{{thelema}}
There are several models for understanding how religions develop.
* Models which view religion as untrue include:
** The "Dogma Selection Model," which holds that religions, although untrue in themselves, encode instructions useful for survival, that these ideas "mutate" periodically as they are passed on, and they spread or die out in accord with their effectiveness at improving chances for survival.
** The "Opiate of the Masses Model," in which "Religion in any shape or form is regarded as pernicious and deliberate falsehood, spread and encouraged by rulers and clerics in their own interests, since it is easier to control over the ignorant." -- Bertrand Russel
** The "Theory of Religion Model," in which religion is viewed as arising from some psychological or moral pathology in religious leaders and believers.
* Models that view religion as progressively true include:
** The "Baha'i Prophecy Model," which holds that God has sent a series of prophets to Earth, each of which brought teachings appropriate for his culture and context, but all originating from the same God, and therefore teachings the same essential message.
** The "Great Awakening Model," which holds that religion proceeds along a Hegelian dialectic of thesis, antithesis, synthesis, in cycles of approximately 80 years as a result of the interaction between four archetypal generations, by which old religious beliefs (the thesis) face new challenges for which they are unprepared (the antithesis) and adapt to create new and more sophisticated beliefs (the synthesis).
** The "A Study of History Model," which holds that prophets are given to extraordinary spiritual insight during periods of social decay and act as "surveyors of the course of secular civilization who report breaks in the road and breakdowns in the traffic, and plot a new spiritual course which will avoid those pitfalls."
* Models that view a particular religion as absolutely true include:
** The "[[Judaism|Jewish]] Model", which holds that God relates to humanity through covenants; that he established a covenant with all humanity at the time of [[Noah]] called the [[Noahide Laws]], and that he established a covenant with [[Israel]] through the [[Ten Commandments]].
** The "Exclusivist Models," which hold that one particular is the "One True Religion," and all others are false, so that the development of the True Religion is tied inexorably to one prophet or holy book, and all other religions are seen as originating either in human ignorance or imagination, or a more devious influence, such as false prophets or [[Satan]] himself.

=== Religion in modernity ===
{{thelema}}
In the late 19th century and throughout most of the 20th century [[EV]], the demographics of religion has changed a great deal.

Some historically Christian countries, particularly those in Europe, have experienced a significant decline in Christian religion, shown by declining recruitment for priesthoods and monasteries, fast-diminishing attendance at churches, synagogues, etc. Explanations for this effect include disillusionment with ideology following the ravages of World War II, the materialistic philosophical influence of [[scientism|science]], [[Marxism]] and [[secular Humanism|Humanism]], and a reaction against the exclusivist claims and religious wars waged by many religious groups. This decline is apparently in parallel with increased prosperity and social well-being. It appears increasingly common for people to engage in far-ranging explorations, with many finding spiritual satisfaction outside of organized churches. This is a demographic group whose numbers are growing and whose future impact cannot be predicted.

In the United States, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa, by contrast, studies show that [[Christianity]] is strong and growing stronger, and many believe those areas to have become the new "heart" of Christianity. [[Islam]] is currently the fastest growing religion, and is nearly universal in many states stretching from West Africa to Indonesia, and has grown in world influence in the West. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shintoism remain nearly universal in the Far East, and have greatly influenced spirituality, particularly in the United States. Explanations for the growth of religion in these areas include disillusionment with the perceived failures of secular western ideologies to provide an ethical and moral framework. Believers point to perceived terrors such as [[Naziism]], [[Communism]], [[Colonialism]], [[Secular Humanism]], and [[Materialism]], and the havoc reeked by such movements around the world. Particularly vehement in this regard are Islamic fundamentalists, who view Western secularism as a serious threat to morality itself. They point to perceived decadence, high rates of divorce, crime, depression, and suicide as evidence of Western social decline, which they believe is caused by the abandonment of Faith by the West.

==== Modern reasons for adherence to religion ====
Typical reasons for adherence to religion include the following:

* '''"Experience or emotion"''': For many, the practice of a religion causes an emotional high that gives pleasure to them. Such emotional highs can come from the singing of traditional hymns to the trance-like states found in the practices of the Whirling Dervishes and Yoga, among others. People continue to associate with those practices that give pleasure and, in so far as it is connected with religion, join in religious organizations that provide those practices.

* '''"Supernatural connection"''': Most religions postulate a reality which include both the natural and the supernatural. Most adherents of religion consider this to be of critical importance, since it permits belief in unseen and otherwise potentially unknowable aspects of life, including hope of eternal life.

* '''"Rational analysis"''': For some, adherence is based on intellectual evaluation that has led them to the conclusion that the teachings of that religion most closely describe reality. Among Christians this basis for belief is often given by those influenced by C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer, as well as some who teach young earth Creationism.

* '''"Moderation"''': Many religions have approaches that produce practices that place limitations on the behavior of their adherents. This is seen by many as a positive influence, potentially protecting adherents from the destructive or even fatal excesses to which they might otherwise be susceptible. Many people from many faiths contend that their faith brings them fulfillment, peace, and joy, apart from worldly interests.

* '''"Authority"''': Most religions are authoritarian in nature, and thus provide their adherents with spiritual and moral role models, who they believe can bring highly positive influences both to adherents and society in general.

* '''"Moral framework"''': Most religions see early childhood education in religion and spirituality as essential moral and spiritual [[socialization|formation]], whereby individuals are given a proper grounding in ethics, instilling and internalizing moral discipline.

* '''"Majesty and tradition"''': People can form positive views of religion based on the visible manifestations of religion, e.g., ceremonies which appear majestic and reassuringly constant, and ornate cloth.

* '''"Community and culture"''': Organized religions promote a sense of community. The combination of moral and cultural common ground often results in a variety of social and support networks. Some ostensibly "religious" individuals may even have a substantially secular viewpoint, but retain adherence to religious customs and viewpoints for cultural reasons, such as continuation of traditions and family unity. Judaism, for example, has a particularly strong tradition of "secular" adherents.

* '''"Fulfillment"''': Most traditional religions require sacrifice of their followers, but, in turn, the followers may gain much from their membership therein. Thus, they come away from experiences with these religions with the feeling that their needs have been filled. In fact, studies have shown that religious adherents tend to be happier and less prone to stress than non-religious people.

* '''"Spiritual and psychological benefits"''': Each religion asserts that it is a means by which its adherents may come into closer contact with God, Truth, and Spiritual Power. They all promise to free adherents from spiritual bondage, and bring them into spiritual freedom. It naturally follows that a religion that frees its adherents from deception, sin, and spiritual death will have significant mental health benefits. [[Abraham Maslow]]'s research after [[World War II]] showed that [[Holocaust]] survivors tended to be those who held strong religious beliefs (not necessarily temple attendance, etc), suggesting it helped people cope in extreme circumstances. [[Humanistic psychology]] went on to investigate how religious or spiritual identity may have correlations with longer lifespan and better health. The study found that humans may particularly need religious ideas to serve various emotional needs such as the need to feel loved, the need to belong to homogenous groups, the need for understandable explanations and the need for a guarantee of ultimate justice. Other factors may involve sense of purpose, sense of identity, sense of contact with the divine. See also ''Man's Search for Meaning'', by Victor Frankl, detailing his experience with the importance of religion in surviving the Holocaust. Critics assert that the very fact that religion was the primary selector for research subjects may have introduced a bias, and that the fact that all subjects were holocaust survivors may also have had an effect. A study of [[adolescent]]s found that frequent church-goers with high spiritual support had the lowest scores on the Beck [[clinical depression|depression]] inventory (Wright et al., 1993).[http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p001078.html]

* '''"Practical benefits"''': Religions may sometimes provide breadth and scale for visionary inspirations in compassion, practical charity, and moral restraint. Christianity is noted for the founding of many major universities, the creation of early hospitals, the provision of food and medical supplies to the needy, and the creation of orphanages and schools, amongst other charitable acts. Many other religions (and non-religious organizations and individuals, eg: humanistic [[Oxfam]]) have also performed equivalent or similar work.

==== Modern reasons for rejecting religion ====
Typical reasons for rejection of religion include the following:

* '''"Irrational and unbelievable creeds"''': Some religions postulate a reality which may be seen as stretching credulity and logic, and even some believers may have difficulty accepting particular religious assertions about nature, the supernatural and the afterlife. Some people believe the body of evidence available to humans to be insufficient to justify certain religious beliefs. They may thus disagree with religious interpretations of ethics and human purpose, and theistic views of [[creation belief|creation]]. This reason has been abetted by an anti-intellectual reaction to "modernism" among many [[Fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalist Christians]].

* '''"Restrictiveness"''': Many religions have (or have had in the past) an approach that produces, or produced, practices that are considered by some people to be too restrictive, e.g., regulation of dress, and proscriptions on diet and activities on certain days of the week. Some feel that religion is the antithesis of prosperity, fun, enjoyment and pleasure. This causes them to reject it entirely, or to see it as only to be turned to in times of trouble.

* '''"Self-promotion"''': Some individuals place themselves in positions of power and privilege through promotion of specific religious views, e.g., the [[Osho|Bhagwan/Osho interlude]], [[Reverend Moon]] of the [[Unification Church]] (sometimes called Moonie movement), and other controversial [[new religious movement]]s pejoratively called [[cult]]s. Such self-promotion has tended to reduce public confidence in many things that are called "religion." Similarly, highly publicized cases of abuse by the clergy of several religions have tended to reduce public confidence in the underlying message.

* '''"Promotion of ignorance"''': Many [[atheism|atheists]] and [[agnosticism|agnostics]] see early childhood education in religion and spirituality as a form of [[brainwashing]] or social [[conditioning]], essentially concurring with the [[Marxism|Marxian]] view that "religion is the [[opiate]] of the masses", with [[addiction]] to it fostered when people are too young to choose.

* '''"Dulling of the mind against reality"''': [[Hegel]], [[Feuerbach]], and [[Karl Marx|Marx]] developed atheist views that reality is sometimes painful, there is no God to assist people in dealing with it, and people must learn to deal with problems themselves in order to survive. Per this view, religion in modern times, while it may decrease pain in the short run by providing hope and optimism, in the long run hinders the ability of people to deal with their problems by providing false hope. Hence in 1844, in ''Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's'' 'Philosophy of Right', Marx said of religion, "It is the [[opiate]] [most likely in the traditional sense of an [[opium]]-like drug] of the masses." [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/critique-hpr/intro.htm]

* '''"Unsuitable moral systems in mainstream religions"''': Some argue that simplistic absolutism taught by some religions impairs a child's moral capacity to deal with a world of complex and varied temptations in which, in reality, there is no God to inform or assist.

* '''"Unappealing forms of practice"''': People can form a negative view, based upon the manifestations of religion, e.g., ceremonies which appear pointless and repetitive, arcane clothing, and exclusiveness in membership requirements.

* '''"Detrimental effect on government"''': Many atheists and agnostics believe that religion, because it insists that people believe certain claims "on [[faith]]" without sufficient evidence, hinders the rational/logical thought processes necessary for effective government. For example, a leader who believes that God will intervene to save humans from environmental disasters may be less likely to attempt to reduce the risk of such disasters through human action. Also, in many countries, religious organizations have tremendous political power, and in some countries can even control government almost completely. Disillusionment with forms of theocratic government, such as practiced in Iran, can lead people to question the legitimacy of any religious beliefs used to justify non-secular government.

* '''"Detrimental effect on personal responsibility"''': Many atheists and agnostics believe that many religions, because they state that God will intervene to help individuals who are in trouble, cause people to be less responsible for themselves. For example, a person who believes that God will intervene to save him if he gets into financial difficulties may conclude that it is unnecessary to be financially responsible himself (Some believers, however, would consider this a misrepresentation of religion: they would say that God only helps people who take initiative themselves first.) This attitude can be taken to extremes: there are instances of believers refusing life-saving medical treatment (or even denying it to their children) because they believe that God will cure them.

* '''"Forsaking of traditional practices and beliefs"''': Some modern religions have replaced traditional [[dogma]] with [[doctrine|teachings]], moral positions and practices perceived as so "modern" and liberal that followers may not be greatly distinguished from "non-religious" individuals. People with traditional views may lose confidence in the judgment of religious leaders who support such positions, leading them to lose confidence in their beliefs, seek alternative religions or look for organizations still teaching traditional dogma.

* '''"Tensions between proselytizing and secularizing"''': Increasingly secular beliefs have been steadily on the rise in many nations. An increasing acceptance of a secular worldview, combined with efforts to prevent "religious" beliefs from influencing society and government policy, may have led to a corresponding decline in religious belief, especially of more traditional forms.

* '''"Cause of conflict and hatred"''': Many religions, or at least some interpretations of certain religions, state that certain groups (particularly those that do not belong to the religion in question) are "inferior" and deserve contempt. For example, Christianity states that non-Christians will go to hell, and many fundamentalist Christians believe that God disapproves of homosexuality, and by implication homosexuals [http://www.godhatesfags.com 1]. According to some critics of religion, these beliefs can encourage completely unnecessary conflicts and in some cases even wars. The [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]] is often cited as an example of a religion-induced conflict.

==See also==
*[[Thelema & Religion]]

==References==
*Sabazius. "Scientific Religion." 5/1/2002. http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/FGMV4N1.htm Retrieved 1/16/2005.
*Heidrick, Bill. "From the Outbasket" in ''Thelema Lodge Calendar'', November , 1992. http://www.billheidrick.com/tlc1992/tlc1192.htm Retrieved 1/16/2005.
*Wikipedia (2005). [http://en.wikipedia.org/Approaches_to_distinguishing_religion_from_non-religion Approaches to distinguishing religion from non-religion]. Retrieved March 8, 2005 [[EV]].
*Wikipedia (2005). [http://en.wikipedia.org/Religion Religion]. Retrieved March 8, 2005 [[EV]].
*Crowley, Aleister. (1982). Magick Without Tears. Phoenix, AZ : Falcon Press.
*Hinton, Simon. [http://homepage.sunrise.ch/homepage/prkoenig/simon5.htm Liber AL Intelligence]. Retrieved 8 March 2005.
*Sanborn, Michael. [http://www.ecsd.com/~msanborn/transcend.html Transcending the Predator]. Retrieved 8 March 2005.
*V.I.T.R.I.O.L., Fr. (Anno IV:viii). ''Lion & Serpent: The Official Journal of Sekhet-Maat Lodge, OTO''. [http://www.sekhetmaat.com/www/html/journal/issues/vol5/vol5no3.pdf An Analysis of the Gnostic Mass, Part 1]. Retrieved 8 March 2005.

==External links==
* [http://www.iinet.net.au/~rabbit/churchan.htm Religion and consideration of animals]
* [http://www.comparative-religion.com/ World Religions]
* [http://www.religiousbook.net/Books/Online_books/Lf/Life_2.html Common Religion]
* [http://elsaglover.netfirms.com/science_and_religion.htm Science and Religion] by Elsa M. Glover (Ph.D. in Physics)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3971045.stm What does it mean to be human?] BBC article about Flores Man and religion
* [http://www.geocities.com/guuptaa/rsd.htm Religion, Science and Democracy] Religion's competition with Science and Democracy
* [http://www.theowiki.com/index.php/Main_Page TheoWiki]
*[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/mwt/mwt_31.html ''Magick without Tears'', Chapter 31] at [http://www.hermetic.com/ Hermetic.com].
*[http://www.magusbooks.com/OGA/cop/sword1.htm Freedom is a Two-Edged Sword] in [http://www.magusbooks.com/OGA/cop.htm Centers of Pestilence] at [http://www.magusbooks.com/main/ Magusbooks.com].
[[Category:Religion]]

Baphomet

2005-10-23T02:37:32Z

Hierophag(e): /* Origins of the Name */

[[Image:Baphomet_small.jpg|right]]

==Baphomet and the Knights Templar==

'''Baphomet''' first became known when the [[Knights Templar]] were tried for blasphemy, homosexuality, and devil worship by the Inquisition in the 13th century. According to confessions given by members, Baphomet was an idol that took the form of either a large head or a cat. Based on the various testimonies of the Templars, no precise description of Baphomet came to light. It is even possible that Baphomet never existed at all for the Knights, or that multiple idols might have been involved.

==Baphomet and Eliphas Lévi==

Baphomet gained new fame with the 19th century mystic [[Eliphas Levi|Eliphas Lévi]], who drew the now infamous image that is often taken for the modern Christian version of [[Satan]]. However, Lévi did not believe that Baphomet was in any way equal to this Devil, saying this icon "cannot be confounded with fabulous images of Satan." Further, he says "But the adorers of [Baphomet] do not consider...that it is a representation of the devil; on the contrary, for them it is that of the god [[Pan]], the god of our modern schools of philosophy...the god of the primitive [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] schools" (Levi, 1995, p. 308).

According to Levi, Baphomet was symbolic of what he called the [[Great Magical Agent]], which can be defined as the universal life-force. This Astral Light is also the force that adepts use in magical operations. Common analogies are the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] [[Kundalini]] and the [[First Matter]] of [[alchemy]].

In ''Transcendal Magic,'' Lévi explains the symbolism of his famous drawing:

:"Moreover, the sign of occultism is made with both hands, pointing upward to the white moon of [[Chesed]], and downward to the black moon of [[Geburah]]. This sign expresses the perfect concord between mercy and justice. One of the arms is feminine and other masculine, as in the [[Androgyne]] of Khunrath, whose attributes we have combined with those of our goat, since they are one and the same symbol. The torch of intelligence burning between the horns is the magical light of universal equilibrium; it is also the type of soul exalted above matter, as the flame cleaves to the torch. The monstrous head of the animal expresses horror of sin, for which the mateial agent, alone responsible, must alone and for ever bear the penalty, because the soul is impassible in its nature and can suffer only by materialising. The [[caduceus]], which replaces the generative organ, represents eternal life; the scale-covered belly tyifies water; the circle above it is the atmosphere; the feathers still higher up signify the volatile; lastly, humanity is depicted by the two breasts and the androgyne arms of this [[sphinx]] of the [[occult]] sciences" (Levi, 1995, p. 309).

==Other Aspects==

===The Gnostic Creed===

Baphomet is listed within the [[Gnostic Creed]] of the [[Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica]] (the eccesiastical arm of [[Ordo Templi Orientis]]). The relevant article of the Creed is as follows: "And I believe in the [[Lion-Serpent|Serpent and the Lion]], [[Mystery of Mystery]], in His name Baphomet."

===Aleister Crowley===

[[Aleister Crowley|Crowley]] said that Baphomet was representative of the [[Babe in the Egg]], or the original being, which was bisexual, and symbolized "arcane perfection" (Crowley 1997). He further says of Baphomet, "this Goat is called also Strength, and standeth at the Meridian at the Sunrise of Spring, and it is his Nature to leap upon the Mountains. So therefore is he a symbol of true [[Magick]]" (Crowley 1995).

In ''The Book of Lies'' (1913), the 33rd chapter is entitled "Baphomet." It puports to transmit [[Knights Templar|Templar]] Grand Master [[Jacobus Burgundus Molensis|Jacques DeMolay's]] description of God under the figure of the double-headed eagle used as a symbol of Scottish Rite [[Freemasonry]]. It also alludes to "the GOD that is ass-headed," leaving it unclear whether Baphomet is to be identified with either, neither, or both the eagle and the ass-headed figures.

In the ''Book of Thoth'' (1981), Crowley identifies Baphomet with the [[Tarot]] card "[[Tarot:The Devil|The Devil]]" and attributes him to the Greek god Pan, the All-Begetter. In this context, Baphomet represents the "creative energy in its most material form...the divine madness of Spring" where he is exalted in the manifested, material world — a supreme appreciator of existence and the power of creation.

The name Baphomet was taken by Aleister Crowley when he became the Outer Head of the Order (or OHO) for OTO.

===Origins of the Name===

Many theories exist as to the origin of the term, including:

*Von Hammer derived it from the Greek words ''Baphe'' and ''Metis''. The two words together mean "Baptism of Wisdom."
*Many commentators have concluded that it is a deformation of the Latinised "Mahomet," a mediæval European rendering of [[Mohammed|Muhammad]] (مُحَمَد), the name of the [[Prophet]] of [[Islam]].
*Idries Shah proposed that "Baphomet" may actually derive from the Arabic word ابو فهمة Abufihamat, meaning "The Father of Understanding," and associated with [[Sufism]].
*Von Hammer also suggested derivation from the Hebrew ''Maphtah Bet Yahweh'', "The Key to the House of God."
*Lévi proposed that the name was composed from a series of abbreviations: 'Temp. ohp. Ab.' which originates from Latin ''Templi omnium hominum pacis abhas,'' meaning "the father of universal peace among men."
*In the Amalantrah Working (1918) Crowley reached the conclusion that the name should be spelled BAFOMIThR, signifying "Father Mithras."
*More recently, Idries Shah has pointed to the Arabic ''Abufihamet'' (pronounced ''Bufihimat'' in Moorish Spanish), meaning "Father of Understanding."

==References==

*Apiryon and Helena. (1995). ''Mystery of Mystery: A Primer of Ecclesiastical Gnosticism.'' Berkeley, California: Red Flame.
*Levi, Eliphas. (1995). ''Transcendental Magic.'' York Beach, Maine:Samuel Weiser.
*Crowley, Aleister. (1997). ''Magick.'' York Beach, Maine:Samuel Weiser.
*___. (1995). ''Liber Aleph.'' York Beach, Maine:Samuel Weiser.
*___. (1981). ''The Book of Thoth.'' York Beach, Maine:Samuel Weiser.
*___. (1913). ''The Book of Lies.''
*Some parts of this article were adapted from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baphomet Baphomet], retrieved June 8, 2004.

[[Category:Thelema]]
[[Category:Godforms]]
[[Category:The Gnostic Mass]]
[[Category:Knights Templar]]

Shahada Creed

2005-10-23T02:37:06Z

Hierophag(e):

The '''shahādah''', or the Islamic creed, is a declaration of belief in the unity of God and the prophethood of [[Mohammed|Muhammad]]. Its recitation is considered one of the Five Pillars of [[Islam]]. When stated aloud, one is considered to have officially declared oneself a convert to Islam.

The Arabic words are: :لا إلاه إلالله محمد رسول الله

which are romanized:

:Lā ilāha il-Allāh Muhammadur rasūl Allāh.

In English, the credo goes:

:There is no god but God [and] Muhammad is the messenger [or prophet] of God.

Honest recitation of the shahādah once, in Arabic, in front of two Muslim witnesses, is all that is required for a person to become a Muslim.

It is considered correct to refer to previous figures, such as [[Jesus Christ|Jesus]] (in Arabic, [[Isa]]) as prophets (rasul), and some groups (notably certain Sufi mystics) will amend the declaration to mention prior prophets whose names are found in the [[Qur'an]].

==Other Creeds==

*[[Gnostic Creed]]—Thelema
*[[Nicene Creed]]—Christianity
*[[Apostles Creed]]—Christianity

==References==
*Wikipedia. (2004). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahada Shahada]''. Retrieved on Sept. 21, 2004.

[[Category:Islam]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-23T02:22:26Z

Hierophag(e): /* Magical Formulae */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display meaningful sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potency is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
:is a Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===

===[[ALHIM]]===

===[[ALIM]]===

===[[ARARITA]]===

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-23T02:20:54Z

Hierophag(e): /* Magical Formulae */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word or phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potecy is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
:is a Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===

===[[ALHIM]]===

===[[ALIM]]===

===[[ARARITA]]===

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-23T02:19:19Z

Hierophag(e): /* Magical Formulae */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word of sometimes a phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potecy is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]] or [[isopsephy]], [[temurah]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
:is a Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===

===[[ALHIM]]===

===[[ALIM]]===

===[[ARARITA]]===

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-21T03:44:51Z

Hierophag(e): /* Magical Formulae */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word of sometimes a phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potecy is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques such as [[gematria]], [[isopsephy]] and [[notariqon]].

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
:is a Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===

===[[ALHIM]]===

===[[ALIM]]===

===[[ARARITA]]===

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-21T03:41:21Z

Hierophag(e): /* VIAOV */

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word of sometimes a phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potecy is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques: [[gematria]], [[isopsephy]], [[notariqon]], etc.

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
:is a Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===

===[[ALHIM]]===

===[[ALIM]]===

===[[ARARITA]]===

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===
:Thelemic variation of [[IAO]] whose enumeration using [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Greater Feast

2005-10-21T03:38:17Z

Hierophag(e):

=Greater Feast=
A '''Greater Feast''' is the Thelemic celebration of the death of an individual or individuals. Its designation as ''greater'' is derived from the understanding that Death is the crowning achivement of a life and reunites the [[Had]] of the [[Thelemite]] with the body of the goddess, [[Nuit]].

It is listed as one of the "feasts of the times" mentioned in the [[calendar]] verse of Chapter II of [[the Book of the Law]].

==Methods of Celebration==
The methods of celebrating a Greater Feast are as numerous as the souls who inavariably will have one. Crowley mentions in ''The Law is for All'' that the Feast should be "merry, so as to train people to take the proper view of death. The fear of death is one of the great weapons of tyrants, as well as their scourge; and it distorts our whole outlook upon the Universe." He also composed ''Liber CVI(106): Concerning Death'' to be read to the dying or the recently dead much in the same way as the Tibetan Book of the Dead is used by practitioners of Tibetan-style [[Mahayana Buddhism]].

The current Primate of the [[EGC]], Sabazius X°, has also composed a formal Greater Feast rite for use by [[EGC]] clergy.

==Greater Feasts Within the EGC==
In addition to celebrations of Greater Feasts that occur to individual members of the Thelemic community, a Thelemite may also celebrate the anniversaries of Greater Feasts for notable historical figures who have made significant contributions to [[Thelema]].

Such figures may include, but are not especially limited to:

* The [[Gnostic Saints]]
* Past Outer Heads of the [[OTO]] and Patriarchates of the [[EGC]]
* Members of the [[Order of the Lion and the Eagle]].

===Calendar of Greater Feast Anniversary Dates===
Below is a calendar of dates which mark the anniversaries of the Greater Feasts for many individuals who meet the above criteria.

*'''March 22''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Wolfgang von Goethe]]

*'''April 9''' – The Greater Feasts of Saints [[Rabelais]] and [[Francis Bacon|Francis Bacon Lord Verulam]]

*'''April 10''' - The Greater Feast of Saint [[Swinburne]]

*'''April 23''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Richard Payne Knight]]

*'''May 8''' - The Greater Feast of Dame [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky]]

*'''May 9''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Paul Gaugin]]

*'''May 18''' - The Greater Feast of Saint [[Elias Ashmole]]

*'''May 31''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Alphonse Louis Constant]]

*'''June 7''' - The Greater Feast of Co-Founder of [[OTO]], Saint [[Carl Kellner]]

*'''June 8''' – The Greater Feast of Prophet and Saint [[Mohammed]]

*'''June 13''' - The Greater Feast of Saint [[Ludovicus Rex Bavariae]]

*'''June 27''' - The Greater Feast of Saint [[Andrea]]

*'''July 12''' – The Greater Feast of Frater Superior and Saint [[Grady McMurtry]]

*'''July 29''' - The Greater Feast of Sir [[Paschal Beverly Randolph]]

*'''August 12''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[William Blake]]

*'''August 18''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Roderic Borgia|Roderic Borgia Pope Alexander the Sixth]]

*'''August 25''' - The Greater Feast of Saint [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]

*'''August 29''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Ulrich von Hutten]]

*'''September 8''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Robertus de Fluctibus]]

*'''September 24''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Paracelsus]]

*'''October 2''' - The Greater Feast of Dame [[Emma Hardinge Britten]]

*'''October 16''' - The Greater Feast of Dame [[Ida Craddock]]

*'''October 19''' - The Greater Feast of Saint [[Richard Francis Burton|Sir Richard Francis Burton]]

*'''October 25''' - The Greater Feasts of Saint [[Gerard Encausse]] and Frater Superior Saint [[Karl Germer]]

*'''October 28''' – The Greater Feast of Co-Founder of the [[OTO]] Saint [[Theodor Reuss]]

*'''November 17''' - The Greater Feast of Saint [[Jacob Boehme]]

*'''November 18''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Adam Weishaupt]]

*'''December 2''' – The Greater Feast of the Prophet, Saint and Frater Superior, [[To Mega Therion]], Sir [[Aleister Crowley]]

*'''December 13''' - The Greater Feast of Saint [[Frederick of Hohenstaufen]]

*'''December 28''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Molinos]]

*'''January 28''' - The Greater Feast of Saint [[Carolus Magnus]]

*'''February 13''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Richard Wagner]]

*'''March 4''' (varies)– The Greater Feast of the Prophet and Saint [[Siddhartha]] ''(Parinirvana Day – The second full moon day of the Lunar Calendar)''

*'''March 18''' – The Greater Feast of Saint [[Jacobus Burgundus Molensis|Jacobus Burgundus Molensis the Martyr]]

==External Links==
* The ritual for the [http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/greater_feast.htm ''Greater Feast for Death''] at the Invisible Basilica of Sabazius

==References==
* Crowley, Aleister. (1996). ''The Law is for All''. Thelema Media
* ____, et al. (1990). ''The Equinox: The Review of Scientific Illuminism: The Official Organ of the O.T.O. Number 10''. Weiser Books

User:Hierophag(e)

2005-10-21T01:19:27Z

Hierophag(e):

'''Hierophag(e)''' is the moniker of Shawn J. Richburg an initiate of the O.T.O. and member of Bubastis Camp in Dallas, Texas

The Universe (tarot)

2005-10-21T00:47:35Z

Hierophag(e): /* Description */

<div style="background-color:#fff;float:right;width:200px;"><div style="background-color:#fff;float:right;text-align:center;width:180px;border:solid 1px #cccccc;padding:5px 1px 5px 1px;font-size:10px;">http://www.scarletwoman.org/thothdeck/21_universe.jpg<br/>
'''The Universe, Atu XXI'''<br/><small>© 2005 Ordo Templi Orientis. Published with permission.</small></div></div>

*'''Name:''' The Universe
*'''Title:''' The Great One of the Night of Time
*'''Atu:''' XXI (21)
*'''Hebrew Letter:''' Tau ת
*'''Planet:''' [[Saturn (astrology)|Saturn]] and [[Earth]]
*'''Tree of Life:''' [[Path of Tau]] (joining [[Yesod]] and [[Malkuth]])

'''From ''A Brief Description of the Cards of the Tarot'':''' "The matter itself. Synthesis, world, kingdom. Usually denotes actual subject of question, and therefore depends entirely on accompanying cards."

==Description==

This Atu represents the termination of the [[Trumps]] of the [[Major Arcana]] and as such serves as the complement to [[the Fool (tarot)|the Fool]]. The union of both card’s alphabetical attributions gives both “Ate,” and “Eth,” the Hebrew words for “Thou” (feminine)& essence or [[Spirit]]. Another similarity between these cards may be found graphically. In comparing for instance the shape of the tail end of the Universe’s serpent to that of the Fool’s heart-shaped whirlings. Also of interest is how both cards bear symbols that are addressed in Crowley's vision of the 5th Aethyr. From ''[[the Vision and the Voice]]'':

:And a voice cometh: Thou didst seek the remedy of sorrow; therefore all sorrow is thy portion. This is that which is written: "God hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all." For as thy blood is mingled in the cup of BABALON, so is thine heart the universal heart. Yet is it bound about with the Green Serpent, the Serpent of Delight.<sup>22</sup>

:It is shown me that this heart is the heart that rejoiceth, and the serpent is the serpent of Death <sup>22</sup> for herein all the symbols are interchangeable, for each one containeth in itself <sup>23</sup> its own opposite. And this is the great Mystery of the Supernals that are beyond the Abyss. For below the Abyss, contradiction is division; but above the Abyss, contradiction is Unity. And there could be nothing true except by virtue of the contradiction that is contained in itself.

:Notes:

:<sup>22.Cf. ''Liber LXV''.</sup> <small>
::I am the Heart; and the Snake is entwined
::About the invisible core of the mind.
::Rise, O my snake! It is now is the hour
::Of the hooded and holy ineffable flower.
::Rise, O my snake, into brilliance of bloom
::On the corpse of Osiris afloat in the tomb!
::O heart of my mother, my sister, mine own,
::Thou art given to Nile, to the terror Typhon!
::Ah me! but the glory of ravening storm
::Enswathes thee and wraps thee in frenzy of form.
::Be still, O my soul! that the spell may dissolve
::As the wands are upraised, and the aeons revolve.
::Behold! in my beauty how joyous Thou art,
::O Snake that caresses the crown of mine heart!
::Behold! we are one, and the tempest of years
::Goes down to the dusk, and the Beetle appears.
::O Beetle! the drone of Thy dolorous note
::Be ever the trance of this tremulous throat!
::I await the awaking! The summons on high
::From the Lord Adonai, from the Lord Adonai! (Liber LXV, I:1)
</small>

:<sup>23.</sup> <small>This is the most important of all the doctrines that concern the Supernals, for the student of the Mysteries. It explains the necessity of his arming himself with a new kind of logic.</small>

:''(Also III:18, where it says: “O Snake of Emerald, Thou hast no time Past, no time To Come. Verily Thou art not.”)''

The overall shape of this Atu is modeled after the design of the “New Jerusalem” with the Vesica Piscis serving as the central element and the Kerubic beasts stationed at the four corners. This model is one of many failed attempts at the “squaring of the circle” (“… then this circle squared in its failure is a key also.”- ''Liber AL'')

William Stirling in his classic work on sacred geometry, ''The Canon'', comments as follows on this figure:

:This figure appears to be a Christian variation of the Hebrew city of Ezekiel, and so it is interpreted by Francis Potter. For it will be found, that it encloses the sun's orbit together with that of Mercury, drawn in each of the four corners of the square. It is well known that the four beasts, which appear in the midst of the four wheels in Ezekiel's vision, are identical with the four symbols of the Evangelists, and the devices upon the four standards of the Camp of the Israelites, where they stand for the four corner signs of the Zodiac-Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. In a thirteenth century manuscript of the Apocalypse in the British Museum (MSS. Add. 18,633), there is a miniature of the city of the New Jerusalem, showing the three persons of the Trinity, in the midst of a square having the four symbols of the Evangelists depicted in the four corners, corresponding to the four orbits of Mercury. This peculiar arrangement constantly recurs in early Christian art. Usually the Christ is surrounded by the Vesica, and it is a remarkable fact, that a Vesica, whose length is equal to that of the city in the preceding diagram, coincides with the four circles of Mercury's orbit, and consequently produces a geometrical figure exactly resembling the common method of representing Christ in Glory. The circumferences of the two circles which form the Vesica being nearly 360, they may be taken to represent the two intersecting circles of the equator and the ecliptic.

:Some interpreters, according to Francis Potter, take the 12,000 furlongs to be the area of the city, and therefore he says, ‘that the perimeter or compass of such an area must be 436 furlongs at the least,’ the side being about tog furlongs. And since 109 is roughly the radius of the sun's orbit measured by the sun's diameter the New Jerusalem is doubly shadowed forth as a vision of the city of the Sun. Inch. xxi., v. g, ‘that great city, the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven’ is called ‘the Bride the Lamb's wife, and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.’

:The bride of the Cabala was called ADNI or THORA, and it is evidently she whom St. John is describing under the figure of the heavenly city. The name Tarot has been derived from the Hebrew word THORA, the law; and it is a further confirmation of the cosmic import of this diagram that the hieroglyph of the twenty second card of the Tarot-pack, called ‘Le Monde,’ represents the four symbols of the Evangelists surrounding a Vesica, inclosing the figure of a young virgin. Moreover the circle which surrounds the city has a circumference of 888, the numerical value of the name Jesus.

:Again, Francis Potter constantly connects the New Jerusalem with the number 666, and this may be explained by the fact that its diagonals measure (333 X 2 = 666), and the cross thus formed symbolized what he calls the Antichrist.”

::– Stirling, ''The Canon'', Ch. II: The Holy Oblation

It should also be noted that the length and height of the Vesica Piscis gives one the dimensions for the double cube. It is the double cube shape which serves as the shape for the [[altar]] most commonly used in ceremonial [[magick]] as it serves as a representation of the ten [[Sephiroth]] i.e., the Universe.

The Kerubic beasts are arranged as they are in Atu V, [[the Hierophant (tarot)|the Hierophant]], that is to say with the Eagle representing Aquarius instead of Scorpio as described in ''the Vision and the Voice'' thereby giving these symbols an updated meaning in line with Crowley’s Thelemic magickal worldview.

The eye shown in the upper right hand section of this card appears to be similar to the various “eyes” that appear all throughout the Trump cards either graphically, through exposition or by symbolic inference. See the “eye” behind [[the Fool (tarot)|the Fool]]’s head in [[the Fool (tarot)|Atu 0]]; The “Eye of [[Shiva]]” described by Crowley in [[Fortune (tarot)|Atu X]], "[[Fortune (tarot)|Fortune]]," as well as in [[the Tower (tarot)|Atu XVI]], "[[The Tower (tarot)|The Tower]]." Also, the eye of A’ayin in [[the Devil (tarot)|the Devil]] card and the “third” eye suggested in [[the Sun (tarot)|The Sun]] card (Resh, the letter attributed to the Sun card, means “head” in Hebrew, and the shape of the painting suggests the outline of a human head with the Sun in the position of [[Ajna]], the third eye.)

From ''[[the Vision and the Voice]]'', 5th Aethyr:

:This Arrow is the glance of the Eye of [[Shiva]]. But because it moveth not, the universe is not destroyed. The universe is put forth and swallowed up in the quivering of the plumes of Maat, that are the plumes of the Arrow; but those plumes quiver not.

Compare again with the symbols associated with the Fool: His association with [[Adjustment (tarot)|Adjustment]], [[Maat]], the Arrow which courses from his “heart,” etc.

The eye displayed in the Universe card is emitting ten beams suggesting the [[Sephiroth]] of the [[Tree of Life]]. The central ray ([[Kether]]) issues from the pupil and illuminates the interior coils of our emerald serpent. One beam is conveniently occluded by the shaft of the scythe (the weapon of [[Saturn]]) suggesting its association with [[Malkuth]] and/or [[Binah]]. This beam seems to be working in concert with another ray which shines over the serpent to land on the scythe’s tip. It may be likely that this emanation represents [[Yesod]] or perhaps [[Malkuth]]. Both the scythe and the overlapping ray bring one’s attention to an often overlooked detail: the starry black egg nestled in the serpent’s second coil.

The Virgin who handles the Serpent with her left hand and the blade end of the scythe in her right is associated by Crowley with the following experience:

“The Virgin Universe” From ''[[the Vision and the Voice]]'', 9th Aethyr:

:… we are come unto a palace of which every stone is a separate jewel, and is set with millions of moons.

:And this palace is nothing but the body of a woman, proud and delicate, and beyond imagination fair. She is like a child of twelve years old. She has very deep eye-lids, and long lashes. Her eyes are closed, or nearly closed. It is impossible to say anything about her. She is naked; her whole body is covered with fine gold hairs, that are the electric flames that are the spears of mighty and terrible Angels who breast-plates are the scales of her skin. And the hair of her head, that flows down to her feet, is the very light of God himself. Of all the glories beheld by the seer in the Aethyrs, there is not one which is worthy to be compared with her littlest finger-nail. For although he may not partake of the Aethyr, without the ceremonial preparations, even the beholding of this Aethyr from afar is like the partaking of all the former Aethyrs.

:The Seer is lost in wonder, which is peace.

:And the ring of the horizon above her is a company of glorious Archangels with joined hands, that stand and sing: This is the daughter of BABALON the Beautiful, that she hath borne unto the Father of All. And unto all hath she borne her.

:This is the Daughter of the King. This is the Virgin of Eternity. This is she that the Holy One hath wrested from the Giant Time, and the prize of them that have overcome Space. This is she that is set upon the Throne of Understanding. Holy, Holy, Holy is her name, not to be spoken among men. For [[Kore]] they have called her, and [[Malkuth]], and [[Betulah]], and [[Persephone]].

:And the poets have feigned songs about her, and the prophets have spoken vain things, and the young men have dreamed vain dreams; but this is she, that immaculate, the name of whose name may not be spoken. Thought cannot pierce the glory that defendeth her, for thought is smitten dead before her presence. Memory is blank, and in the most ancient books of Magick are neither words to conjure her, nor adorations to praise her. Will bends like a reed in the tempests that sweep the borders of her kingdom, and imagination cannot figure so much as one petal of the lilies whereon she standeth in the lake of crystal, in the sea of glass.

:This is she that hath bedecked her hair with seven stars, the seven breaths of God that move and thrill its excellence. And she hath tired her hair with seven combs, whereupon are written the seven secret names of God that are not known even of the Angels, or of the Archangels, or of the Leader of the armies of the Lord.

:Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, and blessed be Thy name for ever, unto whom the Aeons are but the pulsings of thy blood.

This wondrous figure is set against an emerald sphere whose heart contains a Moebius strip with three half twists instead of the customary single half twist thus construing the Universe as a triune topological figure.

Issuing from the sphere are 72 feathery or petal-like extensions. These represent the 72 quinances (arcs of 5 degrees) which make up the belt of the zodiac. There are also 72 letters in the [[Shemhamphorash]], the great name of God and 72 angels generated from that name and its source in Exodus. Additionally, there were 72 conspirators with [[Set]] in the assassination of the god [[Osiris]] (Budge, ''Egyptian Religion'', p. 65)

Connected to these 72 emanations is a radial grid pattern composed of 216 compartments within which reside the stars of the night sky. 216 happens to be 72 x 3 as well as the sum of 6 x 6 x 6.

Near the bottom of the card we have J.W.N. Sullivan’s diagram of the 92 elements publicly known at the time of the painting of this card. The shape of the diagram almost seems to suggest a Temple, tent or other structure. Behind this luminous golden diagram are three pyramids with the apex of the central pyramid colored in such a way that it seems to suggest an illuminated casing stone.

From ''[[Thoth Tarot|The Book of Thoth]]'':
:In the present card she is represented as a dancing figure. In her hands she manipulates the radiant spiral force, the active and passive, each possessing its dual polarity. Her dancing partner is shown as [[Heru-Ra-Ha]] of [[The Sun (tarot)|Atu XIX]]. "The Sun, Strength & Sight, Light; these are for the servants of the Star & the Snake." This final form of the image of the Magical Formula of the God combines and transforms so many symbols that description is difficult, and would be nugatory. The proper method of study of this card—indeed of all, but of this especially—is long-continued [[meditation]]. The Universe, so states the theme, is the Celebration of the [[Great Work]] accomplished.

:In the corners of the card are the four [[Kerubim]] showing the established Universe; and about her is an ellipse composed of seventy-two circles for the quinaries of the [[Zodiac]], the [[Shemhamphorasch]].

:In the centre of the lower part of the card is represented the skeleton plan of the building of the house of Matter. It shews the ninety-two known chemical elements, arranged according to their rank in the hierarchy.

:In the centre, a wheel of Light initiates the form of the [[Tree of Life]], shewing the ten principal bodies of the solar system. But this Tree is not visible except to those of wholly pure heart.

::1. The primum mobile, represented by Pluto. (Compare the doctrine of the alpha particles of radium.)
::2. The sphere of the Zodiac or fixed stars, represented by Neptune.
::3. Saturn.
::The Abyss. This is represented by Herschel, the planet of disintegration and explosion.
::4. Jupiter
::5. Mars.
::6. The Sun.
::7. Venus.
::8. Mercury.
::9. The Moon.
::10. The Earth. (The Four Elements).

:All these symbols swim and dance in a complex but continuous ambience of loops and whorls. The general colour of the traditional card is subfusc<sup>1</sup>; it represents the confusion and darkness of the material world. But the New Aeon has brought fullness of Light; in the Minutum Mundum, Earth is no longer black, or of mixed colours, but is pure bright green. Similarly, the indigo of Saturn is derived from the blue velvet of the midnight sky, and the maiden of the dance represents the issue from this, yet through this, to the Eternal. This card is to-day as bright and glowing as any in the Pack.

:<sup>1</sup> <small>Any dark, dull or somber color</small>

==Interpretation==

From ''The Book of Thoth'' (p.260):

:''Treat time and all conditions of Event as Servants of thy Will, appointed to present the Universe to thee in the form of thy Plan. And: blessing and worship to the prophet of the lovely Star.''

:The matter of the question itself, synthesis, the end of the matter, may mean delay, opposition, obstinacy, inertia, patience, perseverance, persistent stubbornness in difficulty. The crystallization of the whole matter involved.

==Reference==
*Crowley, Aleister. (1981). ''The Book of Thoth.'' New York, S. Weiser.
{{tarot2}}
[[Category: Tarot]]

Notariqon

2005-10-21T00:40:56Z

Hierophag(e):

{{stub}}

'''Notariqon''' from the Latin ''notarius'', meaning "short-hand writer," is a technique used in literal [[Qabalah]] whereby a single word may be deconstructed into its separate letters with each letter serving as an initial for a separate word.

Additionally, it is also a technique whereby a phrase may be reduced into a single word by taking the first letter of each word in the phrase and combining them in sequence of appearence.

Magical Formulae

2005-10-21T00:28:07Z

Hierophag(e):

{{MTP}}
=Magical Formulae=

A '''Magical Formula''' is generally a word whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using other forms of speech or writing. It is a concise means to communicate very abstract information through the medium of a word of sometimes a phrase.

These words often have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. However, when deconstructed, each individual letter may refer to some universal concept found in the system that the formula appears. Additionally, in grouping certain letters together one is able to display sequences that are considered to be of value to the spiritual system that utilizes them (e.g., spiritual hierarchies, historiographic data, psychological stages, etc.)

A formula's potecy is understood and made useable by the magician only through prolonged meditation on its levels of meaning. Once these have been interiorized by the magician, they may then utilize the formula to maximum effect.

Since Crowley excelled in the permutative arrangements found in the practices of the literal [[Qabalah]] it should be of no surprise that the formulary listed below both contain and can be understood only by using various literal Qabalistic techniques: [[gematria]], [[isopsephy]], [[notariqon]], etc.

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]===
:is a Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]===
:A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===[[AGLA]]===

===[[ALHIM]]===

===[[ALIM]]===

===[[ARARITA]]===

===[[AUMGN]]===

===[[BABALON]]===

===[[FIAT]]===

===[[IAO]]===

===[[IHVH]]===

===[[INRI]]===

===[[LVX]]===

===[[NOX]]===

===[[ON]]===

===[[VIAOV]]===

===[[VITRIOL]]===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-20T23:49:25Z

Hierophag(e): /* ABRAHADABRA */

{{MTP}}

'''Magical formulae''' needs a definition. The following items need to be defined in terms of being formulae.

===[[ABRAHADABRA]]=== is a Thelemic formula derived from a magical word used by the [[Basilides|Basilidean]] sect of [[Gnosticism]], "Abrasadabra." This formula represents the accomplishment of the [[Great Work]].

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]=== A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===AGLA===

===ALHIM===

===ALIM===

===ARARITA===

===AUMGN===

===BABALON===

===IAO===

===IHVH===

===INRI===

===ON===

===VIAOV===

===VITRIOL===

[[Category:Magick]]

Magical Formulae

2005-10-20T23:43:03Z

Hierophag(e): /* AGAPE */

{{MTP}}

'''Magical formulae''' needs a definition. The following items need to be defined in terms of being formulae.

===ABRAHADABRA===

===[[Agape|AGAPE]]=== A Greek word meaning "Love," whose enumeration in Greek [[isopsephy]] equals [[93]].

===AGLA===

===ALHIM===

===ALIM===

===ARARITA===

===AUMGN===

===BABALON===

===IAO===

===IHVH===

===INRI===

===ON===

===VIAOV===

===VITRIOL===

[[Category:Magick]]