Archive for 2012-09-30

Unsolved mystery - I have grasped the stake... I take the measuring cord in the company of Seshat. I consider the progressive movements of the stars. My eye is fixed upon the Bull's Thigh [Ursa Major]. I count off time ..... and establish the corners of the Temple.

The above text is an inscription from the Temple of Horus at Edfu accompanying the relief showing "Stretching the Cord" Ceremony.

The Pharaoh and the Goddess Seshat, planting stakes linked by
a looped rope, participate in the 'Stretching the Cord' ceremony.

A Great Circle drawn through the celestial poles divides the sky, marking out a point on the celestial equator from which measurement can begin. This is what is meant by 'Stretching the Cord', creating the first path across the trackless waste.

The Mayan celebration of the establishment of creation is a description of the process of surveying the world:
'Great is the recital, the history of the time when all the corners of the sky and earth were completed, and the quadrangulation, its measure, the four points, the measuring of the corners, the measuring of the lines, in heaven, in earth, at the four corners'  (From the Mayan text of The Popul Vuh)
A more recent translation makes this even clearer; 'The fourfold siding, fourfold cornering, measuring, fourfold staking, halving the cord, stretching the cord in the sky, on the earth, / the four sides, the four corners as it is said '

The pillars which support the sky are to be regarded as benchmarks, boundary stones put down to enable an order to be imposed upon chaos, and a measure to be made of the earth. However, it should be apparent after all this discussion of the 'corners of the earth', that it is not the earth we walk about on that is of concern here. This particular 'earth' is not only square but flat. Exactly what this means will soon become clear. We should recall that it is the matter of Time that is being measured in this surveying process. This is the process that the prophet Enoch describes when, during his vision he asks his guide to explain the actions of the angels they see:

'Wherefore have they taken those long ropes and gone forth? He said 'They are gone forth to measure. These measures shall reveal all the secrets of the depths of the earth' (Book of Enoch ch. LX v. 2-6)

The process these Angels were going forth to conduct must have been similar to that ceremony which in Egypt was known as 'stretching the rope' and which accompanied the commencement of any building project, thus relating its construction to the original founding of the earth.

In the Old Testament Book of Job, God challenges Job to answer:

'Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? ..Who decided the dimensions of it... or who stretched the measuring line across it? What supports its pillars at their bases? (Jerusalem Bible tr.)'

This process of surveying the foundations of creation reappears in the verses of the Rig Veda which tell how Varuna made fast the earth and heaven, and here we are told specifically that he did so by using the sun as a measure, and as a commentary on these verses points out, 'we must take this measure as a measuring line'.
As if to emphasise the importance of this role of surveying, the Chinese deities responsible for creation come equipped with compass and plumbline.

What all this means is that the 'bindings' which hold heaven and earth together are to be taken also as plumblines which stretch out the measures of creation across the circle of the stars. It is a particular state of order that is being held fast.

Representations of the cosmos constructed in this way appear again and again, often in unlikely places.
An elemental one is the rectilinear cross which appears on the English flag ( the Royal Orb is a more complete image, including as it does the spherical universe bounded by the cross). Another more detailed example from China comes in the form of a series of mirrors known as the TVL mirrors, because of their decorative patterns, described as follows:

'The four T's that stand around the square earth are the four cardinal points. These lie at the extremities of the two cosmic lines or ropes which cross the universe and hold it together; the T's comprise a vertical prop which supports a horizontal beam; the four V's mark the four corners of heaven. The four L's represent devices used by carpenters to set a straight line...thus they symbolize the ends of the two cosmic lines as if they had been drawn with the help of such an instrument.'
[Related link:  http://www2.uiuc.edu/unit/ATAM/archaeometallurgy/chimir.html ]

Bronze Mirror, 7th Century
 

For the Maya people today this kind of creation is still repeated as part of ceremonies to restore the correct balance of the world. David Freidel describes a ceremony he witnessed to bring to an end a prolonged drought. The officiant (referred to as h-men, 'a do-er') constructed an altar known as a 'sky-tree'. A table is overarched by four saplings bent to intersect above its centre. From this intersection is hung a circular platform referred to as the 'the sky-platform' .

'Sturdy vines of a kind called xtab ka'anil, 'the 'cords of the sky', completed the arches to form the 'sky tree'. In the Yukatek language, the words for 'sky' and the number 'four' are near homophones and frequently substitute for each other in the ancient writing system'.

Source: http://www.mythofcreation.co.uk/CreationText/Creation4_1text.htm

Mysterious Alignment of Ancient Sites of the World

The sites: Giza, Siwa, Tassili n'Ajjer, Paratoari, Ollantaytambo, Machupicchu, Nazca, Easter Island, Aneityum Island, Preah Vihear, Sukhothai, Pyay, Khajuraho, Mohenjo Daro, Persepolis, Ur, Petra  are shown clockwise from Giza on the equal azimuthal projection. below. The projection is centered on the axis point in southeastern Alaska. Distances to any location from the center of an equal azimuthal projection are equally scaled. Since all of the sites on the great circle alignment are equally distant from the axis point at one quarter of the circumference of the earth, the alignment forms a perfect circle halfway between the center and the outer edge of the projection.

The locations of world's ancient sites on a global scale is puzzling on its own. However, our discussion is focused on astronomical alignments of these sites and their monuments.

From Unsolved mystery - The "Vision of Hermes", like nearly all of the Hermetic writings, is an allegorical exposition of great philosophic and mystic truths, and its hidden meaning may be comprehended only by those who have been "raised" into the presence of the True Mind.

Poemander  [The Second Book, of the Divine Pymander]

Hermes Trismegistus

The Vision of Hermes

It chanced once on a time, while I was meditating on the things that are, my thought was raised to a great height, yet my bodily senses had been put under restraint as in sleep, though not such sleep as that of men weighed down by fullness of food or bodily weariness. Methought a Being more than vast, in size beyond all bounds, called out my name and said:
"What would you hear and see, and what have you in mind to learn and know?"
"Who are you?" said I.
"I am the Pymander, Divine Mind of the Sovereignity, the Shepherd of Men. I know what you desire, and I am with you everywhere."
"I long to learn the things that are, " I replied, "and comprehend their nature, and know God. This is what I desire to hear."
"Hold in your mind all you would know," the Shepherd answered back to me, "and I will teach you."

The Above and the Below

Forthwith all things changed in aspect before me and were opened out in an instant. And I beheld a boundless view: all was changed into Light, a mild and joyous Light; and I marveled when I saw it. And in a little while, there came to be in one part a downward-tending darkness, terrible and grim, and methought it like unto a snake. And thereafter I saw the darkness changing into a Watery Substance, which was unspeakably tossed about. Coiling in sinuous folds, it gave forth smoke as from fire; and I heard it making an indescribable sound of lamentation, for there was sent forth from it an inarticulate Cry. But from the Light there came forth a holy Speech, which took its stand upon the Watery Substance, and methought this Word was the voice of the Light. And the Divine Mind spoke for me to hear:
"That Light is I, even the One Mind, the first God, who was before the Watery Substance that appeared out of Darkness, and the Word which came forth from the Light is son of God. Learn my meaning by looking at what you yourself have in you, for in you too, the Word is son, and Mind the father of the Word. They are not separate one from the other, for Life is the union of Word and Mind. Now fix your thought upon the Light and learn to know it."
I saw in my mind that the Light consisted of innumerable Powers and had come to be an ordered world, but a world without the bounds of material existence. This I perceived in thought, seeing it by reason of the words that the Divine Mind had spoken to me. And when I was amazed, he spoke again to me:
"You have seen in your mind the archetypal form, which is prior to the beginning of things and is limitless."

The First Emanation: Descent of the Logos

"But tell me," I asked. "Whence did the elements of nature come into being?"
"They issued from God’s Purpose," came the answer, "which beheld that beauteous world and copied it. The Watery Substance, the One Thing, having received the Word, was fashioned into an ordered world, the elements being separated out from it. And from the elements came forth the brood of living creatures. And the One Mind, that Mind of Life and Light, being male and female both, gave birth to another Mind, which was a maker of things; and this made out of the elements Seven Planetary Administrators who encompass with their orbits the world perceived by sense; and their administration is called Fate."

The Second Emanation: Mind the Maker

"And forthwith, the Word of God leapt up from the downward-tending elements of Nature to the pure body of the highest Sphere that had already existed and united with Mind the Maker, for the Word was of one substance with that mind too. And the downward-tending elements of Nature were left devoid of reason, so as to be mere matter.
"Then Mind the Maker united with Reason, and He who surrounds the Spheres and spins them with His whirl, set turning His formations, and let them turn from a beginning boundless unto an endless end. For the circulation of these Spheres begins where it does end in a circle, as Mind does will. And from the downward-tending elements Nature brought forth lives without reason; for He did not extend Reason (the Logos) to them. The Air brought forth things winged; the Water things that swim, and in the Watery Substance, Earth-and-Water one from another were separated, as Mind the Maker willed. And from her bosom, Nature produced living things, four-footed animals and reptiles, beasts wild and tame.

The Third Emanation: The Descent of Man

"But the One Mind, being both Life and Light, next brought forth Man, a Being like to Himself, with whom He fell in love, as being His own child; for it was beautiful beyond compare, the Image of its Sire. In very truth, God fell in love with His own Form; and on it did bestow all of His own creations. And when Man gazed upon what Mind the Maker had created in the region of Fire, he too wished to create and so assent was given him by the Father. Changing his state to the formative Sphere, where he was to have his whole authority, Man had in himself all the workings of the archetypal Administrators. Likewise, they fell in love with him, and each gave him a share of their own ordering. And after that, Man had well learned their essence and had become a sharer in their nature. Man then had a mind to break right through the boundary of their Spheres, and to subdue the might of that which pressed upon the Fire.
"So he who had the whole authority, having learned the being of the Administrators, willed to break through the Spheres and showed to downward-tending Nature God's fair Form. And when Nature saw that Form of beauty that can never satiate, and Man who now possessed within himself each single energy of all Seven Administrators as well as God's own Form, she smiled with love; for it was as though she had seen the image of God's fairest form upon her Water, His shadow on her Earth.
"He in His turn beholding the Form like to Himself, existing in her, in her Water, loved it and willed to live in it; and with the will came actuality, and so Man vivified the Form devoid of reason. And Nature took the object of her love and wound herself completely round him, and they were intermingled, for they were lovers. And this is why beyond all creatures on the earth, Man is twofold: mortal because of body, but because of his essential Eternal Substance, immortal. Though deathless and possessed of sway over all, yet does Man suffer as a mortal does, subject to Fate. Thus, though his true nature is above the Spheres, within the Spheres he has become a slave. Though male-female, he is from a male-female Mind; and though he is sleepless from a sleepless Sire, yet is he overcome by sleep.

The First Men

Thereon I say: "Teach on, Oh Divine Mind of me, for I myself as well am amorous of the Word."
And the Shepherd said: "This is the mystery kept hid until this day: Nature embraced by Man brought forth a wonder, oh so wonderful. For as he had the nature of the Concord of the Seven, who, as I said to you, were made of Fire and Spirit. Nature did not delay but immediately brought forth seven men, in correspondence with the natures of the Seven Administrators, male-female were they and moving in the air."
"0h Shepherd, " I said, "for now I'm filled with great desire and long to hear; do not run off!"
"Keep silence," said the Shepherd, "for not as you have I unrolled for you the first discourse."
"Lo! I am still," said I.

To Increase and Multiply

"In such wise then," the Shepherd continued, "the generation of these Seven came to pass. Earth was as woman, her Water filled with longing; ripeness she took from Fire, spirit from Ether. Nature thus brought forth frames to suit the Form of Man. And Man from Life and Light changed into soul and mind -- from Life to soul, from Light to mind. And thus continued all the sense-world pairings until the period of their end and a new beginning arrived. 
Now listen to the rest of the discourse that you long to hear: The period being ended, the bond that bound them all was loosened by God's Will. For all the animals being male-female, at the same time with Man were loosed apart; some became male, some in like fashion female. And straightaway, God spoke by His Holy Word (the Logos): 'Increase you in increasing, and multiply in multitude, you creatures and creations all; and Man that had Mind in him, let him learn to know that he himself is deathless and the cause of death is love, though Love is All.' When He said this, His forethought did by means of Fate and the Spheres effect their couplings and their generations founded. And so all things were multiplied according to their kind. And he who thus had learned to know himself, had reached that Good that does transcend abundance; but he who through worldly love that same end leads astray, he expends his love upon his body -- he stays in Darkness -- and suffering through his senses the things of Death."

The Way of Deathlessness

"What is the fault so great the ignorant commit," I asked, "that they should be deprived of deathlessness?"
"You seem," the Shepherd cautioned, "not to have given heed to what you have heard. Did not I bid you think?"
"Yes, do I think, and I remember," I said, "and therefore give you thanks!"
"If you did truly think thereon," said the Shepherd, "tell me: Why do they merit death who are in ignorance?"
"It is because the gloomy Darkness is the root and base of the material frame; from it came the Watery Substance from which the body in the sense-world is composed; and from this body of Death and Darkness does the Water drain."
"Right is your thought," He said. "But how does 'he who knows himself, go unto Him,' as God's Word had declared?"
And I reply: "The Father of the universals consists of Light and Life, and from Him, Man was born."
"You are right! Light and Life is the Divine Mind, and from it Man was born. If then you know that you are yourself of Life and Light, and that you are made of them, you shall return to Life and Light." Thus did the Shepherd speak.
"But tell me further, Mind of me," I cried out, "How shall I come to Life again, for God does say 'the man who had Mind in him, let him learn to know that he himself is deathless.' Have not all men then Mind?"
"Again you speak well! I, Divine Mind, myself am present with holy men and good, the pure and merciful men who live piously. To such my presence becomes an aid, and straightway they gain Gnosis of all things, and win their Father's love by their pure lives, and give Him thanks, invoking on Him blessings and entering his Kingdom, intent on Him with ardent love. And before they give the body up unto its proper death, they turn from their bodies with disgust from its sensations, from knowledge of what things they operate. Nay, it is I, the Divine Mind, that will not let the operations that befall the body work to their natural end. For being the gatekeeper, I close up all the entrances, and bar the entrance of the base and evil workings of the senses, cutting off all thoughts of them. But to the Mindless ones, the wicked and depraved, the envious and covetous, and murderous and impious, I keep far aloof, yielding my place to the Avenging Daimon, who sharpening the fire, torments them and adds fire to fire upon them, and rushes on them through their senses, thus rendering them the readier for their transgressions of the law, so that they meet with greater torment. Nor do they ever cease to have desire for their appetites inordinate, insatiably striving in the Darkness."

The Ascent of the Soul to the Eighth Sphere

"Full well have you taught me all, as I desired, 0h Divine Mind. And now,
" I beseeched Him, "pray tell me further of the nature of the way to the Life Above."
To this, the Shepherd replied: "When your material body is to be dissolved, first you surrender the body by itself unto the work of Transformation, and thus the form you had vanishes, and you surrender your way of life, void of its energy, back to its own nature. The body's senses next pass back into their sources, becoming separate, and resurrect as new energies; and passion and desire too withdraw unto that nature that is void of reason. And thus it is that man does speed his way thereafter upwards through the Spheres."
He continued: "To the first zone he gives the energy of growth and waning; unto the second zone, the devices of evil now de-energized; unto the third, the guile of the desires de-energized; unto the fourth, his domineering arrogance, also de-energized; unto the fifth, unholy daring and the rashness of audacity, de-energized; unto the sixth, striving for wealth by evil means, deprived of its aggrandizement; and to the seventh zone, ensnaring falsehood, de-energized. And then, with all the energizings of the Spheres stripped from him, clothed in his proper Power, he comes to that nature that belongs unto the Eighth, and there with Those-That-Are is the One Mind. They who are there welcome his coming with joy; and he, made like to them that sojourn there, does further hear the Powers who are above the substance of the Eighth Sphere, singing their praise to God in a language of their own. And then they, in a band, go to the Father's home; of their own selves they make surrender of themselves to the Powers, and thus becoming Powers themselves they are in God. This the good end for those who have gained Gnosis -- to be made one with God."

Thrice-Greatest Hermes

"Why should you then delay?" the Shepherd asked me. "Must it not be, since you have received all, that you should point the way to the world, that through you the race of mankind may by your God be saved?"
And after he said this, the Shepherd of Men mingled again with the Powers.
But I, with thanks and blessings unto the Father of the universal Powers, was now freed, full of the power the Shepherd had poured into me, and full of what he had taught me about the nature of All and of the loftiest Vision. And I inscribed in my memory the benefaction of the Divine Mind, and I was exceedingly glad, for I was full with that for which I craved. My bodily sleep had come to be my soul's wakefulness; and the closing of my eyes, true vision; and my silence, pregnant with good; and my barrenness of speech, a brood of holy thoughts. Becoming God-inspired, I attained the abode of Truth."

Buy this Book at Amazon.com
 

---

The Life and Teachings of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus

THUNDER rolled, lightning flashed, the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom. The venerable initiator, in his robes of blue and gold, slowly raised his jeweled wand and pointed with it into the darkness revealed by the tearing of the silken curtain: "Behold the Light of Egypt! "
The candidate, in his plain white robe, gazed into the utter blackness framed by the two great Lotus-headed columns between which the veil had hung. As he watched, a luminous haze distributed itself throughout the atmosphere until the air was a mass of shining particles. The face of the neophyte was illumined by the soft glow as he scanned the shimmering cloud for some tangible object. The initiator spoke again: "This Light which ye behold is the secret luminance of the Mysteries. Whence it comes none knoweth, save the 'Master of the Light.' Behold Him!" Suddenly, through the gleaming mist a figure appeared, surrounded by a flickering greenish sheen. The initiator lowered his wand and, bowing his head, placed one hand edgewise against his breast in humble salutation. The neophyte stepped back in awe, partly blinded by the glory of the revealed figure. Gaining courage, the youth gazed again at the Divine One. The Form before him was considerably larger than that of a mortal man. The body seemed partly transparent so that the heart and brain could be seen pulsating and radiant. As the candidate watched, the heart changed into an ibis, and the brain into a flashing emerald. In Its hand this mysterious Being bore a winged rod, entwined with serpents. The aged initiator, raising his wand, cried out in a loud voice: "All hail Thee, Thoth Hermes, Thrice Greatest; all hail Thee, Prince of Men; all hail Thee who standeth upon the head of Typhon!" At the same instant a lurid writhing dragon appeared--a hideous monster, part serpent, part crocodile, and part hog. From its mouth and nostrils poured sheets of flame and horrible sounds echoed through the vaulted chambers. Suddenly Hermes struck the advancing reptile with the serpent-wound staff and with snarling cry the dragon fell over upon its side, while the flames about it slowly died away. Hermes placed His foot upon the skull of the vanquished Typhon. The next instant, with a blaze of unbearable glory that sent the neophyte staggering backward against a pillar, the immortal Hermes, followed by streamers of greenish mist, passed through the chamber and faded into nothingness.

---

Related Books:

The Divine Pymander of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus (Secret Doctrine Reference Series)

For all those who want to study the the sublime Occult Mysteries this book is one of the very few that reveals the TRUE LIGHT. This is not a book for those seeking "glamour", "thrills", "mystery" or "instant enlightenment". Within the golden pages of the "Divine Pymander" the genuine, sincere seeker after Truth will find the answers to the great questions of life clearly and beautifully set forth. Here are true elucidations of the secrets of the Soul, Mind and body, of the beginning of Life, of the universe, and the ultimate purpose of Man and his true constitition and destiny. One could read a thousand books and not find the great truths revealed in this little volume. No sincere seeker after Truth and spititual enlightenment will be disappointed with this book. [Review by a Reader]. Source :http://www.world-mysteries.com/awr_pymander.htm