Apech

ponzi ticket take you sold me a pyramid no money mummy.

I caught most of this series and yes he visited Ba'hai in Iran - parts of it were so hurried that he seemed to spend about 10 seconds looking at some religions before jumping on a jet to zoom off somewhere else - the whirling dervishes barely got though 270 degrees before he was off. But there were some nice bits though ... so I quiet enjoyed it in a lighthearted sort of a way.

If it helps I can give the following correspondencies: North - George - Posh East - John - Scary West - Paul - Ginger South - Ringo - Baby I know I'm going out on a limb here but unfortunately there is no equivalent to the fifth Sporty.

Peace is the highest principle and I'm willing to kill to prove it. Sorry.

Dough? ... i need a job. High flier in retail sales - Want fries with that, sir?

off with all this weight I must go on a diet eat but don't swallow. (ooops snap!)

If world = maya then are we assuming that there is some real thing = the world which we can't see properly. As if we are wondering around with a visual impairment bumping into trees and thinking they are lamp-posts. Forgetting for a minute that we are part of this. Maybe we should think that 'within' us is the real-real and what is out there is either maya (i.e. illusory) or of you like a projection of something only partly seen. Two stories: The Buddha is brought up in a palace garden where everything is perfect. When he goes out he gets a shock because he sees old age, sickness and death. Old age, sickness and death are part of samsara (i.e maya=illusion) but the impact on Lord Buddha is to bring out his compassion for sentient beings who suffer these things. So was more ignorant in the palace garden or when he was addressing samsara. Adam and Eve live in Eden in perfect happiness. Along comes serpent and gets them to eat the apple of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They realize they are naked and so on and God kicks them out. They are then 'fallen' i.e. removed from God's presence, God's presence = reality and so through knowledge (loss of ignorance) they become fallen i.e. more ignorant. So why ignorance anyway?

Ah but if God wants us to seek him - then why dull our minds with ignorance?

Put some damn clothes on And go into the garden We're apple picking.

Hey Bruce, I don't think we should let the minor problem of it being unanswerable stop us trying to answer it! Good ol' Buddha is rooting for us and we have to keep trying. If free will is the answer then are we saying - we have free will in order we can be ignorant? In which case its the same question ... WHY!!!!

'Why should there be ignorance at all?' That is such a great question.

You see it as a pure tradition?

I have Wikipedia on my side: ... hang on though - that probably means I'm wrong! Actually I didn't mean to imply opportunism but the person I learned a lot of this under was very much into 'use whatever comes up' and he had an encyclopediac knowledge of almost every system. Also I notice Bardon quotes Alexandra David Neel(e?) amongst others - so I think he was 'borrowing'.

The clever answer would be that strictly speaking maya doesn't exist - in that it is an illusory projection or ignorant misunderstanding of the nature of reality. It isn't the opposite to the absolute because if such a thing were possible then the absolute would not be absolute but partial. I know this doesn't help with the question - given that we do experience maya and even if it is illusory - why does this happen? I'm not sure that a rational answer which does not point to the need to gain a higher level of understanding/awareness is possible. It would be like asking a truly ignorant person to explain themselves - which they cannot because then they would not be truly ignorant. I await other posters for enlightenment.

Yes, I suppose I should have been more precise in saying that there was no overt use of the decans as astrology (i.e. determining fate/influencing life and so on) that I know of until the Late Period which was heavily influenced by Greek, Mesopotamian and Persian thought. However the point about the Egyptians is that they did not really distinguish between the divine and the profane in the way we (or the Greeks) do. When Egyptologists look for indications of either astrology or indeed astronomy (in the sense that we understand it today) they fail to find it. What they do see is a) a developed use of stars and constellations for time keeping and calendars b ) the association of certain stars and constellations with certain gods and c) the general sense that everything to do with the sky was significant - this included the flights of migratory birds as well as stars and so on. To the Egyptians sky=heaven=Nut (although they did have the word 'pt' for sky as well), the fabric of the world was made from the gods or the souls of gods and the gods were as part of creation as we are. So I think if you think like this then everything is counted in as being significant. So it would not be surprising that each hour of the day was considered as influencing life below - which leads naturally to the idea of the decans in astrology. What was missing until the Late period was the 'science' or techniques of astrology horoscopes and so on - though I believe that they were enthusiastically embraced once they emerged. I think this approach of counting everything as significant transfers to Hermetic thought which I see as quite eclectic. A kind of 'if it works - use it' approach with the kind of pragmatic 'suck it and see' or 'work it out for yourself' philosophy. That is not to say that it is like some kind of everything goes New Agey mess but more an openness to the variety of form that exists and a willingness to draw on the different traditions which were available. So Hermeticism successfully draws on influences from the ancient world, Christianity, Islam, alchemy, gnosticism and so on. In the modern age we can add yoga, Buddhism, Taoism and so on. The trick is not to mix form in a way which leads to inconsistencies - this can lead to a lot of difficulty because of the mis-direction of mental/emotional/spiritual energies.

Hi There are quite a few statues in the Brit. Mus. and other places that will speak to you, or at least appear to breathe and move if gazed at. Sakhmet being a popular one - although I have read some accounts which suggest to me that some people are not listening properly and only hear what they want to! Nephthys is cool! Her name which has been translated as 'Lady of the house' is a bit misleading because people think she is some kind of housewife or domestic servant. Actually the 'house' word 'Hwt' means the temple enclosure or grounds, that is the sacred space. So Nephthys is really the High Priestess ... as in card 2 in the Tarot, while Isis is the Empress. All the gods are still around if you remember them ... which is the way that the Egyptians saw doing service to the Netjerw. (see the Tale of Shipwrecked Sailor). The decan stars date from at least the 9th Dynasty (so early Middle Kingdom) but are almost certainly older. They purely a way of measuring time and were not used for astrology (except that everything was divine in Egypt of course). There are examples of what they call diagonal star charts which list the decan stars and they are also shown in some tombs (e.g. Senmut) and also are in some larger 'books' such as the Book of Nut. Basically after the sun set stars would rise above the eastern horizon and become visible. The Egyptians identified lists of sequences of twelve stars which would mark out the beginning each of the night hours as the rose. (later the time at which they reached the midheaven was used instead). Now because of precession and so on, each star list would only be in sequence for 10 days (the Egyptian week). After that the next star in the sequence would become the first and so on. In all there were 36 of these stars and so the full year was 10X36 = 360 days plus 5 extra days (ordained by Thoth). As there were 36 decan stars they were spaced (roughly) at 10 degrees in the heavens. It is the figures representing these stars which you see round the Dendera ceiling for instance. The reason that measuring the night time was so important to the Egyptians was that this was when the sun god was passing through the underworld. At certain hours, especially the 6th hour (midnight) the sun was at risk and so the priesthood would perform protection rituals. So they had to know the time at night accurately. The way I was taught about the elements and the zodiac was this. Each element exists in three phases. The cardinal is when it is in its 'free' state or it is pure and unfettered. For instance the element fire (which is closest to spirit) exists as a free moving energy which literally zooms in and out of situations without let or hindrance. This is symbolised by the Ram, Aries. Both the wavy horns (like pure sine wave energy) and the behaviour of actual rams influenced this symbology. When this energy encounters opposition to free movement it focusses in the fire element and compacts into a fiery ball (the sun) which is the fixed version of this element (or Leo the sun ruled lion sign). Because the energy is essentially free it does not completely implode (which would be like a black hole) but begins to vibrate between its original free state and its condensed state, this vibration is its mutability and is symbolised by Sagittarius the archer. The same can be said of air, water and earth. They all move from an original pure or free state, to a state of bound fixity and then begin to vibrate between the two. This is the only way the zodiac makes sense for me. However it is not really Egyptian as the zodiac was an 'import' for them. Though there are parallels of course. Cheers A.

parasitic bliss joy of tiny biting things flea-born ecstasy. (if you have an itch ... scratch it)

Break in poetry, Like riding a restless horse, Proud is modest man. (welcome mm )

Just want to point out that I was not disparaging eastern systems such as Buddhism and Taoism - and their view, which in the context of those systems is perfect. Its just that I believe that there is a western tradition which is as valid and profound. Historically the western tradition has been 'occult' that is hidden and viewed with great suspicion and persecuted.

Glad a relieved that the article finally posted itself and hope its not a big let down . Just to add: The reason I emphasis the alchemical nature of hermetic science is the following. What the Emerald Tab. and Egyptian thought have in common is the affirmation of the basic tenet of 'as above so below'. This as I understand it is that reality is a continuum between the highest levels (of spirit) and the grossest levels (of matter) and that the form and nature of the way that this continuum expresses itself in anything from an idea to an object resonates and corresponds. This means even if we are dealing with the most mundane thing or activity then it corresponds with the highest spiritual actuality. Nowadays we tend to see things as symbolic or representative because we have abstracted these ideas. So for instance if we consider the sun as 'representing' the Will then we make a distinction between the sun in sky and the sun we are thinking about. But the Egyptians made no such distinction. The visible sun was the actual god Ra or at least his body. This was not because they were naive and primitive but because they did not abstract. To understand this ask yourself the question 'why do I see a sun?' The answer is that the power that makes us, which we are, projects something about itself into our sensorium (sense world). The 'external' objective world is a projection by the creative power, to itself, expressing its own nature. This continuum of power was called Atum (amongst other things) by the Egyptians. Atum's name means either 'the complete one' or the 'the being that both exists and doesn't exist' depending on how you read it. The way in which Atum creates is through sexual union with himself. That is he masturbates the world into existence, or sometimes he performs what is given the glorious name of auto-fellatio. His children Shu (the air) and Tefnut (moisture) are his semen and his saliva respectively. They are the issuance of his body, his bodily fluids which go on to form the structure of the world, the earth and the sky and so on. So all substances on this earth are the descendants of these first substances. It is not a big leap to go from this to the idea of a kind of spiritual chemistry - i.e. alchemy. And that the physical world is the 'lowest' level of expression of the whole continuum and hierarchy of levels between the gross, the subtle and the causal. As distinct to the eastern (particularly Buddhist) view that the created world is 'illusory' the western tradition would say 'its real - but what is it?' or 'its not what it seems' - that is its not a vacuum filled with solid objects but a continuum of power or a field of energy or consciousness with which we can relate, experiment, explore find out about for ourselves in a spirit of pragmatic empiricalism - i.e. western hermetic magical tradition.

In truth, certainly, and without doubt whatever is below is like that which is above, and whatever is above is like that which is below, to accomplish the miracles of one thing. The threefold affirmation of the truth reflects the name of the author, Hermes Trismegistus, whose name in turn reflects the title of Thoth, thrice great. This is followed by the essential statement of correspondence between that which is above and that which is below. The reference is to heaven and earth. Here heaven means a state of equilibration of power and earth is the same power compacted or condensed into substantiality. '...the miracles of one thing.' The text makes a distinction between the One through the meditations of which everything comes into being and the 'one thing' which is the subject of Alchemy, that is the philosophers stone. The 'one thing' is something which brings about magical change and through which 'by adaptation' all things are born. And just as all things proceed from the One, meditated by the One, so all things are born from this one thing by adaptation. So if we ask the question, where do things come from, how do they arise, we are told that they arise because of the meditations, or thought of the One. The One, refers to the source or origin which religionists would call God and philosophers the absolute. We might compare this to the Hindu Brahman who is 'one without a second', that is not one as the head of a series but One as in there is no other. As we are considering how the One brings about 'things' through meditating, we could call this an infinite consciousness, where consciousness points, through the 'sci' root which means 'to cut', to the way in which this power divides itself to produce the variety of created forms. Continuing the 'as above so below' theme the text then goes on to say that in addition to being produced by the self-division of the absolute, 'things' are brought about by the adaptation of the 'one thing'. In alchemy the 'one thing' or philosophers stone is said to be a substance in which all the four elements are brought together in perfect harmony. All other substances exhibit properties which reflect the configuration or inner stress of the four elements within them. For instance a substance may be solid (earth) and yet malleable (water) or give off gas (air) or be conflagrant (fire). Each chemical or substance will exhibit particular stresses of the elements. But in the case of the Stone the perfect balance of elements produces magical effects on anything with which it comes into contact. Hence the transformation of base metal to gold. In this sense the Stone is seen as the source of all other substances, like primal matter, in that all things are born from it. So we can see that its magical properties, its ability to bring about change relate to its primary nature. Its Father is the Sun and its Mother is the Moon. The Wind carries it in its belly. Its nurse is the earth. This goes some way to explain the nature of this 'one thing'. We already know that the four elements fire, water, air and earth are brought into harmony to bring it about and here the actual process is (very broadly) outlined. The 'parents', the Sun and Moon are in male/female polarity and represent conscious active will and passive responsive substance. The Sun could be said to be the vehicle of the element fire and the Moon rules the phasic nature of substance, the element water. The will of the Sun lights on the substance of the water/moon, which acting as a kind of perfect recording medium (hence the existence of memory) holds the imprint of the Sun. The Wind is brought about by the movement of energy induced by the interaction of the polar Sun and Moon, whips up the image held and spins it (in its belly) in a kind of gestative process. Through this rotational action the substance begins to condense and is precipitated into earth, that is structured solidity. This section is convincingly Egyptian in origin as it bears striking similarities to the Heliopolitan creation myth of Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb ... and so on. It is the father of every miraculous work in the whole world. Its power is perfect if it is converted to earth. Separate the earth from the fire and the subtle from the gross, softly and with great prudence. So this 'one thing' which perfectly reflects the powers of Sun, Moon, Wind and Earth is the cause of every miraculous work. It is the agent of magical transformation. Its power is said to be perfect if it converted to earth. This suggests that this 'one thing' exists at higher planes of existence but finds perfect completion when it manifests through earth. There then follows an instruction. We are told to separate earth (i.e. substance) from fire (i.e. spirit) and the subtle from the gross ... softly with great prudence. That is gently and persistently. At first this seems at odds with the 'coming together' description of how the 'one thing' came into being. However we will see that the text is now giving practical advice from what might be called an existential point of view. In other words we, far from being in contact with the 'one thing' are dwelling in confusion and ignorance. The corollary of this is that the state of our beings and the state of the world we experience is a confused mixture of the elements. In order to begin to understand and see clearly we must first allow things to separate out so we can see the constituents for what they are. Ascend from earth to heaven and descend again from heaven to earth, and unite together the power of things superior and inferior. Having distilled the subtle form the gross a kind of system has been developed which goes from the grossest state of Earth where energies are compacted together in solid forms to the most subtle of Heaven (which we could think of as He-even where 'He' is the breath of spirit), where the energies are most subtly and evenly distributed and mutually interpenetrating. We are instructed to cycle between these states and thus through the various intermediary conditions. This is to unite the power of things superior and inferior. Again one might say why separate and then unite but the answer is that this is a process of distillation. By separating we are able to distinguish the power in the earth and also the power in heaven. This is one power and by understanding this we can unite these two realms. After cycling the energy properly we are able to unite it in the 'one thing'. Again this has strong Egyptian flavour. In Egypt the resolution of dualities was a core theme. Reconciling Horus and Set, uniting the two lands, the two crowns, the two ladies and so on. The idea of cycling resembles the solar cycle which is the central theme of the New Kingdom underworld books (the Am Dwat or the Book of Nut for instance). In this way you will acquire the glory of the whole world and all darkness will leave you. This is the power of all powers, for it conquers everything subtle and penetrates everything solid. Glory is a reference to the luminosity gained through identification with the power that cycle. Thus is the world created. From this, and in this way, wonders are made. For this reason I am called Hermes Trismegistus, for I possess the three parts of wisdom of the whole world. The name Hermes Trismegistus literally means Hermes thrice great. Hermes the Greek god of wisdom has the equivalent of Thoth in Egypt. Thoth had the title 'three times great'. So the writer is effectively identified as being the divine god of wisdom. In Egyptian thought the whole world had three parts, the heaven (Nut the sky), the earth (Geb) and the Underworld (Dwat). The underworld is the 'dimension' in which the sun and the dead pass through to be regenerated or reborn. It is an inner world and is sometimes called the pathways of Shu, Shu being the air or wind. So here the 'three parts of wisdom of the whole world' could refer to knowledge of these three realms. Perfect is what I have said of the work of the sun. As you can see the final words confirm that it is the solar cycle which is the central glyph to this work. Posting in bits seems to be working!

What I like about the ET is that it is a short summary of the whole path and can be taken to be equally true in terms of internal and external alchemy. Once you look at the ideas and images it contains it seems to be very much aligned to Ancient Egypt and hence an example of a genuine direct transmission of teachings - a lineage of sorts. This I think explains the Hermes Trismegistus attribution. I have no idea why my posts won't work but since I have previously posted reasonably long articles on here with no probs. I have decided to take it that I shouldn't keep trying. BTW from what I have read of Bardon, his treatment of the elements, the magnetizing and electrical fluids, the use of water (ordinary water) as a material which receives and holds mental/spiritual images/energy I would say that this is alchemy - using alchemy in the broad sense and not just weird chemistry. This is the version I like from the book "My heart my mother" by Alison Roberts.

I tried at least six times to post it here and then on the discussion forum. Sean emailed PM'd to say that I should email it to him - which I did - but I think too much expectation may have been built up now - its only a few notes to spark off a discussion about the ET. We could have that discussion anyway cos its freely available on the net anyway. Cheers. A.