the objective and subjective hga
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melittabenu
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The objective and subjective HGA, the HGA vs. the
Agathos Daimon (et al)
August23,2012bymelittabenu
Becausehonestly,wecouldallusethebreakfrommetalkingaboutmentalillnessandabuse.OrIknowIcan.MaybeitstimetosharesomeofmythoughtsabouttheHGAandhowtheHGAmatchesupwiththeAgathosDaimon.
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I doabitofthinkingaboutmyHGA.SomeofthisthinkingincludesdecidingwitherornottheHGAisthebeingofmyindividualdivinity,aspiritcompletelyseparatefrommeoralittlebitofboth.IthinkIvedecidedonalittleofboth,butmyintrinsicunderstandingofthatshiftsdependingonmymood.Also,IdoalotofthinkingontheHGAandtheoldermodelsoftheconcept,asillustrated
below.
Certainlyinmyearliersearchestoseewhatthisbeingactuallyis,Igotalotofresponsesthatdidntmakealotofsense.Iknowthatalotofmyfriendsonthereconstructionist(mainlyGreek)sideofthingsrefertoasimilarbeingtheycalltheirAgathos Daimon whichistraditionallythoughtofasacompanionspiritbutcansimilarlybecalled(especiallyinmoremoderntimes)astheessentialdivinenaturepresentineveryindividual. Inotice,thecomparableRomanGenius (anditsfemininecounterpart,theJuno)hasasimilardichotomy,andIveseenallthreeoftheseentitiesbeingcomparedtotheconceptofthetutelaryspirit,whoisseenasaguardian,aprotectorandateacher.IknowthattheFellowshipofIsishasasimilarconcepttheycallanAnkhu (Ithink),thoughIdontknowwhere
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theydrawtheconceptfrom. Heck,eventheGnosticshadaDaemon (1)oftheirownFromwhatIvebeenabletoobserve(andIamsuretherearedifference),paganstendtotreattheirdaimonae asbeingsseparatefromthemselves- theygettheirownrepresentations(traditionalorotherwise),sometimestheirownshrinesandreceiveprayersandservicesimilartogodsorotherspirits.
So,Icanseetheconceptspaganrootsandlastingendurancethroughpaganism/religiousantiquityandintoceremonialmagic.TheGoldenDawnhasitsownGenius,theAurumSolishasitsAugoeides(fromIamblichus,sosaysThelemapediagoodolGreekAurumSolis!)andeventheIOT
(Illuminatesof
Thanateros,
which
is
adamned
cool
name
Imust
say)
have
their
own
concept
of
Kia:
The consciousness-force in us that appears as the root of will and perception can be called Kia. This Kia has noform. Any form of innate divinely sanctioned motive that one may seem to have found in it is illusion. It is thisvoid at the center of ones being which is the real Holy Guardian Angel .(2)Theceremonialmagicianstend,ratherthantheverybhakti routetakenbypagans,toinvoketheHGAthroughritualmeans.(LiberSamekhandtheBornlessRitualbeingthetwobetterknownrituals,bothbasedontheritualfromthePGM- SteleofJeu,PGMV.96-172.IpersonallyliketheterminologyTheHeadlessOne- which,seeinghowIfeelaboutKaliandChinnamasta,shouldntbeashock- asit,atleasttome,referstoa
beingwithoutegoorsmallselfaninterestingdistinctionIllgettoinamoment.IncaseyourewonderingwhatthehellImtalkingabout,followthelinkandscrolldowntowhereyouseetheKali
mantramvideoHere. (http://melittabenu.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/nigredo
-some
-personal
-experiences-with-ego-death-and-facing-your-illusions/) Also,JackFausthassomereallyinterestingideas- supportedbyprimarysources- abouttheHeadlessRitual:Here!(http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2012/01/further -comments-on-stele-of-jeu.html)(Moreonthisinamoment.)
However,whatweenduphavingisaninterestingdualitythatperhapsdependsuponourconceptionofduality.Wepayworship/invokesomethingwhichisseparatefromourselvesbutisactuallyourselvesinourtruestsense.Ornot.CrowleyseemedtobeatoddsondefiningtheHGA,callingitthesilentselfinhisearlylifeandthenespousingaverydifferentviewinhisseventies.Tocompare
Crowleyinhis70s:Now, on the other hand, there is an entirely different type of angel; and here we must beespecially careful to remember that we include gods and devils, for there are such beings who are not by anymeans dependent on one particular element for their existence. They are microcosms in exactly the same sense asmen and women are. They are individuals who have picked up the elements of their composition as possibilityand convenience dictates, exactly as we do ourselves I believe that the Holy Guardian Angel is a Being of thisorder. He is something more than a man, possibly a being who has already passed through the stage of humanityand his peculiarly intimate relationship with his client is that of friendship, of community, of brotherhood, orFatherhood. He is not, let me say with emphasis, a mere abstraction from yourself; and that is why I haveinsisted rather heavily that the term Higher Self implies a damnable heresy and a dangerous delusion . If it were
not so, there would be no point in The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage (4)
vs.
Crowleyinhisearlierlife:Hoor-paar-Kraat, or Harpocrates, the Babe in the Egg of Blue is not merely theGod of Silence in a conventional sense. He represents the Higher Self, the Holy Guardian Angel. (5)
Inpopularconceptions,Iseethesamething.Onepersonsaysonething,anothersaysanotherthing.TheHGAisseparate.TheHGAisonewithus.Finally,IdecidedsomethingthatsuitedmethatisverymuchexemplifiedbythequotebelowandissupportedbymyownexperiencewithmyHGA:
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The most important injunction on the spiritual path of the ancient Mysteries was ascribed over the sanctuaryof Apollo at Delphi: Gnothi Seauton Know Thy Self. The initiates of the ancient Mysteries were afterGnosis, which meant the knowledge of self knowledge, the knowledge of the Who Am I?
But what is the Self? The ancient sages taught that every human being has a mortal lower self, called theeidolon and an immortal Higher Self (Soul) called theDAEMON. The eidolon is the embodied self, thephysical body, and ego personality. The Daemon is the Spirit, the true Self, which is each persons spiritualconnection to God. The Mysteries were designed to help initiates realize that ones eidolon is a false self and that
ones true identity is the immortal Daemon.
From the eidolons point of view the Daemon appears to be an independent Guardian Angel. Disciples andseekers who still identify with the eidolon, therefore, do not experience the Daemon as their own true Self, but asa spirit guide, whose job it is to lead them to their spiritual destination hence it is a separate entity that enticesthem to advance and awake to their true essence. Plato teaches: We should think of the most authoritative partof the Soul as a Guardian given by God which lifts us to our heavenly home .(1,again)
Now,IvelongacceptedtheconceptthatMelittaBenuisaneidolon (orrather,themagickal/writingpersona ofaneidolon),aprojection,ofagreateranddivineselfwhichistheDaemon,ortheHGA.Mymortalpersonality,mynephesh,myeidolon,willsloughoffanddecaywhiletherestofmygoodbitswillreincarnate/doaneverymeandeveryyouwaltzhoweveryouwanttolookatit.ButIsupposeImstillwrestlingwithdualitywhenIwhine,Idontunderstaaaaaaaaand!andgetthoseoddconfusionsthatcomewithexperiencingmyHGA:theodddisplacementofmypersonality,thelackof
boundariesbetweenusandthisoverarchingIAMfeelingthattendstolastuntilmymundaneselfisreasserted,whichtakesvaryingamountsoftime.ItsmenotwantingtodieandbecomeMe.Themonkeymind,thesmallself,thelittleiisafraidtodiebecauseitisanewexperience.Theconsciousness,theimmortalself,thetrueIknowsthisisalloldnews,oldhat,routinebynow.
However,IamstillunsureastowitherornotperpetuatingthedichotomybetweentheHGA/AgathosDaimoniswhatshouldbedone,andwhileintellectuallyIagreewiththeaboveIdontknowhowto
applyit.
Ialso
dont
see
how
it
would
be
possible
to
do
otherwise
as
most
of
us
need
the
ego
to
interfacewithreality(Iamoftheopinionthataslongasyouarealive,youarenotego-less- thereisalwaysasmallpieceoftheegoleftbehindtoattachyousufficientlytoyourlife).IhaventfoundtheanswertoseeingtheHGA/AgathosDaimonasyourselfasopposedtoseeingitasanobjectivebeing.Icanintellectualizeit,butIdontknowhowtoexperienceityet.MaybethatsbecauseImbelowtheAbyssorhaventexperiencedthatperfectunionyet.Imstillfeelingthingsout.
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SoistheAgathosDaimonandtheHGAthesame? (http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2010/03/agathos-daemon-and-hga.html)
JackFausthassomeideasaboutthecomparisonbetweentheHGAandtheHolyHeadlessOne,whichisdefinitelyfoodforthought:But, honestly, I dislike the term HGA and applying it to older models ofmagic. I am not entirely sure that the Headless Daimon is an HGA in the same sense that most magiciansseem to use it as, and Im very hesitant to claim connection to my HGA because I managed to conjure theHeadless Daimon (by doing the ritual, obviously), and got blasted with its ultimate radiance a few times .
Its the way the terms are categorized and thought of that makes me uneasy to answer this question, sorry. Itsjust that Im not entirely sure a Qabalistic/Ceremonial categorization (The Headless Daimon = HGA) evenapplies. They may be similar, but to be sure of the exact differences I would have to apply myself extensively toQabalism. And I dont.(3)
WhileheisspeakingspecificallyoftheHeadlessOne,IwonderifitsjustasrelevantwhencomparingtheotherconceptstotheHGA.IstheHeadlessOneaconceptionoftheHGA?IsittheHeadlessOnespecificallythatcannotbecomparedtotheHGA?OraretheDaemon,theAgathos Daimon,theRomanGenius differentyetsimilartotheHGA?Inmyopinion,IthinkthatwhilethestudyoftheSteleofJeumightrevealsomeinterestingspecifications,IthinktheHGAiscomparabletotheolderconceptionsofthehigher,divineself.
Andthen,itsreallyamatterofgettingdowntosemantics,atleastinmyopinion.Aftersomeruminationandmeditatingwithsomedivination(IlovemyTarot,15yearsandcounting),IfindthattheHolyHeadlessOneandtheHGAareoneandthesame.Thismaybebecauseofmyeastern
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leaningsandtheconceptthatheadlessissymbolicforwithoutego- ImsureweallrememberwhenIwastalkingaboutChinnamastawhenIwaspostingaboutmyNigredoexperience.ItmakesmethinkthattheHeadlessGodistheinnerdivinityoftheself,fullyrealized,andthereforewithoutego.
One Graeco-Egyptian invocation to the Headless God (in which the Headless God is referred to as a creatorgod) was modified by the Order of the Golden Dawn and called the Bornless Invocation. This invocation wasused as a preliminary to workings with spirits, by giving the magickian power over all lesser entities. Aleister
Crowley modified the Bornless Invocation still further and called it Liber Samekh. Crowley claimed to havecorrected the words of power and used his ritual to directly access his higher self, which is referred to as theAttainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. As Crowleyphiles all know, accessto the Holy Guardian Angel is absolutely essential to the successful practice of advanced magick.(6)
However,theheadlessgodisalsocomparedtoothergodsaswell:
The Headless God is mentioned in several Graeco-Egyptian charm papyri and on amulets, and is truly anenigmatic figure. Some scholars interpret it as the spirit of decapitated criminals, others a manifestation of Set,Osiris, or the dwarf gods Bes, Besa and Besas. These dwarf gods were protectors of sleep and childbirth.(6)
WhiletheHolyHeadlessGodhistoricallyisassociatedwithgodssuchasOsiris-Onoronophis(spelling,Iknow),Abraxasandmanyothers,theresbeenenoughsuccesswithothersusingtheritualtheSteleofJeuandthosebasedonit(LiberSamekh,theBornlessRite)thatIcantdenytheplausibilitythattheyreoneandthesamebeing.IdonothaveenougheducationonthemattertowonderwhytheHeadlessGod,ifitisanotherversionoftheHGA,iscomparedtoothergods.Noidea.Ifyouhaveanidea,letmeknow.
Whatabouttherestofit,though?TheAgathosDaimon,theRomanGenius,etal?
This returns us to the Agathos-Daemon and the Holy Guardian Angel at last. What I hope to show here is how
nebulous one concept is with a firm basis derived from the Agathos-Daemon contrasted by the semi-solid setof ideas the other has.
Above the daemon level of reality was the Agathos-Daemon, or Good Daemon. While other daemons were moreor less natural and might very well ignore an individual, it was the Agathos-Daemons role to aid and abet themdirectly as a personal companion. It is this mythological being that is the basis of the Holy Guardian Angelinsofar as most modern practitioners of magick might be concerned. By 532 CE, Psuedo-Dionysius (or someoneclaiming to be him) had already wedded the idea (while completely ignoring any Pagan origins whatsoever) tothat of a Guardian Angel
. (7)
JackvonFaustusindicatesthattheagathosdaimonwasseenasanexternalfigure,agoodspirit,thatwasattachedtoanindividualinlifeandwasmoreanexternal,personalcompanionthananintrinsicpartofthehumanbeingsdivinity.ANatalspirit,ifyouwill.AndevenifitISwikipedia,itsalsostillevidencethatsupportsthisidea(what?Imlazy.Youknewthis):Though he was little noted in Greekmythology A temple dedicated to him was situated on the road from Megalopolis to Maenalus in Arcadia.Agathos Daimon was the spouse or companion of Tyche Agathe ( Good Fortune; Latin, anddialect, Agatha); Tyche we know at Lebadeia as the wife of the Agathos Daimon, the Good or Rich Spirit.[5]His numinous presence could be represented in art as a serpent or more concretely as a young man bearing acornucopia and a bowl in one hand, and a poppy and an ear of grain in the other. The agathodaemon was later
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adapted into a general daemon of fortuna, particularly of the continued abundance of a familys good food anddrink. In the syncretic atmosphere of Late Antiquity, Agathodaemon (Koine Greek:) could bebound up with Egyptian bringers of security and good fortune: a gem carved with magic emblems bears theimages of Serapis with crocodile, sun-lion and Osiris mummy surrounded by the lion-headed snake CnumAgathodaemonAion, with Harpocrates on the reverse.
Honestly,soundstomemorelikeaseparate,natalspiritwhossupposedtogiveyoualegupwhenyouneedit.
Meditation,divinationandfinallyjustaskingmyHGA(unlessIhearditwrong)ifitwasthesameastheagathosdaimon,theanswerIgotwasNo.ButImstillunsure.Thereisapartofmethatstillrebelsagainsttheideaofagoodangelononeshoulder,andabadangelontheother- itsmacksmeofsuperstition,butthatmightbebecauseofgrowingupwithcartoonsandthelikethatdepictedtheangelasagoodytwo-shoeswithaveryblandpersonalityandthedemonaswearingredpajamasand
beingnothingmorethanobnoxious.Perhapsthisismyprejudice,butIalsohavetroubleseeingbothoftheseentities(agathosdaimon,kakodaimon)asbeingpartofthewholeoftheHGA,orevenjusttheHGAandtheagathosdaimonbeingone.Despitethesuperstitioustone,Ileanmoretowardstheideathatbotharethenatalspiritsofaperson,onetoguideandtheothertotest- testingsimilartothe
Chaldean
Deamon
Dogs
sacred
to
Hekate.
(See
Hekate
Sotiera
by
Sarah
Iles
Johnston
for
an
explanationthere.)AmIsureonthat?Notreally.Iwonderifitmatters,sincethespiritswillmaintaintheirnaturesandintegritynomatterwhatIthinkofthem,anyway.
Bytheway,ifyouwanttoconjurethenamesofyourGeniusandDaimon,checkthisout.(http://headforred.blogspot.com/2008/09/getting-k-using-agrippas-genius.html)
Ormaybethistoo. (http://www.rufusopus.com/products_and_services.htm)
Florence + The Machine - No Light, No Light More infoShare
0:00 / 4:16
Thesearemythoughtsonthematter- definitelynoanswers,butmoreandmoreIfeellikeIgetclosertothebigpictureandthenIhavetostartoveragaintogetanideaofwhatsgoingon.Yikes!Nevertheless,itsstillalotoffun,andtalkingtomyownHGAcanbealternatelyinterestingandfrightening.However,thatsanotherstoryforanothertime.
1. http://www.plotinus.com/the_daemon_copy%281%29.htm(http://www.plotinus.com/the_daemon_copy%281%29.htm)
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2. PeterCarroll,LiberNull&Psychonaut,Pg.162
3. http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2012/01/further-comments-on-stele-of-jeu.html(http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2012/01/further-comments-on-stele-of-jeu.html)
4. Crowley,MagickwithoutTears,Pgs.281-282
5. Crowley,TheLawisforAll,Pg.78
6. http://www.hermeticmagick.com/content/deities/headless_god.html(http://www.hermeticmagick.com/content/deities/headless_god.html)
7. http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2010/03/agathos-daemon-and-hga.html(http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2010/03/agathos-daemon-and-hga.html)
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agathodaemon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agathodaemon)
PostedinUncategorized |TaggedAgatgodaimon,AgathosDaimon,HGA,HolyGenius,HolyGuardianAngel,K&C,K&CHGA,Kakodaimon,KnowledgeandConversationwiththeHoly
Guardian
Angel |
9
Comments
9 Responses
1. on August 24, 2012 at 1:49 am | Reply submerinaIvebeenwaitingforthisentryeversinceyoumentionedyouwouldbecoveringtheHGAand
daimon.
Having
formed
a
relationship
with
my
personal?
natal?
agathos?
daimon,
I
am
always
interestedtoreadaboutotherexperiences tocompare,tolearn,toevolve andIjustgenerallyfindyourentriesfascinatingreading!(Long-timelurker)
I donthaveK&CHGA,soIcantspeakfor[it],butmydaimonhassaidheis_not_theHGA,whichtiesinwithwhatyourHGAtoldyou.WhileIdontliketokeepasolidviewofhowitallworks,IthinktheNeo-Platoniclevelsofdivinityareonewayofexplainingthedifference,thedaimonbeingclosertohumanity,whilestillbeingdivine.
Stillfiguringitout
on August 24, 2012 at 6:58 am | Reply melittabenuHeySubmerina!
Thanksforyourcomments.ThemoreIthinkabouttheHGAversestheAgathosDaimon, themoreIcantreallyseethembeingoneandthesame.(Maybethefactthattheyhavedifferentnameshelps.)Imgettingmoreintotheneo-platonicstuffthemoreIreadaboutit,thoughatthemomentImwadingthroughmoreStratton-Kent,AgrippaandIambilichusIhaveafullplate.
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Andthanksforthecompliments. Theywarmtheporcelaincocklesofmylittleheart.IwasthinkingthatIdonthaveenoughritualonhere,butIdontoftenliketopostritualsIuseonaregularbasismorelikethestuffIwoulduseinpublicandbecomfortablepublishing.Doyouhaveanysuggestions,maybe?Iddedicatetheposttoyou!
2. on August 24, 2012 at 3:36 pm | Reply Cole Tucker (@cole_tucker)
Jake
Stratton-
Kent
in
his
chapbook
The
Headless
One
and
Stephen
Flowers
in
Hermetic MagicbothtracetheHeadlessRitetoaTyphoniansubgenrewithintheGPM,withJSKexplicitlystatingtheriteisaninvocationofTyphon-Set.
I believethatthispresentsanopeningtounderstandtheHGAandtheHeadlessOneasdistinctyetsharinganidentity.TakingintoaccounttheTempleofSetsreadingofSetasthepersonificationofisolateintelligence,SetcanbeunderstoodastheMacrocosmicmanifestationoftheNeoplatonicOne.
If,asShawseemstosuggestinTheurgy and the Soul,thatinvocationsofthegodselicitthesameforcewithinourownsouls,andacttoclarifyorharmonizetheirexpression.ToinvokeSetwould
thenbringforth,strengthenandharmonizeourownexpressionoftheOne,ourHGA.SetandtheHGAaredistinctinthissense,yetshareanidentityasexpressionsoftheOne,withintheMacrocosmandMicrocosm.
ThisinterpretationalignsnicelywithmetaphorslikeGodtheFather;GodtheSonandTipharethexistingasareflectionofKether.Itscontingentonanumberofquestionableassumptionsandgeneralizations,tothepointImhesitanttoevenmention.
3. on August 25, 2012 at 3:21 am | Reply Jack Faust
@Cole:IdontdoubttheTyphonian/Sethianlineageoftheritualatall.WhattroublesmeaboutthefocusonSet-Typhonisthattheritualitselfgivesthedaimonseveralnames,someofwhichdontseemveryTyphoniantome.Forexample,inthefirstfewlines(96-105):YouareOsoronnophriswhomnonehaveeverseen;youareIabas;youareIabos
Osoronnophrisis,ifmymemoryiscorrect,the perfected Osiris.IseemtorecallsomethingaboutIabasandIabosalsoinvolvingOsiris,butperhapsmymemoryiswrongthere.
Theblatantserpentineimageryofthespirit,however,isthemostimportantandwheretheSethian-Typhonianprobablycomefrom;asIre-readtoday,MortonSmithnotesthattheHeadlessGod,whoisoftentreatedinterchangiblywiththeAgathos-Daimon,alsoshowsupinDreamOraclesforBesa/Bes.Imlookingatonerightnow,PGMVIII.64-110(Betz,P.147):Icalluponyou,theHeadlessGod,havingyourfacebesideyourfeet,theonewhohurlslightningandthunders;youaretheonewhosemouthiscontinuallyfullofFire,theoneplacedoverNecessity.Icalluponyou,thegodplacedoverNecessity,IAEOSABAOTHADONAIZABARBATHIAO;youaretheonelyingonacoffinofMyrrhEtc.Smithcomments:SothisearthgodisBesandhe[is]also[the]agathosdaimon.Besandagathosdaimonandtheheadlessgodareverycloselyintertwined.Thatwaseasiertodobecauseasyouallknowagathosdaimonisserpentine.Agathosdaimonisawellrecognizedgod,whohaswellrecognizedcultsinEgyptalsoelsewhereinsouthernItalyandthelike.
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Thesearenolongerdistinctfiguresinanysense.Sethmust,byhisverynature,showupeventually.IjustdontthinktheritualisstrictlyTyphonian.IdontseewhyincludingHighGod/GreatGodtitlesforOsiriswouldoccurifthatwasthecase.ButImaybewrong.ThosePGMmagicianslovedcombininganysympatheticdeityintoessentiallynewforms,whichmakesanalysisabittaxingatthebestoftimes.
Also,IdonttrustStephenFlowers.Brilliantman,butheequateseveryone toSeteventually.
4. on August 27, 2012 at 1:46 pm | Reply Cole Tucker (@cole_tucker)@JackFaust,thankyouforcheckingin,yourworkontheHeadlesswasadecidedinfluenceinmypersonalworkwiththerite.
JSKrecognizesthesyncretismoftherite,particularlywithBes(trackstheIabastoIA-Bes)andIAO(shortresponsebyhimhere).Illhavetogobackandtakealookatthepamphlet,butI
believehespartiallyextrapolatingfromthegenreconventionsofthetext.
If,asJSKclaimsinGeosophia IIthatthemagiciansinvolvedinthecreationoftheGPMhadHekate
and
Typhon-
Set
as
their
patrons
(contrasted
against
a
more
diverse
group
of
patrons),
I
would
expectOsoronnophristohaveaverydifferentinterpretationthatfromaOsiriancult.OnethoughtisthatOsirisonlybecomeperfectedafterbeingacteduponbySet.
ThisisoneofthosetimesIwishJakeprovidedabitmoreinwayofsources.IsharethehesitationregardingStephenFlowers,soIwasabitsurprisedtoseeoutsidevalidation.
5. on August 28, 2012 at 10:46 pm | Reply Cole Tucker@JackFaust,InThe Headless One,JSKdelvesintothelinkstoBesyoubringupbutfocusesonthe
Setianassociations.
Particularly
drawing
the
parallels
with
an
older
rite,
from
the
Leyden
Papyrus,
ASpelltoInflictCatalepsy(PDMXIV675-94).FurtherconnectionsaredrawnwithPowerfulSpelloftheBear(PGMIV1331-89),anditsassociationswithbothSetandHekate.
Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics isalsomentioned,whichtranslatespartofthearticleAkephelos;DerKoflosegott,:mostoften[Set]seemstobeidentifiedwithasortofheadlessdemonwhoseeyesareplacedinhisshoulders.
JSKsopinionontheuseofOsoronnophrisis:OsirisandSetwerebothidentifiedwiththepantheisticSungodatthistime.Moreparticularly
forthepurposesofthisritual,Osirisasgodoftheunderworldcommandsagreatmanyspirits.Soitseemshefavorsasyncrenisticexplanation.
6. on August 29, 2012 at 9:57 pm | Reply melittabenu*munchespopcorn,lookingbackandforthbetweenthetwoofyou*
Oh,sorry!MaybeIshouldparticipatealittle- Ivereallybeenenjoyingthemagickalandscholarlybackandforth,andbothofyourcommentshavehelpedmegetabetterideaoftheHeadlessGodthanIhadbefore.Sincerely,thishasbeenmadeofawesome.
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@ Cole
>>>Jake Stratton-Kent in his chapbook The Headless One and Stephen Flowers in Hermetic Magic bothtrace the Headless Rite to a Typhonian subgenre within the GPM, with JSK explicitly stating the rite is aninvocation of Typhon-Set.
I havesaythatIdontseetheriteasbeingpurelyTyphonianorexplicitlyaninvocationofTyphonSet.IcanseeSetbeingapartofagroupofgodsthattheHeadlessGodisidentifiedwith(andthis
ismy
own
conjecture,
purely
from
my
musing)
but
my
gut
tells
me
they
arent
exact.
Iwouldnt
doubtitsTyphonianlineagebasedonwhatIvereadofitandwhatIvebeenabletocompareitto,thoughsadly,Imnowherenearanexpertonitoraswell-educatedwithitasJackis.
>>>I believe that this presents an opening to understand the HGA and the Headless One as distinct yetsharing an identity. Taking into account the Temple of Sets reading of Set as the personification of isolateintelligence, Set can be understood as the Macrocosmic manifestation of the Neoplatonic One.
AreyoupartoftheTempleofSet,byanychance?IwaslookingtotalktosomeonefromtheTempleabouttheirviewsontheHGAforafutureproject.
I cansee
them
being
distinct
and
sharing
and
identity,
come
to
think
of
it,
simply
because
it
seems
thatsomanygodsandspirits(HekateandMelinoe,forexample)seemtodosimilar.However,theideaofSetastheNeoplatonicOnestrikesmeasverymonist:thesameasmanyHindusreferringtoKali,KrisnaoranyotherdeityastheOne.Thatdoesntmakeituntrue,butinmyminditmakesthingshighlysubjective,likemanyofmyownbeliefsconcerningHades,PersephoneandtheUnderworld.(Jackcouldvouchforthatone.)
>>>If, as Shaw seems to suggest in Theurgy and the Soul, that invocations of the gods elicit the same forcewithin our own souls, and act to clarify or harmonize their expression. To invoke Set would then bring forth,strengthen and harmonize our own expression of the One, our HGA. Set and the HGA are distinct in this
sense, yet share an identity as expressions of the One, within the Macrocosm and Microcosm. Thisinterpretation aligns nicely with metaphors like God the Father; God the Son and Tiphareth existing as areflection of Kether. Its contingent on a number of questionable assumptions and generalizations, to thepoint Im hesitant to even mention.
THIS.ThishelpsmemakesenseofwhysomanyofthenamesofothergodsrefertotheHGAand,well,helpssomemoreideasfitintoplace.Thankyouforthat.
@Jack
>>>For example, in the first few lines (96-105):
You are Osoronnophris whom none have ever seen; you are Iabas; you are Iabos
Osoronnophris is, if my memory is correct, the perfected Osiris. I seem to recall something about Iabas andIabos also involving Osiris, but perhaps my memory is wrong there.
See,identifyingtheHGAsomewhatwithOsirismakesmoresensetome,sinceOsiriswasoftenidentifiedwiththedeadsoulintheEgyptianafterlife.IrememberreadingthattheEnneadwasessentiallyagod-makingmachine,asystembywhichthedeceased,identifiedwithOsiris,ascendedfrommortalitytodivinityandeternallife.(Icameuponthatwhileresearchingformyundergradthesis,whichcomparedtheEarlyIsraeliteCultbeliefswiththeHeliopolitancult,but
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dontremembertheauthorIthinkitwasLukertthatsaidsoinEgyptianLightandHebrewFire,orErikHornunginConceptionsofGodinAncientEgypt.)WhileitsnotthesameastheconceptoftheHGA,itlinesupmoretome.
>>>The blatant serpentine imagery of the spirit, however, is the most important and where the Sethian-Typhonian probably come from;
IveseenalotofserpentineimagerywithOsirisandAbraxas,too,andtheHeadlessGodis
comparedto
both.
>>>as I re-read today, Morton Smith notes that the Headless God, who is often treated interchangibly withthe Agathos-Daimon,
Hmmmm
@ Cole
>>>If, as JSK claims in Geosophia II that the magicians involved in the creation of the GPM had Hekate andTyphon-Set as their patrons (contrasted against a more diverse group of patrons),
I adoreJSKandGeosophia,IandII,butImnotsureifIagreewiththat.
>>>One thought is that Osiris only become perfected after being acted upon by Set.
TraumaandShamanicdeath/rebirth?ThatthemeseemstoworkintohowmanypeopleexperiencetheirHGAstobeginwith,andIcanseeinthisregardhowbothSetandOsiriswouldhaverolestoplayandbeidentifiedwiththeHGA.
>>>I would expect Osoronnophris to have a very different interpretation that from a Osirian cult. JSKsopinion on the use of Osoronnophris is:
Osiris and Set were both identified with the pantheistic Sun god at this time. More particularly for thepurposes of this ritual, Osiris as god of the underworld commands a great many spirits. So it seems hefavors a syncrenistic explanation.
I havehomeworktodowithOsoronnophris,Isee
Cole,thankssomuchforyourcommentary.YouvereallyhelpedmeoutinregardstothegodsrelationtotheHeadlessOneandgivenmefoodforthought.Anyresourcesyouwouldsuggest,otherthanthePGM,theLeydenPapyrusandJSK?(Jackisalwaysawesome,Idontneedtotellhimthat)
7. on September 1, 2012 at 6:12 pm | Reply Cole Tucker@melittabenu,washopingyouwoulddropinagain!
ImambivalentabouttheidentificationoftheHeadlessOnewithSet,Ijustdonthavethemythicaorscholarlybackgroundatthispoint.
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>>>Are you part of the Temple of Set, by any chance? I was looking to talk to someone from the Templeabout their views on the HGA for a future project.Sorry,Imnot.AlexBurns mightbeagoodpersontoapproach.Hesbeenresponsivetoinquiriesinmyexperience.
>>>However, the idea of Set as the Neoplatonic One strikes me as very monist: the same as many Hindusreferring to Kali, Krisna or any other deity as the One
Thisisnt
asense
of
the
Neoplatonic
One
Ifind
useful
either.
Edward
Butler has
introduced
me
to
anapproachtotheOnewhichisverydifferentfrommonism.Imactuallyrunningoutthedoorfortheweekend,butwillbebacknextweektochatmore.SomeresourcesofhisIhavefoundveryusefulare:OfferingtotheGods:ANeoplatonicPerspectivePolytheismandIndividualityintheHenadicManifold
8. on September 14, 2012 at 2:00 pm | Reply Cole Tucker (@cole_tucker)Atthelibraryyesterday,skimmingthroughthecontentsofAncient Christian Magic forsomeother
researchIm
doing.
Inoticed
in
passing
aspell
for
the
defense
against
aheadless
spirit
(paraphrase).Willcertainlybeworthalookatsomepoint!
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