Astronomical Twilight of the Gods

We can consider here if you like the concepts that the Egyptians associations with the rising of the Sun, the manifestation of Ra, the magical process that was envisioned around this, Heka through which all things arose, and also consider the Egyptian esoteric usage of the Pentagram with regards to this.

“I am he whom the Lord of all made before duality had yet come into being … I am the son of him who gave birth to the universe … I am the protection of that which the Lord of all has ordained … I am he who gave life to the Ennead of gods … I have come to take my position that I may receive my dignity. Because to me belonged the universe before you gods had come into being. You have come afterwards because I am Heka.”

Another epithet for Heka was “the one who consecrates imagery” (HkA-kA). It refers exactly to the primeval generative attribute of Heka to empower the creator’s divine thoughts and actions and translate them into their substantial equivalent in the visual and material world. Heka was the animation force behind every ritual act, state or private, beneficent or hostile

The creative act of Heka is personified and depicted on the solar bark of the creator god Re. In company with Su (“creative logos”) and Sia (“perception”), Heka re-enacts the creation of the first time and the separation of heaven and earth. The theological manifestation of Heka is present in tomb and temple representations as early as the Old Kingdom.

‘I am one with Atum when he still floated alone in Nun, the waters of chaos, before any of His strength had gone into creating the cosmos. I am Atum at His most inexhaustible – the potence and potential of all that is to be. This is my magic protection and it’s older and greater than all the Gods together, The Perfect youth, sweet of love,Who repeats the births again and again

As can be seen then Heka was the underlying magical premise of all Creation, the translation from the invisible to the visible, from darkness to light, from the immaterial to that having form, and the birth of the Sun encapsulated all these concepts.





In order to achieve this the Sun needed to emerge from the Duat, the sign for which was the Pentagram, the encircled five pointed star, why the Egyptians should have decided upon this as a symbol needs to be determined. The first considered usage of the Pentagram Symbol is thought to date back to Uruk circa 3,200 BC, there it was the UB sign and related to the four quarters of the cosmos and also importantly The Four Winds, thus the sign could be understood as animating the spiritual qualities associate with these winds/directions, hence its relationship to 'magic'

The basis for the ideogram is cycles of the Planet Venus in terms of the viewed relationship from Earth perspective, with regards to it's visual merging and remerging from the Sun over 584 day periodics, alternating as a Morning or Evening star, and thus also very closely associated with sunrise and set, it's this association needs to be considered closely.




The Egyptians were aware that the first angle for Astronomical Twilight was at 18 degrees below the horizon, beneath which no light appears over the horizon, in the iconography of the Dream Stela located at the Sphinx this is expressed in geometric symbolism, were the first offering is made marking this point below the horizon, the unseen birth of Ra, the next offering is at 9 degrees above the horizon line, associate with the first hour of the day, as can be learnt from Egyptian Sundials, these angles of course directly relating to those of the Pentagon.




The Sphinx Temple itself also contains within its architectural design the geometric proportions relating to the Morning and Evening stars, their relationship to Sunrise and set, the entering of the Sun into the Duat, and this relationship to the four directions, there were originally ten statues placed upon the plinths around the inner courtyard, also are seen six pillars either side outside of this representing the tentyfour hours of the days circuit.

Venus itself was understood as the eye of Hathor, she who in her Morning star aspect was as a fierce Lioness, and as the Evening star the cow eyed Goddess of pleasure, this complimented the eye of Horus represented by the planet Mercury, which as Morning Star embodied the principle of Divine Kingship, as Evening Star associate with Seth.

These two eyes of Ra, the planets of inferior orbit closely related to the Sun, represented the Male and Female aspects bound as One, it is Heka that pre-determines Duality and binds it as twin serpents.





To the right Thoth can be seen measuring out the proportions of the axis which relates to the symbolism of the opening of the Double Doors of Heaven, this represents the magical opening into the Duat itself, related to the concept of the Double Doors of Heaven, again the esoteric usage of the Pentagram, were A is to B as B is to C.

This motif would often be seen on the canopic outer containers which held the four jars containing the organs of a deceased, an aspect of the cult of Osiris and the Duat, in order to overcome the serpent of Chaos, Apophis, it was important to known the words to enable passage.







The sysmbolism of the Pentagram will also be bound up with this translation between realms were Anubis is seen as guardian of the double bolted gateway. It's esoteric usage in such a context of course is the basis for the Pentagram of the Magic Circle, the divide between the material and immaterial, light and darkness, and also the relationship between four quarters or guardians dating back at least to Uruk.

In terms of the greater Necropolis, such as Giza it is considered the pyramid itself represented the power of Ra, but also i would consider that the small cult Pyramids related to Horus, and the Queens Pyramids to Hathor, and their respective eyes.

The two pits that flank the upper temple East of the pyramid house boats that were probably for Khufu as Horus. These pits are oriented North and South. This orientation may relate to the power of Horus which was written in ancient texts to have extended from the North to the South. Their location near the upper temple suggests that these boats were also connected with the living King because the temple's design is thought to have been based on the palace of the living King as Horus

The first boat pit may have been connected with the Cult of Hathor who was one of the triad of deities of Giza. The Pyramid complex was dedicated to the Gods Re, Hathor and Horus

So a few interesting considerations then...

Heka sounds pretty similar to Phanes philosophically.

reply to post by immoralist


Yes i'm sure that's derivative of Heka.

In these myths Phanes is often equated with Eros and Mithras and has been depicted as a deity emerging from a cosmic egg, entwined with a serpent. He had a helmet and had broad, golden wings. The Orphic cosmogony is bizarre, and quite unlike the creation sagas offered by Homer and Hesiod. Scholars have suggested that Orphism is "un-Greek" even "Asiatic" in conception, because of its inherent dualism. Time, who was also called Aion, created the silver egg of the universe, out of this egg burst out the first-born, Phanes, who was also called Dionysus. Phanes was a uroboric male-female deity of light and goodness, whose name means "to bring light" or "to shine"; a first-born androgynous god of light who emerges from a void or a watery abyss and gives birth to the universe.

Many threads of earlier myths are apparent in the new tradition. Phanes was believed to have been hatched from the World-Egg of Chronos (Time) and Ananke (Necessity) or Nyx in the black bird form and wind. His older wife Nyx (Night) called him Protogenus. As she created nighttime, he created daytime. He also created the method of creation by mingling. He was made the ruler of the deities and passed the sceptre to Nyx. This new Orphic tradition states that Nyx later gave the sceptre to her son Uranos before it passed to Cronus and then to Zeus, who retained it.

reply to post by Kantzveldt


Wow, another mind blowing thread!

I can say with confidence that you author the very best threads on ATS second to none.

Egyptian knowledge of the cosmos and mathematics has always fascinated me.

Thanks for helping connect the dots as always.

Cheers.

reply to post by Kantzveldt


Venus hold's a close association with Egyptians for a good reason, there is let us say some significant connections between these parts of the all, but it must also be mentioned that they (the Egyptians) lost there way with what was given, and therefore should be viewed with slight caution.

none the less a quality thread and good work

S&F

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


Thanks very much for the praise, i enjoy figuring out the mystery religions of the past. The Egyptians did have a beautiful metaphysical system of thought based upon natural observations and this translated into symbolic representation, and it really shows in the quality of their arts, crafts and architecture, so always a pleasure to contemplate them.


reply to post by JokerThe1st



There are complications with Venus as far as Egyptology goes, from the Pre-Dynastic period until toward the end of the Old Kingdom i would say the planet was represented by the Lion Goddess Sekhmet Hathor as the Morning Star and the Cow Goddess as the Evening, complications begin with the introduction of Osiris who among his many attributes is also Venus Morning Star and referred to as 'the crosser' in astronomy texts, there is also a fusion of Hathor-Isis to some degree, this due to importing Near Eastern resurrection cults, probably from Byblos.

But you perhaps had something else in mind...?

Phanes sounds like the Christian Satan.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan



Wow that would be scary if the first thought of the Universe was Satanic...!?!...my fault for posting baboons in the first image maybe, but really the Divine youth is an eternal innocent.

In many ways Heka is the basis for the aspect of Nefer-Atum in the rising of the Sun which i detailed here, except that Heka is at the Universal level, so the magic of childhood and the awakening into eternal life based upon that premise.

reply to post by Kantzveldt


I have really enjoyed reading your threads and this one in particular.

When I first looked at the looping picture above it reminded me of the retrograde movements of Venus and the other planets.

Looking at the icons and way the ancients depicted them it suggests to me they are 2representing how man first evolved. So, in modern terms ancient man always knew about the spirit world and acknowledge a creator - the Eternal One - I wonder if this is the point in our existence where, as adrogenous (for humankind) we separated into man and woman from the animal kingdom, which propr to our separation was the norm. We have evolved somehow and one can see in an adrogenous plant we have both male and female flowers on it as well as androgynous .

I then wonder if the people, as they looked back remember the story of the earth's originans as 'The supernatural Eternal one' sending the first one whom many thought of naturally as his supernatural son, which some religions believe to be Lucifer, the Bringer of light, and also viewed as Venus etc who went on to produce the necessary 'forces' (angels) to create our earth. In this way as Lucifer gets converted to Saturn and onto Satan we see the ancient astrological way of thinking (astrologically linked to solid/material things like eg the infrastructure of a planet and the body and especially boundaries. Recently I read the Gnostic Gospels from Nag Hammadi and a delightful story is told in several of the documents contained therein. Samael - another name for Satan creates the world by emitting huge numbers of angels to do the work and once it is done, he then claimed to the angels to be the original and only God whom they are all to worship. When he has made his claim, which incidentally the angels knew was not right, espeically when he adds that 'He is a jealous and only God and there were none other than him, a female voice coming from the heavens proclaimed "I don't think so Samael!" Just from this one link we get the origins of the first two commandments for men and the dislike for the knowledge of the women.

I suspect that much of the iconography from many peoples has been destroyed by the church as blasphemous depictations so we can only go on what is left.

So often we look at the snake encircling man yet we never seem to think other than its a snake, but perhaps it might also make sense if its seen as a sperm and its importance in our creativity, especially in the egg icons. Gnostis taught that man is a God when he becomes pure and is equal to Christ and in effect joins him by seeking purity and divinity within himself - not through a priesthood officiating for him to God which explains the desperate destruction the early church carried out. These tales are told throughout many cultures, the link is always to the original Eternal Being.

Kantzveldt
reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

 

Wow that would be scary if the first thought of the Universe was Satanic...!?!...my fault for posting baboons in the first image maybe, but really the Divine youth is an eternal innocent.

In many ways Heka is the basis for the aspect of Nefer-Atum in the rising of the Sun which i detailed here, except that Heka is at the Universal level, so the magic of childhood and the awakening into eternal life based upon that premise.

edit on Kam33188vAmerica/ChicagoSunday3031 by Kantzveldt because: (no reason given)

Well, Satan is the lord of the physical. And is commonly considered to be Lucifer, the light bringer.

Is the overall imagery a match? Not really. But there are some key points there.

Keep in mind, much of what Satan is derives from Christian dogma more than anything else. It could be taht elements of various deities were included as a way to discredit. Who knows....but there are some symbolic similarities between the two.

ETA: i agree with other posters. You are a great thread author, and I look forward to devouring each and every one.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


Yes when i consider qualities of Satan i only really go off his archetypal role in the Book of Job, were he represents the negative aspect of Saturn, undermining over time physical health, social standing, faith and idealism, mental faculties, familial relationships and just about anything else that can be subverted and corroded, and is in direct opposition to principles of Jovian establishment.

To apply those traits to Heka or Phanes it would have been the case of first consciousness arising, deciding everything was worthless crap and going back to sleep, it is unlikely much of a Universe would have been created

It's hard to find any sort of direct equivalent for Satan in ancient Egyptian thought, the closest is the ageing aspect of the Atum, which given the transition from youth to aged/death over time has suggested an association with Chronos/Saturn, but this would generally have been in terms of natural observance that all things fade and wither over time rather than willful infliction and malevolent application. Seth had his violently disturbed ways but he was no Satan either.


reply to post by Shiloh7


The looping principles in the last illustration relate to the principles of horizontal Sundials. Ancient traditions such as Egypt and Sumeria did tend to look at Creative spiritual progression in terms of a singular continuum were the Masculine and Feminine in metaphysical terms reflect differing degrees of dynamism and divergence, that contrasting forces are the essence of Creation and thus they arose both Male and Female.

The fall of Lucifer/Star of the Morning in Isaiah relates to Babylon and it's King Nebuchadnezzar, the Divine namesake Nebu was the Babylonian equivalent of Mercury and that is the star in question, in many way it's a celebration of Saturn bringing him down given he falls into the Earth in being brought low, is eaten by maggots and other unpleasant things.

The Talmudic Samael does seem to relate quite closely to Satanael but i don't think he's linked to the descent of the Angels to Earth in early sources, later times he becomes seen as responsible for all the woes of the world though.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

Keep in mind, much of what Satan is derives from Christian dogma more than anything else. It could be taht elements of various deities were included as a way to discredit. Who knows....but there are some symbolic similarities between the two

I used to think pretty much the same thing, but have since reconsidered.

The reason? Some years ago when I was reading the Mahabharata for the first time, I was surprised and curious to see the name "Satanika" listed as one of the warriors killed in the infamous Kurukshetra War.

I did an Internet search on the name and much to my surprise ended up at several Hindu "What to name your baby" sites. I scrolled down the "S" names for boys and was seriously taken aback to find the name 'Satanand' listed meaning Vishnu and the name 'Satanath' given as a name for Shiva. I found the same names listed on a number of similar sites.

Curious, I checked the "official" lists for the 1000 names of Vishnu and Shiva & didn't find any names beginning with Satan. Yet the names definitely appear as Hindu names for boys, so I ultimately had to conclude that at some time in history the Hindu god system prefixed their god names with 'Satan" and these names are still remembered and revered among the common folk.

The Near and Middle East certainly did experience wave after wave of Aryan invasions of people, so I must assume they were familiar with the Vedic gods as well. I can only conclude that at some point in ancient history, it was commonly known in the Middle East that the Vedic god names were prefixed by the name Satan.

reply to post by Riddles


I'm sure enjoying your posts. I am also fairly certain that "Sat" as a prefix means "true", and "anand" means "bliss" or "peace" ("Yogananda"), so in this case "true peace".

Kantz what do you think about the connection you made of Horus' lost eye being Mercury and the incessant attempts at connecting these mysteries to the Celts? Specifically the relation of the one-eyed god Odin whom was also associated with the planet Mercury as well as his eye "blazing like the Sun?"

-FBB

reply to post by FriedBabelBroccoli



It's interesting, Odin was the third aspect of the Aesir/Asura triad of Divine consciousness;

Aesir/ Sanskrit ásu "life force"

In surviving tales, the origins of many of the Æsir are unexplained. Originally, there are just three: Odin and his brothers Vili and Vé.

The names of the first three Æsir in Norse mythology, Vili, Vé and Odin all refer to spiritual or mental state, vili to conscious will or desire, vé to the sacred or numinous and óðr to the manic or ecstatic.

Vili was Odin's brother, known as the God of Wisdom

.Vili and Vé were two lesser-known siblings of Odin in the Norse pantheon. According to Snorri's Prose Edda, the three brothers were responsible for slaying Ymir (the primal giant) and constructing the cosmos from his remains.[ The trio of gods also were credited with the creation of the first humans

When the sons of Borr [Odin, Vili, and Vé] were walking along the sea-strand, they found two trees, and took up the trees and shaped men of them: the first gave them spirit and life; the second, wit and feeling; the third, form, speech, hearing, and sight. They gave them clothing and names: the male was called Askr, and the female Embla, and of them was mankind begotten, which received a dwelling-place under Midgard

With the Asur this would be Apām Napāt

he term asura is linguistically related to the ahuras of Zoroastrianism, but has, in that religion, a different meaning. The term applies to three deities--(Ahura Mazda, Mithra, and Apam Napat)


AHURA MAZDA; the immortal (Ahu), radiant (Raa)divinity ; that Great (Maz) entity who rules the universe and mankind strictly through Wisdom (Daa)

Iranian "Mithra" and Sanskrit "Mitra" are believed to come from an Indo-Iranian word mitra meaning "contract, agreement, covenant

Apām Napāt is sometimes, described as a fire-god who originates in water, Apąm Napāt in Avestan mean "grandson of waters"Apąm Napāt is given the title of Ahura (Lord) which otherwise is accorded only to Ahura Mazdā himself and to Mithra

We worship the High Lord (bərəzantəm ahurəm), kingly, shining, Son of the Waters, who has swift horses, the hero who gives help when called upon. (It is) he who created men, he who shaped men, the god amid the waters, who being prayed to is swiftest of all to hear.”

This third aspect is a self sacrificing God associate with swiftness and fire, Divine ecstasy. The Trinity with the immortal radiant wisdom as the first principle, the covenant as the second principle, the ecstatic or fire within the waters as the third principle.

The third principle then as an extension from the Sun/light following on from the principle of covenant could well relate to Mercury as it is seen to emerge from the Sun and return into it to be reborn (as Morning or Evening star), and this repeated pattern could have related to the Eye of Horus passing down through Rulers.


reply to post by Riddles


The Prefix in Sanskrit does relate to 'Eternal Truth', in Hebrew used as a noun from a verb meaning primarily to, “obstruct, oppose,” if we are to combine the two interpretations maybe we arrive at a particular eternal truth that will always get you in the end, in the sense of time/death.

FriedBabelBroccoli
Kantz what do you think about the connection you made of Horus' lost eye being Mercury and the incessant attempts at connecting these mysteries to the Celts? Specifically the relation of the one-eyed god Odin whom was also associated with the planet Mercury as well as his eye "blazing like the Sun?"

-FBB

reply to post by Riddles


I think that what we see is a polemic against the "other gods" in all religion. The Titanomachy, or Supercessionism. The Muslims do it now against the Jews and Christians. The Christians did it to the Jews and "pagans". The Jews did it to the pagans. The Egyptians may have done it in the story of Seth and Osiris. Some people feel that Seth is their version of YHWH, or the foreigners god. Seth and Horus were originally seen as co-good guys. Possibly after the Hyskos, Seth was made "bad".

The thing that happens though is those early symbols are preserved but given a sanitized meaning. The Josian purge in Judah prior to the Babylonian captivity was a big turning point in their history, focusing on destroying Asherah. The thread in my Sig Line is all about this, following those symbols, and meaning, and giving you my sanitized meaning to those stories. Of course when I do it its good, but when they do it its bad

If you look at snakes, women, magic, dogs, spiders you find them associated with "bad" in most ancient religions. Many feel that our Neolithic ancestors were more egalitarian, and the Feminine aspect of the divine was balanced with the male. Eventually the empire rose up, and subjugated women, created castes (still seen in India), created war etc. Anyway those symbols I mentioned earlier were all "female" symbols. What happened was the female was basically overtaken by the male. And that is why Odin has only one eye. It is the full putting out of the female divine.

The Devas vs. The Asuras is another example. The Asura Mazda or Ahura Mazda or Ashera Mazda is the Supreme God (male and female I believe) in Iranian religion, Zoroastrianism.

Asuras

ásura and its derivatives in chronological order within the Vedic texts, leading to new insights into how the asuras came to be the evil beings that they are today and why the venerated Varuna, Mitra, Agni, Aryaman, Pusan and Parjanya are all asuras without being demonic. Hale's work has raised further questions—such as how the later poets could have overlooked the idea that the RigVeda's asuras are all exalted gods.
Following Hale's discoveries, Thieme's earlier proposal[9] of a single Indo-Iranian asura began to gain widespread support. In general (particulars may vary), the idea is as follows:
• Indo-Iranian asura became Varuna in India and Ahura Mazda in Iran.
• Those deities are the most closely related to that "Asura [who] rules over the Gods" (AV 1.10.1, cf. RV II.27.10) and inherit the epithet, Deva Asura (V 42.11).

Varuna is Uranus. Uranus is the Greek word used for heaven in the New Testament, which is interchangeable with God. (kingdom of heaven/ kingdom of God).

There is also the Aesir vs. Vanir in european paganism
Vanir=Vanes=Wanes, these are the waning gods, overtaken by the Aesir. There are also 3 Aesir that are Vanir. Njoror (a man), who used to be Nerthus a woman, and is thought to be a primal deity, the same as Eostre. Njoror's kids are the other two the twins Freyr and Freyja (male and female). Nerthus may have been Njoror's wife/twin originally but had superseded her and overtaken her roles.

Aesir

Æsir is the plural of áss, óss "god" (gen. āsir) which is attested in other Germanic languages, e.g., Old English ōs (gen. pl. ēsa) and Gothic (as reported by Jordanes)anses "half-gods". These all stem from Proto-Germanic *ansis ~ ansuz, which itself comes from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énsus (gen. h₂n̥sóus) "life force" (cf. Avestanaŋhū "lord; lifetime", ahura "godhood", Sanskrit ásu "life force",[3] ásura "god" (< *h₂n̥suró)). It is widely accepted that this word is further related to *h₂ens- "to engender" (cf. Hittite hass- "to procreate, give birth", Tocharian B ās- "to produce").[4]

Finally, the noted comparative religion scholar Mircea Eliade speculated that this conflict is actually a later version of an Indo-European myth concerning the conflict between and eventual integration of a pantheon of sky/warrior/ruler gods and a pantheon of earth/economics/fertility gods, with no strict historical antecedents.[10]

reply to post by Kantzveldt


Great thread Kanzveldt.

reply to post by zardust



A model i would suggest as a framework for your studies is that of a sort of religious tree. If we take the early Sumerian-Elamite-Indus Valley Dravidian cultures that emerged out of Africa as the root system of our tree, then we can imagine this as putting out feelers into the deep dark ether of the unknown, sourcing every spiritual archetype and drawing upon them as nourishment, such activity in metaphysical terms should always be understood as essentialy Feminine and of a somewhat serpentine inclination.

Considering a second stage upright growth, emergence into the light, strong establishment and protective bark we could ascribe to those singularly minded Semites, there is but one trunk and his name is tree, we can consider the onset of this erection as dating back to the time of the Akkadian conquest, it will always involve a certain amount of forcefulness and it's essential metaphysical nature is directly Masculine.

For most that is were the story has ended, but the next stage of course has to be luxuriant growth of the branches, the beauty of the leafs, which in many ways will reflect the root system, there is the question of flowering and fruits, and the extension and branching out from Hebraic Monotheism into Indo-European culture provided the reflection of the root system, in that they considered the symbolic language of the Hebrew scribes from which they had developed Monotheism and found counterparts within their own traditions, and thus all the old spiritual archetypes re-found a role in the sense of Angels and Saints, and it was beautiful and it was Feminine.

reply to post by Kantzveldt


Dude

Thats a good analogy. Thanks.

When you say Sumerian, that seems to be the beginning of the Patriarchal dominance, though it is very early on. Thoughts??

I touched on Ibex and Tree of Life in my Thread Egypt to Israel, but I didn't post this little tidbit:

The Ibex as the tree of life from Elam is one of the oldest symbols we know of. The word Ayil in Hebrew is Ram or Ibex. Gesenius notes that this word may refer to Elam!!!

The Ibex was superseded by the bull.

reply to post by zardust


The Sumerian Pantheon was entirely balanced in terms of Masculine and Feminine Deities, i did suggest the emphasis began to change from the onset of the Akkadian period, but that was a slow development over several thousand years and of course what many consider Sumerian texts are from that greater period.



The pre-eminence of the Bull cult is found at the very onset of the Neolithic period, in terms of my recent thread on The Message from the Pleiades in which i relate the Pleiades to the Tree of Life symbol, in terms of the Fig tree, then that cluster is of course only an aspect of the greater constellation, and the Goddess that most relates to the Pleiades, Inanna or Hathor variant Cow Goddesses are thus the consort of it.



The Bull representing great cosmic force, drive and energy remains an ever present, the Tree of Life planting an extension from this, the animals that are seen to feed off this Tree of Life, the ibex and stag are spiritual symbols of the Masculine and Feminine, thus the tree nurtures both, and all are inter-related.