Abraxas

The figure of Abraxas has always been an interesting one to me.

"Abraxas" is a figure with the head of a rooster who holds a whip and shield. He has a human torso and snakes or serpants of some kind for legs, representing to many the syncretism of a number of religions floating around in late antiquity. The use of different animals for body parts is thought to represent this.

In other words, so the theory goes, he was conceived of as a kind of synchratism between God and the Devil, or ultimate good and ultimate evil, and thus thought to have a great deal of power ("Beyond good and evil"?).

His name in Greek (αβραξας) adds up to the number "365" according to their gematric system of alphabetic numerology, suggesting astro-theological implications.

There are variations on how he appears, etc. but apparently a number of small, round stones carved with his image have been found all over the middle east...they were probably like charms or lucky talismans, etc.

Charles Manson has called himself "Abraxas" a number of times, claiming he is a mixture of God and the Devil.

Here's a pic of a typical Abraxas stone (I have no clue what's going on on the reverse side):

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/41565c983283.jpg[/atsimg]

Anyone studied this character or run into him/her/it before?

reply to post by silent thunder


I have seen reference to Abraxas on very, very few occassions. It is one of the more ancient gods, and thought by many to be the root of the word "Abra-Cadabra".

If you want information on Abraxus, you need to dig into some Masonic and Rosicrucian information. Most recently i saw a reference to this ancient god in Hall's "Secret Teachings of All Ages".

A big clue to me is that numerically Abraxus is "365", a very sacred number. It is among many such deities in the Mysteries. How well versed are you in esoteric teachings? It is key that Abraxus is a dual god, and understanding why you would see "him" formed from various animals has to do with symbology. For instance, the rooster is a masculine creature and represents the male aspect. If you look at the image you show, it appears to have breasts, as well. This is the feminine aspect (nurturing, etc).

Here is an image that shows several versions, some with very clearly Masonic writing in Latin.




[edit on 20-8-2009 by bigfatfurrytexan]

In some medieval books on demonology, Abraxas was considered a demon and not a deity. That may have been a result of Christian rejection of Gnostic principles.

hmm interesting topic....
will definitely look into abraxas...which also happens to be a great album by carlos santana!
abraxas

Originally posted by chiron613
In some medieval books on demonology, Abraxas was considered a demon and not a deity. That may have been a result of Christian rejection of Gnostic principles.

May have been because Abraxas looks like a demon too!

Just my 2-cents

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
reply to post by silent thunder

 

I have seen reference to Abraxas on very, very few occassions. It is one of the more ancient gods, and thought by many to be the root of the word "Abra-Cadabra".

If you want information on Abraxus, you need to dig into some Masonic and Rosicrucian information. Most recently i saw a reference to this ancient god in Hall's "Secret Teachings of All Ages".

A big clue to me is that numerically Abraxus is "365", a very sacred number. It is among many such deities in the Mysteries. How well versed are you in esoteric teachings? It is key that Abraxus is a dual god, and understanding why you would see "him" formed from various animals has to do with symbology. For instance, the rooster is a masculine creature and represents the male aspect. If you look at the image you show, it appears to have breasts, as well. This is the feminine aspect (nurturing, etc).

Here is an image that shows several versions, some with very clearly Masonic writing in Latin.




[edit on 20-8-2009 by bigfatfurrytexan]

Thanks for the post...I've done a lot of esoteric reading over the years...While I find much of value in Manley Hall's writing in general, Masonic stuff, and the Rosicrucians, I think the truth about this topic will have to be sought in more ancient soruces...if they exist. Old Gnostic texts, maybe, or some Persian, Babalonian, or Zurvian stuff... I'm willing to be that anything written on this topic less than 1,500 years ago or so is probably filled with a lot of errors just because the topic is so archaic.

Originally posted by Aggie Man

Originally posted by chiron613
In some medieval books on demonology, Abraxas was considered a demon and not a deity. That may have been a result of Christian rejection of Gnostic principles.

May have been because Abraxas looks like a demon too!

Just my 2-cents

Serpents are involved. That always raises my hackles in some ways, although perhaps I'm being close-minded....the oldest sumerian goddess, Tiamat, was a serpant, as were many of her brood...Serpents also have strong symbolic connections with kundalini/energy work, which can be very profound.

I think Tiamat (possibly the most ancient divine figure we know by name) and her consort Apsu were divine figures that represented an earlier, more "subconscious" phase of religious life...perhaps our brains were literally different in those days. Then something was lost, as the Taoists always bemoan (and as can be seen in the loss of innocence with the mythos of the fall from the garden of Eden). As we began to settle and build bigger cities, new forms of order were called for...the old gods were no longer sufficient. So we see in Tiamat perhaps an original goddess figure that was "slain" by Marduk and made into an evil being once the more northern mesopotamians (Babylon, etc.) stormed Sumer...the slaying of Tiamat by Marduk (represented to this day in the form of "St. George slaying the Dragon) means many things: The triumph of the rational over the more primative and instinctive; the subordination of the ancient matriarchical order under a new male-run system; the needs of a more complex society; or simply waves of invaders imposing their own Gods on those of the natives, as has happened time and again around the world. But still Tiamat and the serpant imagery lingers on, and it becomes the feet and legs (the "base" as it were) of Abraxas...