What does drinking out of a skull signify?

First thought that came to mind were the skull & bones of yale, stealing gerominos skull. Maybe its a persons skull from the lodge they represent.

reply to post by fraterormus


And here^^^ we have the most relevant post in this thread.

The (Free)Mason and Druid Godfrey Higgins drew parallels in his writings between the rites of the Gnostics, (Free)Masons, Druids, Tantric Buddhists, and Roman Catholics. He wrote about how Jesuit missionaries who visited Tibet in the 18th century were astonished at how similar the Tibetan rites are to those of the Roman Catholic church. This would of course be because pretty much all religions on this planet are branches of an ancient "Gnosis"(Greek), or Wisdom(Sophia) Tradition, so to speak. Godfrey Higgins also pointed out that even the term "Sufi" is based on "Sophia"(Phoenician). The Khemetian Goddess of whom the Phoenician "Sophia" is based on would be "Sofik"(Khemetic). Sophia, Sofik, Sufi, you get the idea.

I've attended a number of Nyingma pujas and have witnessed for myself that they drink some sort of liquor out of a human skull. The skull that I saw them use was probably plastic, but it is certain that Tantric Buddhists have and most likely still do use real human skulls in their pujas.

Manly P. Hall 33° pointed out that the Buddhist equivalent of Sophia is the Goddess Prajnaparamita(Sanskrit).

THE MAHASIDDHA TRADITION IN TIBET by Vajranatha

The Higher Tantras could not be a congregational practice of monks because Tantric sadhana, as well as celebrations of the High Tantric feast or Ganachakrapuja, required partaking of meat, wine, and sexual intercourse. At the very least the latter two would force a monk to break his vows. And so what came about in the eleventh century was a change in the external style of practice; the Anuttara Tantras, many of them freshly brought from India and newly translated into Tibetan, came to be practiced in the style of the lower Yoga Tantras. Although there is a great deal of ritual in the Yoga Tantras, there is nothing there that would require a monk to violate his monastic vows. The presence of a woman or Dakini is require at High Tantric initiation and also at the Tantric feast of the Ganachakrapuja, but in the eleventh century reform the actual Dakini physically present was replaced by a mind-consort (yid kyi rig-ma), a visualization of the Dakini. One did the sexual practice only in visualization, not in actuality. In this way the practices of the Higher Tantras could be taken into the monasteries and incorporated into the congregations practice and liturgy of the monks known as puja. Unlike the Zen Buddhists of Japan, Tibetan monks customarily do not practice group meditation. That is something done in the privacy of one's room or in a retreat situation. The typical congregational practice of Tibetan monks is puja which may involve the chanting of liturgies and the making of offerings for many hours.

Partaking of a little wine or meat during Ganapuja is allright because in the course of the ritual they have been mystically transmuted into nectars, and the holy red and white substances in the skull cup have been replaced by symbolic substitutes.

But if one were to read the text of the liturgy, they are filled with the activities of wrathful deities which are both sexual and sanguine. But otherwise, everything is perfect monastic decorum. This was so successful a solution to the dilemma that all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism almost exclusively practice the Anuttara Tantras, to the neglect of the Yoga Tantras. Nonetheless, the Yoga Tantra transmissions have been preserved, especially in the Sakyapa school which is quite fastidious about preserving all of the authentic Indian Tantric transmissions. Among the Nyingmapas, who preserve the traditions coming from the early period of the spread of Buddhism in Tibet (7-9 cen. CE), practitioners of the Higher Tantras who do not take monastic ordination and become monks are known as Tantrikas or Ngagpas (sngags-pa), meaning "those who use mantras (sngags)". They are typically married Lamas. A Lama, though functioning as a priest and teacher, is not necessarily a monk.

[edit on 16-10-2009 by Tamahu]

Really. Really guys. This thread is still going?!?


I drink from the seat of knowledge.

Should I use this for evil, let that knowledge consume me.


Symbolism is fascinating, but often not complicated. The symbol is meant to trigger complicated concepts, holding them as a link for the senses as a mnemonic. To assist putting you in a state of mind, to link concepts to create patterns, to aid in remembrance.

reply to post by Masonic Light


Great reply, good way of shutting them up..hopefully
I'm not a mason but i've been reading into them trying to sift through the lies and disinfo. I'll probably wait till i'm a little bit older to decide.

I see nothing wrong with using a Skull as a "cup" as Masonic Light said it shows equality in death. So many generals,leaders and armies have done that in the past.

reply to post by kingswillquiver

Human skulls are in use in rituals from ancient times, they were used by tricksters acting as shamans for creating an atmosphere of mystery which helped them in making people believe that they have some spiritual powers, and hence people started treating them like gods. And they attained higher social status in their tribes.

Freemasonry and other occult organizations are ran by the families of same tricksters (whom people call today elites/Illuminati etc.), drinking from human skulls or using human skulls in rituals is only for deceiving people. In freemasonry they are being used for indoctrination of its members, by false belief systems such as they would become a better man (superior than other humans) or would become enlightened after drinking from a human skull. By using human skulls in such a way they are just abusing the human corpse.

Freemasons are puppets of those elites, none of them can ever become enlightened after going through any rituals of freemasonry.

reply to post by illuminazislayer

Are you religious at all? Do you not have rituals in your life? Do you not prize you privacy?

Skulls are symbols of mortality and many different cultures, groups, and organizations have used skulls.

Nor does joining the Freemasons make you god-like or above non-members. That absurd. Nor does any part of our rituals involve desecration or abuse of human remains.

From what I've seen of your posts you cannot speak about enlightenment nor Freemasonry. How is it you think you know more than the members?

reply to post by Tamahu


To correct what I had written in the above post, the said Kapala (skull cup) would most likely have been made out of silver-gilt bronze rather.

reply to post by KSigMason


If I had to guess, he seems like a troll. "illuminazislayer"? Slayer of illuminati and nazis? Seems like a joke to me.


I did happen to read Dan Brown's book when it first came out. I don't remember too much of it now even though it has been like 2 years since the books been out .

To me, drinking out of a skull signifies acknowledging your inevitable fate as a human being. The same fate shared by all living. Embracing fate. What better way to embrace it than to drink from a skull?

fraterormus

Originally posted by kingswillquiver

I have never taken the 33rd Degree myself, so I cannot speak from personal experience, but the 33rd Degree Initiation Ceremony described in the book "33Rd Degree Freemason Initiation-Deadly Deception by Jim Shaw, wherein the following is described:

One of the Conductors then handed the "candidate" a human skull, upside down, with wine in it. "May this wine I now drink become a deadly poison to me, as the Hemlock juice drunk by Socrates, should I ever knowingly or willfully violate the same" (the oath). He then drank the wine. A skeleton (one of the brothers dressed like one - he looked very convincing) then stepped out of the shadows and threw his arms around the "candidate." Then he (and we) continued the sealing of the obligation by saying, "And may these cold arms forever encircle me should I ever knowingly or willfully violate the same."

Text Maroon

May I, then, take it to mean that you are a Freemason/Mason, or were?

If the this is true, then anyone who confirms or denies that a candidate drinks from a human skull is violating the same oath that he has taken upon himself never to reveal, and is therefore tempting this fate to befall him.

I wish to point out, at this point, that there have been many things written about Freemasonry. Even among those who are, or were, Freemasons, there are inconsistencies and inaccuracies meant to deceive, inveigle, and obfuscate the rituals that are performed by the candidate as well as the initiated.

The skull and cross bones, while often associated with Freemasonry, has been used by many other groups, such as the alleged skull and bones, as well as pirates. There are many other clandestine symbols used by members to identify themselves.

I seem to recall that Anton LaVey, in his book The Satanic Bible, details a ritual which supposedly comes from the Templars. In this, the initiate lays in a coffin which already contains a nude woman. The suppose it significance of this ritual is to impress upon the candidate that he should not fear death but should embrace it, as she embraces him in the act of coitus. However, I should point out that the late Mr. LaVey was a very accomplished performer and was more than able to create his own rituals and significance to them. In fact, a local motorcycle club has a very similar initiation rite of their own which may have been inspired by Mr. LaVey's 1966 rite.

I suspect, however, that the true nature of these rituals has been lost throughout the ages, if they were ever known to groups that merely claim to have access to the knowledge of those who have gone before them.

"that the one drinking becomes one with the Skull."



brainless.

reply to post by kingswillquiver


Poor hygiene habits.

reply to post by kingswillquiver


Isn't that a Tibetan thing? I think that younger monks would drink out of deceased monks to gain their wisdom.

This thread reminded me that all initiations are deaths in themselves.

Recently read some Essene literature and they were all vegetarians because they believed putting 'death' in the body was a bad thing, which is quite a unique concept (thought that was rather interesting).

Most likely lesser and greater meanings and like all the other symbolism in Masonry unfolds in length and breadth and height as the aspirant goes through the degrees, so would highly doubt one static meaning, we discussed symbolism recently in another thread.

Seeing my first dead body in Rome a couple of years ago (the open tomb of a saint), can honestly say never seen anything so disgusting and macabre personally, other stuff, like whole cabinets of fingers and body parts as well ... it was ewwwww, probably the middle finger of Saint Jude!

In a kind of logical symbolic way all our skulls are cups and what we choose to put within them is our choice.

Its an interesting subject death, Buddha came to some really profound realisations coming across a corpse.

When I drink I usually drink into a skull.



But what the thing was in the old days, people had more limits. So asking them to drink out of a skull shook up their inner-world and made them do a zen koan kind of whiplash, wha?, drink from a what now? And they would bypass many of their limits in the act of drinking from a skull, while at the same time leaving them open for the imprint of the initiation.

Nowadays, with the mystics internet and movie savvy by the time they crawl out of the crib, this isn't such a big deal. Probably your average high school student would pay you to drink out of a skull, so they could tweet about it.




"Can I buy you a drink out of my skull, sir?"

reply to post by ST3V3nice


Geronimos Remains - Skull and Bones Sued

Drinking out of peoples skulls . . . well it just isn't normal is it, it is what it is but it is not what it is intended for! The whole concepts still wins the creepy award in my book, maybe its a boy thing, going to stick with my girlie chalice for the time being me thinks.

What do they toast? Divine Poison

oxford
reply to post by ST3V3nice

 

Geronimos Remains - Skull and Bones Sued

Drinking out of peoples skulls . . . well it just isn't normal is it, it is what it is but it is not what it is intended for! The whole concepts still wins the creepy award in my book, maybe its a boy thing, going to stick with my girlie chalice for the time being me thinks.

What do they toast? Divine Poison

They drink wine from a skull in the Knight Templar degree in the York Rite. They used to it in the 30th degree of the Scottish Rite but they eventually eliminated it to make it more PC.

The candidate is required to take an oath on the skull called the "fifth libation". In it, he sentences himself to eternal punishment should he break the rules of his new club.

I went through this bizarre ritual when I was initiated into the Templars, and the desecration of human remains bothered me even then. Real human skulls are used, and I have no idea where they get them. Or how.

thelonious2
They drink wine from a skull in the Knight Templar degree in the York Rite.

Yeah, a plastic one as has been pointed out already.

Thanks for showing up late to the party.

reply to post by thelonious2

What is so bizarre about the Order of the Temple? There is no desecration of human remains.

thelonious2


Real human skulls are used, and I have no idea where they get them. Or how.

We have TWO human skulls , FOUR human femur bones and one set (skull & femur bones) of plastic . You know exactly where they came from and how they obtained them but you would rather make it look far more sinister by saying you have know Idea of where or how .

My Commandery still has the old receipts (1930's) from the medical supply warehouses where they were ordered/purchased . It was the same place medical schools , doctors offices etc; etc; obtained their articulated human bones/skeletons . A quick Google search and you will find such medical supply warehouses that specialize in human and animal bones . At a time before the advent of plastics they were in demand and due to a lack of regulations very easy to obtain .

How did these medical warehouses obtain these human bones ? People either donated or sold their bodies to medical science of which people still do today .

Here is a link to such a place ......Skulls Unlimited

And why do we drink from it , I guess you were not paying attention huh ? Without delving to deep into the ritual it is to remind us that we are all going to die at some point , we were born to die and even our Savior was not exempt . It was far more dramatic than drinking pure read wine from some ordinary cup . It left a (POSITIVE) lasting impression on myself that I will not soon forget .

AugustusMasonicus

thelonious2
They drink wine from a skull in the Knight Templar degree in the York Rite.

Yeah, a plastic one as has been pointed out already.

Thanks for showing up late to the party.

edit on 7-12-2013 by AugustusMasonicus because: networkdude has no beer but if he did he would drink it from a skull

This is not true. Plastic skulls are not allowed to be used in the conferring of the Order of the Temple, and a real skull was used when I took the Scottish Rite 30th and 33rd degrees.

If anyone is a masonic Knight Templar under the Grand Encampment of the United States and he tells you they use plastic skulls, that person is a liar.