Passages similar to: Secret Teachings of All Ages — Fishes, Insects, Animals, Reptiles and Birds
1
Source passage
Western Esoteric
Secret Teachings of All Ages
Fishes, Insects, Animals, Reptiles and Birds (4)
Fishes were sacred to the Greeks and Romans, being connected with the worship of Aphrodite (Venus). An interesting survival of pagan ritualism is found in the custom of eating fish on Friday. Freya, in whose honor the day was named, was the Scandinavian Venus, and this day was sacred among many nations to the goddess of beauty and fecundity. This analogy further links the fish with the procreative mystery. Friday is also sacred to the followers of the Prophet Mohammed.
And the hands of Horus were brought to him, and displayed before his face, on the feast of the fifteenth day of the month; when the fishes were produc...
(6) And the hands of Horus were brought to him, and displayed before his face, on the feast of the fifteenth day of the month; when the fishes were produced
Chapter VI: Prayers and Praise From A Pure Mind, Ceaselessly Offered, Far Better Than Sacrifices. (20)
Accordingly such food, in order to clear understanding, is to be rejected. Wherefore also the Egyptians, in the purifications practised among them,...
(20) Accordingly such food, in order to clear understanding, is to be rejected. Wherefore also the Egyptians, in the purifications practised among them, do not allow the priests to feed on flesh; but they use chickens, as lightest; and they do not touch fish, on account of certain fables, but especially on account of such food making the flesh flabby. But now terrestrial animals and birds breathe the same air as our vital spirits, being possessed of a vital principle cognate with the air. But it is said that fishes do not breathe this air, but that which was mixed with the water at the instant of its first creation, as well as with the rest of the elements, which is also a sign of the permanence of matter.
I know the names of the fishermen who are fishing. They are the worms, the ancestors of the blood drinkers, who pour their flow on my hands, when the...
(6) I know the names of the fishermen who are fishing. They are the worms, the ancestors of the blood drinkers, who pour their flow on my hands, when the great god the lord listens to the words in Heliopolis, in the night of the 15th of the month, in the temple of the moon
And thus He created therein a sign in accordance with which they should keep Sabbath with us on the seventh day, to eat and to drink, and to bless Him...
(2) And thus He created therein a sign in accordance with which they should keep Sabbath with us on the seventh day, to eat and to drink, and to bless Him who hath created all things as He hath blessed and sanctified unto Himself a peculiar people above all peoples, and that they should keep Sabbath together with us.
And together with the lizard those fish are spiritually fed, that is, no food is necessary for them; and till the renovation of the universe they rema...
(4) And together with the lizard those fish are spiritually fed, that is, no food is necessary for them; and till the renovation of the universe they remain in contention.
And on the fifth day l He created great sea monsters in the depths of the waters, for these were the first things of flesh that were created by His ha...
(2) And on the fifth day l He created great sea monsters in the depths of the waters, for these were the first things of flesh that were created by His hands, the fish and everything that moves in the waters, and everything that flies, the birds and all their kind.
And they shall not bring in nor take out from house to house on that day ; for that day is more holy and blessed than any jubilee day of the jubilees ...
(2) And they shall not bring in nor take out from house to house on that day ; for that day is more holy and blessed than any jubilee day of the jubilees : on this we kept Sabbath in the heavens be- fore it was made known to any flesh to keep Sabbath thereon on the earth.
Chapter XI: The Mystical Meanings in the Proportions of Numbers, Geometrical Ratios, and Music. (20)
Again, on the other hand, we may hear: "For in His hand, that is, in His power and wisdom, are both we and our words, and all wisdom and skill in...
(20) Again, on the other hand, we may hear: "For in His hand, that is, in His power and wisdom, are both we and our words, and all wisdom and skill in works; for God loves nothing but the man that dwells with wisdom." And again, they have not read what is said by Solomon; for, treating of the construction of the temple, he says expressly, "And it was Wisdom as artificer that framed it; and Thy providence, O Father, governs throughout." And how irrational, to regard philosophy as inferior to architecture and shipbuilding! And the Lord fed the multitude of those that reclined on the grass opposite to Tiberias with the two fishes and the five barley loaves, indicating the preparatory training of the Greeks and Jews previous to the divine grain, which is the food cultivated by the law. For barley is sooner ripe for the harvest than wheat; and the fishes signified the Hellenic philosophy that was produced and moved in the midst of the Gentile billow, given, as they were, for copious food to those lying on the ground, increasing no more, like the fragments of the loaves, but having partaken of the Lord's blessing, and breathed into them the resurrection of Godhead through the power of the Word. But if you are curious, understand one of the fishes to mean the curriculum of study, and the other the philosophy which supervenes. The gatherings' point out the word of the Lord.
Miscellaneous Texts Chiefly About The Deceased King's Reception And Life In Heaven, Utterances 523-533 (532)
1255 To say: O Mooring-post of the morning-boat of its lord; 1255 O Mooring-post of the morning-boat of him who is in it, 1255 Isis comes, Nephthys...
(532) 1255 To say: O Mooring-post of the morning-boat of its lord; 1255 O Mooring-post of the morning-boat of him who is in it, 1255 Isis comes, Nephthys comes, one of them on the right, one of them on the left, 1255 one of them as a .t-bird, one of them (Nephthys) as a kite. 1256 They found Osiris, 1256 after his brother Set had felled him to the earth in Ndi.t, 1256 when Osiris (N.) said, "come to me," hence comes his name as "Seker." 1257 They prevent thee from rotting, in accordance with this thy name of "Anubis"; 1257 they prevent thy putrefaction from flowing to the ground, 1257 in accordance with this thy name of "jackal of the South"; 1257 they prevent the smell of thy corpse from being bad, in accordance with this thy name of "r-h.ti." 1258 They prevent Horus of the East from rotting; they prevent Horus, lord of men, from rotting; 125 8 they prevent Horus of the D.t from rotting; they prevent Horus, lord of the Two Lands from rotting. 1258 And Set will not ever free himself from carrying thee, Osiris N. 1259 Wake up for Horus; stand up against Set; 1259 raise thyself up, Osiris N., son of Geb, his first (-born), 1259 before whom the Two Enneads tremble. 1260 The keeper (min.w) stands up before thee, so that (the feast) of the New Moon may be celebrated for thee; thou appearest for (the feast of) the month; 1260 thou advancest to the sea (of N.); thou traversest to the Great Green; 1261 for thou art "he who stands without being tired" in Abydos; 1261 thou art spiritualized on the horizon; thou endurest in Dd.t (Mendes); 1261 thine arm is taken by the Souls of Heliopolis; thine arm is seized by R`. 1262 Thy head, N., is raised up by the Two Enneads; 1262 they have put thee, Osiris N., as chief of the double 'itr.t-palace of the Souls of Heliopolis. 1262 Thou livest, thou livest, raise thyself up.
Utterances Concerning Well-being, Especially Food And Clothes, Utterances 401-426 (408)
714 To say: "Born-in-the-night," come ye; N. is born. 714 Ye two women, ye who conceived by day, that ye may be patient and bear him who dwells in...
(408) 714 To say: "Born-in-the-night," come ye; N. is born. 714 Ye two women, ye who conceived by day, that ye may be patient and bear him who dwells in the egg-city, 715 since ye have given birth to N., ye must also nourish N. 715 The heart of N. is glad as he who is chief of the D.t; 715 the heart of the gods rejoices over N., as soon as they see N. how rejuvenated he is. 716 Now the banquet of the sixth day of the month shall be for the breakfast of N.; 716 the banquet of the seventh day of the month shall be for the supper of N. 716 Cows shall be slaughtered for N. (at) the wg-feast. 716 The desideratum, that which is given of it, that is the gift for N., 716 for N. is indeed the bull of Heliopolis.
There are places where that fish is written of as 'the Ariz of the water;' as it says that the greatest of the creatures of Aûharmazd is that fish,...
(5) There are places where that fish is written of as 'the Ariz of the water;' as it says that the greatest of the creatures of Aûharmazd is that fish, and the greatest of those proceeding from the evil spirit is that lizard; with the jaws of their bodies, moreover, they snap in two whatever of the creatures of both spirits has entered between them, except that one fish which is the Vâs of Pankâsadvarân.
Said over a Hawk in a Boat, with the White Crown upon its head, and the figure of Tmu, Shu, Tefnut, Seb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Sutu, Nephthys, painted...
(10) Said over a Hawk in a Boat, with the White Crown upon its head, and the figure of Tmu, Shu, Tefnut, Seb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Sutu, Nephthys, painted yellowish green on a fresh papyrus placed in this Boat, together with the figure of the Deceased, anointed with the Heknu oil. Let there be offered to them incense burning and roast fowl. It is the adoration of Rā, and his voyage, for it is granted to him to make his appearance each day with Rā, whithersoever he journeyeth; and it is the Slaughter of the adversaries of Rā; positively and undeviatingly for times infinite
He also promulgated purifications, and initiations as they are called, which contain the most accurate knowledge of the Gods. And farther still, it is...
(9) And, in short, it is said that Pythagoras was emulous of the Orphic mode of writing and [piety of] disposition; and that he honored the Gods in a way similar to that of Orpheus, placing them in images and in brass, not conjoined to our forms, but to divine receptacles; because they comprehend and provide for all things; and have a nature and morphe similar to the universe. He also promulgated purifications, and initiations as they are called, which contain the most accurate knowledge of the Gods. And farther still, it is said, that he was the author of a compound divine philosophy and worship of the Gods; having learnt indeed some things from the followers of Orpheus, but others from the Egyptian priests; some from the Chaldæans and Magi; some from the mysteries performed in Eleusis, in Imbrus, Samothracia, and Delos; and some also from those which are performed by the Celtæ, and in Iberia.
It is also said that the Sacred Discourse of Pythagoras is extant among the Latins, and is read not to all, nor by all of them, but by those who are promptly disposed to learn what is excellent, and apply themselves to nothing base. He likewise ordained that men should make libations thrice, and observed that Apollo delivered oracles from the tripod, because the triad is the first number. That sacrifices also should be made to Venus on the sixth day, because this number is the first that partakes of every number , and, when divided in every possible way, receives the power of the numbers subtracted and of those that remain. But that it is necessary to sacrifice to Hercules on the eighth day of the month from the beginning, looking in so doing to his being born in the seventh month.
He further asserted, that it was necessary that he who entered a temple should be clothed with a pure garment, and in which no one had slept; because sleep in the same manner as the black and the brown, is an indication of sluggishness; but purity is a sign of equality and justice in reasoning. He also ordered, that if blood should be found involuntarily spilt in a temple, a lustration should be made, either in a golden vessel, or with the water of the sea; the former of these [i. e. gold] being the most beautiful of things, and a measure by which the price of all things is regulated; but the latter as he conceived being the progeny of a moist nature, and the nutriment of the first and more common matter.
He likewise said, that it was not proper to bring forth children in a temple; because it is not holy that in a temple the divine part of the soul should be bound to the body. He further ordained, that on a festive day neither the hair should be cut, nor the nails paired; not thinking it fit that we should leave the service of the Gods for the purpose of increasing our good. He also said, that a louse ought not to be killed in a temple; conceiving that a divine power ought not to participate of any thing superfluous and corruptible. But that the Gods should be honored with cedar, laurel, cypress, oak, and myrtle; and that the body should not be purified with these, nor should any of them be divided by the teeth.
He likewise ordained, that what is boiled should not be roasted; signifying by this that mildness is not in want of anger. But he would not suffer the bodies of the dead to be burned; following in this the Magi, being unwilling that any thing divine should communicate with a mortal nature. He likewise thought it was holy for the dead to be carried out in white garments; obscurely signifying by this the simple and first nature, according to number and the principle of all things. But above all things he ordained, that an oath should be taken religiously; since that which is behind is long. And he said, that it is much more holy to be injured than to kill a man: for judgment is deposited in Hades, where the soul and its essence, and the first nature of things are [properly] estimated.
Farther still, he ordered that sepulchral chests [i. e. biers] should not be made of cypress, because the sceptre of Jupiter was made of this wood, or for some other mystic reason. He likewise ordained that libations should be performed before the table of Jupiter the Saviour, and of Hercules and the Dioscuri; in so doing celebrating Jupiter as the presiding cause and leader of this nutriment; Hercules, as the power of nature; and the Dioscuri, as the symphony of all things. But he said, that libations should not be offered with closed eyes. For he did not think it fit, that any thing beautiful should be undertaken with shame and bashfulness. Moreover, when it thundered, he ordained that the earth should be touched, in remembrance of the generation of things.
But he ordered that temples should be entered from places on the right hand, and that they should be departed out of from the left hand. For he asserted that the right hand is the principle of what is called the odd number, and is divine; but that the left hand is a symbol of the even number, and of that which is dissolved. And such is the mode which he is said to have adopted in the cultivation of piety. But other particulars which we have omitted concerning it, may be conjectured from what has been said. So that I shall cease to speak further on this subject.
In the next place, they should offer to the Gods such things as they have produced with their own hands, and should bring them to the altars without t...
(1) But to the women he is said to have discoursed concerning sacrifices as follows: In the first place indeed, as they would wish that another person who intended to pray for them, should be worthy and good, because the Gods attend to such as these; thus also it is requisite that they should in the highest degree esteem equity and modesty, in order that the Gods may be readily disposed to hear their prayers. In the next place, they should offer to the Gods such things as they have produced with their own hands, and should bring them to the altars without the assistance of servants, such as cakes, honey-combs, and frankincense. But that they should not worship divinity with blood and dead bodies, nor offer many things at one time, as if they never meant to sacrifice again.
With respect also to their association with men, he exhorted them to consider that their parents granted to the female nature, that they should love their husbands in a greater degree than those who were the sources of their existence. That in consequence of this, they would do well either not to oppose their husbands, or to think that they have then vanquished, when they submit to them. Farther still, in the same assembly also, Pythagoras is said to have made that celebrated observation, that it is holy for a woman, after having been connected with her husband, to perform sacred rites on the same day; but that this is never holy, after she has been connected with any other man.
He also exhorted the women to use words of good omen through the whole of life, and to endeavor that others may predict good things of them. He likewise admonished them not to destroy popular renown, nor to blame the writers of fables, who surveying the justice of women, from their accommodating others with garments and ornaments, without a witness, when it is necessary for some other person to use them, and that neither litigation nor contradiction are produced from this confidence,—have feigned, that three women used but one eye in common, on account of the facility of their communion with each other. He farther observed, that he who is called the wisest of all others, and who gave arrangement to the human voice, and in short, was the inventor of names, whether he was a God or a dæmon, or a certain divine man, perceiving that the genus of women is most adapted to piety, gave to each of their ages the appellation of some God.
Hence he called an unmarried woman Core , i. e. Proserpine; but a bride, Nympha ; the woman who has brought forth children, Mater ; and a grandmother, according to the Doric dialect, Maia . In conformity to which also, the oracles in Dodona and at Delphi, are unfolded in to light through a woman. But through this praise pertaining to piety, Pythagoras is said to have produced so great a change in female attire, that the women no longer dared to clothe themselves with costly garments, but consecrated many myriads of their vestments in the temple of Juno. The effect also of this discourse is said to have been such, that about the region of the Crotonians the fidelity of the husband to the wife was universally celebrated; [imitating in this respect] Ulysses, who would not receive immortality from Calypso, on condition that he should abandon Penelope.
Pythagoras therefore also observed, that it remained for the women to exhibit their probity to their husbands, in order that they might be equally celebrated with Ulysses. In short, it is recorded that through the above-mentioned discourses, Pythagoras obtained no moderate honor and esteem, both in the city of the Crotonians and throughout Italy.
And the Creator of all things blessed it, but He did not sanctify all peoples and nations to keep Sabbath thereon, but Israel alone : them alone He pe...
(2) And the Creator of all things blessed it, but He did not sanctify all peoples and nations to keep Sabbath thereon, but Israel alone : them alone He permitted to eat and drink and to keep Sabbath thereon on the earth.