Passages similar to: Secret Teachings of All Ages — The Cross and the Crucifixion
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Western Esoteric
Secret Teachings of All Ages
The Cross and the Crucifixion (15)
The TAU cross was inscribed on the forehead of every person admitted into the Mysteries of Mithras. When a king was initiated into the Egyptian Mysteries, the TAU was placed against his lips. It was tattooed upon the bodies of the candidates in some of the American Indian Mysteries. To the Qabbalist, the TAU stood for heaven and the Pythagorean tetractys. The Caduceus of Hermes was an outgrowth of the TAU cross. (See Albert Pike.)
Chapter VII: The Egyptian Symbols and Enigmas of Sacred Things. (2)
Besides, the lion is with them the symbol of strength and prowess, as the ox clearly is of the earth itself, and husbandry and food, and the horse of ...
(2) And there are those who fashion ears and eyes of costly material, and consecrate them, dedicating them in the temples to the gods - by this plainly indicating that God sees and hears all things. Besides, the lion is with them the symbol of strength and prowess, as the ox clearly is of the earth itself, and husbandry and food, and the horse of fortitude and confidence; while, on the other hand, the sphinx, of strength combined with intelligence - as it had a body entirely that of a lion, and the face of a man. Similarly to these, to indicate intelligence, and memory, and power, and art, a man is sculptured in the temples. And in what is called among them the Komasiae of the gods, they carry about golden images - two dogs, one hawk, and one ibis; and the four figures of the images they call four letters. For the dogs are symbols of the two hemispheres, which, as it were, go round and keep watch; the hawk, of the sun, for it is fiery and destructive (so they attribute pestilential diseases to the sun); the ibis, of the moon, likening the shady parts to that which is dark in plumage, and the luminous to the light. And some will have it that by the dogs are meant the tropics, which guard and watch the sun's passage to the south and north. The hawk signifies the equinoctial line, which is high and parched with heat, as the ibis the ecliptic. For the ibis seems, above other animals, to have furnished to the Egyptians the first rudiments of the invention of number and measure, as the oblique line did of circles.
Chapter VI: The Mystic Meaning of the Tabernacle and Its Furniture. (18)
The twelve stones, set in four rows on the breast, describe for us the circle of the zodiac, in the four changes of the year. It was otherwise...
(18) The twelve stones, set in four rows on the breast, describe for us the circle of the zodiac, in the four changes of the year. It was otherwise requisite that the law and the prophets should be placed beneath the Lord's head, because in both Testaments mention is made of the righteous. For were we to say that the apostles were at once prophets and righteous, we should say well, "since one and the self-same Holy Spirit works in all." And as the Lord is above the whole world, yea, above the world of thought, so the name engraven on the plate has been regarded to signify, above all rule and authority; and it was inscribed with reference both to the written commandments and the manifestation to sense.
Thus unto me he said; and then withdrew To his own band, and the band closed together; Then like a whirlwind all was upward rapt. The gentle Lady...
(5) Thus unto me he said; and then withdrew To his own band, and the band closed together; Then like a whirlwind all was upward rapt. The gentle Lady urged me on behind them Up o'er that stairway by a single sign, So did her virtue overcome my nature; Nor here below, where one goes up and down By natural law, was motion e'er so swift That it could be compared unto my wing. Reader, as I may unto that devout Triumph return, on whose account I often For my transgressions weep and beat my breast,— Thou hadst not thrust thy finger in the fire And drawn it out again, before I saw The sign that follows Taurus, and was in it. O glorious stars, O light impregnated With mighty virtue, from which I acknowledge All of my genius, whatsoe'er it be, With you was born, and hid himself with you, He who is father of all mortal life, When first I tasted of the Tuscan air; And then when grace was freely given to me To enter the high wheel which turns you round, Your region was allotted unto me.
Chapter VII: The Egyptian Symbols and Enigmas of Sacred Things. (1)
Whence also the Egyptians did not entrust the mysteries they possessed to all and sundry, and did not divulge the knowledge of divine things to the...
(1) Whence also the Egyptians did not entrust the mysteries they possessed to all and sundry, and did not divulge the knowledge of divine things to the profane; but only to those destined to ascend the throne, and those of the priests that were judged the worthiest, from their nurture, culture, and birth. Similar, then, to the Hebrew enigmas in respect to concealment, are those of the Egyptians also. Of the Egyptians, some show the sun on a ship, others on a crocodile. And they signify hereby, that the sun, making a passage through the delicious and moist air, generates time; which is symbolized by the crocodile in some other sacerdotal account. Further, at Diospolis in Egypt, on the temple called Pylon, there was figured a boy as the symbol of production, and an old man as that of decay. A hawk, on the other hand, was the symbol of God, as a fish of hate; and, according to a different symbolism, the crocodile; of impudence. The whole symbol, then, when put together, appears to teach this: "Oh ye who are born and die, God hates impudence."
The Great Circle of gods in Tattu is of Osiris, Isis, Nephthys and Horus the Avenger of his Father; and they who set up the Tat are the two arms of...
(8) The Great Circle of gods in Tattu is of Osiris, Isis, Nephthys and Horus the Avenger of his Father; and they who set up the Tat are the two arms of Horus, Prince of Sechem. They are behind Osiris as bindings of his raiment
It describes gods and genii of the bounds in the Tuat who confer certain blessings on the deceased; such as this: “those who lift up their faces towar...
(1) should not have been placed among those of the Book of the Dead, it belongs to another book similar to the , the book engraved on the walls of the royal tombs. It describes gods and genii of the bounds in the Tuat who confer certain blessings on the deceased; such as this: “those who lift up their faces towards the sky at the prow of the boat of Rā, grant that Osiris N. may see Rā when he rises.” A vignette gives the appearance of the god or genius spoken of. Every one of them is followed by this sentence: “for the libation of a vase has been made on earth by Osiris N. who is (now) the lord of abundance, and goes round the garden of Hotepit.”
In order to understand the symbology of the Universal Androgyne, it is necessary to first become familiar with the two ancient symbols of Sex. In all...
(3) In order to understand the symbology of the Universal Androgyne, it is necessary to first become familiar with the two ancient symbols of Sex. In all the ancient philosophies and religions, we find that the "Cross" (+) is the symbol of the Male; and the "Circle" (O) the symbol of the Female. In representing the Bisexual, the Hermaphrodite, the Androgyne, the two symbols, i.e. the Cross and the Circle are combined in one of several ways. The original way was that of placing the Cross within the circumference of the Circle; but later usage preferred the various forms of the so-called "Phallic Cross," which consists of the Circle, or Oval, sustaining the Cross which depends downward from it. (See illustrations.) Sometimes the Cross is represented as the letter "T", and the Circle as the letter "O".
Texts Of Miscellaneous Contents, Utterances 535-538 (538)
1302 To say: Back, thou lowing ox. 1302 Thy head is in the hand of Horus; thy tail is in the hand of Isis; 1302 the fingers of Atum are at thy horns....
(538) 1302 To say: Back, thou lowing ox. 1302 Thy head is in the hand of Horus; thy tail is in the hand of Isis; 1302 the fingers of Atum are at thy horns. 28. A LITANY OF ASCENSION,
Chapter VIII: The Use of the Symbolic Style By Poets and Philosophers. (3)
Androcydes the Pythagorean says the far-famed so-called Ephesian letters were of the class of symbols. For he said that askion (shadowless) meant dark...
(3) And why should I linger over the barbarians, when I can adduce the Greeks as exceedingly addicted to the use of the method of concealment? Androcydes the Pythagorean says the far-famed so-called Ephesian letters were of the class of symbols. For he said that askion (shadowless) meant darkness, for it has no shadow; and katas kion (shadowy) light, since it casts with its rays the shadow; and lix if is the earth, according to an ancient' appellation; and tetras is the year, in reference to the seasons; and d amnameneus is the sun, which overpowers (damazwn); and ta aisia is the true voice. And then the symbol intimates that divine things have been arranged in harmonious order - darkness to light, the sun to the year, and the earth to nature's processes of production of every sort. Also Dionysius Thrax, the grammarian, in his book, Respecting the Exposition of the Symbolical Signification in Circles, says expressly, "Some signified actions not by words only, but also by symbols: by words, as is the case of what are called the Delphic maxims, 'Nothing in excess,' 'Know thyself,' and the like; and by symbols, as the wheel that is turned in the temples of the gods, derived from the Egyptians, and the branches that are given to the worshippers. For the Thracian Orpheus says: "Whatever works of branches are a care to men on earth, Not one has one fate in the mind, but all things Revolve around; and it is not lawful to stand at one point, But each one keeps an equal part of the race as they began."
Miscellaneous Utterances On The Hereafter, Utterances 350-374 (359)
594 To say: Horus has moaned because of his eye; Set has moaned because of his testicles. 594 The eye of Horus sprang up as he fell on yonder side of...
(359) 594 To say: Horus has moaned because of his eye; Set has moaned because of his testicles. 594 The eye of Horus sprang up as he fell on yonder side of the Winding Watercourse, 594 to protect itself against (or, free itself from) Set. 594 Thot saw it on yonder side of the Winding Watercourse. 594 The eye of Horus sprang up on yonder side of the Winding Watercourse, 594 and fell upon the wing of Thot on yonder side of the Winding Watercourse. 595 O ye gods, ye who ferry over on the wing of Thot 595 to yonder side of the Winding Watercourse, to the eastern side of heaven, 595 to speak with Set about that eye of Horus, 596 may N. ferry over with you on the wing of Thot 596 to yonder side of the Winding Watercourse, to the eastern side of heaven, 596 that he, N., may speak with Set about that eye of Horus. 597 Mayest thou awake in peace, thou "face-behind", in peace; 597 mayest thou awake in peace, thou who art within Nut, in peace, ferryman of the Winding Watercourse. 597 Speak the name of N. to R`; announce N. to R`. 598 N. is on the way to yonder far-off palace of the lords of kas, 598 where R` is adored in the morning in the regions of Horus and in the regions of Set, 598 as the god of those who are gone to their kas. 599 R` recommends N. to the "face-behind," the ferryman of the Winding Watercourse, 599 that he may bring to N. that ferry of the Winding Watercourse, 599 in which he ferries the gods 599 to yonder side of the Winding Watercourse, to the eastern side of heaven, 600 and ferry N. 600 to yonder side of the Winding Watercourse, to the eastern side of heaven. 600 N. is in search of the eye of Horus which is injured. 601 N. is on the way to the numbering of fingers. 601 The face of N. is washed by the gods, male as well as female; 601 'Im.ti, p.wi, Dw-mu.t.f, b-n.w.f, 601 at the right side of N., which is Horus, 601 w-dndr.w, nti-wd.wi.f, Nephthys, Mnti-n-'irti, 601 at the left side of N., which is Set. 602 N. is known by his seat; his helm remembers him. 602 N. has found his seat empty, 602 in the bottom (hold) of the boat of gold, of R`.
Chapter VI: The Mystic Meaning of the Tabernacle and Its Furniture. (17)
Differently, the stones might be the various phases of salvation; some occupying the upper, some the lower parts of the entire body saved. The three...
(17) Differently, the stones might be the various phases of salvation; some occupying the upper, some the lower parts of the entire body saved. The three hundred and sixty bells, suspended from the robe, is the space of a year, "the acceptable year of the Lord," proclaiming and resounding the stupendous manifestation of the Saviour. Further, the broad gold mitre indicates the regal power of the Lord, "since the Head of the Church" is the Savour. The mitre that is on it [i.e., the head] is, then, a sign of most princely rule; and otherwise we have heard it said, "The Head of Christ is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Moreover, there was the breastplate, comprising the ephod, which is the symbol of work, and the oracle logion; and this indicated the Word logos by which it was framed, and is the symbol of heaven, made by the Word, and subjected to Christ, the Head of all things, inasmuch as it moves in the same way, and in a like manner. The luminous emerald stones, therefore, in the ephod, signify the sun and moon, the helpers of nature. The shoulder, I take it, is the commencement of the hand.
Ra: The crux ansata is the correct symbol. The addition and slight distortion of this symbol thereby is astrological and may be released from its stricture.
Chapter IV: Divine Things Wrapped Up in Figures Both in the Sacred and in Heathen Writers. (5)
Wishing to express Sun in writing, they make a circle; and Moon, a figure like the Moon, like its proper shape. But in using the figurative style, by...
(5) Wishing to express Sun in writing, they make a circle; and Moon, a figure like the Moon, like its proper shape. But in using the figurative style, by transposing and transferring, by changing and by transforming in many ways as suits them, they draw characters. In relating the praises of the kings in theological myths, they write in anaglyphs. Let the following stand as a specimen of the third species - the Enigmatic. For the rest of the stars, on account of their oblique course, they have figured like the bodies of serpents; but the sun, like that of a beetle, because it makes a round figure of ox-dung, and rolls it before its face. And they say that this creature lives six months under ground, and the other division of the year above ground, and emits its seed into the ball, and brings forth; and that there is not a female beetle. All then, in a word, who have spoken of divine things, both Barbarians and Greeks, have veiled the first principles of things, and delivered the truth in enigmas, and symbols, and allegories, and metaphors, and such like tropes. Such also are the oracles among the Greeks. And the Pythian Apollo is called Loxias. Also the maxims of those among the Greeks called wise men, in a few sayings indicate the unfolding of matter of considerable importance. Such certainly is that maxim, "Spare Time:" either because life is short, and we ought not to expend this time in vain; or, on the other hand, it bids you spare your personal expenses; so that, though you live many years, necessaries may not fail you. Similarly also the maxim "Know thyself" shows many things; both that thou art mortal, and that thou wast born a human being; and also that, in comparison with the other excellences of life, thou art of no account, because thou sayest that thou art rich or renowned; or, on the other hand, that, being rich or renowned, you are not honoured on account of your advantages alone. And it says, Know for what thou wert born, and whose image thou art; and what is thy essence, and what thy creation, and what thy relation to God, and the like. And the Spirit says by Isaiah the prophet, "I will give thee treasures, hidden, dark." Now wisdom, hard to hunt, is the treasures of God and unfailing riches. But those, taught in theology by those prophets, the poets, philosophize much by way of a hidden sense. I mean Orpheus, Linus, Musaeus, Homer, and Hesiod, and those in this fashion wise. The persuasive style of poetry is for them a veil for the many.
This is on the copy which is in the books. It is written in yellow ink, on the sacred circle of gods in the boat of Rā, where offerings are made of...
(9) This is on the copy which is in the books. It is written in yellow ink, on the sacred circle of gods in the boat of Rā, where offerings are made of victuals, geese, incense, in their presence, in order to revive the deceased, to make him powerful among the gods, and that he may not be repulsed nor driven back from the pylons of the Tuat. If thou readest it to the statue of this deceased in their presence, it causes him to have access to every hall of those which are in the books
Said on a Tat of gold inlaid into the substance of sycamore-wood, and dipped into juice of ankhamu. If it is put on the neck of this Chu, he arrives...
(2) Said on a Tat of gold inlaid into the substance of sycamore-wood, and dipped into juice of ankhamu. If it is put on the neck of this Chu, he arrives at the doors of the Tuat, and he comes forth by day, even though he be silent. The Tat is put in its place on the first day of the year, as is done to the followers of Osiris
Now the Pythagorean symbols were connected with the Barbarian philosophy in the most recondite way. For instance, the Samian counsels "not to have a...
(1) Now the Pythagorean symbols were connected with the Barbarian philosophy in the most recondite way. For instance, the Samian counsels "not to have a swallow in the house;" that is, not to receive a loquacious, whispering, garrulous man, who cannot contain what has been communicated to him. "For the swallow, and the turtle, and the sparrows of the field, know the times of their entrance," says the Scripture; and one ought never to dwell with trifles. And the turtle-dove murmuring shows the thankless slander of fault-finding, and is rightly expelled the house.
A Series Of Old Heliopolitan Texts Partly Osirianized, Utterances 213-222 (221)
196 To say: O N.t (Crown of Lower Egypt), O 'Inw (Crown of Lower Egypt), O Great One (Crown of Lower Egypt), 196 O Great-in-magic (Crown of Lower...
(221) 196 To say: O N.t (Crown of Lower Egypt), O 'Inw (Crown of Lower Egypt), O Great One (Crown of Lower Egypt), 196 O Great-in-magic (Crown of Lower Egypt), O Nsr.t (Uraeus), 197 make thou the terror of N. to be like the terror of thee; 197 make thou the awe of N. to be like the awe of thee; 197 make thou the respect for N. to be like the respect for thee; 197 make thou the love for N. to be like the love for thee; 197 make thou that his `b-sceptre be at the head of the living; make thou that his m-sceptre be at the head of the spirits; 197 make thou that his blade be firm against his enemies. 198 O 'Inw-Crown, thou has come forth from him as he came forth from thee. 198 The great 'I.t has given birth to thee, the 'I.t-wt.t has adorned thee; 198 the 'I.t-wt.t has given birth to thee, the great 'I.t has adorned thee, 198 for as for thee, thou art like Horus, who fought in protection of his eye.
For being as we are, there is no one who watches for us," said Balam-Quitzé, Balam-Acab, Mahucutah, and Iqui-Balam. And having heard of a city, they w...
(2) "Let us go, let us go to search and see if our [tribal] symbols are in safety; if we can find what we must burn before them. For being as we are, there is no one who watches for us," said Balam-Quitzé, Balam-Acab, Mahucutah, and Iqui-Balam. And having heard of a city, they went there. Now then, the name of the place where Balam-Quitzé, Balam-Acab, Mahucutah, and IquiBalam and those of Tamub and Ilocab went was Tulán-Zuivá, Vucub-Pec, Vucub-Ziván. This was the name of the city where they went to receive their gods. So, then, all arrived at Tulán. It was impossible to count the men who arrived; there were very many and they walked in an orderly way. Then was the appearance of their gods; first those of Balam-Quitzé, Balam-Acab, Mahucutah, and Iqui-Balam who were filled with joy: "At last we have found that for which we searched!" they said.