13 posts tagged “eschatology”
Angela V. Michaels is a writer and eso-researcher who focuses on spirituality and becoming more spiritually aware in a world that poses the challenges that our’s does. By centering her philosophies on Lao Tzu’s ancient Tao Te Ching, the work is part of an eastern mystical tradition that is very enjoyable and useful. Her book, Surfing the Tao, A Revolution of Free Will is a fantastic combination of practical spirituality and historical research.
I was prompted to contact Angela after reading her excellent article entitled, “2012 Hype?” She addresses a number of subjects surrounding the 2012 phenomenon including the explosion of activity encompassing it and touches on the history of eschatalogical predictions. In order to get a bit more in depth from someone who has spent a lot of time focusing on just these types of issues, I asked Angela to join in a brief Q & A about 2012.
Big thanks to Fredrik & Henrik for the interview and all they do.
Occult of Personality on Red Ice -- http://www.redicecreations.com/radio/2007/03mar/RICR-070318.html
direct link to .mp3 audio file -- http://www.redicecreations.com/radio/2007/03mar/RICR-070318-greg.mp3
... is now up and running here -- http://www.occultofpersonality.com/
At the moment, only the podcasts are posted, but there is more to come...
A recent episode of the public radio program Studio 360 featured a segment entitled, "Apocalypse Very Soon."
The main thrust of the piece is that the "end of the world" is very near and has probably already begun. They feature a very brief interview with Daniel Pinchbeck discussing his ideas about 2012.
In addition to the Pinchbeck segment, the show also includes a reading from a portion of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel, "The Road," and a segment about inmates creating cardboard furniture and how this idea will be adapted by all of us when the time comes, called "IKEA Behind Bars."
The convergence of material in the media concerning these concepts, both in "journalistic" and entertainment venues (global warming, Jericho, Heroes, 24, Children of Men, etc.), is rather interesting, especially if one includes the concept of synchromysticism.
If the overt and subliminal messages in this material has its desired effect, who won't be expecting something to occur? A better question might be: Is this material generated organically, or is it something more structured?
More to come...
Although his books certainly fall into the New Age bucket, one of the things I like about writer Gregg Braden is his previous experience as a computer systems designer in aerospace defense. He went from computer technology to spiritual technology - and does it very well.
In his book, The Isaiah Effect, Braden proposes a fairly radical way to interpret all ancient prophecies. In the book, he uses the example of the prophet Isaiah, but the method could just as easily work for the predictions of Nostradamus. Most of these prophecies and predictions seem dualistic in that there is a great conflict or catastrophe, resulting in a time of apocalyptic disaster. After this there will be a long, golden age of peace. Braden indicates that these two events are not sequential and should not be interpreted as such. He proposes the two are different destinations of paths taken based upon the actions of humanity (or those controlling it). One or the other.
Which will it be?
Copyright 2007 by Occult of Personality. Licensed under Creative Commons.
The study of astrology is inextricably linked to ancient civilizations and the origins of religion (astrotheology). Most are familiar with the 12 signs of the zodiac, the times of the solar year that they represent, and maybe even their characteristics. Of course, just like all occult studies, there is an exoteric and esoteric understanding of these concepts.
While the ignorant multitudes worshiped the house of the sun's reflection, which in the case described would be the Bull, the wise revered the house of the sun's actual dwelling, which would be the Scorpion, or the Serpent, the symbol of the concealed spiritual mystery. [2]
So the first point to be noted is the esoteric, heliocentric nature of the astrology practiced by the wise. Next, note the significance of the sign of Scorpio - that of wisdom and "the concealed spiritual mystery." The esoteric sign is not the backbiting Scorpion, but the Serpent. Even more than that is the Eagle, Scorpio's ultimate sign. The sign of occult initiation, Scorpio - from the venomous of the earth to the king of the sky. [3]
It is said by the ancients that there were originally only 10 zodiac signs, not 12 - Libra was added and Virgo and Scorpio were split into 2 separate signs. According to various sources, including Madame Blavatsky, the sign of Libra was inserted and divided the formerly unified sign of Virgo-Scorpio. The Virgin and the Serpent. Genesis, the Garden of Eden, and the "fall" of man.
This division was called Ezekiel's wheel and was completed in the following way: First came the ascending signs (euphermerized into patriarchs), Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, and the group concluded with Virgo-Scorpio. Then came the turning-point, Libra. After which, the first half of the sign of Virgo-Scorpio, was duplicated and transferred to lead the lower, or descending group of Microcosm which ran down to Pisces, or Noah (deluge). To make it clearer, the sign Virgo-Scorpio, became simply Virgo, and the duplication, Scorpio, was placed between Libra, the seventh sign (which is Enoch, or the angel Metatron, or Mediator between spirit and matter, or God and man). It now became Scorpio (or Cain), which sign or patriarch led mankind to destruction, according to exoteric theology; but, according to the true doctrine of the wisdom-religion, it indicated the degradation of the whole universe in its course of evolution downward from the subjective to the objective. [4]
So the original 10 became 12. Virgo and Scorpio, the Virgin and the Serpent, linked in so many ways. So the second esoteric point is the origin of Virgo and Scorpio and the all the implications inherent in it.
Next, the importance of the sign of Leo. When the sun arrives at the summer solstice (just before St. John's Day), Leo appears to lead the way,
It is clear how revered the sign of Leo is to the wisdom-religion. Of course, when these points are all considered as a whole, the implications for the coming New Age are rather revealing. This doctrine indicates that we are currently in the Age of Virgo, not Pisces, and instead of the Age of Aquarius that we have been led to expect - we will enter, esoterically, the Age of Leo as the sun will be dwelling in the house of the Lion. This new age will be signified by the height of solar power - power for those that worship the sun, and all that represents.... and to aid by his powerful paw in lifting up the sun up to the summit of the zodiacal arch. This visible connection between the constellation Leo and the return of the sun to his place of power and glory, at the summit of the Royal Arch of heaven, was the principal reason why that constellation was held in such high esteem and reverence by the ancients. ... "The lion was adored in the East and West by the Egyptians and the Mexicans. The chief Druid of Britain was styled a lion." [5]
Then, indeed, will the secret religions of the world include once more the raising to initiation by the Grip of the Lion's Paw. [6]
Esoteric astrology - consider it when you read about the coming New Age and 2012.
1. Hall, Manly P. The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Readers' ed. (New York: Tarcher/Penguin, 2003). p. 156.
2. ibid.
3. ibid.
4. Blavatsky, H.P. Isis Unveiled. (Theosophy Trust, 2006). p. 419.
5. Hall, Manly P. The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Readers' ed. (New York: Tarcher/Penguin, 2003). p. 157.
6. ibid.
... the great materialistic progress which we have venerated for so long is on the verge of bankruptcy. We can no longer believe that we are born into this world to accumulate wealth and abandon ourselves to mortal pleasures. We see the dangers and realize that we have been exploited for centuries. We were told the twentieth century was the most progressive that the world has ever known, but unfortunately the progression was in the direction of self-destruction.
To avoid a future of war, crime, and bankruptcy, the individual must begin to plan his own destiny, and the best source for the necessary information comes down to us through the writings of the ancients. The greatest knowledge of all time should be available ... in a book that would be a monument, not merely a coffin.
Hall was born March 18, 1901 in Peterborough, Ontario. His parents divorced and he was raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota by his maternal grandmother, Florence Palmer. A sickly child, Hall spent much of his time reading. At some point, they moved to Chicago and then Hall attended a military school. When Hall was sixteen, his grandmother died. Somehow, a young Manly Hall ended up in the care of a "self-styled Rosicrucian community" in California. Hall lived with this group until, at age nineteen, he became "suspicious of their claims of ancient wisdom" and moved out on his own. From this point, Hall's star began to rise. He lectured on various esoteric topics and garnered notoriety and sponsorship from many apparently very influential people to continue his esoteric studies. He traveled the world in search of ancient wisdom, including Egypt, India, China, and Japan. He was provided access to libraries containing ancient manuscripts that most men have never laid eyes upon, and most likely never will. Beginning in 1921 this research culminated in a two-year period from 1926 - 1928, during which time the majority of the research and writing was done. The most shocking thing of all is that this amazing book was completed before Hall's twenty-eighth birthday! Hall did not only research and write this massive book, he raised funds and published it himself. The first printing was primarily for the many who invested in his project. It was such a hit that it has never once been out-of-print.
From his quote at the beginning of this piece, Hall's motivation for writing, securing financing, and self-publishing The Secret Teachings of All Ages was in reaction to the blatant and reckless materialism he saw in society at the expense of the spiritual and mystical. Hall seemed to realize quite early in life that, for him, and he believed humanity, materialism was a false light that would leave only empty shells. His intent was to stoke the inner flame of wisdom and convince people to turn inward, just as he had done. Throughout his life, Hall was not a social man, somewhat reclusive, he lived the life of an ascetic. He knew the things he wrote and spoke of because he lived the ideals -- "He who lives the Life shall know the Doctrine."
The Secret Teachings of All Ages reads like a book written by a master, someone who has studied these topics for a lifetime, not less than a decade. Hall was clearly a prodigy, or savant, of a sort with the ability to absorb, internalize and decipher esoteric knowledge from many thousands of sources, if not more. However, one must at least ask, is there not some other method that Hall employed to compose this authoritative work? The following exchange illustrates the point:
Is it likely that Hall was assisted in more than just access to materials? No one can answer that for certain, but keep a few things in mind: Hall was raised from age 16 to 19 by a Rosicrucian group, he was associated with a myriad of other societies, including Freemasonry, he was also familiar with most every mystical and esoteric practice that was ever known in the past several thousand years, and probably some that weren't so well known.The first question Mr. Claude Bragdon, American mystic, asked Mr. Hall after their first meeting in New York in 1937 was: “Mr. Hall, how do you know so much more about the mathematics of Pythagoras than even the authorities on the subject?” Standing beside both these dear American friends of mine, I was wondering with trepidation in my heart what reply Mr. Hall would make. “Mr. Bragdon,” answered Mr. Hall quickly, unhesitatingly, and with a simultaneous flash of smile in his eyes and on his lips, “you are an occult philosopher. You know that it is easier to know things than to know how one knows those things.”
There are also a number of accusations regarding the book and Hall's association with Masonry that concern Lucifer. In scouring the book to determine the nature of these charges, there doesn't seem to be much basis. To be clear, let me quote from the text, the main section dealing with Lucifer, in a section entitled, "The Sun, A Universal Deity," and you can be the judge:
As Hall wished during his lifetime for people to turn away from their base instincts toward the spiritual and philosophical pursuits, his great work accomplishes that. The Secret Teachings of All Ages has been recognized as one of the foremost books on spirituality, the occult, and ancient myth and symbolism ever written. Although never out of print, when the Reader's Edition was published in 2003, the book became even more popular. In an effort to understand Manly Hall and his great work a bit more, we're pleased to bring you an interview with Mitch Horowitz, the publisher of The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Reader's Edition. Thanks very much to Mitch for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions.Certain Rosicrucian scholars have given special appellations to these three phases of the sun: the spiritual sun they called Vulcan; the soular and intellectual sun, Christ and Lucifer respectively; and the material sun, the Jewish Demiurgus Jehovah; Lucifer here represents the intellectual mind without the illumination of the spiritual mind; therefore it is "the false light." The false light is finally overcome and redeemed by the true light of the soul, called the Second Logos or Christ. The secret processes by which the Luciferian intellect is transmuted into the Christly intellect constitute one of the great secrets of alchemy, and are symbolized by the process of transmuting base metals into gold. (p. 142)
Can you describe your initial reactions
to reading The Secret Teachings of All Ages and why you and others
(myself included) find it such a compelling work?
I was astounded at the depth of learning in the book and at the author's willingness to take seriously subjects that were often dismissed as fantasy. When Hall wrote the book, for example, mainstream academia was closed off to questions of re-dating the great pyramids or of whether the Delphic oracle provided a mediumistic experience similar to that of Victorian spiritualism. Due to current archeological research, academics have now come around to seeing the Oracle at Delphi in the manner presented by Hall -- i.e., as a kind of ancient channeled reading -- and, while there remains overwhelming resistance to the pyramid question within academia, that subject has come to public attention through the interest of legitimate independent scholars. So, the Secret Teachings was not only ahead of its time, but took measure of all range of unusual subject matter that had not been given its proper due.
Would you please trace the path from your introduction to the book to publication of the reader's edition in 2003?
Like most readers I was dismayed that the book was so physically difficult to read, being oversized and featuring small typefaces and so forth. I thought: What if this book could be re-set in standard text and read a more straightforward manner? I found that such an approach brought out a readerly dimension to Hall's writing that was not otherwise apparent. So, I had the entire work scanned, re-typed, and fully redesigned. In so doing, I attempted to retain as many of the original illustrations as possible -- and certainly those that were key to the text. It was a really interesting experience turning the Secret Teachings back into a veritable manuscript and seeing it as a might have looked when it rolled off Hall's typewriter.
Several times in your article, you alluded to the fact that Hall completed this massive tome that is still the standard before his thirtieth birthday. I find it amazing that one so young, and not even a professional researcher or academic, was capable of producing a book so crucial that any library is deficient without it. Would you care to speculate: is it more likely Hall was what we call today a prodigy, that he was being directed and assisted by one or more teachers, or some type of spiritual inspiration and communication? Perhaps some combination?
It really is astonishing that he wrote the book by age twenty-seven. That is one of the true mysteries of his achievement. Especially since some of his earliest writings -- such as his letters from abroad -- reveal no particular virtuosity. Some people have speculated that he had a photographic memory or was a kind of savant, which I think may be valid. Regarding other possibilities, such as some kind of supernormal communication or some such, it it simply too speculative to say. But this is an area that I am in real question about.
Do you think Hall's private life (secluded, not social) is a result of his fascination with occult secret teachings? Do you believe there to be any connection to the spirituality and mysticism that Hall studied and the ascetic lifestyle which he seemingly lived?
That's an interesting question. In once sense, it is a matter of sobering caution that Hall's vast knowledge of different spiritual systems failed to feed his own personal life in certain obvious ways -- for example, he was taken advantage of by various figures toward the end of his life. He did, of course, maintain some friendships (Bela Lugosi, Burl Ives). But as far as his general existence, he was a fairly ascetic man -- probably as a result of his single-minded work style than anything else.
Did you have any contact with the Philosophical Research Society for your research?
Yes, I am friendly with the current director of PRS Obadiah Harris and have had the privilege of entering Hall's vault there, among other things.
What are some other authors and books on the occult that you enjoy?
I very much admire the writing of Richard Smoley and Jay Kinney, the founders of Gnosis magazine. Their book "Hidden Wisdom" is as good a primer to esoteric subjects as one is likely to find. I also like a classic work called (unfortunately!) "The Black Arts" by Richard Cavendish -- a much finer book than its title might reflect.
Can you 'talk' a little about Hall's hope to bring his contemporaries' consciousness to spirituality? Do you believe that with the publication of the new edition that Hall's work is reaching a wider audience beyond the usual?
It is remarkable that the new edition is building a contemporary readership for Hall. He is probably one of the only occult writers of his era who is actually growing in popularity. One could argue that our times reflect his own: A wide gap between haves and have-nots; an entertainment-obsessed society; a great deal of emphasis on money-making at the expense of ethics. But I think the popularity of his book has to do mostly with the fact that the new edition permits the book to be discovered for the very first time among many readers -- and the quality of his work is of a kind all its own.
Please describe the reaction and feedback you've received about the reader's edition.
Overwhelmingly positive. I've not gotten a single negative remark that I can recall. People are delighted that book is not only readable, but also affordable. It creates a first-time experience for many people who owned but could never read the previously edition because of its physical unwieldiness.
Would you mind sharing a bit about your upcoming book?
Sure -- I actually just made an agreement this past Friday with the publisher Bantam. Here is blurb that is just now being sent to the publishing media:
"Tarcher/Penguin Editor-in-Chief Mitch Horowitz' first book, OCCULT AMERICA: The Secret History of How Mysticism Conquered America, was preempted by Bantam. A book populated by a wonderful cast of spiritual gadflies, adventurers, and impresarios, OCCULT AMERICA tells the story of how a young America hosted, transformed and was ultimately transformed by the mystical philosophies and practices of the Old World."
The book deals with personalities such as Manly P. Hall, Paul Foster Case, Edgar Cayce, and many, many others who remade the occult in America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and, in so doing, helped lay the groundwork for the revolutions in alternative spirituality that marked our own generation.
Thanks again to Mitch Horowitz for all his efforts with the Reader's Edition of The Secret Teachings of All Ages and appearing here. Mitch's article entitled, "The Mysterious Career of Manly P. Hall," in episode 6 of Sub Rosa Magazine was the main reference and inspiration for this article and interview.
Although available online here -- http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/, the Reader's Edition is so well done that your home library deserves a copy.
Also, don't forget the Manly P. Hall Memorial and Archive.
Copyright 2007 by Occult of Personality. Licensed under Creative Commons.
He was an author and researcher who is usually noted for his famed "Illuminatus!" trilogy, written with Robert Shea. But his non-fiction works should be remembered as well.
These selected excerpts are taken from an article entitled "Coming Again: The orgasmic release of the Apocalypse myth" that he published in 1999 for "Whoa," and can be found here.
I wonder why so many people have such a lascivious longing for the Apocalypse? It seems a far more popular fantasy game than Dungeons & Dragons, and, of course, it has all the thrills and chills of a slasher movie.
But there may be more here, just as there is to horror and catastrophe movies if you think about them. Neo-Freudians, and especially Reichians, suggest that our form of civilization stifles and constricts us so much that at times we all long to experience some orgasmic but catastrophic "explosion," like King Kong breaking his chains and wrecking New York, or even more like the masochist in bondage, according to Dr. Reich. This sudden release from the bondage-and-discipline of our jobs and our taxes -- actually called the Rapture by Fundamentalists -- seems ghoulishly attractive to Christians, New Agers, and others who believe in a "spirit" that will survive the general wreckage. In that case, the end of the world seems no worse than a visit to the dentist: You know you'll feel better afterwards. This sort of desire for Total Escape/Total Annihilation has always had its bards and visionaries.
... The second most common talent among Doomsayers -- after their unparalleled ability to predict dates on which the world perversely does not end -- is their capacity to recalculate. But, then, theology is logic with deuces and one-eyed jacks wild.
Among those not committed to the Rapture, prophecies of doom usually have another loophole: Only most of humanity will perish. In these scenarios, those with the Right Ideas will survive, although they will probably need to stockpile food, water, and guns in advance.
Those with the Right Ideas are the ones who believe in the Prophet, of course. Thus there seems an element of sadism mixed in with the masochism of the Millennialist mentality: We will suffer only a little, these folks say, but the rest of you motherfuckers are really going to get the works. Well, Freud himself pronounced that sadism and masochism always contain a bit of one another.
So far, the batting average of all Doomsayers has stayed firm at 0.000. That, of course, will not stop this ever-popular guessing game. We survived the alleged three meteors of November 7, but we still have Y2K ahead of us; and if we survive that, well, the Weekly World News recently reported the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to be in the vicinity of Santa Fe, heading east.
As long as people enjoy scaring themselves and scaring one another, horror movies will remain popular, and so will Doomsday. Pick a date -- any date -- and you may become the leader of a new cult. ...
He may be gone from our world, but he is not forgotten.
Inspired by Comets Over Albion by Ben Fairhall, 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl by Daniel Pinchbeck, and cyberspaceorbit.com by Kent Steadman.
Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, is more accurately, "the serpent veiled in plumes of the paradise-bird" who was adored by the Children of the Sun and identified as a "solar god" and / or "god of the winds" by Manly Hall. [1]
Quetzalcoatl:
... came out of the sea, bringing with him a mysterious cross. On his garments were embellished clouds and red crosses. In his honour, great serpents carved from stone were placed in different parts of Mexico.
The cross of Quetzalcoatl became a sacred symbol among the Mayas, and according to available records the Maya Indian angels had crosses of various pigments painted on their foreheads. Similar crosses were placed over the eyes of those initiated into their Mysteries. When Cortez arrived in Mexico, he brought with him the cross. Recognizing this, the natives believed that he was Quetzalcoatl returned, for the latter had promised to come back in the infinite future and redeem his people. [2]
... The fourth book of the Popol Vuh concludes with an account of the erection of a majestic temple, all white, where was preserved a secret black divining stone, cubical in shape. Quetzalcoatl partakes of many of the attributes of King Solomon: the account of the temple building in the Popol Vuh is a reminder of the story of Solomon's Temple, and undoubtedly has a similar significance. Brassuer de Bourbourg was first attracted to the study of religious parallelisms in the Popol Vuh by the fact that the temple, together with the black stone which it contained, was named the Caabaha, a name astonishingly similar to that of the Temple, or Caaba, which contains the sacred black stone of Islam. [3]
If we look at the similarities of Quetzalcoatl and other stories, the results are remarkable. Quetzalcoatl was known as the solar god who was crucified and would return in the future to redeem his people, as well as the builder of a temple building reminiscent of the Temple of Solomon containing a sacred black stone named Caabaha. How do historians account for these similarities to the Abrahamic religious texts, yet the vast discrepancies in time and distance from the supposed origin of these stories?
The return of Cortez noted above, and hinted at in the recent movie "Apocalypto," is portrayed as occurring during a time of human sacrifice. Again, Manly Hall:
The meager available native records contain abundant evidence that the later civilizations of Central and South America were hopelessly dominated by the black arts of their priestcrafts. In the convexities of their magnetized mirrors the Indian sorcerers captured the intelligences of elemental beings and, gazing into the depths of these abominable devices, eventually made the scepter subservient to the wand. Robed in garments of sable hue, the neophytes in their search for truth were led by their sinister guides through the confused passageways of necromancy. By the left-hand path they descended into the somber depths of the infernal world, where they learned to endow stones with the power of speech and to subtly ensnare the minds of men with their chants and fetishes. As typical of the perversion which prevailed, none could acheive to the greater Mysteries until a human being had suffered immolation at his hand and the bleeding heart of the victim had been elevated before the luring face of the stone idol fabricated by a priestcraft the members of which realized more fully than they dared to admit the true nature of the man-made demon. The sanguinary and indescribable rites practiced by many of the Central American Indians may represent remnants of the later Atlantean perversion of the ancient sun Mysteries. According to the secret tradition, it was during the later Atlantean epoch that black magic and sorcery dominated the esoteric schools, resulting in the bloody sacrificial rites and gruesome idolatry which ultimately overthrew the Atlantean empire and even penetrated the Aryan religious world. [4]
So these similarities are between not only the allegorical stories surrounding Quetzalcoatl, but also the historical record of a turn to the dark side after the golden age and a false savior. After a time of high spirituality and technology, the Mayan people went from being victimized by their preistarchy, to being victimized by the Spanish conquistador - out of the frying pan and into the fire. The desire for some kind of saviour seems to be a characteristic that some are only too willing to exploit. How much do these similarities feel familiar to us now? And what of the return of Quetzalcoatl? Could it be now?
http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_mcnaught_page12.htm
McNaught comet images: Jamie Newman,
1. Hall, Manly P. The Secret Teachings of All Ages (New York: Tarcher/Penguin, 2003), p. 137, 637.
2. ibid, p. 603.
3. ibid, p. 645.
4. ibid, p. 638.
Copyright 2007 by Occult of Personality.