The Three Aeons
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@Jim Eshelman said
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@_aLL_seEIng_eYe_ said
"very interesting I've often wondered about the jump from sub-consciousness to consciousness myself; would you care to elaborate on what you think caused the shift?"I'd only be guessing. I think it was basically a natural evolutionary process unfolding potential already present in our DNA map. That tends to be the best theory, I think, of spiritual progress in general, that everyone has "super powers" encoded into them and certain practices and patterned external triggers set them off kin what appears to be an outright mutation - something understood better with 21st Century knowledge of how RNA throws the switch on active vs. inactive genes.
Environmental pressures can accelerate or impede these stages, of course.
Bottom line, I regard almost every single thing we do in initiatory occultism as part of natural pohysiological and psychological development - it's all "developmental psych.""
it is interesting to note that you mentioned the infantile stage as being equally subconscious and synonymous with the Aeon of the Mother; using that comparison it would seem reasonable to assume that the onset of consciousness coincides with the onset of "memory" since most of us do not remember anything in our first years of existence(my first memory is the birth of my younger brother when i was 2yrs old) likewise non-domestic animals memory also seems instinctive. Memory to me then seems somewhat synonymous with an awareness of the linear passage of time, or one event being consecutive to another. In my last post i was about to ask whether you thought that consciousness was synonymous with an awareness of the linear passage of time but refrained when i considered you mentioned in the first Aeon that they may have been aware of the lunar cycle which would indicate memory of consecutive events but it seems a valid consideration? At what period would you put the Aeon of the Mother? and can you say what type of calender or time tracking devices did they use then?
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@AvshalomBinyamin said
"Very interesting read, and quite solid.
It might not fit within the parameters of what you are doing with the new book, but I'd love to see some mapping of these aeons and stages of consciousness to events in civilization and mythology - tool use, agriculture, adam & eve, etc., etc...
"you might be interested in Ralph Abraham's article "Chaos and the Millenium" which does that from the standpoint of a bifurcation theorist.
www.ralph-abraham.org/articles/MS%2392.Millennium/millennium.pdf
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The introductory chapters seem pretty intriguing! I hope to get this book, just as soon as I get your other two main ones
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memory... hmm...
Would written language and history count anywhere? The exteriorization of the memory function?
I'm reminded of the High Priestess holding her scroll of the Law.
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"it is interesting to note that you mentioned the infantile stage as being equally subconscious and synonymous with the Aeon of the Mother; using that comparison it would seem reasonable to assume that the onset of consciousness coincides with the onset of "memory" since most of us do not remember anything in our first years of existence(my first memory is the birth of my younger brother when i was 2yrs old) likewise non-domestic animals memory also seems instinctive. Memory to me then seems somewhat synonymous with an awareness of the linear passage of time, or one event being consecutive to another. "
aLL_seEIng_eYe, the way I learnt this (but I learnt it as a matter of fact and not really as a theory, so I don't know where these facts come from and how well-researched they are) is that children under the age of 2.5 to 3 have not yet developed a sense of self. As babies they consider themselves as part of the whole of existence and only slowly begin to differentiate between themselves and the world. Only after a few months will they understand they are not the same entity as their mother and will get seperation anxiety, for example. Kids up to the age of 2.5/3 also refer to themselves in the third person. "Mike wants milk" not "I want milk". Only at the age of 2.5/3 do they start to see themselves as real selves and from then on they will start to collect self-related memories. It is also the age at which kids start to understand their gender-identity.
It's not that kids younger than that don't remember things - they do. And it is even likely that those baby memories are stored somewhere. For example - abused kids do sometimes have mental scars from the abuse of the time before 2.5/3 but will not be able to tell a coherent story about it. We can't relate to these 'memories' in the way we can relate to our other memories, so it is difficult and different to 'remember' them.It's very interesting to relate this to the aeons!
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Some readers of your book will be taking for granted a common view that the Aeons of Isis, Osiris, and Horus correspond respectively to the astrological ages of Aries, Pisces, and Aquarius. Even Crowley, though he was vague about the matter, seems to have believed that an "aeon" was a 2000-year affair. You might want, at least in a footnote, to acknowledge that view and state that you disagree.
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@Orione said
"aLL_seEIng_eYe, the way I learnt this (but I learnt it as a matter of fact and not really as a theory, so I don't know where these facts come from and how well-researched they are) is that children under the age of 2.5 to 3 have not yet developed a sense of self. As babies they consider themselves as part of the whole of existence and only slowly begin to differentiate between themselves and the world. Only after a few months will they understand they are not the same entity as their mother and will get seperation anxiety, for example. Kids up to the age of 2.5/3 also refer to themselves in the third person. "Mike wants milk" not "I want milk". Only at the age of 2.5/3 do they start to see themselves as real selves and from then on they will start to collect self-related memories. It is also the age at which kids start to understand their gender-identity.
It's not that kids younger than that don't remember things - they do. And it is even likely that those baby memories are stored somewhere. For example - abused kids do sometimes have mental scars from the abuse of the time before 2.5/3 but will not be able to tell a coherent story about it. We can't relate to these 'memories' in the way we can relate to our other memories, so it is difficult and different to 'remember' them.It's very interesting to relate this to the aeons!"
Yes Orione we are effectually saying the same thing; I equate "separate-self" and"self-relatedness" to the "linear-mind" since the self is now the "point of reference"(Hadit as opposed to Nuit). and yes i am just a little less than 2.5 years older than my brother,so the theory seems valid, I came to the same conclusion without being aware of it. often wonder whether that is actually a lower state of consciousness though?? sometimes i think the contrary is true.
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@gmugmble said
"Some readers of your book will be taking for granted a common view that the Aeons of Isis, Osiris, and Horus correspond respectively to the astrological ages of Aries, Pisces, and Aquarius. Even Crowley, though he was vague about the matter, seems to have believed that an "aeon" was a 2000-year affair. You might want, at least in a footnote, to acknowledge that view and state that you disagree."
Thanks. I'll think about that one.
The relationship is so far and so distant that I've been preferring to handle it by ignoring it completely - not even planting in anyone's mind that there could be a relationship. But you may be right concerning those in whose minds this already exists. I'll think about that.
(Oh, I just remembered where it's somewhat quietly covered: In the glossary!)
Yeah, I'll probably add a footnote at the point where I used "ages."
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I need to get my hands on this book of yours when it comes out, JAE.
Reading the section regarding the (eventual) baseline level of functioning in each Aeon, does this mean that when the Aeon of Hrumachis truly gets going, the baseline level of functioning will shift to Chiah, and will be Iechidah when the fifth Aeon is fully developed? -
Yeah, and the way we talk about how only the elite used to know how to read and write back in ancient civilizations.... that's how they'll talk about us.
"Back in the 21st century, attaining to K&CHGA (or whatever term they'll call it - maybe "basic individualization" or "basic spiritualcy" lol) was the equivalent of a PhD; only the elite geniuses ever attained it."
And the junior high students will guffaw, recalling that they attained K&CHGA back in 2nd grade.
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Interesting introduction. I did some research into Crowley's conception of aeons, trying to pinpoint it down to exact periods and dates, but I never arrived at a satisfactory answer. But I did notice one thing about his formulation. It places the subject at the center of all reality - Mommy, Daddy, ME!
I am intrigued by the thought that the Aeon of Horus will spread through intuition rather than intellect. I would like to hear more about this "sympathetic exposure".
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Kinda like contact high
It's mentioned earlier in the Introduction to the book. Basically, reading the remainder of the book and visualizing what you read will activate parts of the brain not usually used by most people. As a result, those parts become more active and integrated. Reading the book, therefore, is a type of initiation.
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@Jim Eshelman said
"Reading the book, therefore, is a type of initiation."
Ok I'm sold.
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@AvshalomBinyamin said
"It might not fit within the parameters of what you are doing with the new book, but I'd love to see some mapping of these aeons and stages of consciousness to events in civilization and mythology - tool use, agriculture, adam & eve, etc., etc.."
A couple of useful statistics - "tipping points" - might be of interest to you in the above.
As a preface, remember that I'm not seeing a time-based hard line or cut-off date. There is an extensive "blurring" transition. Some elements of ego-consciousness, for example, were surely extant while other characteristics were still substantially Isis-themed.
That said, I find the following interesting: Farming has been around quite a while - at least 10,000 years - but the "tipping point" of 5,000 years ago (about 3,000 BCE) marks the point where approximately half the human race had begun farming rather than just hunting-gathering. We might crudely take this as starting point of the Osiris Aeon. - The pattern unfurled from there, since the move from hunting-gathering to farming significantly altered the gender responsibilities, minimalizing the previously dominant female place in survival duties. It also allowed for the eventual building of communities, and it was in urbanization that the minimalizaton of women was accelerated.
Also, approximately 1900 CE was the point where half the human race had daily food. That's a huge shift! Think about it in terms of Abraham Maslow's models. That means that more humans than not were meeting one of the most crucial thresholds in deficit or survival needs. The emergence of the Horus Aeon at this juncture makes a great deal of sense!
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Very interesting.
In line with this, it's interesting what a prominent role food plays in Genesis.
Adam & Eve - don't eat this, or you'll die (although with the sense that you'll be born to something new...)
Cain & Abel - animal offerings have more life force (and, therefore, value) than vegetable offerings (a hint at levels of consciousness: plant > animal > man)
Noah - don't eat blood
Abraham - use intelligence to become prosperous, and use that prosperity to show hospitality (in the form of food) and gain favor
Isaac - famine in the land
Jacob & Essau - selling a birthright for food, and later tricking the father for the blessing by bringing him his favorite dish
Joseph - sold to slavery in Egypt, where he becomes a chief administrator in times of famineYou can really see a progression of how humans handled food, and the benefits it gave them.
For example, Cain & Abel, and Jacob & Essau, seemed to be in some ways an analogous pair. In the first story, there's murder and a curse. But in the second story, the more civilized, less hairy, less hunter-gatherer type, is cleverer, and fares better.
Or the famine of Isaac's time. The shepherd nomad is less prepared to deal with famine. But by Joseph's time, the 'good guy' is helping plan for a 7-year drought.
Basically, food becomes currency, stored energy, and the ability to plan and scheme and leverage it is a major tactical advantage.
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yesterdy, I was struck by this idea of simple correspondence:
Isis Aeon - Netzach
Osiris Aeon - Tiphareth
Horus Aeon - Geburahit shows the progressive evolution of consciousness up the Tree, and also directly points out to the characteristic major archetypes of every Aeon.
Solar qualities of Horus are inherent, they are that which is presupposed - he is the Child, the Third from the marriage of Opposites. but his Geburan & Martial qualities need to be emphasized now - and that's what we see in Liber L, Ch. III
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I think that's mixing the sephiroth and the four worlds.
Nephesh, Yetzirah, and Briah seem a simpler correspondence to me...
But, if we're going with sephiroth, why not Malkuth, Yesod, Tiphareth?
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@AvshalomBinyamin said
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Nephesh, Yetzirah, and Briah seem a simpler correspondence to me..."yes, that deffinitely is the best 'fit'.
"if we're going with sephiroth, why not Malkuth, Yesod, Tiphareth?"
that sounds better because it's the Middle Pillar, and looks more 'natural' to map the collective evolution in that way on the Tree (i.e. only with Sephiroth, not Worlds). I would have to think about it deeper.
and maybe both are ok, having in mind that we can consider Netzach and Hod as polar reflections of the relationship between Yesod and Tiphareth... (and Geburah & Hesed as polarized higher octaves of Tiphareth -- which of course reflect the upper polar pair, supreme Mother and Father)some things that come to mind in 'defense' to Netzach-Tiphareth-Geburah correspondence:
Isis-7- love, devotion, collective consciousness, collective forms of god-worshiping; the essential idea for spiritual development was that of merging individual self with the whole (-as represented in the King/Emperor archetype, which is the symbol of the divine). 'I' is not divine, but 'we' make it possible for Human being to become divine...
graphic symbol: Ankh (or Venus-glyph)Osiris -6 - oneself made perfect, awakening of solar consciousness, 'I' is already 'we' and by giving up of the self completely, accepting death, the eternal life is recognized; ressurection; pisces-symbol (Nun - tha Path that connects Netzach and Tiphareth)...
graphic symbol: Cross, and cross circled (inside a circle) as a transitional form towards the next phase -->Horus - 5 - war, destruction of the old outgrown forms, spiritual development is now reached through
individuation - a necessary phase, because the main principle is action and thus the concrete..
graphic symbol: not known yet
I assume the traditional Sun-glyph (Bull's eye, the target...) is a transitional form, from 6 to 5.
also, Lamed is the Path, and many interesting ideas spring out of that correspondence... -
@danica said
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Isis-7- love, devotion, collective consciousness, collective forms of god-worshiping; the essential idea for spiritual development was that of merging individual self with the whole (-as represented in the King/Emperor archetype, which is the symbol of the divine). 'I' is not divine, but 'we' make it possible for Human being to become divine...
graphic symbol: Ankh (or Venus-glyph)Osiris -6 - oneself made perfect, awakening of solar consciousness, 'I' is already 'we' and by giving up of the self completely, accepting death, the eternal life is recognized; ressurection; pisces-symbol (Nun - tha Path that connects Netzach and Tiphareth)...
graphic symbol: Cross, and cross circled (inside a circle) as a transitional form towards the next phase -->Horus - 5 - war, destruction of the old outgrown forms, spiritual development is now reached through
individuation - a necessary phase, because the main principle is action and thus the concrete..
graphic symbol: not known yet
I assume the traditional Sun-glyph (Bull's eye, the target...) is a transitional form, from 6 to 5.
also, Lamed is the Path, and many interesting ideas spring out of that correspondence..."Crowley makes a number of adjustments to the Old IAO formula. One is a re-arrangement into IOA:
Isis
Osiris
ApophisThe Apophis being associated with Horus.
Just another way to imagine the Aeonic progression as a cosmic magical formula?
love and will
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"Basically, food becomes currency, stored energy, and the ability to plan and scheme and leverage it is a major tactical advantage."
From my sources, currency originated as a symbol for food. Specifically when humans started to store food, the original clay coins were actual accountings of how much food was in the food storeage. It seems though that clay was very easy to counterfit, and thus rob the storehouses.
Thus began mankinds love of silver and gold......