The Holy Guardian Angel, and the "Double".
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"Double, sinister, and Deadly"?
Is is not possible our Holy Guardian Angel, taking many forms to engage in communion with us, also takes the form of our "shadow double"?
Some magickal beliefs state that there is a mirror-version of ourselves constantly exposed to the intenser and darker mysteries that fascinate us and perpetuate our will to exist, that knows all and sees all. At some point in creation, the being is pulled through time and space, and probably forgets all the horrors of existence, (this latter version of her/him bring us.)
We are taught by the greatest of souls throughout the ages that a higher aspect of ourselves created our own reality and somehow bade itself forget.
If our Holy Guardian Angels are the divine aspect of ourselves, set in some aeonic past or future, constantly regaining more of it's being, then where might one draw a line between this Angelic guide, and our darker, knowledgable, "mirror" selves, who somehow inspire fear, and to a lesser extent hatred, yet coax us out into the vast darkness of the soul that gives way to enlightenment?
Love is the Law,
Frankie -
Yes, the Angel is also that which appears as the devil.
Which doesn't mean, though, that every devil we encounter is, per se, the Angel.
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"then where might one draw a line between this Angelic guide, and our darker, knowledgable, "mirror" selves, who somehow inspire fear, and to a lesser extent hatred, yet coax us out into the vast darkness of the soul that gives way to enlightenment?"
my take:
You know, the word "holy" has come popularly to mean all things good and nice. That's not its root. Its root is "set apart," and in the old Hebrew texts it carries the meaning of "more than you can handle without dying." If we translated our knowledge of nuclear radiation backwards into their worldview, it would most likely be called "holy" as well. You can see this in the stories of the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies. You weren't supposed to touch the Ark because it was so "holy" (one person did so and died - even with his pure motivations), and the stories also tell that even the High Priest only went into the Holy of Holies once a year, and only with a rope tied around him in case he died inside (so they could pull him out). If you touched something that had been declared "holy unto the LORD," then you might just get stoned to death by everyone else because they didn't want that unknown mysterious status infecting (and potentially killing) anyone else.
Regardless of whether or not the stories are true, in them, you can get the sense of the weight that the word "holy" had back in the day when it didn't mean simply "goodness and niceness."
So with that in mind, it's less difficult for me to consider the "darkness" as part of that which is "holy" as well. Of course, "darkness" is just a word we use for the unknown, and especially for our unknown reaction to our as-of-yet-unknown power, when we discover the truth about ourselves.
It's not "holy, divine, good, and nice" as opposed to "unholy, undivine, evil, and willful." It's all one "holy," difficultly approached, difficultly understood thing, incorporating everything else in the universe we do not yet understand ourselves as being.
But ultimately, between you and It, there is a fundamental identity.
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@Legis said
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"then where might one draw a line between this Angelic guide, and our darker, knowledgable, "mirror" selves, who somehow inspire fear, and to a lesser extent hatred, yet coax us out into the vast darkness of the soul that gives way to enlightenment?"my take:
You know, the word "holy" has come popularly to mean all things good and nice. That's not its root. Its root is "set apart," and in the old Hebrew texts it carries the meaning of "more than you can handle without dying." If we translated our knowledge of nuclear radiation backwards into their worldview, it would most likely be called "holy" as well. You can see this in the stories of the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies. You weren't supposed to touch the Ark because it was so "holy" (one person did so and died - even with his pure motivations), and the stories also tell that even the High Priest only went into the Holy of Holies once a year, and only with a rope tied around him in case he died inside (so they could pull him out). If you touched something that had been declared "holy unto the LORD," then you might just get stoned to death by everyone else because they didn't want that unknown mysterious status infecting (and potentially killing) anyone else.
Regardless of whether or not the stories are true, in them, you can get the sense of the weight that the word "holy" had back in the day when it didn't mean simply "goodness and niceness."
So with that in mind, it's less difficult for me to consider the "darkness" as part of that which is "holy" as well. Of course, "darkness" is just a word we use for the unknown, and especially for our unknown reaction to our as-of-yet-unknown power, when we discover the truth about ourselves.
It's not "holy, divine, good, and nice" as opposed to "unholy, undivine, evil, and willful." It's all one "holy," difficultly approached, difficultly understood thing, incorporating everything else in the universe we do not yet understand ourselves as being.
But ultimately, between you and It, there is a fundamental identity."
Well said Legis. I learned something I didn't know. Thanks.
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@Al-Shariyf said
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Well said Legis. I learned something I didn't know. Thanks."Well, thanks, and de Nada.
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@Jim Eshelman said
"Yes, the Angel is also that which appears as the devil.
Which doesn't mean, though, that every devil we encounter is, per se, the Angel."
Jim, is there a particular mechanism for this that can be explained? I took it to refer to the distortion created by the abyss when anything tries to communicate below it e.g a mirror reversal. This confounds me slightly, only due to the Abramelin writings primarily and the description of the Angel there in.
Thanks,
Ian
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@Jim Eshelman said
"Yes, the Angel is also that which appears as the devil."
If so, can it be considered right to worship equally both sides of it?! Or just "bless" the devil?
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@Frater Horus said
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@Jim Eshelman said
"Yes, the Angel is also that which appears as the devil."If so, can it be considered right to worship equally both sides of it?! Or just "bless" the devil?"
Any given action or inaction may be appropriate for any particular person at some point in their journey... but (that caveat having been dutifully delivered), as a generalization, for those who are not yet Adepts, I tend to side with the instruction from the Vision of the 6th Aethyr:
"But the reflection of the truth hath been shown in the lower Sephiroth. And its balance is in Beauty, and therefore have they who sought only beauty come nearest to the truth."
As Liber Tzaddi admonishes, we need to counterbalance certain (let me call them ) "vertical" imbalances in ourselves. I don't think that's what you're talking about, though. I think you're talk about the Self-generated phenomena that smack us around from time to time, the things that remind us we're leaving our own lane of the highway, etc. I've appreciated these things for decades, I've taken instruction from them, I've seen their place in the great cosmic scheme of things... I've never been inclined to worship them.
Of course, your mileage may vary (YMMV).
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That quote from Crowley makes perfect sense.
What you said too. Both were questions. Thanks.
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Jim, what you stated makes sense seeing as how Tiphareth is Tiphareth, and shall be when it is restored to it's "proper" place.
Long have I gazed upon the Devil card in my Thoth deck, and I would say that he seeks only beauty.
There is little to fear when you have the Devil relishing in creation and propagating the lust for life.
Draco,
This is interesting. I suppose you have to submit to the creed of the Magus, and interpret every phenomena as a dealing of god with one's own soul.Even in my darkest, natural tryptamine-propelled experiences, diving head-first into realms of the darkly-shining world, I have caught glimpses of my Angel as though the glimpse had been given countless aeons ago, only just discovered by myself.
Ever heard of the song "Dark Star", by the Grateful Dead? Now that I think on it, this song is lyrically wound around the concept of enlightenment from the darkest of places.
Legis,
I did not know this about the word. I always try to understand the roots of any important word in my work. It is interesting how things can be in extreme contrast of how they actually appear.Also, I have some strange theories on the Ark itself. I'm not prone to wild belief, but perhaps some incredibly gifted alchemist constructed it in his tent one night, out in the sand, only keeping the materials he needed for building and survival.
Completely legal work to get to, but a most interesting conversation indeed.
Love is the Law,
Frankie -
Notice that the Devil only appears as the Devil when Tiphereth shines into Hod - when we try to "figure this all out" in the intellect.
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Might this be interpreted as a human "moral mirroring" error, in that one attains Glory before Beauty, when climbing up our tree, and that one is attempting to attain this Glory without fully knowing the Beauty that makes it visible?
Anything in the end is it's opposite, they say.
Yoga is union.Many thanks, sir Jim.
Love is the Law,
Frankie