Had's "spangles"?
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This is more of an English question than a Thelema question, but still I find it the most appropriate place to ask.
From Liber AL:II,50: Blue am I and gold in the light of my bride: but the red gleam is in my eyes; & my spangles are purple & green.
Now I need to visualize Had as just that:
- Let the Aspirant apply himself to comprehend Hadit as the Snake that giveth Knowledge and Delight and bright glory, who stirreth the hearts of men with drunkenness. This snake is blue and gold; its eyes are red, and its spangles green and ultra-violet.
And when I looked for the meaning of "spangles", I found:
1 : a small plate of shining metal or plastic used for ornamentation especially on clothing
2 : a small glittering object or particleThese definitions don't seem to make sense in that verse's context.
So what does it mean?Thank you!
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II,50: Blue am I and gold in the light of my bride: but the red gleam is in my eyes; & my sparkly parts of various size and type are purple & green.
This snake is blue and gold; its eyes are red, and its sparkly parts of various size and type green and ultra-violet
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@Takamba said
"II,50: Blue am I and gold in the light of my bride: but the red gleam is in my eyes; & my sparkly parts of various size and type are purple & green.
This snake is blue and gold; its eyes are red, and its sparkly parts of various size and type green and ultra-violet"
So, if I understand you correctly, the spangles are not a part of a "real" snake, but rather a special feature of Had which creates some sort of an aura around him?
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@FiatYod said
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@Takamba said
"II,50: Blue am I and gold in the light of my bride: but the red gleam is in my eyes; & my sparkly parts of various size and type are purple & green.This snake is blue and gold; its eyes are red, and its sparkly parts of various size and type green and ultra-violet"
So, if I understand you correctly, the spangles are not a part of a "real" snake, but rather a special feature of Had which creates some sort of an aura around him?"
The text shows no reason to suspect that the spangles are any more or less a part of the snake than the other described parts. Spangles means "sparkly bits" is all, like the "star spangled banner" (it is sparkly with stars), the stars are no less "real" than the stripes or blue field of the flag.
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@Takamba said
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@FiatYod said
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@Takamba said
"II,50: Blue am I and gold in the light of my bride: but the red gleam is in my eyes; & my sparkly parts of various size and type are purple & green.This snake is blue and gold; its eyes are red, and its sparkly parts of various size and type green and ultra-violet"
So, if I understand you correctly, the spangles are not a part of a "real" snake, but rather a special feature of Had which creates some sort of an aura around him?"
The text shows no reason to suspect that the spangles are any more or less a part of the snake than the other described parts. Spangles means "sparkly bits" is all, like the "star spangled banner" (it is sparkly with stars), the stars are no less "real" than the stripes or blue field of the flag."
I see. What I meant in my previous message was, just to get my head around it, that a regular earthly snake has no spangles.
So the position of the spangles on Had's snake form is open for interpretation, correct? -
I have heard spangles being used to describe the scales of animals before when they glisten in the sunlight, fish is the prime example which comes to mind. It is not every scale of the fish,but rather just a few. I've not really been around snakes so I can't say whether their scales have a similar effect. But I would say spangles does refer to scales. Either that, or Hadit is wearing a pretty dress.
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@mark0987 said
"I have heard spangles being used to describe the scales of animals before when they glisten in the sunlight, fish is the prime example which comes to mind. It is not every scale of the fish,but rather just a few. I've not really been around snakes so I can't say whether their scales have a similar effect. But I would say spangles does refer to scales. Either that, or Hadit is wearing a pretty dress."
Interesting, and when I search Google Images for "snake scales", the scales do seem to glisten.
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93
the line describes the relationship between Had and the Ruach.
Blue and Gold are Chesed and Tiphereth. The Red, Green, and Purple are Gevurah, Netzach and Hod.
"in the light of my bride" is when Had emanates Chokmah and is wedded in Binah. This is the distinction between Chesed and Tiphereth and the rest of the Ruach, as they are the only ones in direct contact with Chokmah.
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@Frater AOV said
"93
the line describes the relationship between Had and the Ruach.
Blue and Gold are Chesed and Tiphereth. The Red, Green, and Purple are Gevurah, Netzach and Hod.
"in the light of my bride" is when Had emanates Chokmah and is wedded in Binah. This is the distinction between Chesed and Tiphereth and the rest of the Ruach, as they are the only ones in direct contact with Chokmah."
Interesting insight, thanks!
But shouldn't Hod be orange? -
93
If it were seen in the Queen scale, as the rest of the attributions, yes.
Hod is Mercury, Speech, as the Logos is the Word. The passage identifies the Message with the Messenger. Crowley has made subtle comments about the importance of the Mercurial principle as being identified with the Highest...perhaps Had describing Hod in the King scale is the root of this conviction of his.
Even in the spelling of the two we get a similar situation to the differences symbolically between Ain and Ayin. Switch the Aleph for a Vau. Now there's no explicit link to Kether in the Word, implying that Hod is Had's method of action below Atziluth, and the chief method by which the Logos is communicated. He's speaking of himself in the third person but with all his dignities, such as being an Atziluthic principle, preserved.
This principle is what's allowing me to rationalize the logical gap we're speaking of presently.