Bringer of light

Some time in 1865 a sculptor named Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was inspired to build a giant lighthouse in the form of an ancient Egyptian woman holding a torch above the Suez canal in Egypt. Bartholdi's lighthouse was based on the Colossus of Rhodes a giant bronze statue of the Greek god of the Sun, Helios.

At the time, the Egyptian economy was booming because of the American Civil War and blockade on exportation of Southern cotton which just so happened to be one of Egypt's primary exports. After the Civil War Egypt's economy crashed and Bartholdi came to the realization his lighthouse was not going to happen.

Liberty enlightening the world.

When Bartholdi realized the Egyptian statue was no longer a possibility he made a deal with Gustav Eiffel to build the statue in 350 pieces in Paris financed by the French Government and have the pedestal financed by American donors. If you haven't figured it out yet, Bartholdi's Egyptian statue morphed into an American statue of Libertas. The symbolism used in the statue is intriguing, the Statue of Liberty eventually took on some features of the Sun god, Helios, just like Bartholdi originally intended for the Egyptian lighthouse.

Helios and Lady Lib, separated at birth?

"Since the 1940s, it has been claimed that the seven spikes or diadem atop of the crown epitomize the Seven Seas and seven continents...Apollo (read: Helios/Sol/Horus) was represented as a solar deity, dressed in a similar robe and having on its head a "radiate crown" with the seven spiked rays of the Helios-Apollo's sun rays, like the Statue's nimbus or halo." Ever wonder why Lady Liberty's face looks like a man? Well, there is speculation that her face is based on the face of the Rhodes Helios.

Newsflash: Helios was a cross dresser...just kidding...sort of.

Originally the Statue was to wear a Pileus or Phrygian cap like her French interpretation: Marianne. "The pileus (Latin, plural, pilei) — also pilleus or pilleum — was a cap worn in Rome and later in Ancient Greece (where it was the pilos or pilidion). It was a brimless, felt cap, somewhat similar to a fez. The pilleolus was a smaller version, similar to a skullcap." The phrygian cap has traditionally been associated with certain gods. "The Phrygian cap identifies Trojans such as Paris in vase-paintings and sculpture, and it is worn by the syncretic Persian saviour god Mithras and by the Anatolian god Attis (both members of the life-death-rebirth club) who were later adopted by Romans and Hellenic cultures."

Attis and Marianne wearing phryigan headgear.

In lady liberty's right hand she proudly holds a torch which Bartholdi intended to represent progress. Bartholdi was no stranger to the torch symbolism given the significance placed on this symbol by Freemasonry and Bartholdi himself being a Freemason. However, Freemasonry is one amongst many that place a heavy significance on the power of fire and it's relationship with mankind and the gods.

Liberty and Prometheus...both sure.

Fire has come to represent knowledge; the power to shed light in darkness. But, according to many religious myths mankind came about this knowledge illegitimately. According to wiki:

• According to the Rig Veda (3:9.5), the hero Mātariśvan recovered fire, which had been hidden from mankind.
• In Cherokee myth, after Possum and Buzzard had failed to steal fire, Grandmother Spider used her web to sneak into the land of light. She stole fire, hiding it in a clay pot.
• Among various Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest and First Nations, fire was stolen and given to humans by Coyote, Beaver or Dog.
• According to some Yukon First Nations people, Crow stole fire from a volcano in the middle of the water.
• According to the Creek Indians, Rabbit stole fire from the Weasels.
• In Algonquin myth, Rabbit stole fire from an old man and his two daughters.
• In Ojibwa myth, Nanabozho the hare stole fire and gave it to humans.
• In Polynesian myth, Maui stole fire from the Mudhens.
• In the Book of Enoch, the fallen angels and Azazel teach early mankind to use tools and fire.

There is an obvious parallel between these stories and the concept of the "forbidden fruit" of the tree of knowledge of good and evil from the Bible.

The "colossus" of Rhodes.

Back to lady liberty and the torch. Bartholdi intended for lady liberty to resemble what the Colossus of Rhodes, the sun god Helios, is thought to have looked like. There is even a reference to the Colossus in "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus, written in 1883 and inscribed on a plaque located inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

More to come on this one...

Strength forged through sacrifice?

Been awhile since my last post but I'll try to get back in the swing of things and pick up where we left off. We've been talking about the twin pillars symbolism if I remember correctly and what I want to do now is combine this symbol with previous symbols we've seen here.

Taking a step back from ancient history for a moment and looking at the current international landscape I would say that there is one event that had a tremendous impact on the current foreign policy climate: 9/11. I'm not sure that there is a single person alive today that is not aware of the events that took place September 11, 2001. This event had a profound impact on the world's conscious and unconscious minds.

There is a wealth of conspiracy information out there regarding 9/11 so I will try not to rehash too much of that info and bring something new to the table here.

:(

The then current U.S. President George W. Bush responded in his State of the Union address by saying, "States like these [Iraq, Iran, and North Korea], and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger." He went on to say, "Many have discovered again that even in tragedy, especially in tragedy, God is near." I wonder what god he is referring to? Needless to say, this event took on a very spiritual significance after the words of George Bush.

Two of my favorite people: George W. Bush and Michael Jackson...wut wut?!

September 11th and this speech by George W. Bush marked a turning point for America and the world. It was after this that America went on to invade Iraq and Afghanistan claiming that there were Al Qaeda training camps and weapons of mass destruction housed there. We now know that there were never any WMD's found in Iraq and the supposed Al Qaeda training camp was a figment of someone's vivid imagination. Regardless of the false justifications given out by the U.S. Government, America is waging it's longest war in history in the war on terror and there is no end in sight despite the empty promises made by the current "Commander-in-chief" Barack Obama. Change we can believe in? Hardly, the guy's got the same Secretary of Defense for goodness sake! Thank the horned one for George Bush being properly scapegoated!

There is an entire posts worth of symbols in this thing!

A few months back I read an article about the new warship that was made using the steel from the Twin Towers. Interesting that the motto of the ship is "Strength forged through sacrifice." Straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Based on the mainstream understanding of 9/11, I don't understand how one would consider the event a 'sacrifice' or offering. But the ears of those of you who are regulars here at "It's an option" should be perking up at hearing the word 'sacrifice.' I think this motto calls for a closer look. Let's go to dictionary.com:

sac⋅ri⋅fice   /ˈsækrəˌfaɪs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [sak-ruh-fahys]noun, verb, -ficed, -fic⋅ing. –noun

1. the offering of animal, plant, or human life or of some material possession to a deity, as in propitiation or homage.

2. the person, animal, or thing so offered.

3. the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.

4. the thing so surrendered or devoted.

5. a loss incurred in selling something below its value.

6. to make a sacrifice or offering of.

7. to surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else.

8. to dispose of (goods, property, etc.) regardless of profit.

forge 1  /fɔrdʒ, foʊrdʒ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [fawrj, fohrj] verb, forged, forg⋅ing. noun –verb (used with object)

1. to form by heating and hammering; beat into shape.

2. to form or make, esp. by concentrated effort: to forge a friendship through mutual trust.

3. to imitate (handwriting, a signature, etc.) fraudulently; fabricate a forgery. –verb (used without object)

4. to commit forgery.

5. to work at a forge.

6. (of a horse at a trot) to strike the forefeet with the shoes of the hind feet. –noun

7. a special fireplace, hearth, or furnace in which metal is heated before shaping.

8. the workshop of a blacksmith; smithy.

Sounds like a holocaust (read: burnt offering) to me. So this leads me to wonder, how exactly was 9/11 a sacrifice? The article goes on to quote Mayor Bloomberg, who had this to say, "This ship is actually a physical representation of that spirit with steel from the WTC built into it's bow so every friend that sets foot on it and every foe that dares challenge it will feel its power and know that it is literally made from the heart and soul of the city that has sacrificed so much."

Oh I think I get it now, 9/11 was a necessary sacrifice in order to ring in the new age of war and profit that we are currently in. There is no question, 9/11 marked a turning point in U.S. and world foreign policy, it marked the beginning of a new age: the supposed war on terror.

The USS New York: no doubt on it's way to make some sacrifices!

The time line of events here displays that concept of sacrifice almost perfectly: in order to receive we must first give; remember that one? In order to ignite the war on terror there must be a sacrifice to rally public opinion hence we have 9/11. This idea is not unheard of or unprecedented in the world of U.S. foreign policy. There is a heated debate over whether U.S. intelligence had prior knowledge of Pearl Harbor. You may be asking yourself, why would the U.S. stand by and let this happen? Because Pearl Harbor was a necessary sacrifice to rally public opinion behind an unpopular war waging in Europe.

Wave to lady liberty; we will be seeing her in the near future here. ;)

So it would appear that we, as humanity, have stepped through the gateway of the twin towers (read: pillars) making the necessary blood sacrifice to usher us into the new age of prosperity. But, what I wanna know is, who will prosper in this new age?

Pillars Revisited

Okay back to the pillars. Last time we talked about the pillars it appeared they may have had their origin in Solomon's Temple, but after further research these pillars seem to be much older than Solomon's Temple. According to 1 Kings 5:1;10 "And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. 10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire." King Hiram was born in 989BC and ruled from 970-936 BC. He established friendly relations with Solomon's father, King David, and these relations continued with Solomon.

1 Kings 7:40-46

So what we have here is Solomon deciding to build a temple that was to be dedicated to his God, the God of the Israelites. Because of the resources and manpower available to Solomon at the time he contracted Hiram I, the King of Tyre (Phoenicia), for manpower and building materials. King Hiram also sent an architect, because of his experience, to help Solomon who's name, strangely enough, was also Hiram (the name must have been like Smith or Jones back then).

Votive statues from the Temple of Melqart in Cadiz

So what do we know so far? We know that Solomon's Temple was described as having two pillars named Boaz and Jachin. We also know that Solomon employed the help of a Phoenician architect named Hiram in designing the temple. So, maybe there is record of the pillars in Phoenician temple architecture?!

According to wiki, "Melqart, properly Phoenician Milk-Qart "King of the City", less accurately Melkart, Melkarth or Melgart , Akkadian Milqartu, was tutelary god of the Phoenician city of Tyre as Eshmun protected Sidon. Melqart was often titled Ba‘l Ṣūr "Lord of Tyre", the ancestral king of the royal line. In Greek, by interpretatio graeca he was identified with Heracles and referred to as the Tyrian Herakles." Evidently Melqart was the Phoenician equivalent of the Greek Heracles or Hercules. That name, Heracles, should ring a bell from the previous post Gate Crashing. Remember the Pillars of Hercules? So now we have a loose association of a Phoenician deity, Melqart, with the pillars.

Temple of Melqart at Amrit; from 600-400BC; preserved in Pre-Roman form.

"Temples to Melqart are found at least three Phoenician/Punic sites in Spain: Cádiz, Ibiza in the Balearic Islands and Cartagena. Near Gades/Gádeira (modern Cádiz) was the westernmost temple of Tyrian Heracles, near the eastern shore of the island (Strabo 3.5.2–3). Strabo notes (3.5.5–6) that the two bronze pillars within the temple, each 8 cubits high, were widely proclaimed to be the true Pillars of Heracles by many who had visited the place and had sacrificed to Heracles there." Well look at that, it appears that temples dedicated to Melqart also contained the twin pillars.

Herodotus had this to say, "In the wish to get the best information that I could on these matters, I made a voyage to Tyre in Phoenicia, hearing there was a temple of Heracles at that place, very highly venerated. I visited the temple, and found it richly adorned with a number of offerings, among which were two pillars, one of pure gold, the other of smaragdos, shining with great brilliancy at night. In a conversation which I held with the priests, I inquired how long their temple had been built, and found by their answer that they, too, differed from the Hellenes. They said that the temple was built at the same time that the city was founded, and that the foundation of the city took place 2,300 years ago. In Tyre, I remarked another temple where the same god was worshipped as the Thasian Heracles. So I went on to Thasos, where I found a temple of Heracles which had been built by the Phoenicians who colonised that island when they sailed in search of Europa. Even this was five generations earlier than the time when Heracles, son of Amphitryon, was born in Hellas. These researches show plainly that there is an ancient god Heracles; and my own opinion is that those Hellenes act most wisely who build and maintain two temples of Heracles, in the one of which the Heracles worshipped is known by the name of Olympian, and has sacrifice offered to him as an immortal, while in the other the honours paid are such as are due to a hero."

Bronze figure from Tyre, between 1400-1200 BC, probably representing the Canaanite god Baal in the role of warrior. Notice the headgear similar to depictions of Melqart.

Josephus records (Antiquities 8.5.3), following Menander the historian, concerning King Hiram I of Tyre (c. 965–935 BCE):

"He also went and cut down materials of timber out of the mountain called Lebanon, for the roof of temples; and when he had pulled down the ancient temples, he both built the temple of Heracles and that of `Ashtart; and he was the first to celebrate the awakening (egersis) of Heracles in the month Peritius."

An interesting thing about the goddess Ashtarte is that she is identified with Ishtar and Venus. The Egyptians called her Isis and the Greeks adopted this goddess and called her Aphrodite. And just like Ishtar and Isis, Ashtarte's worship was associated with sacred prostitution. In the Canaanite tradition in worship of Asherah, poles would be erected to mark the spot of sacred prostitution. That's what she said. More connections to the pagan father/mother/child trinity of gods. Worth noting here as well are the two Sphinx pictured along side of Ashtarte and the similarity they bare with descriptions of the Cherubim that were contained in Solomon's Temple. See Ezekiel 1:5-11 and 2 Chronicles 3.

A statuette discovered near Granada in Spain dating to the sixth or seventh century B.C.E. depicts ‘Ashtart sittng on a throne flanked by sphinxes holding a bowl beneath her breasts.

That's a lot of information provided by these two ancient historians. I think it is plain to see that there is a relationship of the twin pillars with Melqart/Heracles. According to wiki, "the Macedonian month of Peritius corresponds to our February, indicating this annual awakening was in no way a solstitial celebration. It would have coincided with the normal ending of the winter rains." The words of Josephus seem to indicate that Melqart/Heracles may have been a life-death-rebirth deity which would parallel him with another figure we've looked at previously, Horus/Osiris. So it would seem we have an archetype of the crowned and conquering child in Melqart/Heracles.

Asherah figuraine, made from a mold discoverd at Nahariyeh, Israel. Goddess of the sea and Baal's mother. Also note that Semiramis was a goddess related to the sea. Notice what appears to be a radiant crown.

According to Phoenicia.org, "There was a magnificent temple to Melqart/Baal right in the centre of Tyre. All Phoenician temples incorporated two pillars: originally a wooden one for Astarte and a stone one for Baal. According to the ancient historian Herodotus, the Tyrian temple had one emerald pillar and one of gold. The emerald one may have been green Phoenician glass though given the wealth of Tyre may well have actually been emerald. It had a candle inside so that it shone at night: the green obviously symbolises a tree so the emerald pillar must have represented Astarte’s wooden column. The gold one symbolised the wealth given by the earth, gold being then the most precious metal to come out of stone, just as it is now."

To me it looks like Solomon, good intentions intact, hired a foreign architect, Hiram, to help design a temple dedicated to the God of the Israelites. Hiram appears to have brought Phoenician architectural tradition with him and applied some of the design techniques to Solomon's Temple. How much input Solomon had in terms of the Phoenician characteristics of his temple I am unsure.

Detroit Masonic Temple - Detail of Master Chair. Hiram Abiff, King Solomon, Hiram King of Tyre. Photo by Bro. Mitchell Ozog

Also worthy of noting is the significance that the Freemasons place on the Phoenician architect Hiram. According to wiki, "Hiram Abiff is a character who figures prominently in an allegorical play that is presented during the third degree of Craft Freemasonry. In this play, Hiram is presented as being the chief architect of King Solomon's Temple, who is murdered by three ruffians during an unsuccessful attempt to force him to divulge the Master Masons' secret password. It is explained in the lecture that follows this play that the story is a lesson in fidelity to one's word, and in the brevity of life."

There is no official word on the religious and symbolic significance that the twin pillars had for the Phoenicians. We know that the pillars represented Ashtarte and Baal respectively and that they flanked the entrance to the temple. From Solomon's Temple we know that the pillars served as a type of gatekeeper dividing the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. Also, based on the fact that the Straight of Gibraltar, gateway to the new world, was referred to as Pillars of Hercules we have another instance of twin pillars as portal. In Plato's account, Atlantis was a naval power lying "in front of the Pillars of Hercules" that conquered many parts of Western Europe and Africa 9,000 years before the time of Solon, or approximately 9600 BC. After a failed attempt to invade Athens, Atlantis sank into the ocean "in a single day and night of misfortune".

Phoenicia and its colonies approx. 1100-500BC with Straight of Gibraltar pictured left.

The idea of the Straight of Gibraltar giving way to Atlantis is interesting in this framework. We collectively interpret Atlantis as being an ancient and advanced sea faring nation. I think we should interpret Atlantis here as a giver of civilization and knowledge. Thus the Pillars of Hercules (Straight of Gibraltar) serve as a gateway of esoteric knowledge and culture. Combining this interpretation with the idea that Melqart was a life-death-rebirth deity the pillars, in this context, could also been seen as a kind of portal between the physical and the spiritual.

So if I haven't hammered my point home enough yet let me reiterate one last time. The twin pillars appear to represent a portal or gateway to or from enlightenment. In Solomon's Temple the pillars gave way to the Holy of Holies. The Straight of Gibraltar was thought of as a gateway to the New World and Atlantis which could shed light on the significance the pillars might have had to the Phoenicians who were a sea faring people. I think it's safe to say that the twin pillars represent a physical and spiritual transition to a new age or receiving of divine knowledge.

More on this to come...

Give It Up To Shaki-Ra

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Gate Crashing

Continuing with the context of ritualistic human sacrifice I wanna take a look at an important symbol that has been handed down through occult tradition. The twin pillars of Boaz and Jachin from Solomon's temple in Jerusalem.

Depiction of what Solomon's Temple may have looked like

Wikipedia has this to say: "Two brass pillars named Boaz and Jachin stood in the porch of the Temple. (1 Kings 7:15; 7:21; 2 Kings 11:14; 23:3). Boaz stood on the left and Jachin on the right. The Bible records their measurements as 27 feet (8.2 m) high and 6 feet (1.8 m) wide (18 by 12 cubits) with a hollow of 4 fingers thick. (Jeremiah 52:21-22). Their 8-foot (2.4 m) high brass capitals were each decorated with rows of 200 carved brass pomegranates, wreathed with seven chains and topped with lilies. (1 Kings 7:13-22, 41-42; 2 Chronicles 4:13) According to most translations of 1 Kings 7:13-22, these two pillars were cast of brass, though some believe the original Hebrew word used to describe their material, "nehosheth", is actually either bronze or copper, because the Hebrews were unfamiliar with zinc, which along with copper, is required to create brass.

The two pillars had their parallel not only at Tyre but at Byblus, Paphos, and Telloh (see, however, De Sarzec, "Découvertes en Chaldée," pp. 62-64). In Egypt the obelisks expressed the same idea. All these were phallic emblems, being survivals of the primitive Hamito-Semitic "maẓẓebah". Jachin and Boaz were really isolated columns, as Schick has shown, and not, as some have supposed, a part of the ornamentation of the building. Their tops were crowned with ornamentation as if they were lamps; and W. R. Smith supposed that they may have been used as fire-altars. This assumes that they contained cressets for burning the fat." So the pillars of Boaz and Jachin stood at attention on the porch of the temple flanking the entrance into the temple. What's interesting about these pillars is the fact that they can be found elsewhere outside of Solomon's Temple.

Boaz and Jachin depicted according to the measurements in the Bible

Each modern Freemason Temple is meant to mimic Solomon's Temple. According to W.Bro William M Larson a 33rd Degree Mason, "In the United States, the earliest description, from the 1700's, show both Wardens seated in the west, facing the Master. The two pillars were generally near them, forming a kind of portal, so candidates passed between them during their admission, to gaining access, to the Middle Chamber of King Solomon's Temple, a custom we have modified, and which inherently, we carry out today." So we have a description of the pillars as a kind of portal into the temple. Larson goes on to say that, "the Senior Warden's column is called Jachin and signifies "To establish in the Lord", whereas the Junior Warden`s column is called Boaz and signifies "Strength."

High Priestess tarot card complete with "B" & "J" twin pillars

If we take a peek at the High Priestess Tarot card we will notice a black and white pillar adjacent to the high priestess with the letters 'B' and 'J' on each pillar. Disclaiming any irreverence here; whenever I see these letters I can't help but think..."Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson. Clean humor only on this blog folks! "The two pillars are the white (right) and black (left), pillars of the Tree of Life, the pillars that stood before the door of Solomon's Temple. They are esoteric symbols of the labia of female genitalia, the portal of initiation into the mysteries. The B & J on the pillars stand for the biblical names of Boaz and Joachim, references respectively to Severity and Mercy, the twin principles on which all creation rests." So there we have the pillars as "portal of initiation into the mysteries." The plot thickens.

http://www.tarotschool.com/CourseExcerpts.html

"The veil behind the High Priestess conceals the Holy of Holies, the sacred womb at the heart of Solomon's temple, which contains the memories of the individual, the race and the cosmos. The concealing veil is made of light, so bright as to be impenetrable. This is the light that stands above Tiphereth (Beauty/#6), concealing the Abyss." So we have another parallel between the tarot card and the description of Solomon's Temple from the Bible in the form of the veil. According to wiki, "There was a two-leaved door between it and the Holy Place overlaid with gold (2 Chr. 4:22); also a veil of tekhelet (blue), purple, and crimson and fine linen (2 Chr. 3:14; compare Exodus 26:33). It had no windows (1 Kings 8:12) and was considered the dwelling-place of the "name" of God.

The color scheme of the veil was symbolic. Blue represented the heavens, while red or crimson represented the earth. Purple, a combination of the two colors, represents a meeting of the heavens and the earth." So it would appear that we have a gatekeeper with the veil. Also worthy of note is the archetypal interpretation of the high priestess herself: "Virgin, seeress, oracle, she is the voice of the unconscious, the boundless ocean, the silent night. Moon goddess, knower of the soul, keeper of the mysteries, the unknowable feminine. She keeps the secrets you need to know. She answers the questions that cannot be asked in words." She sure sounds familiar...cough*...Ishtar...cough*.

Monument to the Pillars of Hercules at the Strait of Gibraltar

So where else can we find these pillars? "The Pillars of Hercules (Latin: Columnae Herculis, Greek: Ηράκλειες Στήλες) was the phrase that was applied in Antiquity to the promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The northern Pillar is the Rock of Gibraltar in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. A corresponding North African peak not being predominant, the identity of the southern Pillar has been disputed through history, with the two most likely candidates being Monte Hacho in Ceuta and Jebel Musa in Morocco."

According to Plato's account, the lost realm of Atlantis was situated beyond the Pillars of Hercules, in effect placing it in the realm of the Unknown. According to some Roman sources, while on his way to the island of Erytheia Hercules had to cross the mountain that was once Atlas. Instead of climbing the great mountain, Hercules used his superhuman strength to smash through it. By doing so, he connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and formed the Strait of Gibraltar."

Spanish coat of arms complete with twin pillars

So what else is the Strait of Gibraltar famous for? Well in 1475 Columbus made his first considerable voyage to the Aegean island of Chios, and in 1476 he sailed on a Genoese ship through the Strait of Gibraltar. So, one could assume that the Strait of Gibraltar could be looked at as a portal. And that's exactly what the Spanish thought, "The Pillars appear as supporters of the coat of arms of Spain, originating from the famous impresa of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, King of Spain. The motto Plus Ultra for further beyond indicates the desire to see the Pillars as an entrance to the rest of the world rather than as a gate to the Mediterranean Sea. It also indicates the overseas possessions that Spain had."

So it seems that we might have an overarching concept that all these instances of the pillars parallel with one another. We have pillars as a portal to occult knowledge or location (ie. Holy of Holies, Initiation into the mysteries, Atlantis, New World, Deity). One could also make the assertion that the pillars represent a portal to change, transformation, or a new age through interaction with supernatural forces. It seems to be a common new age belief that there is a connection between the tarot card High Priestess and a shift from the Piscean age into the age of Aquarius. The age of Aquarius being described as a "return to the feminine" from a male focused culture. This paradigm shift is represented on the tarot card through the depiction of the pillars as opposites (black and white) merging to form a new third pillar (the high priestess).

Title page of Sir Francis Bacon's Instauratio Magna ("Great Renewal"), 1620

What I would like to focus on is the ritualistic nature of these pillars and the role that they might play ushering in a supposed "new age" as a result of their archetypal nature. Some people might be asking how this could be possible? How can symbols of this type affect the direction of humanity at large?

Let's go back to Christopher Columbus and Spain. According to history, the Strait of Gibraltar had significance placed upon it because of the role that it played as a portal to the New World ie America. The Spanish believed that the Pillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar) played a large role in their manifest destiny. Also, "The Pillars appear prominently on the engraved title page of Sir Francis Bacon's Instauratio Magna ("Great Renewal"), 1620, the foreword to his Novum Organum. The motto along the base offers the optimistic promise Multi pertransibunt et augebitur scientia ("Many will pass through and knowledge will be the greater")."

1768 Spanish Colonial Real silver coin, showing the Pillars of Hercules surrounding a picture of the world.

What I'm suggesting here is that, psychologically, the more emphasis or energy that we, as a species, place on or give to a particular symbol the more profound the effect of that symbol on our subconscious. Recalling the pentagram symbol and it's discovery, how much more profound would the effect of a symbol be that was essentially handed down from the "heavens?" A symbol that was literally written into the very fabric of nature and space. The potential psychological impact is mirrored and connected with the physical impact these symbols might have the same way that a stop sign affects automobile traffic. But a natural symbol would be even more potent; as universal as equating water with sustenance or life. Once entered into the collective unconscious these symbols have the potential to be accepted as a signifier that is unquestioned by the conscious mind and thus perceived as universally true.

In order to understand how symbols can have such a profound effect on our subconscious we must grasp the relationship that humanity has had with this symbol historically. "The esoteric associations with the Twin Towers are profound. From Hebraic legend they reference the two great pillars Joachim and Boaz, placed at the entrance to Solomon’s Temple. Besides the ancient Hebrews, the Spartans, Phoenicians, Aryans and Scandinavians all associated the twin pillar motif with the presence of the deity. The Vedas refer to the twin Asvins, the Spartans to the Dioscuri, “clad in shining armor” and associated with clouds. The twin pillars: for the Greeks, symbols of Heracles (heroism), for the Scandinavians, of Thor (might). Legend associates them with Castor and Pollux, the twin brothers, one who gave his life for the other. They recall the twin Trees of Eden — Knowledge of Good and Evil (duality), and that of Eternal Life (unity) — as well as the Tree of Life diagram of Kabala, between whose pillars all is made manifest. For the Hebrews symbolizing establishment and strength, justice and mercy, as pillars of cloud by day and fire by night they led the Israelites from bondage, connoting a union of opposites, or harmony, fullness, the guidance and immanence of God."

http://www.serendipity.li/wot/breidenbach.htm

Masonic tracing board depicting Boaz and Jachin

The pillars as a symbol of passage and deity have played a very large role in the mythology of humanity. It's not hard to see how this symbol could have wedged it's way so deeply into our collective unconscious over the years as to act as a sort of archetypal road sign. Going back to a concept that I touched on previously, one has to wonder if there are potential spiritual implications involved when this symbol is invoked; a kind of "as above, so below" phenomenon. With a symbol that is so deeply connected with our unconscious minds it is not out of the question to assume that a symbol of this nature could have a profound affect on human behavior acting as a type of antenna to conjure energy in the form of reactionary behavior. Next time I want to touch on two very famous pillars that have acted as a portal to the current age of foreign relations and politics we now find ourselves in: the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

Die for Your Country?

I want to take a closer look at human sacrifice throughout history and culture, attempt to assess it's origins, and understand it's religious significance. It appears as though human sacrifice is as old as civilization itself. We know that ancient Sumerian society, the cradle of civilization, placed a heavy religious significance on human sacrifice. If one looks to the past it is easy to find examples of human sacrifice across almost all cultures: Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Neolithic Europe, Greco-Roman antiquity, Celts, Ancient China, India, Pacific regions, Pre-Columbian America, and West Africa. There are two main types of human sacrifice:

• The ritual killing of human beings as part of the offerings presented to the gods on a regular basis, or on special occasions.
• Retainer sacrifice, or the killing of domestic servants to bury them along with their master.

Encyclopaedia Britannica defines human sacrifice as "the offering of the life of a human being to a deity. The occurrence of human sacrifice can usually be related to the recognition of human blood as the sacred life force. Bloodless forms of killing, however, such as strangulation and drowning, have been used in some cultures. The killing of a human being, or the substitution of an animal for a person, has often been part of an attempt to commune with a god and to participate in divine life. Human life, as the most valuable material for sacrifice, has also been offered in an attempt at expiation."

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/275881/human-sacrifice

Gadimai festival in Nepal; over 200,000 animals sacrificed in 2009

According to Josef Kastein, in his book The History and Destiny of the Jews, ancient Jews believed "the blood was the seat of the soul." The story of the Passover comes to mind. The blood of a sacrificial lamb caused the angel of death to passover the homes of the Jews. In Leviticus 17:11 it says, "for the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." The story of the Passover was also a foreshadowing for the crucifixion of Jesus. Matthew 26:28 reads, "for this is my (Jesus) blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

http://www.amazon.com/History-Destiny-Jews-Josef-Kastein/dp/1931541264/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267900139&sr=8-1

Closely related practices found in some tribal societies are cannibalism and headhunting. Headhunting was common in China, India, Nigeria, Nuristan, Myanmar, Borneo, Indonesia the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Zealand, and the Amazon Basin, as well as among certain tribes of the Celts and Scythians of ancient Europe. Some experts theorize that the practice [of headhunting] stemmed from the belief that the head contained "soul matter" or life force, which could be harnessed through its capture. This concept parallels the Sacrament of Holy Communion or Eucharist in many ways. The Eucharist is a Christian sacrament or ordinance, generally considered to be a commemoration of the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before his arrest and eventual crucifixion.

Jesus Christ on the crucifixion cross

Wikipedia says that "victims [of human sacrifice] were typically ritually killed in a manner that was supposed to please or appease gods, spirits or the deceased, for example as a propitiatory offering, or as a retainer sacrifice when the King's servants are killed in order for them to continue to serve their master in the next life." So it appears as though the common belief is that their is a kind of spiritual power in living beings, human or animal, that is released through death. So human sacrifice was thought of as an offering in exchange for favorable circumstance from the gods. There is evidently a deep mythological belief in the power of human sacrifice.

Depiction of Aztecs human sacrifice on temple stairs

A common thread among cultural human sacrifice practices is the dedication of sacrifices after the completion of a building or bridge. "There is a Chinese legend that there are thousands of people entombed in the Great Wall of China. In ancient Japan, legends talk about Hitobashira ("human pillar"), in which maidens were buried alive at the base or near some constructions as a prayer to ensure the buildings against disasters or enemy attacks. For the re-consecration of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan in 1487, the Aztecs reported that they killed about 80,400 prisoners over the course of four days. According to Ross Hassig, author of Aztec Warfare, between 10,000 and 80,400 persons were sacrificed in the ceremony." There are numerous legends regarding sacrifices being buried alive in order to bring favor to a particular structure.

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/sacrifice.html

A particular practice of the Pawnee people, a native American people who lived along the Missouri river, called the Morning Star ceremony has some interesting parallels with Sumerian human sacrifice. The Pawnee mythologized that the Evening Star was Venus and the Morning Star was Mars. The Pawnee people would take a maiden from an enemy tribe who was meant to represent Venus and sacrifice her upon a scaffold that represented the “Evening Star’s garden in the west, the source of all animal and plant life.” This tradition strikes me as reminiscent of the mythology surrounding Venus as chief goddess of life and death and as mother earth to the Sumerians and Egyptians...but who knows I'm just guessing here. There does seem to be a universal mythological perception of the planet Venus as a female.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawnee_mythology

Moloch the name of a god or the name of a particular kind of human sacrifice
associated with fire of Middle Eastern origin.

I want to go back to my assertion that war is a modern outgrowth of ritualistic human sacrifice. We will use World War II as an example and look at some of the economic after-effects of the war. According to Wikipedia "the common view among economic historians is that the Great Depression ended with the advent of World War II. Many economists believe that government spending on the war caused or at least accelerated recovery from the Great Depression. However, some consider that it did not play a very large role in the recovery, although it did help in reducing unemployment. The massive rearmament policies leading up to World War II helped stimulate the economies of Europe in 1937–39. By 1937, unemployment in Britain had fallen to 1.5 million. The mobilization of manpower following the outbreak of war in 1939 finally ended unemployment." Also worth noting here is the significance of the Holocaust of World War II in this discussion.

Hol-o-cost

[hol-uh-kawst, hoh-luh-]

–noun

1. a great or complete devastation or destruction, esp. by fire.

2. a sacrifice completely consumed by fire; burnt offering.

3. (usually initial capital letter) the systematic mass slaughter of European Jews in Nazi concentration camps during World War II (usually prec. by the).

4. any mass slaughter or reckless destruction of life.

When we look at the definition above it appears that I am not the only person that has made a potential connection between war and human sacrifice here.

Commonwealth Graves British Military Cemetary

The relationship between the military, the government, and the industry that supports them is commonly referred to as the military-industrial complex. "Total world spending on military expenses in 2006 was $1.158 trillion US dollars. Nearly half of this total, 528.7 billion US dollars, was spent by the United States. The privatization of the production and invention of military technology also leads to a complicated relationship with significant research and development of many technologies. The Military budget of the United States for the 2009 fiscal year was $515.4 billion. Adding emergency discretionary spending and supplemental spending brings the sum to $651.2 billion. This does not include many military-related items that are outside of the Defense Department budget. Overall the United States government is spending about $1 trillion annually on defense-related purposes."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II

I think that it is easy to see that there is a lot money to be made in war. If we look closely we can see some parallels in the relationship between modern economies with war and ancient civilization with human sacrifice. There was an ancient belief that sacrificial blood, especially that of a human, brought peace and prosperity through appeasement of the gods. It is also widely believed that through war modern societies achieve economic prosperity and incline. Could there potentially be a deeper spiritual connection between the spending of human lives in modern war and the purification and progress of human society; a sort of receiving by giving? The answer may lie in the age old words of Isaac Newton in the hermetic tradition, "as above, so below."

I wrote an entire post and didn't even include any bad jokes or puns. But don't worry though there is more to come!

Congressional Medal of Semiramis

I thought for this post we would continue to explore the link between the pentagram and human sacrifice and the role that this relationship plays in modern society. To provide the proper back story for this post let's take a look at the civilization of Babylonia.

Babylon, Iraq (Mar. 21, 2005) - U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 155th Brigade Combat Team (BCT), are given a tour of the historical city of Babylon, Iraq as a gesture of goodwill by the Iraqi people in Babil, Iraq.

According to Wikipedia (insert grain of salt here), "Babylonia was a civilization in Lower Mesopotamia (central and southern Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged when Hammurabi (fl. ca. 1696 – 1654 BC, short chronology) created an empire out of the territories of the former kingdoms of Sumer and Akkad. The Amorites being a Semitic people, Babylonia adopted the written Semitic Akkadian language for official use, and retained the Sumerian language for religious use, which by that time was no longer a spoken language. The Akkadian and Sumerian cultures played a major role in later Babylonian culture, and the region would remain an important cultural center, even under outside rule."

From my last blog entry Androgynous dualities? we know that the pentagram was a symbol in the Sumerian pictogram language for the word "UB," meaning "corner, angle, nook; a small room, cavity, hole; pitfall" that was derived from the orbital patterns of Venus. So it stands to reason that if their next door neighbors the Babylonians adopted the Sumerian language for religious purposes that the pentagram held a similar significance to Babylonian culture as well. We also know that Venus was considered the Sumerians chief goddess, Ishtar/Inanna, in their pantheon of gods and that she was adopted into many post-Sumerian cultures in a similar role as the "Queen of Heaven".

Map of Sumer and Akkad

Enter Euhemerus. According to Wikipeida, "Euhemerus (Εὐήμερος, Euhēmeros, meaning happy or prosperous) (working late fourth century B.C.) was a Greek mythographer at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedon. Euhemerus' birthplace is disputed, with Messina in Sicily as the most probable location, while others champion Chios, or Tegea.

He is chiefly known for a rationalizing method of interpretation, known as Euhemerism, that treats mythological accounts as a reflection of actual historical events shaped by retelling and traditional mores."

Euhemerus...in deep thought :)

We have a very interesting theory here put forth by Euhemerus suggesting that the gods of ancient culture may have actually been derived from actual people who were considered cultural heroes to the ancients. I think this theory really helps to put some of the mythologies surrounding these ancient gods into a proper perspective. Leader worship was very common during this time. The Egyptians, for instance, believed that the pharaoh, during life, was an incarnation of Horus and during death became Osiris. This deification of the pharaoh was a convenient way for a leader to gain absolute authority over his or her people. Now back to Babylonian society and their premier queen Semiramis.

According to Diodorus Siculous, "The story as given by the most learned of the inhabitants of the region is as follows: Aphrodite (Venus), being offended with this goddess (Derceto), inspired in her a violent passion for a certain handsome youth among her votaries; and Derceto gave herself to the Syrian and bore a daughter (Semiramis), but then, filled with shame of her sinful deed, she killed the youth and exposed the child in a rocky desert region, while as for herself, from shame and grief she threw herself into the lake and was changed as to the form of her body into a fish; and it is for this reason that the Syrians to this day abstain from this animal and honour their fish as gods." From this point on the mythology reads that Semiramis was raised by doves and then slept her way to the top of Babylonian society to eventually marry the King, Ninus, and bear him a child Ninyas. She eventually succeeds the king, who dies, and she becomes the ultimate ruler of Babylon.

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/2A*.html#4

THE SHEPHERD FINDS THE BABE SEMIRAMIS From the Painting by E. Wallcousins

Siculous goes on to exclaim about the success of Semiramis' rule in Babylon that is eventually brought to an end by her son Ninyas. Siculous claims that, "some, making a myth of it, say that she (Semiramis) turned into a dove and flew off in the company of many birds which alighted on her dwelling, and this, they say, is the reason why the Assyrians worship the dove as a god, thus deifying Semiramis." I find this aspect of Semiramis and her association with doves very interesting in parallel to the story of Isis from the Egyptians. Plutarch says, "this has been to no small degree the experience of the Egyptians in regard to those animals that are held in honour. In these matters the Greeks are correct in saying and believing that the dove is the sacred bird of Aphroditê (Venus)." Also, in the story of Isis and Osiris, during her search for the body of Osiris in Byblos Isis turned into a dove. So we have a close association of Semiramis with Venus and some parallels with the Egyptian queen Isis and doves.

I would say that the mythology surrounding the birth and ascension through Babylonian society of Semiramis is right up Euhemerus' alley. It seems to me that in order to gain authority over the people that it is plausible that Semiramis was deified and may have deliberately aligned herself with the sacred feminine mythology of Venus. It is also worth noting that some scholars associate Semiramis with the Biblical Nimrod, who they consider to be King Ninus and Semiramis' second husband.

Now for the fun stuff. What do we get if we combine the goddess mythology, with the down pointing pentagram symbol, and throw in a dash of ritualistic human sacrifice? Why the Congressional Medal of Honor of course!

According to CMOHS.org, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's website, "In 1965 the Air Force MOH was created and it replaced the Minerva portrait with the head of the Statue of Liberty. Lady liberty has a pointed crown instead of a helmet. And she does stand for liberty although she is derived from the imagery of Semiramis, wife of Nimrod, and Queen of Babylon. Semiramis was famed for her beauty, strength, and wisdom and was said to have built the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon. She purportedly reigned for 42 years after taking control from Nimrod. She is a mythical figure who might be somewhat based upon a historical figure. "

From left to right,
the Army, Navy/Marine Corps, and Air Force medals

WAIT A SECOND?! Did I just suggest that the Congressional Medal of Honor relates to ritualistic human sacrifice? According to CMOHS.org, "On December 9, 1861 Iowa Senator James W. Grimes introduced S. No. 82 in the United States Senate, a bill designed to "promote the efficiency of the Navy" by authorizing the production and distribution of "medals of honor". On December 21st the bill was passed, authorizing 200 such medals be produced "which shall be bestowed upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen and marines as shall distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action and other seamanlike qualities during the present war (Civil War)." President Lincoln signed the bill and the (Navy) Medal of Honor was born."

Ok let's put the pieces of this puzzle together in a logical manner. In the context of Sumerian society human sacrifice was thought of as a form of service to the god-king. The folks unfortunate enough to be serving on the court of the king when the king died were sacrificed in order to continue serving the king in the next life. Today, we have soldiers who get a likeness of the goddess in the shape of an inverted pentagram in honor of risking life and limb in service to the king...errr president. CMOHS.org admits that this medal's original priority was to increase the efficiency of the military rather than honoring brave soldiers.

To add insult to injury (bad pun) let's go to Wikipedia for a quick description. "The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on members of the United States armed forces who distinguish themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States." Because of the nature of its criteria, the medal is often awarded posthumously." Still don't believe me? Let's take a look at the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Defense...the Pentagon. Below we find yet another derivation of the pentagram. There appears to be a relationship with the U.S. Armed Forces and the pentagram symbol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_medal_of_honor

The Pentagon headquarters of the United States Department of Defense

If you're like me, the symbolism used in the medal of honor and the Pentagon will leave you with a few questions. Are the architects and designers of these symbols aware of the meaning? If so, why use this ancient pagan symbolism in this context? What does this imply about the nature and purpose of war? Is war a modern day version of ritualistic human sacrifice?! More to come...

J.M. Flagg's 1917 poster, based on the original British Lord Kitchener poster of three years earlier, was used to recruit soldiers for both World War I and World War II.