The objective and subjective HGA, the HGA vs.

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The objective and subjective HGA, the HGA vs. the Agathos Daimon (et al)
August23,2012bymelittabenu Becausehonestly,wecouldallusethebreakfrommetalkingaboutmentalillnessandabuse.OrI knowIcan.MaybeitstimetosharesomeofmythoughtsabouttheHGAandhowtheHGAmatches upwiththeAgathosDaimon.

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I doabitofthinkingaboutmyHGA.SomeofthisthinkingincludesdecidingwitherornottheHGA isthebeingofmyindividualdivinity,aspiritcompletelyseparatefrommeoralittlebitofboth.I thinkIvedecidedonalittleofboth,butmyintrinsicunderstandingofthatshiftsdependingonmy mood.Also,IdoalotofthinkingontheHGAandtheoldermodelsoftheconcept,asillustrated below. Certainlyinmyearliersearchestoseewhatthisbeingactuallyis,Igotalotofresponsesthatdidnt makealotofsense.Iknowthatalotofmyfriendsonthereconstructionist(mainlyGreek)sideof thingsrefertoasimilarbeingtheycalltheirAgathos Daimon whichistraditionallythoughtofasa companionspiritbutcansimilarlybecalled(especiallyinmoremoderntimes)astheessentialdivine naturepresentineveryindividual.Inotice,thecomparableRomanGenius (anditsfeminine counterpart,theJuno)hasasimilardichotomy,andIveseenallthreeoftheseentitiesbeingcompared totheconceptofthetutelaryspirit,whoisseenasaguardian,aprotectorandateacher.Iknowthat theFellowshipofIsishasasimilarconcepttheycallanAnkhu (Ithink),thoughIdontknowwhere http://melittabenu.com/2012/08/23/the-objective-and-subjective-hga-the-hga-vs-the-agathos-daimon... 12/15/2012

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theydrawtheconceptfrom.Heck,eventheGnosticshadaDaemon (1)oftheirownFromwhatIve beenabletoobserve(andIamsuretherearedifference),paganstendtotreattheirdaimonae asbeings separatefromthemselves theygettheirownrepresentations(traditionalorotherwise),sometimes theirownshrinesandreceiveprayersandservicesimilartogodsorotherspirits. So,Icanseetheconceptspaganrootsandlastingendurancethroughpaganism/religiousantiquity andintoceremonialmagic.TheGoldenDawnhasitsownGenius,theAurumSolishasitsAugoeides (fromIamblichus,sosaysThelemapediagoodolGreekAurumSolis!)andeventheIOT (IlluminatesofThanateros,whichisadamnedcoolnameImustsay)havetheirownconceptofKia: The consciousnessforce in us that appears as the root of will and perception can be called Kia. This Kia has no form. Any form of innate divinely sanctioned motive that one may seem to have found in it is illusion. It is this void at the center of ones being which is the real Holy Guardian Angel.(2)Theceremonialmagicianstend, ratherthantheverybhakti routetakenbypagans,toinvoketheHGAthroughritualmeans.(Liber SamekhandtheBornlessRitualbeingthetwobetterknownrituals,bothbasedontheritualfromthe PGM SteleofJeu,PGMV.96172.IpersonallyliketheterminologyTheHeadlessOne which, seeinghowIfeelaboutKaliandChinnamasta,shouldntbeashock asit,atleasttome,referstoa beingwithoutegoorsmallselfaninterestingdistinctionIllgettoinamoment.Incaseyoure wonderingwhatthehellImtalkingabout,followthelinkandscrolldowntowhereyouseetheKali mantramvideoHere. (http://melittabenu.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/nigredosomepersonal experienceswithegodeathandfacingyourillusions/) Also,JackFausthassomereallyinteresting ideas supportedbyprimarysources abouttheHeadlessRitual:Here! (http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2012/01/furthercommentsonsteleofjeu.html) (Moreonthisinamoment.) However,whatweenduphavingisaninterestingdualitythatperhapsdependsuponourconception ofduality.Wepayworship/invokesomethingwhichisseparatefromourselvesbutisactually ourselvesinourtruestsense.Ornot.CrowleyseemedtobeatoddsondefiningtheHGA,callingit thesilentselfinhisearlylifeandthenespousingaverydifferentviewinhisseventies.To compare Crowleyinhis70s:Now, on the other hand, there is an entirely different type of angel; and here we must be especially careful to remember that we include gods and devils, for there are such beings who are not by any means dependent on one particular element for their existence. They are microcosms in exactly the same sense as men and women are. They are individuals who have picked up the elements of their composition as possibility and convenience dictates, exactly as we do ourselves I believe that the Holy Guardian Angel is a Being of this order. He is something more than a man, possibly a being who has already passed through the stage of humanity, and his peculiarly intimate relationship with his client is that of friendship, of community, of brotherhood, or Fatherhood. He is not, let me say with emphasis, a mere abstraction from yourself; and that is why I have insisted rather heavily that the term Higher Self implies a damnable heresy and a dangerous delusion. If it were not so, there would be no point in The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage(4) vs. Crowleyinhisearlierlife:HoorpaarKraat, or Harpocrates, the Babe in the Egg of Blue is not merely the God of Silence in a conventional sense. He represents the Higher Self, the Holy Guardian Angel.(5) Inpopularconceptions,Iseethesamething.Onepersonsaysonething,anothersaysanotherthing. TheHGAisseparate.TheHGAisonewithus.Finally,Idecidedsomethingthatsuitedmethatisvery muchexemplifiedbythequotebelowandissupportedbymyownexperiencewithmyHGA:

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The most important injunction on the spiritual path of the ancient Mysteries was ascribed over the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi: Gnothi Seauton Know Thy Self. The initiates of the ancient Mysteries were after Gnosis, which meant the knowledge of self knowledge, the knowledge of the Who Am I? But what is the Self? The ancient sages taught that every human being has a mortal lower self, called the eidolon and an immortal Higher Self (Soul) called the DAEMON. The eidolon is the embodied self, the physical body, and ego personality. The Daemon is the Spirit, the true Self, which is each persons spiritual connection to God. The Mysteries were designed to help initiates realize that ones eidolon is a false self and that ones true identity is the immortal Daemon. From the eidolons point of view the Daemon appears to be an independent Guardian Angel. Disciples and seekers who still identify with the eidolon, therefore, do not experience the Daemon as their own true Self, but as a spirit guide, whose job it is to lead them to their spiritual destination hence it is a separate entity that entices them to advance and awake to their true essence. Plato teaches: We should think of the most authoritative part of the Soul as a Guardian given by God which lifts us to our heavenly home.(1,again) Now,IvelongacceptedtheconceptthatMelittaBenuisaneidolon (orrather,themagickal/writing persona ofaneidolon),aprojection,ofagreateranddivineselfwhichistheDaemon,ortheHGA.My mortalpersonality,mynephesh,myeidolon,willsloughoffanddecaywhiletherestofmygoodbits willreincarnate/doaneverymeandeveryyouwaltzhoweveryouwanttolookatit.ButIsuppose ImstillwrestlingwithdualitywhenIwhine,Idontunderstaaaaaaaaand!andgetthoseodd confusionsthatcomewithexperiencingmyHGA:theodddisplacementofmypersonality,thelackof boundariesbetweenusandthisoverarchingIAMfeelingthattendstolastuntilmymundaneself isreasserted,whichtakesvaryingamountsoftime.ItsmenotwantingtodieandbecomeMe.The monkeymind,thesmallself,thelittleiisafraidtodiebecauseitisanewexperience.The consciousness,theimmortalself,thetrueIknowsthisisalloldnews,oldhat,routinebynow. However,IamstillunsureastowitherornotperpetuatingthedichotomybetweentheHGA/Agathos Daimoniswhatshouldbedone,andwhileintellectuallyIagreewiththeaboveIdontknowhowto applyit.Ialsodontseehowitwouldbepossibletodootherwiseasmostofusneedtheegoto interfacewithreality(Iamoftheopinionthataslongasyouarealive,youarenotegoless thereis alwaysasmallpieceoftheegoleftbehindtoattachyousufficientlytoyourlife).Ihaventfoundthe answertoseeingtheHGA/AgathosDaimonasyourselfasopposedtoseeingitasanobjectivebeing.I canintellectualizeit,butIdontknowhowtoexperienceityet.MaybethatsbecauseImbelowthe Abyssorhaventexperiencedthatperfectunionyet.Imstillfeelingthingsout.

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SoistheAgathosDaimonandtheHGAthesame? (http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2010/03/agathos daemonandhga.html) JackFausthassomeideasaboutthecomparisonbetweentheHGAandtheHolyHeadlessOne,which isdefinitelyfoodforthought:But, honestly, I dislike the term HGA and applying it to older models of magic. I am not entirely sure that the Headless Daimon is an HGA in the same sense that most magicians seem to use it as, and Im very hesitant to claim connection to my HGA because I managed to conjure the Headless Daimon (by doing the ritual, obviously), and got blasted with its ultimate radiance a few times. Its the way the terms are categorized and thought of that makes me uneasy to answer this question, sorry. Its just that Im not entirely sure a Qabalistic/Ceremonial categorization (The Headless Daimon = HGA) even applies. They may be similar, but to be sure of the exact differences I would have to apply myself extensively to Qabalism. And I dont.(3) WhileheisspeakingspecificallyoftheHeadlessOne,Iwonderifitsjustasrelevantwhencomparing theotherconceptstotheHGA.IstheHeadlessOneaconceptionoftheHGA?IsittheHeadlessOne specificallythatcannotbecomparedtotheHGA?OraretheDaemon,theAgathos Daimon,theRoman Genius differentyetsimilartotheHGA?Inmyopinion,IthinkthatwhilethestudyoftheSteleofJeu mightrevealsomeinterestingspecifications,IthinktheHGAiscomparabletotheolderconceptions ofthehigher,divineself. Andthen,itsreallyamatterofgettingdowntosemantics,atleastinmyopinion.Aftersome ruminationandmeditatingwithsomedivination(IlovemyTarot,15yearsandcounting),Ifindthat theHolyHeadlessOneandtheHGAareoneandthesame.Thismaybebecauseofmyeastern http://melittabenu.com/2012/08/23/the-objective-and-subjective-hga-the-hga-vs-the-agathos-daimon... 12/15/2012

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leaningsandtheconceptthatheadlessissymbolicforwithoutego Imsureweallremember whenIwastalkingaboutChinnamastawhenIwaspostingaboutmyNigredoexperience.Itmakes methinkthattheHeadlessGodistheinnerdivinityoftheself,fullyrealized,andthereforewithout ego. One GraecoEgyptian invocation to the Headless God (in which the Headless God is referred to as a creator god) was modified by the Order of the Golden Dawn and called the Bornless Invocation. This invocation was used as a preliminary to workings with spirits, by giving the magickian power over all lesser entities. Aleister Crowley modified the Bornless Invocation still further and called it Liber Samekh. Crowley claimed to have corrected the words of power and used his ritual to directly access his higher self, which is referred to as the Attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. As Crowleyphiles all know, access to the Holy Guardian Angel is absolutely essential to the successful practice of advanced magick.(6) However,theheadlessgodisalsocomparedtoothergodsaswell: The Headless God is mentioned in several GraecoEgyptian charm papyri and on amulets, and is truly an enigmatic figure. Some scholars interpret it as the spirit of decapitated criminals, others a manifestation of Set, Osiris, or the dwarf gods Bes, Besa and Besas. These dwarf gods were protectors of sleep and childbirth.(6) WhiletheHolyHeadlessGodhistoricallyisassociatedwithgodssuchasOsirisOnoronophis (spelling,Iknow),Abraxasandmanyothers,theresbeenenoughsuccesswithothersusingtheritual theSteleofJeuandthosebasedonit(LiberSamekh,theBornlessRite)thatIcantdenythe plausibilitythattheyreoneandthesamebeing.Idonothaveenougheducationonthematterto wonderwhytheHeadlessGod,ifitisanotherversionoftheHGA,iscomparedtoothergods.No idea.Ifyouhaveanidea,letmeknow. Whatabouttherestofit,though?TheAgathosDaimon,theRomanGenius,etal? This returns us to the AgathosDaemon and the Holy Guardian Angel at last. What I hope to show here is how nebulous one concept is with a firm basis derived from the AgathosDaemon contrasted by the semisolid set of ideas the other has. Above the daemon level of reality was the AgathosDaemon, or Good Daemon. While other daemons were more or less natural and might very well ignore an individual, it was the AgathosDaemons role to aid and abet them directly as a personal companion. It is this mythological being that is the basis of the Holy Guardian Angel insofar as most modern practitioners of magick might be concerned. By 532 CE, PsuedoDionysius (or someone claiming to be him) had already wedded the idea (while completely ignoring any Pagan origins whatsoever) to that of a Guardian Angel . (7) JackvonFaustusindicatesthattheagathosdaimonwasseenasanexternalfigure,agoodspirit,that wasattachedtoanindividualinlifeandwasmoreanexternal,personalcompanionthananintrinsic partofthehumanbeingsdivinity.ANatalspirit,ifyouwill.AndevenifitISwikipedia,itsalsostill evidencethatsupportsthisidea(what?Imlazy.Youknewthis):Though he was little noted in Greek mythology A temple dedicated to him was situated on the road from Megalopolis to Maenalus in Arcadia. Agathos Daimon was the spouse or companion of Tyche Agathe ( Good Fortune; Latin, and dialect, Agatha); Tyche we know at Lebadeia as the wife of the Agathos Daimon, the Good or Rich Spirit.[5] His numinous presence could be represented in art as a serpent or more concretely as a young man bearing a cornucopia and a bowl in one hand, and a poppy and an ear of grain in the other. The agathodaemon was later http://melittabenu.com/2012/08/23/the-objective-and-subjective-hga-the-hga-vs-the-agathos-daimon... 12/15/2012

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adapted into a general daemon of fortuna, particularly of the continued abundance of a familys good food and drink. In the syncretic atmosphere of Late Antiquity, Agathodaemon (Koine Greek: ) could be bound up with Egyptian bringers of security and good fortune: a gem carved with magic emblems bears the images of Serapis with crocodile, sunlion and Osiris mummy surrounded by the lionheaded snake Cnum AgathodaemonAion, with Harpocrates on the reverse. Honestly,soundstomemorelikeaseparate,natalspiritwhossupposedtogiveyoualegupwhen youneedit. Meditation,divinationandfinallyjustaskingmyHGA(unlessIhearditwrong)ifitwasthesameas theagathosdaimon,theanswerIgotwasNo.ButImstillunsure.Thereisapartofmethatstill rebelsagainsttheideaofagoodangelononeshoulder,andabadangelontheother itsmacksme ofsuperstition,butthatmightbebecauseofgrowingupwithcartoonsandthelikethatdepictedthe angelasagoodytwoshoeswithaveryblandpersonalityandthedemonaswearingredpajamasand beingnothingmorethanobnoxious.Perhapsthisismyprejudice,butIalsohavetroubleseeingboth oftheseentities(agathosdaimon,kakodaimon)asbeingpartofthewholeoftheHGA,orevenjust theHGAandtheagathosdaimonbeingone.Despitethesuperstitioustone,Ileanmoretowardsthe ideathatbotharethenatalspiritsofaperson,onetoguideandtheothertotest testingsimilartothe ChaldeanDeamonDogssacredtoHekate.(SeeHekateSotierabySarahIlesJohnstonforan explanationthere.)AmIsureonthat?Notreally.Iwonderifitmatters,sincethespiritswillmaintain theirnaturesandintegritynomatterwhatIthinkofthem,anyway. Bytheway,ifyouwanttoconjurethenamesofyourGeniusandDaimon,checkthisout. (http://headforred.blogspot.com/2008/09/gettingkusingagrippasgenius.html) Ormaybethistoo. (http://www.rufusopus.com/products_and_services.htm) Florence + The Machine - No Light, No Light
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Thesearemythoughtsonthematter definitelynoanswers,butmoreandmoreIfeellikeIgetcloser tothebigpictureandthenIhavetostartoveragaintogetanideaofwhatsgoingon.Yikes! Nevertheless,itsstillalotoffun,andtalkingtomyownHGAcanbealternatelyinterestingand frightening.However,thatsanotherstoryforanothertime. 1. http://www.plotinus.com/the_daemon_copy%281%29.htm (http://www.plotinus.com/the_daemon_copy%281%29.htm) http://melittabenu.com/2012/08/23/the-objective-and-subjective-hga-the-hga-vs-the-agathos-daimon... 12/15/2012

The objective and subjective HGA, the HGA vs. the Agathos Daimon (et al) melittabenu 2. PeterCarroll,LiberNull&Psychonaut,Pg.162 3. http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2012/01/furthercommentsonsteleofjeu.html (http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2012/01/furthercommentsonsteleofjeu.html) 4. Crowley,MagickwithoutTears,Pgs.281282 5. Crowley,TheLawisforAll,Pg.78 6. http://www.hermeticmagick.com/content/deities/headless_god.html (http://www.hermeticmagick.com/content/deities/headless_god.html) 7. http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2010/03/agathosdaemonandhga.html (http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2010/03/agathosdaemonandhga.html)

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8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agathodaemon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agathodaemon) PostedinUncategorized |TaggedAgatgodaimon,AgathosDaimon,HGA,HolyGenius,Holy GuardianAngel,K&C,K&CHGA,Kakodaimon,KnowledgeandConversationwiththeHoly GuardianAngel |9Comments

9 Responses

1. on August 24, 2012 at 1:49 am | Reply submerina IvebeenwaitingforthisentryeversinceyoumentionedyouwouldbecoveringtheHGAand daimon.Havingformedarelationshipwithmypersonal?natal?agathos?daimon,Iamalways interestedtoreadaboutotherexperiences tocompare,tolearn,toevolve andIjustgenerally findyourentriesfascinatingreading!(Longtimelurker) I donthaveK&CHGA,soIcantspeakfor[it],butmydaimonhassaidheis_not_theHGA, whichtiesinwithwhatyourHGAtoldyou.WhileIdontliketokeepasolidviewofhowitall works,IthinktheNeoPlatoniclevelsofdivinityareonewayofexplainingthedifference,the daimonbeingclosertohumanity,whilestillbeingdivine. Stillfiguringitout

on August 24, 2012 at 6:58 am | Reply HeySubmerina!

melittabenu

Thanksforyourcomments.ThemoreIthinkabouttheHGAversestheAgathosDaimon, the moreIcantreallyseethembeingoneandthesame.(Maybethefactthattheyhavedifferent nameshelps.)ImgettingmoreintotheneoplatonicstuffthemoreIreadaboutit,thoughat themomentImwadingthroughmoreStrattonKent,AgrippaandIambilichusIhaveafull plate.

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Andthanksforthecompliments. Theywarmtheporcelaincocklesofmylittleheart.Iwas thinkingthatIdonthaveenoughritualonhere,butIdontoftenliketopostritualsIuseona regularbasismorelikethestuffIwoulduseinpublicandbecomfortablepublishing.Doyou haveanysuggestions,maybe?Iddedicatetheposttoyou!

2. on August 24, 2012 at 3:36 pm | Reply Cole Tucker (@cole_tucker) JakeStrattonKentinhischapbookTheHeadlessOneandStephenFlowersinHermetic Magic bothtracetheHeadlessRitetoaTyphoniansubgenrewithintheGPM,withJSKexplicitlystating theriteisaninvocationofTyphonSet. I believethatthispresentsanopeningtounderstandtheHGAandtheHeadlessOneasdistinct yetsharinganidentity.TakingintoaccounttheTempleofSetsreadingofSetasthe personificationofisolateintelligence,SetcanbeunderstoodastheMacrocosmicmanifestation oftheNeoplatonicOne. If,asShawseemstosuggestinTheurgy and the Soul,thatinvocationsofthegodselicitthesame forcewithinourownsouls,andacttoclarifyorharmonizetheirexpression.ToinvokeSetwould thenbringforth,strengthenandharmonizeourownexpressionoftheOne,ourHGA.Setandthe HGAaredistinctinthissense,yetshareanidentityasexpressionsoftheOne,withinthe MacrocosmandMicrocosm. ThisinterpretationalignsnicelywithmetaphorslikeGodtheFather;GodtheSonandTiphareth existingasareflectionofKether.Itscontingentonanumberofquestionableassumptionsand generalizations,tothepointImhesitanttoevenmention.

3. on August 25, 2012 at 3:21 am | Reply Jack Faust @Cole:IdontdoubttheTyphonian/Sethianlineageoftheritualatall.Whattroublesmeaboutthe focusonSetTyphonisthattheritualitselfgivesthedaimonseveralnames,someofwhichdont seemveryTyphoniantome.Forexample,inthefirstfewlines(96105): YouareOsoronnophriswhomnonehaveeverseen;youareIabas;youareIabos Osoronnophrisis,ifmymemoryiscorrect,the perfected Osiris.Iseemtorecallsomethingabout IabasandIabosalsoinvolvingOsiris,butperhapsmymemoryiswrongthere. Theblatantserpentineimageryofthespirit,however,isthemostimportantandwheretheSethian Typhonianprobablycomefrom;asIrereadtoday,MortonSmithnotesthattheHeadlessGod, whoisoftentreatedinterchangiblywiththeAgathosDaimon,alsoshowsupinDreamOraclesfor Besa/Bes.Imlookingatonerightnow,PGMVIII.64110(Betz,P.147):Icalluponyou,the HeadlessGod,havingyourfacebesideyourfeet,theonewhohurlslightningandthunders;you aretheonewhosemouthiscontinuallyfullofFire,theoneplacedoverNecessity.Icalluponyou, thegodplacedoverNecessity,IAEOSABAOTHADONAIZABARBATHIAO;youaretheone lyingonacoffinofMyrrhEtc.Smithcomments:SothisearthgodisBesandhe[is]also[the] agathosdaimon.Besandagathosdaimonandtheheadlessgodareverycloselyintertwined.That waseasiertodobecauseasyouallknowagathosdaimonisserpentine.Agathosdaimonisawell recognizedgod,whohaswellrecognizedcultsinEgyptalsoelsewhereinsouthernItalyandthe like.

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Thesearenolongerdistinctfiguresinanysense.Sethmust,byhisverynature,showup eventually.IjustdontthinktheritualisstrictlyTyphonian.IdontseewhyincludingHigh God/GreatGodtitlesforOsiriswouldoccurifthatwasthecase.ButImaybewrong.ThosePGM magicianslovedcombininganysympatheticdeityintoessentiallynewforms,whichmakes analysisabittaxingatthebestoftimes. Also,IdonttrustStephenFlowers.Brilliantman,butheequateseveryone toSeteventually.

4. on August 27, 2012 at 1:46 pm | Reply Cole Tucker (@cole_tucker) @JackFaust,thankyouforcheckingin,yourworkontheHeadlesswasadecidedinfluenceinmy personalworkwiththerite. JSKrecognizesthesyncretismoftherite,particularlywithBes(trackstheIabastoIABes)and IAO(shortresponsebyhimhere).Illhavetogobackandtakealookatthepamphlet,butI believehespartiallyextrapolatingfromthegenreconventionsofthetext. If,asJSKclaimsinGeosophia II thatthemagiciansinvolvedinthecreationoftheGPMhadHekate andTyphonSetastheirpatrons(contrastedagainstamorediversegroupofpatrons),Iwould expectOsoronnophristohaveaverydifferentinterpretationthatfromaOsiriancult.Onethought isthatOsirisonlybecomeperfectedafterbeingacteduponbySet. ThisisoneofthosetimesIwishJakeprovidedabitmoreinwayofsources.Isharethehesitation regardingStephenFlowers,soIwasabitsurprisedtoseeoutsidevalidation.

5. on August 28, 2012 at 10:46 pm | Reply Cole Tucker @JackFaust,InThe Headless One,JSKdelvesintothelinkstoBesyoubringupbutfocusesonthe Setianassociations.Particularlydrawingtheparallelswithanolderrite,fromtheLeydenPapyrus, ASpelltoInflictCatalepsy(PDMXIV67594).FurtherconnectionsaredrawnwithPowerful SpelloftheBear(PGMIV133189),anditsassociationswithbothSetandHekate. Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics isalsomentioned,whichtranslatespartofthearticle Akephelos;DerKoflosegott,: mostoften[Set]seemstobeidentifiedwithasortofheadlessdemonwhoseeyesareplacedinhis shoulders. JSKsopinionontheuseofOsoronnophrisis: OsirisandSetwerebothidentifiedwiththepantheisticSungodatthistime.Moreparticularly forthepurposesofthisritual,Osirisasgodoftheunderworldcommandsagreatmanyspirits.So itseemshefavorsasyncrenisticexplanation.

melittabenu 6. on August 29, 2012 at 9:57 pm | Reply *munchespopcorn,lookingbackandforthbetweenthetwoofyou* Oh,sorry!MaybeIshouldparticipatealittle Ivereallybeenenjoyingthemagickalandscholarly backandforth,andbothofyourcommentshavehelpedmegetabetterideaoftheHeadlessGod thanIhadbefore.Sincerely,thishasbeenmadeofawesome. http://melittabenu.com/2012/08/23/the-objective-and-subjective-hga-the-hga-vs-the-agathos-daimon... 12/15/2012

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>>>Jake StrattonKent in his chapbook The Headless One and Stephen Flowers in Hermetic Magic both trace the Headless Rite to a Typhonian subgenre within the GPM, with JSK explicitly stating the rite is an invocation of TyphonSet. I havesaythatIdontseetheriteasbeingpurelyTyphonianorexplicitlyaninvocationofTyphon Set.IcanseeSetbeingapartofagroupofgodsthattheHeadlessGodisidentifiedwith(andthis ismyownconjecture,purelyfrommymusing)butmyguttellsmetheyarentexact.Iwouldnt doubtitsTyphonianlineagebasedonwhatIvereadofitandwhatIvebeenabletocompareit to,thoughsadly,ImnowherenearanexpertonitoraswelleducatedwithitasJackis. >>>I believe that this presents an opening to understand the HGA and the Headless One as distinct yet sharing an identity. Taking into account the Temple of Sets reading of Set as the personification of isolate intelligence, Set can be understood as the Macrocosmic manifestation of the Neoplatonic One. AreyoupartoftheTempleofSet,byanychance?Iwaslookingtotalktosomeonefromthe TempleabouttheirviewsontheHGAforafutureproject. I canseethembeingdistinctandsharingandidentity,cometothinkofit,simplybecauseitseems thatsomanygodsandspirits(HekateandMelinoe,forexample)seemtodosimilar.However,the ideaofSetastheNeoplatonicOnestrikesmeasverymonist:thesameasmanyHindusreferring toKali,KrisnaoranyotherdeityastheOne.Thatdoesntmakeituntrue,butinmymindit makesthingshighlysubjective,likemanyofmyownbeliefsconcerningHades,Persephoneand theUnderworld.(Jackcouldvouchforthatone.) >>>If, as Shaw seems to suggest in Theurgy and the Soul, that invocations of the gods elicit the same force within our own souls, and act to clarify or harmonize their expression. To invoke Set would then bring forth, strengthen and harmonize our own expression of the One, our HGA. Set and the HGA are distinct in this sense, yet share an identity as expressions of the One, within the Macrocosm and Microcosm. This interpretation aligns nicely with metaphors like God the Father; God the Son and Tiphareth existing as a reflection of Kether. Its contingent on a number of questionable assumptions and generalizations, to the point Im hesitant to even mention. THIS.ThishelpsmemakesenseofwhysomanyofthenamesofothergodsrefertotheHGAand, well,helpssomemoreideasfitintoplace.Thankyouforthat. @Jack >>>For example, in the first few lines (96105): You are Osoronnophris whom none have ever seen; you are Iabas; you are Iabos Osoronnophris is, if my memory is correct, the perfected Osiris. I seem to recall something about Iabas and Iabos also involving Osiris, but perhaps my memory is wrong there. See,identifyingtheHGAsomewhatwithOsirismakesmoresensetome,sinceOsiriswasoften identifiedwiththedeadsoulintheEgyptianafterlife.IrememberreadingthattheEnneadwas essentiallyagodmakingmachine,asystembywhichthedeceased,identifiedwithOsiris, ascendedfrommortalitytodivinityandeternallife.(Icameuponthatwhileresearchingformy undergradthesis,whichcomparedtheEarlyIsraeliteCultbeliefswiththeHeliopolitancult,but

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dontremembertheauthorIthinkitwasLukertthatsaidsoinEgyptianLightandHebrewFire, orErikHornunginConceptionsofGodinAncientEgypt.)Whileitsnotthesameastheconcept oftheHGA,itlinesupmoretome. >>>The blatant serpentine imagery of the spirit, however, is the most important and where the Sethian Typhonian probably come from; IveseenalotofserpentineimagerywithOsirisandAbraxas,too,andtheHeadlessGodis comparedtoboth. >>>as I reread today, Morton Smith notes that the Headless God, who is often treated interchangibly with the AgathosDaimon, Hmmmm @ Cole >>>If, as JSK claims in Geosophia II that the magicians involved in the creation of the GPM had Hekate and TyphonSet as their patrons (contrasted against a more diverse group of patrons), I adoreJSKandGeosophia,IandII,butImnotsureifIagreewiththat. >>>One thought is that Osiris only become perfected after being acted upon by Set. TraumaandShamanicdeath/rebirth?Thatthemeseemstoworkintohowmanypeopleexperience theirHGAstobeginwith,andIcanseeinthisregardhowbothSetandOsiriswouldhaverolesto playandbeidentifiedwiththeHGA. >>>I would expect Osoronnophris to have a very different interpretation that from a Osirian cult. JSKs opinion on the use of Osoronnophris is: Osiris and Set were both identified with the pantheistic Sun god at this time. More particularly for the purposes of this ritual, Osiris as god of the underworld commands a great many spirits. So it seems he favors a syncrenistic explanation. I havehomeworktodowithOsoronnophris,Isee Cole,thankssomuchforyourcommentary.Youvereallyhelpedmeoutinregardstothegods relationtotheHeadlessOneandgivenmefoodforthought.Anyresourcesyouwouldsuggest, otherthanthePGM,theLeydenPapyrusandJSK?(Jackisalwaysawesome,Idontneedtotell himthat)

7. on September 1, 2012 at 6:12 pm | Reply Cole Tucker @melittabenu,washopingyouwoulddropinagain! ImambivalentabouttheidentificationoftheHeadlessOnewithSet,Ijustdonthavethemythical orscholarlybackgroundatthispoint.

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>>>Are you part of the Temple of Set, by any chance? I was looking to talk to someone from the Temple about their views on the HGA for a future project. Sorry,Imnot.AlexBurns mightbeagoodpersontoapproach.Hesbeenresponsivetoinquiries inmyexperience. >>>However, the idea of Set as the Neoplatonic One strikes me as very monist: the same as many Hindus referring to Kali, Krisna or any other deity as the One ThisisntasenseoftheNeoplatonicOneIfindusefuleither.EdwardButler hasintroducedmeto anapproachtotheOnewhichisverydifferentfrommonism.Imactuallyrunningoutthedoorfor theweekend,butwillbebacknextweektochatmore.SomeresourcesofhisIhavefoundvery usefulare: OfferingtotheGods:ANeoplatonicPerspective PolytheismandIndividualityintheHenadicManifold

8. on September 14, 2012 at 2:00 pm | Reply Cole Tucker (@cole_tucker) Atthelibraryyesterday,skimmingthroughthecontentsofAncient Christian Magic forsomeother researchImdoing.Inoticedinpassingaspellforthedefenseagainstaheadlessspirit (paraphrase).Willcertainlybeworthalookatsomepoint! CommentsRSS

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