PHILOSOPHY AS A RITE OF REBIRTH Algis Uzdavinys Y‘The cover design includes Jenny Carrington’s “Golden Horus’ with the kind permission of the artist. www.geocities.comyjennycarrington/ArtWorks PHILOSOPHY AS A RITE OF REBIRTH ‘Table of Contents PREPACE i INTRODUCTION: . UNDERSTANDING ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY 1 |. Philosophy and the Eternal Wonder 1 2. Leaning to Live and Leamning to Die 4 3. Ancient Practices of Wisdom. 7 4. The Tie Ancient Philosophy and the Way of Pious Living 5. Understanding of Ancient Philosophy by Porphry and Augustine 5 6 From the Egyptian Soil to Hells . 8 Translatabilty of Divine Names in Ancient Civiat008 nnd 8. Heracles and Philosophical Ascent 26 9 From Akhenaten to Thales. 30 10, Thales and the Egyptian Moths. sn36 IL, Wateras Metaphysical Principe and Divine Substance a 12, Metaphysical Meaning of Ancient Mythologies 8 15, Pythagorean Numbers and their Paradigms or) 1A, Stang on the Solar Bargue 33 15, Coles Nile as the Cause of Geomet sonsnnninnnnnnneS8 16, ‘The Apollonian Road to Rebish.. oil 17. Philosophy as Divine Mystagogy and Benes! Madness 66 18, Philosophy and the Power of Faith Towaeds the Final Unions 74 UW. ETERNAL MEASURES AND SYMBOLS OF EGYPTLAN SAGES 1. On the Back ofthe Heavenly Cow 85 2. Proteus and the Egyptian Wisdom.. cnn 3. _Allegorcal Myths and Philosophy in the Temples 0 4. Porphyry De abt V.6-9 - ss 5. Sacred Animals, Philosopher, and Cosmic Number 95 6 Hiesaic Powers and Symbols of the Ineffable Bathetos.nmenn 98 7. Philosophical Life ofthe Egyptian Priest 1 8. Proximity ofthe Gods and the Br of Aman 105 9. Perfumes, Images, and Contemplations. 108 10, Divine Knowledge and Paradigms for Philosophical Mysteries. 1 11, Press and Spittal Gui sms TB 12 Egyptian Seibes and the Way of Imhotep. " is 13, Amenhotep and ‘Theology of Arman, 121I-IN TE ILM OF DIVINE SEMIOTICS |. ‘The Ramesside leon and Three Hypostases of Plotinus. 127 2. Back to One's Native Star 130 3, _Archetypal Foundation of Hieroglyphic Signs and Colours 132 4. Divine Ideas and Symbols. ss 134 5. Symbolic lotespretation of Hicsopipphic Seip. 137 6. Return to the Golden Age and Paradigms to be Imitated ucsenses39 >. Hieratie Myths and Symbols 142 8. AIIThings and All Hieroglsphs 7 Ma 9. Ancient Theories of Ideas. om 146 10. Prochis’ Conception of Divine Forms ae Unies 148 I’ ~ BEING IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN AND NEOPLATONIC THOUGHT From Bidology to Metaphysics of Being and Beyond-Being, 153, Hicsarehy of Priority andl Postesiority. ASH Indivisible and Divisible Being. zs 155 The One as Foundation of Being veel 57 Incomprchensible Divine Unites * wins) Images of Divine Light o—oraorrememne bare 1162 ‘The One and Many according to Egyptians... 163, Levels of Being aud Now bei mnnannnnnnnn snl 66 ‘The Lord of Totaity and His Magic 168, |. Cosmogonical andl Ontological Principles. ven 7O Invisible God and His Theophanies, 174 RITUALS OF DEIFICATION AND THEURGIC ASCENT Depreciation of Hieratic Rites 179 Rinals and Sacred Masks. sees - 180 Climbing to the Divine State a * Cosmos and the Sacred Harmony of Strings. - 186 (On the Wing of Thoth: the Theusgie Way of Ra. ae 188 Divine Triads in Egyptian and Neoplatonic Thought. 1 Theusgie Assimilation to the God. sss . 196 Deification through the Eye of Hors. 198, Spirinual Teachers and Sacred Masters ssn 200) Radiant Power of Names and Flight to the Throne. 7 202 TTheurgic Union with the Divine Principle. 7 206 Intellect of the Father and His Cosmic Drama 206 Elevating Powers in the Pharaonic State-Body 210 The Perfect Maan who Slew the Lord... eB Theurgi Rites and Sacramental Theologies. au [1 - ANIMATION OF STATUES IN ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS 4ND NEOPLATONISM sacred Images and Idols. - - 219 2. Vehicles of Divine Forces . si 3. The Living Images of Everlasting Gods : 23 4, _Animation as Ritual of Union with the Descending Rays of Ra... 225 5, Opening of the Mouth and Awakening to Light. 27 6. ‘The Sacramental Birth of Statues in Mesopotamia and Egypt. 28 >. ‘The Way of the Golden Faleon snr 8. When the Womb-like Tomb is Opened. BI 9. Divine Beauty and the Taner Golden Statue: From Egyptian Theology to Plotinus. 233 11 - TELESTIC TRANSFORMATION AND PHILOSOPHICAL REBIRTH LL Philosophy in the Tomb-Sanctuary 2. The Tomb as a Threshold of Light. 3. Sacrificial Alchemy of Tombs and Altar... 41. Alehemical Passage through Death, 5. Mummification and Dialectic 6. Musicians, Lovers, and Philosophers. >. Divine Knowledge and Theurgie Prayers 8. Intellect as the Spisit of Light, 9. The Ossian nition and Separtin from the Moral Body 10. Resurrection of the Golden Phoenix. 11. Two Ways of the Amdt 12. ‘The Union of Osiris and Ra 13. The Inner Alehemical Work and Return to Itself... 1H. Metaphysics of the Heart 15. Understanding of Soul and Body... 16. The Homecoming of Odysseus 17. From the Homeric Ghost o the Immoral Soul of Pao, 18. Reawakening of Intellect and Rehabilitation of Images GLOSSARY 288 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 523 INDEX. . . a 333 CATALOGUE. 339