Posts Tagged ‘egyptian’

Posted on July 30, 2009 - by Andrew

The meaning of cat talismans

Originally cat charms were used to signify luck and are common today. The question is whether they represent good or bad luck.

The black cat, in particular, is sometimes seen as unlucky as it represents one of the forms Satan is believed to take as he stalks the Earth. Others will wear the black cat charm to specifically ward against bad luck.

The Romans took the fiercely independent nature of the cat and translated this to the concept of liberty. The ancient Egyptians associated the cat to the moon and drew connections between the dilation and contraction of cat eyes to the waxing and waning of the moon.  Egyptian moon gods or goddesses would often be depicted with the wedjat eye in the full-moon disk over their head. The wedjat-eye, however, belonged to Re and was later associated with Thoth, rather than the cats.

Posted on January 20, 2009 - by Andrew

Five female deities with some masculine traits

Channelling deities, asking for their guidance, support or blessing is common. Whenever you attempt to involve a deity in a blessing or ritual it is important to know exactly with whom you are dealing with. Deities have their own personalities, preferences and traits. Further more, these aspects of the deity can begin to have an effect on you as well as your rituals. Sometimes rituals and blessings should be done in conjunction with a female deity but would also benefit from not being overwhelmingly feminine.

We’re certainly not suggesting that any of these deities are butch, far from it. Instead the following five deities each have an aspect or two which is also commonly found in male deities.

Artemis (Greek)

Artemis shows her masculine aspects through her hunting and use of bow and arrows. She is twinned with Apollo. If you do channel Artemis with her masculine side in mind then it also equally important to remember she is a virgin and does also represent fertility.

Ma’at (Egyptian)

Ma’at, also sometimes known as Mayet, is a deity of balance, justice and truth. She is a very magical deity and a powerful one. Some Egyptian traditions equated Ma’at with the male deity Thoth.

Frejya (Norse)

Frejya is one of the two main female deities from the Norse tradition. While she is a deity of love, beauty and fertility who would assist in childbirths she is also associated with war, battle, death and wealth.

Ninsar (Babylonian)

There are few significant female Babylonian deities to choose from other than Tiamat and channelling any aspect of Tiamat is not recommended. Ninsar is the daughter of Ninhursag the mother-goddess. Whereas Ninhursag is one of the seven greater deities from Sumer Ninsar is a much smaller entity. She is the Green Lady and a goddess of plants.

Oya (Voodoo)

Oya is a deity of the winds, of the marketplace and cemeteries. Oya is channelled when a change is needed; particularly a business change. In the Yoruba tradition Oya is also a warrior-goddess responsible for hurricanes and tornadoes.

In Pure Spirit

Who would you recommend a female deity appropriate for channelling and who might bring some suggestion of masculinity diversity?

Posted on January 8, 2009 - by Andrew

Pythagorean numerology

Pythagorean numerology is the system evolved from the original developed by Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras (580/572 BC – 500/490 BC).

The evolution of this western form of numerology now includes elements from Arabian sources, Druid, Phoenician and Egyptian studies.  Pythagorean numerology uses the numbers 1 to 9 (unlike Chaldean numerology which often stops at 8 ) and frequently reduces numbers down to a single digit (for example, the number 23 becomes 5 as 2+3=5).

Pythagorean numerology states that the universe and life is ordered. People may influence their fate (therefore pythagorean numerology can both predict the future and not predict the future at the same time) but there is a sustainable structure to the future.

Two common numerological studies involve translating a name to numbers (changing your name is therefore significant in numerology) and understanding the date of birth.

In Pythagorean numerology numbers are assigned in the following way:

• 1 = A, J and S
• 2 = B, K and T
• 3 = C, L and U
• 4 = D, M and V
• 5 = E, N and W
• 6 = F, O and X
• 7 = G, P and Y
• 8 = H, Q and Z
• 9 = I and R

In Pure Spirit

How do you use numerology? Do always reduce to a single number?

Posted on December 13, 2008 - by Andrew

Eye of Horus

An ancient Egyptian protection symbol associated with royal power from gods. Some modern rituals use the Eye to channel prosperity, health and regeneration.

Horus is a sky god and is often depicted with the head of a falcon. The Eye of Horus is commonly shown as a right eye with a tear drop below and, together, they symbolise the sun and Isis. The left eye and teardrop is more usually shown to represent the moon as Thoth.

In some Egyptian mythologies Horus lost his left eye to Seth in a fight over the murder of Osiris. Seth lost the fight and Thoth, the god of writing, was able to use  magic to restore Horus’ eye.

The design of the Eye of Horus is fractional – parts of the image represent different fractions.

In Pure Spirit

Do you wear an Eye of Horus?

Posted on November 19, 2008 - by Andrew

Demonic names

Abaddon

Abaddon is the name of the demonic entity which the Bible (Revelation 9:11) describes as the angle of the bottomless pit.

Abigor

Abigor is a demon conjured for military assistance, advice and fortune telling powers.

Afrit

Afrit, in Islamic lore, are giant and malevolent devil-djins. They are the second most powerful type of devil and may be related to ancient Egyptian spirits of the desert sandstorm.

Ahriman

According to Zoroastrain lore, Ahriman is the demon of lies and is trapped in never-ending conflict with Ahura Mazda. He is associated with the serpent form of Satan.

Alastor

In ancient Greek the word Alastor was used to mean avenging god. Roman demonologists used the name to refer to the evil Genius of a house.

Apollyon

Apollyon is the Greek name for the demon Abaddon.

Arioch

In Milton’s Paradise Lost Arioch is one of the fallen angels. The name is dervived from the Hebrew for ‘fierce lion’.

Asmodeus

In the Aprocryphal Book of Tobit the demon Asmodeus is the personal tormentor of Tobias’ wife-to-be. In the Testament of Solomon the demon is one that conspires to plot against the newly married. Don Cleofas is taken on a night flight by Asmodeus in the literatury work Le Diable Boiteux (1707, Le Sage) which gives rise to the term ‘flight of Asmodeus’. In the book Asmodeus uses magic to allow Don Cleofas to see into the houses he flies over so that the inhabitants private lives were revealed to him.

Azazel

In Paradise Lost Azazel is described as the standard bearer for the rebelling angels. In Islamic demonology Azazel is one of the Djin who was expelled from heaven for refusing to worship Adam.

Baphomet

Although the name Baphomet is sometimes used in conjunction with a demon it is more likely to be a variation of the word ‘Mohammed’ when the Knights Templar were acused of blasphemous worship.

Barbason

William Shakespeare writes of Barbason  in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Some scholars suggest the name may have been taken from the Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584, Reginald Scot).

Beelzebub (Baalzebub)

The name Baalzebub may stem from the Sryian ‘Baal’ and infer ‘Lord of the High House’ whereas Beelzebub translates as ‘Lord of Flies’. Beelzebub has come to be regarded as the leader of the fallen angels and the Prince of Devils.

Belphegor

Belphegor stems from the name ‘Baal-Poer’ a Moabitish god of orgies. Medieval demonologies later mapped the name to a devil sent from hell to investigate whether there really was such as thing as married happiness on earth. Belphegor concluded there was no such thing.

Caliban

In Shakespeare’s The Tempest Caliban is the half-human deformed offspring of the devil and the witch Sycorax.

Cambion

The name Cambion was given in the post-medieval period to anyone  believed to the semi-human offspring either an incubus or succubus.

Demogorgon

Lactantius wrote that Demogorgon was the chief power in Hell. The name was once kept a secret as to speak it was to invite disaster.

Eblis

The name Eblis means despair. Eblis is the same as the demon Azazel.

Gog and Magog

The Book of Revelation describes Gog and Magog as the future enemies of the Kingdom of God.

Lamia

Lamia is the name of a legendary queen of Libya who turned into a monstrous serpentine monster. The name became used as a synonym for a witch who could transform from demonic form to beautiful woman.

Lucifer

Lucifer means “Morning Star” or “Daily Star”. The name Lucifer has become synonymous with Satan – probably due to reads of Isaiah 14:12.

Mammon

Mammon is the Syrian term for “riches” or “wealth”. The name was linked to demonic names in Matthew 6:24 and Mammon has now come to be seen as a demon of money.

Mephistopheles

In Faust, Mephistopheles is the devil. The name is Greek and means “the one who hates the light”.

In Pure Spirit

Missing any? Please feel free to comment (and cite a reference) and we’ll grow the list.