For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1)
The Microcosm
Agrippa was a man of great talent and varied attainments. He was acquainted with eight languages, and was evidently a physician of no mean ability, as well as a soldier and a theologian. He had, moreover, many noble patrons. Yet, notwithstanding these advantages, he never seemed to be free from misfortune; persecution and financial difficulties dogged his footsteps, and in Brussels he suffered imprisonment for debt. He himself was in a measure responsible for his troubles. He was, in fact, an adept in the gentle art of making enemies, and the persecution of the monks with whom he frequently came into conflict was bitter and increasing. His principal works were a defence of magic, entitled De Occulta Philosophia, which was not published until 1531, though it was written some twenty years earlier, and a satirical attack on the scientific pretensions of his day, De incertitudine et Vanitate Scientiarum et Artium atque Excellentia Verbi Dei Declamatio, also published at Antwerp in 1531. Nye, The Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secrets
The magical vision of the universe of Agrippa von Nettesheim, which left traces in the work of Dürer, is influenced by the gnostic doctrines of Hermes Trismegistus, which were calculating in Marsilio Ficino’s translations. According to these doctrines, man was not only made in God’s image, but also gifted with his omnipotence. Agrippa freed man from tiered cosmos, and placed him at the center of creation.
Only man enjoys the honour of participating in everything…he participates in matter in his own subject, and in the elements through his fourfold body; in plants through his vegetable strength; in animals through the life of the senses; in the heavens through the ethereal spirit…in the angels through his wisdom; in God through the epitome of everything, so man can also come to know everything that can be known.
It is said man can even direct the astral influences at his will. Agrippa took the geometrical figures of ‘man is the measure of the universe’ from Vitruvius’ figures in Francesco Giorgio’s Exempada, to which he presumably had access in manuscript form:
| Microcosm | Explained |
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Man, as the most beautiful and perfect work of God, has a more harmonic bodily structure than other creatures, and contains all numbers, measures, weights, movements, elements, and everything, he is the most sublime masterpiece, come to perfection…There is no part of the human body that does not correspond to a sign of the zodiac, a star, an intelligence, a divine name in the idea of God himself. The whole form of the human body is round. |
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But a completely evenly formed human body also represents a square; for if a man stands upright with arms outstretched and feet together, he forms an even-sided rectangle, the center of which is at the lowest part of the pubic bone. |
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If one draws a circle from the centre point over the top of the head, and lowers the arms until the fingertips touch the periphery of the circle, and the feet on the circumference are the same distance apart as the fingertips from the top of the head, the circle is thereby divided into five equal parts, and a regular pentagon is produced, just as the two heels form an equilateral triangle with the navel. |
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If with arms raised thus, the feet and legs are placed so far apart that the figure is shortened by one fourteenth of his upright posture, the distance between his feet and from the lower part of the pubic bone forms an equilateral triangle, and if one places the centre point in the navel, the periphery of a circle will touch the tips of the fingers and toes. |
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If both feet are spread to the left and right, with the calves facing inwards, and the hands are raised upwards along the same line, the tips of the fingers and toes form a perfect square, the centre of which is above the navel. |
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If the arms are stretched as high as possible above the head, the elbows are in the region of the head, and if a man standing in this position, his feet remaining together, is placed in a perfect square whose opposite sides touch his soles and fingertips, the centre of the square will fall in the region of the navel, which also forms the centre between the top of the head and knees. |
Angles|Angels
The equilateral triangle symbolizes a trinity and consists of three 60 degree angles. This symbol also resembles the 3 coveted elements of the godhead: being, power and knowledge. The masons of antiquity dedicated incredible worshipful effort in building pyramids and temples that have remarkably endured thousands of years to this day. The pyramid itself a symbol of this Gnostic hierarchy’s power to conceal the mysteries from the goyim.
The obelisk is a tall 4-sided structure which comes to a pyramidal point at the top. The obelisk was an incredibly important part of ancient Egyptian sun worship; they were erected in pairs outside of temples in reverence of the sun god Ra, later called Horus. The obelisk is a phallic resemblance of a ray of light emanating from the sun disk or sun wheel. Pagan worshippers commonly believed the spirit of Ra inhabited these enormous structures.
The symbol for deity is the circle or sphere; a perfectly symmetrical symbol having no beginning and no end. The circle with a dot (or a bindu) in the center represents the sun; the bindu often represents the male force while the circle represents the goddess. Some gnostic symbols of deity consist of a serpent creating the circle as it eats its own tail.
The point within the circle is an interesting and important symbol in Freemasonry. The symbol is really a beautiful but somewhat abstruse allusion to the old sun-worship, and introduces us for the first time to that modification of it, among the ancients as the worship of the phallus. [Albert Mackey, A Manual of the Lodge]
The sun cross presents the sun sign in 4 sections, resembling the 4 winds, spirits, directions, seasons and/or basic elements. According to The Herder Symbol Dictionary, the cross inscribed in the circle mediates between the square and the circle, emphasize the joining of heaven and earth, and the perfected human being. This symbol was adopted by the Germanic Order in 1912 and the Thule Society in 1918.
Swastika is a compound of su - a particle meaning auspicious, blessed, virtuous, beautiful, and rightly; and astika derived from the verb-root as - to be; hence that which is blessed and excellent.
The Swastika is a very archaic and sacred symbol which can be found in the religious relics of every ancient nation, for it depicts the whole story of the cosmos and man, their contrasting dual aspects, the four directions of space, the revolution of worlds, cyclic progression, and the union of spirit and matter at the heart of things. In H.P. Blavatsky’s words:
Within its mystical precincts lies the master-key which opens the door of every science, physical as well as spiritual. It symbolizes our human existence, for the circle of life circumscribes the four points of the cross, which represent in succession birth, life, death, and immortality. H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine Volume II
It is one of the oldest known symbols that has been used for over 3,000 years. Artifacts such as pottery and coins from ancient Troy show that the swastika was a commonly used symbol as far back as 1000 BCE.
In Masonic teachings, the most ancient Order of the Brotherhood of the Mystic Cross is said to have been founded by Fohi, 1,027 B.C., and introduced into China fifty-two years later, consisting of the three degrees in Occultism, it is as sacred as the Pythagorean Tetraktys, of which it is indeed the double symbol.
Prior to the advent of the Messiah the cross was a purely pagan symbol. Of all the ancient methods of state execution, crucifixion was reserved only for the most despicable criminals because of what the act stood for. The victim of execution was nailed to two beams which make the form of a T because the act was a symbolic offering to the Babylonian christ Tammuz.
When two deity symbols are brought together, the center of the two become what is called a Vesica Pisces, symbolizing the union of god and goddess. The Mandorla, or the almond-shaped center of the two circles represents the womb of the mother goddess. The intersection points also reveal two opposing triangles. The so-called Jesus fish, or Ichthys symbol derives from this symbol.
The Vesica Pisces has also been incorporated into the triangle to create what is called the Triquetra.
The Pentagram
The pentacle or pentagram may be the most widely used occult symbol in the world; it adorns the flag of nearly every nation in the world and it is misused exoterically by many spiritualists, witches and magicians as a protective amulet. Esoterically it is a sacred geometric ruler used in astronomy and navigation to calculate the precession of the equinoxes. It has also been used to illustrate the divinity of man, the microcosm, in harmony with the universal elements (earth, air, fire, water) as well as the spirit. The symbol tells us how man is the measure of all things, which is the philosophy of humanism. Some have also speculated that the pentacle derives from ancient astronomers who observed the pattern of planet Venus, named after the Roman goddess whose Egyptian counterpart is Isis, the queen of heaven.
[Isis is] the sister and the wife of Osiris, and worshiped by the Egyptians as the great goddess of nature. Her mysteries constituted one of the Degrees of the ancient Egyptian initiation. Albert Mackey, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry
Planet Venus over an 8-yr period.
A Chinese Pentagram.
The creature most often associated with the pentagram is Baphomet - the goat of Mendes; a god who possesses both male and female qualities, resembling the combination of opposites and the ultimate procreator. Written on his forearms are the Latin words SOLVE (dissolve) and COAGULA (congeal), the arms are pointed above and below towards the light and dark moons - clearly many opposites being drawn together.
The androgyne goat of Mendes. According to the Western, and especially the French Kabalists, the Templars were accused of worshipping Baphomet, and Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master of the Templars, with all his brother-Masons, suffered death in consequence. But esoterically, and philologically, the word never meant goat, nor even anything so objective as an idol. The term means according to Von Hammer, baptism or initiation into Wisdom, from the Greek words bafh and mhtiz and from the relation of Baphometus to Pan. Von Hammer must be right. It was a Hermetico Kabalistic symbol, but the whole story as invented by the Clergy was false. Helena Blavatsky, The Theosophical Glossary
This combination of opposites is a common theme in occult symbols. For example, the checker-board pattern on the floor of masonic halls represents the union of darkness and light, and in the yin yang we see a little bit of good in all evil and a little bit of evil in all good.
The Hexagram
The hexagram is the sign of the Great Work - the uniting of the Macrocosm (God/universe) and the Microcosm (man). The red triangle symbolizes God descending into Man and the blue triangle reflects Man’s ascension towards God. This symbol is the formula of so-called enlightenment.
The hexagram represents the formula and accomplishment of the great work in both the material and spiritual worlds. It is composed of the symbols for fire and water. It is synonymous with the symbol of the rose and cross, the ankh (crux ansata), the sun and moon conjoined, and the cross and circle. It represents the union of the two opposites in nature, male and female, light and darkness, activity and passivity, and all other opposites that constitute creation.
The hexagram is a geometrical symbol of the sun. The sun is an external symbol of the one reality or the one self that is manifest in all things. One of the most significant of all realizations for the adept is that s/he is the sun made manifest in the flesh, an incarnation of the lord of the solar system. The hexagram is the sign of such an adept.
From one point of view, the upright triangle of the hexagram represents the Holy Guardian Angel, our inner self, and the inverted triangle represents WoMan, our human self. These two triangles united represent what is called in magick ’the attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.’ The Holy Guardian Angel is the ‘star’ of every man and every woman, that is, their inner celestial nature as opposed to their purely human self. To unite one’s human consciousness with that angel is to awaken the solar consciousness and to realize oneself in the sun of light and life.
From another point of view the upright triangle represents WoMan ascending into godhead through the power of aspiration, and the inverted triangle represents God descending into WoMan through the power of inspiration. These two triangles interlaced indicate the completion of the great work; they represent a perfect balance of the human and divine will, a complete synthesis and harmony of all that is terrestrial and celestial.
The eternal lapis is produced by the rotation of the elements, in the unification of upper and lower, of fire and water. It is the celestial image of earthly gold, shown here as Apollo in the underworld, amongst the six Muses or metals.
The hexagram is also a geometrical symbol of Lapis Philosophorum, the Stone of the Philosophers, which is the product of Sol and Luna and/or fire and water. It is therefore a symbol of what is termed in magick, ’the Mystery of Mysteries’ and ’the Secret of Secrets.’ It is said that by the application of this great secret the alchemist can transmute all base metals into the perfect material gold of the sun, which is the first and final product of the mineral kingdom. Gold is the perfect metal of all metals, the most exalted form of the mineral kingdom. It is a material symbol of a spiritual reality that is also symbolized in heaven by the great sun of light. All other metals are said to be imperfections of gold, and they are striving in nature to become the perfect gold. Thus the hexagram represents that which brings nature to perfection.
- The hexagram consists of 60 degree and 120 degree angles.
- Each individual line of the opposing triangles are sectioned into three equal parts.
- If each equal line is a number 1, the symbol gives you 6 x 111 = 666.
- The geometric shape is 2 opposing equilateral triangles (6 lines), or 6 small equilateral triangles combined around a hexagon (6 sides).
The Masonic square and compass is also a hexagram resembling the combination of opposites. The compass, utilized to draw perfect circles, represents both the spiritual realm (universe/macrocosm) and the masculine blade. The square symbolizes both the measurable physical realm (man/microcosm) and the feminine chalice; notice how the compass measures the square. Some believe the G in the middle of the symbol represents the freemasons’ use of Gnosticism, or more simply gnosis (knowledge); others will say it stands for geometry - that is, secret geometry. Some Freemasons will tell you this stands for the Great Architect of the Universe. I believe this G stands for the mystery of generativity, or eternal life.
It should be noted the hexagram is most commonly associated with Israel and Judaism as their ‘star of David’ although the only reason for this is the symbol’s significance in the Jewish Kabala and the occult roots of Zionism.
The god Janus (Cush), symbolized by this double-headed figure, is worshipped as the god of gods, the beginning and the end, the god of new beginnings and new creations. When Pope Gregory XII introduced the Gregorian Calendar in 1582, the 1st month of the year was appropriately named in honor of Janus, whose double-headed symbol represents bringing the wisdom of the old world into the new world. Janus was known to say of himself, “the ancients…called me chaos.”
The symbol of the double-headed eagle bears the same hidden meaning, and it is well understood this noble bird is not an eagle; it is the phoenix, the fire bird of the rising (resurrected) sun god as it was worshipped in the ancient mystery religions. The symbol shown here is associated with the Freemasons. The Latin phrase ‘Deus meumque Jus’ means ‘God and My Right.’ The true intended expression of this phrase is more along the lines of ‘being God is my right.’
The sun wheel is identical to the 8-pointed star. In some cases this star is drawn with more points in multiples of 4 and enclosed in a circle. This is both symbolic of the goddess Isis as well as the sun god.
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: and I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. (Micah 5)
At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images. In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation. Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: in the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow. (Isaiah 17)