The Objective and Subjective HGA

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The objective and subjective HGA, the HGA vs. the

Agathos Daimon (et al)

August23,2012bymelittabenu

Becausehonestly,wecouldallusethebreakfrommetalkingaboutmentalillnessandabuse.OrIknowIcan.MaybeitstimetosharesomeofmythoughtsabouttheHGAandhowtheHGAmatchesupwiththeAgathosDaimon.

Page 1 of The objective and subjective HGA, the HGA vs. the Agathos Daimon (et al) melittabenu

12/15/20ttp://melittabenu.com/2012/08/23/the-objective-and-subjective-hga-the-hga-vs-the-agathos-daimon...


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I doabitofthinkingaboutmyHGA.SomeofthisthinkingincludesdecidingwitherornottheHGAisthebeingofmyindividualdivinity,aspiritcompletelyseparatefrommeoralittlebitofboth.IthinkIvedecidedonalittleofboth,butmyintrinsicunderstandingofthatshiftsdependingonmymood.Also,IdoalotofthinkingontheHGAandtheoldermodelsoftheconcept,asillustrated

below.

Certainlyinmyearliersearchestoseewhatthisbeingactuallyis,Igotalotofresponsesthatdidntmakealotofsense.Iknowthatalotofmyfriendsonthereconstructionist(mainlyGreek)sideofthingsrefertoasimilarbeingtheycalltheirAgathos Daimon whichistraditionallythoughtofasacompanionspiritbutcansimilarlybecalled(especiallyinmoremoderntimes)astheessentialdivinenaturepresentineveryindividual. Inotice,thecomparableRomanGenius (anditsfemininecounterpart,theJuno)hasasimilardichotomy,andIveseenallthreeoftheseentitiesbeingcomparedtotheconceptofthetutelaryspirit,whoisseenasaguardian,aprotectorandateacher.IknowthattheFellowshipofIsishasasimilarconcepttheycallanAnkhu (Ithink),thoughIdontknowwhere




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theydrawtheconceptfrom. Heck,eventheGnosticshadaDaemon (1)oftheirownFromwhatIvebeenabletoobserve(andIamsuretherearedifference),paganstendtotreattheirdaimonae asbeingsseparatefromthemselves- theygettheirownrepresentations(traditionalorotherwise),sometimestheirownshrinesandreceiveprayersandservicesimilartogodsorotherspirits.

So,Icanseetheconceptspaganrootsandlastingendurancethroughpaganism/religiousantiquityandintoceremonialmagic.TheGoldenDawnhasitsownGenius,theAurumSolishasitsAugoeides(fromIamblichus,sosaysThelemapediagoodolGreekAurumSolis!)andeventheIOT

(Illuminatesof

Thanateros,

which

is

adamned

cool

name

Imust

say)

have

their

own

concept

of

Kia:

The consciousness-force in us that appears as the root of will and perception can be called Kia. This Kia has noform. Any form of innate divinely sanctioned motive that one may seem to have found in it is illusion. It is thisvoid at the center of ones being which is the real Holy Guardian Angel .(2)Theceremonialmagicianstend,ratherthantheverybhakti routetakenbypagans,toinvoketheHGAthroughritualmeans.(LiberSamekhandtheBornlessRitualbeingthetwobetterknownrituals,bothbasedontheritualfromthePGM- SteleofJeu,PGMV.96-172.IpersonallyliketheterminologyTheHeadlessOne- which,seeinghowIfeelaboutKaliandChinnamasta,shouldntbeashock- asit,atleasttome,referstoa

beingwithoutegoorsmallselfaninterestingdistinctionIllgettoinamoment.IncaseyourewonderingwhatthehellImtalkingabout,followthelinkandscrolldowntowhereyouseetheKali

mantramvideoHere. (http://melittabenu.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/nigredo

-some

-personal

-experiences-with-ego-death-and-facing-your-illusions/) Also,JackFausthassomereallyinterestingideas- supportedbyprimarysources- abouttheHeadlessRitual:Here!(http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2012/01/further -comments-on-stele-of-jeu.html)(Moreonthisinamoment.)

However,whatweenduphavingisaninterestingdualitythatperhapsdependsuponourconceptionofduality.Wepayworship/invokesomethingwhichisseparatefromourselvesbutisactuallyourselvesinourtruestsense.Ornot.CrowleyseemedtobeatoddsondefiningtheHGA,callingitthesilentselfinhisearlylifeandthenespousingaverydifferentviewinhisseventies.Tocompare

Crowleyinhis70s:Now, on the other hand, there is an entirely different type of angel; and here we must beespecially careful to remember that we include gods and devils, for there are such beings who are not by anymeans dependent on one particular element for their existence. They are microcosms in exactly the same sense asmen and women are. They are individuals who have picked up the elements of their composition as possibilityand convenience dictates, exactly as we do ourselves I believe that the Holy Guardian Angel is a Being of thisorder. He is something more than a man, possibly a being who has already passed through the stage of humanityand his peculiarly intimate relationship with his client is that of friendship, of community, of brotherhood, orFatherhood. He is not, let me say with emphasis, a mere abstraction from yourself; and that is why I haveinsisted 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:Hoor-paar-Kraat, or Harpocrates, the Babe in the Egg of Blue is not merely theGod of Silence in a conventional sense. He represents the Higher Self, the Holy Guardian Angel. (5)

Inpopularconceptions,Iseethesamething.Onepersonsaysonething,anothersaysanotherthing.TheHGAisseparate.TheHGAisonewithus.Finally,IdecidedsomethingthatsuitedmethatisverymuchexemplifiedbythequotebelowandissupportedbymyownexperiencewithmyHGA:




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The most important injunction on the spiritual path of the ancient Mysteries was ascribed over the sanctuaryof Apollo at Delphi: Gnothi Seauton Know Thy Self. The initiates of the ancient Mysteries were afterGnosis, 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 theeidolon and an immortal Higher Self (Soul) called theDAEMON. The eidolon is the embodied self, thephysical body, and ego personality. The Daemon is the Spirit, the true Self, which is each persons spiritualconnection 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 andseekers who still identify with the eidolon, therefore, do not experience the Daemon as their own true Self, but asa spirit guide, whose job it is to lead them to their spiritual destination hence it is a separate entity that enticesthem to advance and awake to their true essence. Plato teaches: We should think of the most authoritative partof the Soul as a Guardian given by God which lifts us to our heavenly home .(1,again)

Now,IvelongacceptedtheconceptthatMelittaBenuisaneidolon (orrather,themagickal/writingpersona ofaneidolon),aprojection,ofagreateranddivineselfwhichistheDaemon,ortheHGA.Mymortalpersonality,mynephesh,myeidolon,willsloughoffanddecaywhiletherestofmygoodbitswillreincarnate/doaneverymeandeveryyouwaltzhoweveryouwanttolookatit.ButIsupposeImstillwrestlingwithdualitywhenIwhine,Idontunderstaaaaaaaaand!andgetthoseoddconfusionsthatcomewithexperiencingmyHGA:theodddisplacementofmypersonality,thelackof

boundariesbetweenusandthisoverarchingIAMfeelingthattendstolastuntilmymundaneselfisreasserted,whichtakesvaryingamountsoftime.ItsmenotwantingtodieandbecomeMe.Themonkeymind,thesmallself,thelittleiisafraidtodiebecauseitisanewexperience.Theconsciousness,theimmortalself,thetrueIknowsthisisalloldnews,oldhat,routinebynow.

However,IamstillunsureastowitherornotperpetuatingthedichotomybetweentheHGA/AgathosDaimoniswhatshouldbedone,andwhileintellectuallyIagreewiththeaboveIdontknowhowto

applyit.

Ialso

dont

see

how

it

would

be

possible

to

do

otherwise

as

most

of

us

need

the

ego

to

interfacewithreality(Iamoftheopinionthataslongasyouarealive,youarenotego-less- thereisalwaysasmallpieceoftheegoleftbehindtoattachyousufficientlytoyourlife).IhaventfoundtheanswertoseeingtheHGA/AgathosDaimonasyourselfasopposedtoseeingitasanobjectivebeing.Icanintellectualizeit,butIdontknowhowtoexperienceityet.MaybethatsbecauseImbelowtheAbyssorhaventexperiencedthatperfectunionyet.Imstillfeelingthingsout.




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SoistheAgathosDaimonandtheHGAthesame? (http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2010/03/agathos-daemon-and-hga.html)

JackFausthassomeideasaboutthecomparisonbetweentheHGAandtheHolyHeadlessOne,whichisdefinitelyfoodforthought:But, honestly, I dislike the term HGA and applying it to older models ofmagic. I am not entirely sure that the Headless Daimon is an HGA in the same sense that most magiciansseem to use it as, and Im very hesitant to claim connection to my HGA because I managed to conjure theHeadless 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. Itsjust that Im not entirely sure a Qabalistic/Ceremonial categorization (The Headless Daimon = HGA) evenapplies. They may be similar, but to be sure of the exact differences I would have to apply myself extensively toQabalism. And I dont.(3)

WhileheisspeakingspecificallyoftheHeadlessOne,IwonderifitsjustasrelevantwhencomparingtheotherconceptstotheHGA.IstheHeadlessOneaconceptionoftheHGA?IsittheHeadlessOnespecificallythatcannotbecomparedtotheHGA?OraretheDaemon,theAgathos Daimon,theRomanGenius differentyetsimilartotheHGA?Inmyopinion,IthinkthatwhilethestudyoftheSteleofJeumightrevealsomeinterestingspecifications,IthinktheHGAiscomparabletotheolderconceptionsofthehigher,divineself.

Andthen,itsreallyamatterofgettingdowntosemantics,atleastinmyopinion.Aftersomeruminationandmeditatingwithsomedivination(IlovemyTarot,15yearsandcounting),IfindthattheHolyHeadlessOneandtheHGAareoneandthesame.Thismaybebecauseofmyeastern




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leaningsandtheconceptthatheadlessissymbolicforwithoutego- ImsureweallrememberwhenIwastalkingaboutChinnamastawhenIwaspostingaboutmyNigredoexperience.ItmakesmethinkthattheHeadlessGodistheinnerdivinityoftheself,fullyrealized,andthereforewithoutego.

One Graeco-Egyptian invocation to the Headless God (in which the Headless God is referred to as a creatorgod) was modified by the Order of the Golden Dawn and called the Bornless Invocation. This invocation wasused 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 havecorrected the words of power and used his ritual to directly access his higher self, which is referred to as theAttainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. As Crowleyphiles all know, accessto the Holy Guardian Angel is absolutely essential to the successful practice of advanced magick.(6)

However,theheadlessgodisalsocomparedtoothergodsaswell:

The Headless God is mentioned in several Graeco-Egyptian charm papyri and on amulets, and is truly anenigmatic 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)

WhiletheHolyHeadlessGodhistoricallyisassociatedwithgodssuchasOsiris-Onoronophis(spelling,Iknow),Abraxasandmanyothers,theresbeenenoughsuccesswithothersusingtheritualtheSteleofJeuandthosebasedonit(LiberSamekh,theBornlessRite)thatIcantdenytheplausibilitythattheyreoneandthesamebeing.IdonothaveenougheducationonthemattertowonderwhytheHeadlessGod,ifitisanotherversionoftheHGA,iscomparedtoothergods.Noidea.Ifyouhaveanidea,letmeknow.

Whatabouttherestofit,though?TheAgathosDaimon,theRomanGenius,etal?

This returns us to the Agathos-Daemon 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 Agathos-Daemon contrasted by the semi-solid setof ideas the other has.

Above the daemon level of reality was the Agathos-Daemon, or Good Daemon. While other daemons were moreor less natural and might very well ignore an individual, it was the Agathos-Daemons role to aid and abet themdirectly as a personal companion. It is this mythological being that is the basis of the Holy Guardian Angelinsofar as most modern practitioners of magick might be concerned. By 532 CE, Psuedo-Dionysius (or someoneclaiming to be him) had already wedded the idea (while completely ignoring any Pagan origins whatsoever) tothat of a Guardian Angel

. (7)

JackvonFaustusindicatesthattheagathosdaimonwasseenasanexternalfigure,agoodspirit,thatwasattachedtoanindividualinlifeandwasmoreanexternal,personalcompanionthananintrinsicpartofthehumanbeingsdivinity.ANatalspirit,ifyouwill.AndevenifitISwikipedia,itsalsostillevidencethatsupportsthisidea(what?Imlazy.Youknewthis):Though he was little noted in Greekmythology 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, anddialect, 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 acornucopia and a bowl in one hand, and a poppy and an ear of grain in the other. The agathodaemon was later




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adapted into a general daemon of fortuna, particularly of the continued abundance of a familys good food anddrink. In the syncretic atmosphere of Late Antiquity, Agathodaemon (Koine Greek:) could bebound up with Egyptian bringers of security and good fortune: a gem carved with magic emblems bears theimages of Serapis with crocodile, sun-lion and Osiris mummy surrounded by the lion-headed snake CnumAgathodaemonAion, with Harpocrates on the reverse.

Honestly,soundstomemorelikeaseparate,natalspiritwhossupposedtogiveyoualegupwhenyouneedit.

Meditation,divinationandfinallyjustaskingmyHGA(unlessIhearditwrong)ifitwasthesameastheagathosdaimon,theanswerIgotwasNo.ButImstillunsure.Thereisapartofmethatstillrebelsagainsttheideaofagoodangelononeshoulder,andabadangelontheother- itsmacksmeofsuperstition,butthatmightbebecauseofgrowingupwithcartoonsandthelikethatdepictedtheangelasagoodytwo-shoeswithaveryblandpersonalityandthedemonaswearingredpajamasand

beingnothingmorethanobnoxious.Perhapsthisismyprejudice,butIalsohavetroubleseeingbothoftheseentities(agathosdaimon,kakodaimon)asbeingpartofthewholeoftheHGA,orevenjusttheHGAandtheagathosdaimonbeingone.Despitethesuperstitioustone,Ileanmoretowardstheideathatbotharethenatalspiritsofaperson,onetoguideandtheothertotest- testingsimilartothe

Chaldean

Deamon

Dogs

sacred

to

Hekate.

(See

Hekate

Sotiera

by

Sarah

Iles

Johnston

for

an

explanationthere.)AmIsureonthat?Notreally.Iwonderifitmatters,sincethespiritswillmaintaintheirnaturesandintegritynomatterwhatIthinkofthem,anyway.

Bytheway,ifyouwanttoconjurethenamesofyourGeniusandDaimon,checkthisout.(http://headforred.blogspot.com/2008/09/getting-k-using-agrippas-genius.html)

Ormaybethistoo. (http://www.rufusopus.com/products_and_services.htm)

Florence + The Machine - No Light, No Light More infoShare

0:00 / 4:16

Thesearemythoughtsonthematter- definitelynoanswers,butmoreandmoreIfeellikeIgetclosertothebigpictureandthenIhavetostartoveragaintogetanideaofwhatsgoingon.Yikes!Nevertheless,itsstillalotoffun,andtalkingtomyownHGAcanbealternatelyinterestingandfrightening.However,thatsanotherstoryforanothertime.

1. http://www.plotinus.com/the_daemon_copy%281%29.htm(http://www.plotinus.com/the_daemon_copy%281%29.htm)




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2. PeterCarroll,LiberNull&Psychonaut,Pg.162

3. http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2012/01/further-comments-on-stele-of-jeu.html(http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2012/01/further-comments-on-stele-of-jeu.html)

4. Crowley,MagickwithoutTears,Pgs.281-282

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/agathos-daemon-and-hga.html(http://vonfaustus.blogspot.com/2010/03/agathos-daemon-and-hga.html)

8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agathodaemon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agathodaemon)

PostedinUncategorized |TaggedAgatgodaimon,AgathosDaimon,HGA,HolyGenius,HolyGuardianAngel,K&C,K&CHGA,Kakodaimon,KnowledgeandConversationwiththeHoly

Guardian

Angel |

9

Comments

9 Responses

1. on August 24, 2012 at 1:49 am | Reply submerinaIvebeenwaitingforthisentryeversinceyoumentionedyouwouldbecoveringtheHGAand

daimon.

Having

formed

a

relationship

with

my

personal?

natal?

agathos?

daimon,

I

am

always

interestedtoreadaboutotherexperiences tocompare,tolearn,toevolve andIjustgenerallyfindyourentriesfascinatingreading!(Long-timelurker)

I donthaveK&CHGA,soIcantspeakfor[it],butmydaimonhassaidheis_not_theHGA,whichtiesinwithwhatyourHGAtoldyou.WhileIdontliketokeepasolidviewofhowitallworks,IthinktheNeo-Platoniclevelsofdivinityareonewayofexplainingthedifference,thedaimonbeingclosertohumanity,whilestillbeingdivine.

Stillfiguringitout

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

Thanksforyourcomments.ThemoreIthinkabouttheHGAversestheAgathosDaimon, themoreIcantreallyseethembeingoneandthesame.(Maybethefactthattheyhavedifferentnameshelps.)Imgettingmoreintotheneo-platonicstuffthemoreIreadaboutit,thoughatthemomentImwadingthroughmoreStratton-Kent,AgrippaandIambilichusIhaveafullplate.




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Andthanksforthecompliments. Theywarmtheporcelaincocklesofmylittleheart.IwasthinkingthatIdonthaveenoughritualonhere,butIdontoftenliketopostritualsIuseonaregularbasismorelikethestuffIwoulduseinpublicandbecomfortablepublishing.Doyouhaveanysuggestions,maybe?Iddedicatetheposttoyou!

2. on August 24, 2012 at 3:36 pm | Reply Cole Tucker (@cole_tucker)

Jake

Stratton-

Kent

in

his

chapbook

The

Headless

One

and

Stephen

Flowers

in

Hermetic MagicbothtracetheHeadlessRitetoaTyphoniansubgenrewithintheGPM,withJSKexplicitlystatingtheriteisaninvocationofTyphon-Set.

I believethatthispresentsanopeningtounderstandtheHGAandtheHeadlessOneasdistinctyetsharinganidentity.TakingintoaccounttheTempleofSetsreadingofSetasthepersonificationofisolateintelligence,SetcanbeunderstoodastheMacrocosmicmanifestationoftheNeoplatonicOne.

If,asShawseemstosuggestinTheurgy and the Soul,thatinvocationsofthegodselicitthesameforcewithinourownsouls,andacttoclarifyorharmonizetheirexpression.ToinvokeSetwould

thenbringforth,strengthenandharmonizeourownexpressionoftheOne,ourHGA.SetandtheHGAaredistinctinthissense,yetshareanidentityasexpressionsoftheOne,withintheMacrocosmandMicrocosm.

ThisinterpretationalignsnicelywithmetaphorslikeGodtheFather;GodtheSonandTipharethexistingasareflectionofKether.Itscontingentonanumberofquestionableassumptionsandgeneralizations,tothepointImhesitanttoevenmention.

3. on August 25, 2012 at 3:21 am | Reply Jack Faust

@Cole:IdontdoubttheTyphonian/Sethianlineageoftheritualatall.WhattroublesmeaboutthefocusonSet-Typhonisthattheritualitselfgivesthedaimonseveralnames,someofwhichdontseemveryTyphoniantome.Forexample,inthefirstfewlines(96-105):YouareOsoronnophriswhomnonehaveeverseen;youareIabas;youareIabos

Osoronnophrisis,ifmymemoryiscorrect,the perfected Osiris.IseemtorecallsomethingaboutIabasandIabosalsoinvolvingOsiris,butperhapsmymemoryiswrongthere.

Theblatantserpentineimageryofthespirit,however,isthemostimportantandwheretheSethian-Typhonianprobablycomefrom;asIre-readtoday,MortonSmithnotesthattheHeadlessGod,whoisoftentreatedinterchangiblywiththeAgathos-Daimon,alsoshowsupinDreamOraclesforBesa/Bes.Imlookingatonerightnow,PGMVIII.64-110(Betz,P.147):Icalluponyou,theHeadlessGod,havingyourfacebesideyourfeet,theonewhohurlslightningandthunders;youaretheonewhosemouthiscontinuallyfullofFire,theoneplacedoverNecessity.Icalluponyou,thegodplacedoverNecessity,IAEOSABAOTHADONAIZABARBATHIAO;youaretheonelyingonacoffinofMyrrhEtc.Smithcomments:SothisearthgodisBesandhe[is]also[the]agathosdaimon.Besandagathosdaimonandtheheadlessgodareverycloselyintertwined.Thatwaseasiertodobecauseasyouallknowagathosdaimonisserpentine.Agathosdaimonisawellrecognizedgod,whohaswellrecognizedcultsinEgyptalsoelsewhereinsouthernItalyandthelike.




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Thesearenolongerdistinctfiguresinanysense.Sethmust,byhisverynature,showupeventually.IjustdontthinktheritualisstrictlyTyphonian.IdontseewhyincludingHighGod/GreatGodtitlesforOsiriswouldoccurifthatwasthecase.ButImaybewrong.ThosePGMmagicianslovedcombininganysympatheticdeityintoessentiallynewforms,whichmakesanalysisabittaxingatthebestoftimes.

Also,IdonttrustStephenFlowers.Brilliantman,butheequateseveryone toSeteventually.

4. on August 27, 2012 at 1:46 pm | Reply Cole Tucker (@cole_tucker)@JackFaust,thankyouforcheckingin,yourworkontheHeadlesswasadecidedinfluenceinmypersonalworkwiththerite.

JSKrecognizesthesyncretismoftherite,particularlywithBes(trackstheIabastoIA-Bes)andIAO(shortresponsebyhimhere).Illhavetogobackandtakealookatthepamphlet,butI

believehespartiallyextrapolatingfromthegenreconventionsofthetext.

If,asJSKclaimsinGeosophia IIthatthemagiciansinvolvedinthecreationoftheGPMhadHekate

and

Typhon-

Set

as

their

patrons

(contrasted

against

a

more

diverse

group

of

patrons),

I

would

expectOsoronnophristohaveaverydifferentinterpretationthatfromaOsiriancult.OnethoughtisthatOsirisonlybecomeperfectedafterbeingacteduponbySet.

ThisisoneofthosetimesIwishJakeprovidedabitmoreinwayofsources.IsharethehesitationregardingStephenFlowers,soIwasabitsurprisedtoseeoutsidevalidation.

5. on August 28, 2012 at 10:46 pm | Reply Cole Tucker@JackFaust,InThe Headless One,JSKdelvesintothelinkstoBesyoubringupbutfocusesonthe

Setianassociations.

Particularly

drawing

the

parallels

with

an

older

rite,

from

the

Leyden

Papyrus,

ASpelltoInflictCatalepsy(PDMXIV675-94).FurtherconnectionsaredrawnwithPowerfulSpelloftheBear(PGMIV1331-89),anditsassociationswithbothSetandHekate.

Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics isalsomentioned,whichtranslatespartofthearticleAkephelos;DerKoflosegott,:mostoften[Set]seemstobeidentifiedwithasortofheadlessdemonwhoseeyesareplacedinhisshoulders.

JSKsopinionontheuseofOsoronnophrisis:OsirisandSetwerebothidentifiedwiththepantheisticSungodatthistime.Moreparticularly

forthepurposesofthisritual,Osirisasgodoftheunderworldcommandsagreatmanyspirits.Soitseemshefavorsasyncrenisticexplanation.

6. on August 29, 2012 at 9:57 pm | Reply melittabenu*munchespopcorn,lookingbackandforthbetweenthetwoofyou*

Oh,sorry!MaybeIshouldparticipatealittle- Ivereallybeenenjoyingthemagickalandscholarlybackandforth,andbothofyourcommentshavehelpedmegetabetterideaoftheHeadlessGodthanIhadbefore.Sincerely,thishasbeenmadeofawesome.




11/13

@ Cole

>>>Jake Stratton-Kent in his chapbook The Headless One and Stephen Flowers in Hermetic Magic bothtrace the Headless Rite to a Typhonian subgenre within the GPM, with JSK explicitly stating the rite is aninvocation of Typhon-Set.

I havesaythatIdontseetheriteasbeingpurelyTyphonianorexplicitlyaninvocationofTyphonSet.IcanseeSetbeingapartofagroupofgodsthattheHeadlessGodisidentifiedwith(andthis

ismy

own

conjecture,

purely

from

my

musing)

but

my

gut

tells

me

they

arent

exact.

Iwouldnt

doubtitsTyphonianlineagebasedonwhatIvereadofitandwhatIvebeenabletocompareitto,thoughsadly,Imnowherenearanexpertonitoraswell-educatedwithitasJackis.

>>>I believe that this presents an opening to understand the HGA and the Headless One as distinct yetsharing an identity. Taking into account the Temple of Sets reading of Set as the personification of isolateintelligence, Set can be understood as the Macrocosmic manifestation of the Neoplatonic One.

AreyoupartoftheTempleofSet,byanychance?IwaslookingtotalktosomeonefromtheTempleabouttheirviewsontheHGAforafutureproject.

I cansee

them

being

distinct

and

sharing

and

identity,

come

to

think

of

it,

simply

because

it

seems

thatsomanygodsandspirits(HekateandMelinoe,forexample)seemtodosimilar.However,theideaofSetastheNeoplatonicOnestrikesmeasverymonist:thesameasmanyHindusreferringtoKali,KrisnaoranyotherdeityastheOne.Thatdoesntmakeituntrue,butinmyminditmakesthingshighlysubjective,likemanyofmyownbeliefsconcerningHades,PersephoneandtheUnderworld.(Jackcouldvouchforthatone.)

>>>If, as Shaw seems to suggest in Theurgy and the Soul, that invocations of the gods elicit the same forcewithin 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. Thisinterpretation aligns nicely with metaphors like God the Father; God the Son and Tiphareth existing as areflection of Kether. Its contingent on a number of questionable assumptions and generalizations, to thepoint Im hesitant to even mention.

THIS.ThishelpsmemakesenseofwhysomanyofthenamesofothergodsrefertotheHGAand,well,helpssomemoreideasfitintoplace.Thankyouforthat.

@Jack

>>>For example, in the first few lines (96-105):

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 andIabos also involving Osiris, but perhaps my memory is wrong there.

See,identifyingtheHGAsomewhatwithOsirismakesmoresensetome,sinceOsiriswasoftenidentifiedwiththedeadsoulintheEgyptianafterlife.IrememberreadingthattheEnneadwasessentiallyagod-makingmachine,asystembywhichthedeceased,identifiedwithOsiris,ascendedfrommortalitytodivinityandeternallife.(Icameuponthatwhileresearchingformyundergradthesis,whichcomparedtheEarlyIsraeliteCultbeliefswiththeHeliopolitancult,but




12/13

dontremembertheauthorIthinkitwasLukertthatsaidsoinEgyptianLightandHebrewFire,orErikHornunginConceptionsofGodinAncientEgypt.)WhileitsnotthesameastheconceptoftheHGA,itlinesupmoretome.

>>>The blatant serpentine imagery of the spirit, however, is the most important and where the Sethian-Typhonian probably come from;

IveseenalotofserpentineimagerywithOsirisandAbraxas,too,andtheHeadlessGodis

comparedto

both.

>>>as I re-read today, Morton Smith notes that the Headless God, who is often treated interchangibly withthe Agathos-Daimon,

Hmmmm

@ Cole

>>>If, as JSK claims in Geosophia II that the magicians involved in the creation of the GPM had Hekate andTyphon-Set 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?ThatthemeseemstoworkintohowmanypeopleexperiencetheirHGAstobeginwith,andIcanseeinthisregardhowbothSetandOsiriswouldhaverolestoplayandbeidentifiedwiththeHGA.

>>>I would expect Osoronnophris to have a very different interpretation that from a Osirian cult. JSKsopinion on the use of Osoronnophris is:

Osiris and Set were both identified with the pantheistic Sun god at this time. More particularly for thepurposes of this ritual, Osiris as god of the underworld commands a great many spirits. So it seems hefavors a syncrenistic explanation.

I havehomeworktodowithOsoronnophris,Isee

Cole,thankssomuchforyourcommentary.YouvereallyhelpedmeoutinregardstothegodsrelationtotheHeadlessOneandgivenmefoodforthought.Anyresourcesyouwouldsuggest,otherthanthePGM,theLeydenPapyrusandJSK?(Jackisalwaysawesome,Idontneedtotellhimthat)

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

ImambivalentabouttheidentificationoftheHeadlessOnewithSet,Ijustdonthavethemythicaorscholarlybackgroundatthispoint.




13/13

>>>Are you part of the Temple of Set, by any chance? I was looking to talk to someone from the Templeabout their views on the HGA for a future project.Sorry,Imnot.AlexBurns mightbeagoodpersontoapproach.Hesbeenresponsivetoinquiriesinmyexperience.

>>>However, the idea of Set as the Neoplatonic One strikes me as very monist: the same as many Hindusreferring to Kali, Krisna or any other deity as the One

Thisisnt

asense

of

the

Neoplatonic

One

Ifind

useful

either.

Edward

Butler has

introduced

me

to

anapproachtotheOnewhichisverydifferentfrommonism.Imactuallyrunningoutthedoorfortheweekend,butwillbebacknextweektochatmore.SomeresourcesofhisIhavefoundveryusefulare:OfferingtotheGods:ANeoplatonicPerspectivePolytheismandIndividualityintheHenadicManifold

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

researchIm

doing.

Inoticed

in

passing

aspell

for

the

defense

against

aheadless

spirit

(paraphrase).Willcertainlybeworthalookatsomepoint!

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The Objective and Subjective HGA

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