DEVIL AND EVIL

DEVIL AND EVIL

If you were raised in the Christian Faith, chances are some of your earliest fears were brought on by the fearsome personage of all evil ... evil incarnate ... the Devil, and/or Satan. Other names you may have heard used: Beelzebub, Lucifer, the serpent/snake, Mephistopheles, etc. 

Chances are you were also taught at the same time about the all-powerful God who could turn off the sun if he chose to do so. So then, how is it that "another" mighty, eternal, God of Evil can co-exist with this Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent total power of the One good God/Source of Absolute Truth? 

The church system would teach that this Devil/Satan was literally once a mighty Angel, the most beautiful of all, they say. But his rebellion led to an uprising and he took a third of the Angels with him ... cast out of the heavenly realm. So, having no where else to go apparently, he came to Earth as a serpent, tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and therefore brought with him, chaos and disorder into Paradise that once was - before he moved into the neighborhood. Talk about home values plummeting.

So, now he and his fallen cohorts (so-called demons) travel about the world, tempting humans into wars, poverty, hunger, lies, rapes, murders, theft, vandalism, and every other evil that we can come up with. "The Devil made me do it" is what people claim, yet it is the person who has done the evil that will go to jail ... not the Devil or his demons. This is all fine and dandy if it was the basis for the plot of a low-budget horror film, but other than that ... it is all just a convenient way to blame someone else the for effects that WE cause. 

The original Christians (Krestianoi) knew the Truth. But then again, they were murdered and tortured to death by the Roman Church, and most all of their scriptures and physical evidence were either destroyed or confiscated. Quite a bit of bounty was collected for a newly formed Empirical Religion that had behind it the armies and legions of the Roman Empire. But, to maintain power over mankind, the power must be held in secret within the highest ranking leaders of the Church. If the people knew the Truth, if they had been empowered with the Truth of The Ages, the Hidden Wisdom, the Apocalyptic Revelation that was Life changing, then they would no longer be able to be controlled. And the money, donations, and food offerings would cease to come rolling into the temples and churches.

So then, who is this guy/power?

"For as much as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself took part in the same, that through DEATH, he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is THE DEVIL."

~Hebrews 2:14

Much like a dictionary, biblical scripture will give you definitions if you look hard enough. Many times, we have to go back to the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. So right here, we are told in plain English, that whoever or whatever has the "power of death" is the "Devil." 

"For since BY MAN came DEATH, by man came also the resurrection of the dead."

~1 Corinthians 15:21

So, according to this verse ... direct from the Bible ... MAN has the power of DEATH. And every man is subjected to duality (Though it is an illusion). There are two polarities of men within every man. The Inward Man and the Outward Man. The "outward" is the man of flesh ... Adam, so to speak. We inherited this outward man from the Genesis story of Adam. Adam is a man (according to scripture) and therefore we inherited the sin nature of Adam, right up the line, as an inclusive part of our human nature. 

"For the wages of SIN is DEATH."

~Romans 6:23

Now follow me ... I'm going somewhere with this. So it is SIN that has the power of DEATH. Sin is the Adam-man ... the human nature man ... the first of two. Adam, and Jesus. Adam (and sin) represent your human animal nature ... the flesh that your Soul is wrapped in. 

"If you live after the flesh, you shall die. but if you "by the Spirit" (the Mind of Christ) do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live."

~Romans 8:13

The human body has the power of death, through it's sin (error in thinking) and the battle is in the Mind ... where Spirit lives. This is ego-centric consciousness vs. Christ consciousness. While in the mythical Garden of Eden (Mind), Adam and Eve were tempted by the lust of sin ... wrong thinking, missing the mark of Divine Truth, which is in all men. The conversation with the serpent, was actually Eve having an internal conversation amongst her-selves. Just as we do today. We talk to ourselves, ask ourselves questions, and actually answer them. She had wandered into Ego-land. 

This story is about inner temptation. Eve was tempted. Adam was tempted. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. The lust of sin in the flesh (the ramblings and desires of our ego) bring about these temptations. And therefore, this Devil/Satan who is "the opposer," or "adversary," leads us astray from the natural default of goodness and righteousness. When we "sin" (make an error in judgement through ignorance leading to consequences) we bring forth the Devil. Satan ("ha-satan"). The opposite end of polarity between good, and not good. We are given this duality (range of polarity) so that we can discern what is right, or unright. Human nature ego, or Divine nature Mind. Once we see the Truth, that which was illusion dissipates. 

Your mirror reflection is not actually you, but it looks just like you ... in the opposite reverse polarity. Once you see that the image is not real, that it is merely an illusion, it is no longer needed. You have learned the lesson that was intended. The Devil/Satan are not anthropomorphized evil as personages, they are our ego Mind, forever wanting to follow the desires of our senses, rather than what is best for our Self and everyone else. We are one race, one blood, one point of origin. God/Source/Spirit lives with us, through us, and AS US. When all is "whole" ... "holy," then we can attain the ultimate goal ... Heaven on Earth. There is ONLY ONE power in this world. God alone is all there is. We are each an emanation from this Source of all there is. 

"so that all may know, from where the sun rises to where it sets, that there is none but Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things."

~Isaiah 45:6-7 

There is no room for a creature called the Devil to exist in a realm in which GOD is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, or ... ALL there IS. 

"for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

~Romans 14:17

"Neither shall they say, Look here! or, look there! for, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you."

~Luke 17:21

The Kingdom is described in the scriptures as being "Love, Peace, and Joy." So, let's make it happen ... and KNOW that it is found WITHIN us. Collectively, we are commissioned to bring order from chaos (day from night, light from darkness). We have the ability to reason. 

"For IN HIM we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."

~Acts 17:28

The universe/God/Source is one giant organism, and we live within it, move within it, have our being in it, as it, and there is nowhere else to go but right where we are right now. All is NOW. All is here. The present is a gift ... enjoy the moment. 

Just a thought ... 

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

IS GOD SLEEPING

IS GOD SLEEPING

Genesis tells us on the 7th day, God rested. So, ... "I'm done" says God? It's over. everybody out of the pool, put up the yellow tape ... store's closed. Well judging by human history, church history, government affairs, and the general condition of world events, apparently God never never showed back up at the factory on Monday. Was it "rested," or "retired?" Sure seems a lot like the latter doesn't it my friends? Now be honest. Don't tell me you've never asked something like "if there is a God, then where is He?"

Before you can determine what God has or has not been doing for the last 4.5 billion years of the existence of planet Earth, we we have to determine just exactly who or what "God" is to so many people. What is God to you? Do you imagine him to be as Zeus was, long white hair and beard sitting on a throne ruling from the monarchy of a heavenly realm, a He, She, or It; or is God simply each breath that you take in and out, and the sheer existence and sustainer of Life itself. Is God the label we have given to the Source of energy that launched the eternal universe into motion with such a precisely engineered formula that it is regenerative and cyclical guided by universal Laws and ever-expansive design?

Maybe this God looked at the whole thing as a parent assisting kids with their homework. "ok, I'll get it started for you, but you have to finish it." Maybe the entire universe IS what we call God, and we have personified into deity so many of these wonders that we have seen we simply make them or it, Deity ... simply because we didn't have a better answer or explanation at such an early point of human civilization.

Maybe WE are God? Maybe this giant rock that we live in (that's right in, not on) is one giant living Mind/organism that we have labelled the universe, and the entirety of all things are God. After all, children are dying of cancer, wars are prevalent everywhere, there is illness and disease, hunger, starvation, depression, abuse, hatred, natural disasters, and a host of other negative conditions that are far from what was supposed to be "live and live abundant."

Sure, we can blame "Satan/Devil" on these negative ills, but then we have to define who or what Satan actually is. The word simply means "the opposer." So, perhaps, if, as it states in the Bible "no one has seen the face of God," and there is noway possible than I could ever see MY face (unless through a reflection) that perhaps it is I, that am God. Not singularly, but collectively. Perhaps we are ALL God and we are ALL Satan, and we use our free will and creative powers to build a world of goodness, or not-so-goodness. It was Paul who said "we are the body of Christ." And if the Christ (consciousness of God) is the earthly representation of all the goodness (God-ness) that is God, when we go against the default of goodness, it is US who are "the opposer." Perhaps, it is DIVINE-vs-EGO in an ongoing spiritual evolution and involution of universal development?

Whatever it is you think God is, one thing in very clear. Mankind is the reasoning, thinking, planning, and execution creature that brings about causation in this world, along with the natural order of events already set in motion. In many ways, WE are the God of this world. Go(o)d and un-go(o)d. We have the ability to bring about change and keep things evolving to a better future. WE can stop the wars. WE can feed the children. WE can cure disease. We can shelter the homeless. We can do ALL of these things with the assistance and Life-force that we call God providing each and every breath we take, and the interconnection of our consciousness through the Matrix of this single organism we call the universe. WE are the chosen ones to bring about the Kingdom (love, peace, and joy) upon the lower worlds ... Earth. So, Let's do this.

Just a thought ... 

~Justin Taylor, ORDM.

HEBREW CONNECTION TO SATAN

HEBREW CONNECTION TO SATAN

Among the ancient beliefs of Zoroastrianism, the Persian Magi (Astrologers and Zoroastrian Priests) turned some Hindu concepts around, and with them the Asuras were good and the Devas bad. "Ahura Mazda," the god was good, his counterpart "Ahriman" was bad ... the devil of sorts. So there was now evil and good. Therefore, there was between the god and the devil the waging of a perpetual war. And why not?  Man has always been at war with himself, so why not the Gods as well?

 

Read this quote from Author Gerald Messandé: “The early framework of the three monotheisms (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) had been erected. The Devil's birth certificate was filled out by an Iranian prophet (Zoroaster).” Although, this is really only partly true, his full birth certificate was filled out by those who had changed the religion to what many contemporary followers of that faith believe today. And also, mixed in a bit from here and there, along with other religions and philosophical systems to create a conglomerate system. 

 

Now we move forward to the Hebrew Connection to all of this good/evil, god/satan stuff. Many years after all the changes to Zoroastrianism were made by the Magi, the Hebrew people came into contact with Zoroastrianism during the Babylonian rule, from 597 to 538 BCE. This was now a period after they had been exposed to numerous other beliefs and doctrines from other civilizations while under earlier Assyrian rule. Remember also, that the ancient Hebrews, were not always monotheistic. In their earlier times, they were polytheistic as many others before them were as well. 

 

It is from this Babylonian exposure to Zoroastrianism, that Judaism acquired the belief in a dualistic cosmos being torn between the forces of good and evil. It was here that Judaism acquired the concept of angels and, more specifically, their seven Archangels (the Seven Attributes of Ahura Mazda). It was here also, that the Hebrews were exposed to the idea of the evil entity Ahriman (Satan/ha-satan) working directly against God and a Saoshyant (Messiah/Christ) who would come at the end of time (Frasho-kereti) to assure and guarantee the restoration of Divine Law to the entire world.

 

It is worth noting that the Hebrew word for "angel" is malach, meaning “messenger.” Also note, the same is true for the English word Angel, derived from the Greek word "Angelos," which also means “messenger.” Throughout the Bible, an Angel, is a messenger of God/Source who carries out the Divine will of the Almighty.  There is not one example in the Hebrew scriptures where any Angel, Satan included, "opposes" God’s will. “Satan (or ha-satan)” in Hebrew means “adversary.” (or opposer/accuser) 

 

Now, shortly after Satan's “birth,” the idea of Hell gained wide acceptance. Prior to this, the official doctrine was that all Hebrew people who died went to Sheol. Sheol was a place of shadows where the world still existed but remained forever out of grasp. Everyone went to Sheol whether or not they were wicked or holy. Our modern idea of ghosts emerged from this belief. But, technically, Sheol was ultimately "the grave."

 

The Persians are also responsible for the doctrines of a "final battle," a "final judgment," and the "resurrection of the dead." From them, the Hebrews developed a scheme of world history, new beliefs about the end of time, and a more extensive set of beliefs concerning Angels. Frankly, the Hebrews had few original ideas, and thats ok. They were defining they own belief system based upon what they had encountered from other peoples. 

In fact, all of what you will find in Old Testament scripture (allegory and metaphor) was nothing new or original. It had all been said before, and long before the Hebrews came along. They merely customized earlier stories with their own symbolism, rituals, geography, and names. The same goes for the Roman New Testament as well. The Roman Church did the very same thing. 

So, returning to where we were, "Satan" gained a established place in late Hebrew and early Roman Christian thought to explain the sinister reality of sin and suffering in a world whose faith, was believed to be under the wise and beneficent guidance and command of the Almighty God/Source. Biblically speaking, this concept of Satan, was one of being a Prosecuting Attorney, under employ of the Court of God. 

The conception of "the evil one" in his dual aspect of being the enemy of God, enemy of man ... even a "fallen Angel" can be traced way back to its origins in much earlier religions, and is based entirely upon mythology. Just remember, under all of the stories, fables, metaphors, allegories, parables, and myth ... is hidden much deeper lessons for the spiritual advancement of man. The ancient Greek root word "mythos" is not as we see the word "myth" today. Today, we see "myth" and it means it never happened, or it's just a meaningless fable, or urban legend. But that was not the original concept by the Greeks. There was always something hidden under the guise of a myth that was much more important than the story itself. I will wrap this up with one of my favourite quotes from Joseph Campbell:

"A myth is something that never was, yet always is."

Just a thought ... 

~Justin Taylor, ORDM.

HEBREW CONNECTION TO SATAN

HEBREW CONNECTION TO SATAN

Among the ancient beliefs of Zoroastrianism, the Persian Magi (Astrologers and Zoroastrian Priests) turned some Hindu concepts around, and with them the Asuras were good, and the Devas bad. “Ahura Mazda,” the god was good, his counterpart “Ahriman” was bad … the “devil” of sorts. So there was now evil and good. Therefore, there was between the god and the devil the waging of a perpetual war. And why not? Man has always been at war with himself, so why not the Gods as well?

Author Gerald Messandé wrote: “The early framework of the three monotheisms [Judaism, Christianity, Islam] had been erected. The Devil’s birth certificate was filled out by an Iranian prophet (Zoroaster).” Although, this is really only partly true, his full birth certificate was filled out by those who had changed the religion to what many contemporary followers of that faith believe today. And also, mixed in a bit from here and there, from among ancient myths and legends - and many other religions and philosophical systems - to create a conglomerate.

Now we move forward to the Hebrew Connection to all of this good/evil, god/satan stuff. Many years after all the changes to Zoroastrianism were made by the Magi, the Hebrew people came into contact with Zoroastrianism during the Babylonian rule, from 597 to 538 BCE. This was now a period after they had been exposed to numerous other beliefs and doctrines from other civilizations while under earlier Assyrian rule. Remember also, that the ancient Hebrews, were not always monotheistic. In their earlier times, they were polytheistic as many others before them were as well. There were Sky Gods, Nature Gods, etc. 

It is from this Babylonian exposure to Zoroastrianism, that Judaism acquired the belief in a dualistic cosmos being torn between the forces of good and evil. It was here that Judaism acquired the concept of angels and, more specifically, their seven Archangels (the Seven Attributes of Ahura Mazda). It was here also, that the Hebrews were exposed to the idea of the evil entity Ahriman (Satan/ha-satan) working directly against God and a Saoshyant (Messiah) who would come at the end of time (Frasho-kereti) to assure and guarantee the restoration of Divine Law to the world.

It is worth noting that the Hebrew word for “angel” is malach, meaning “messenger.” Also note, the same is true for the English word Angel, derived from the Greek word “Angelos,” which also means “messenger.” Throughout Biblical scripture, an Angel, is a messenger of God/Source who carries out the Divine will of the Almighty. There is not one example in the Hebrew scriptures where any Angel, Satan included, “opposes” God’s will. “Satan (or ha-satan)” in Hebrew means “adversary.” (or opposer/accuser)

Now, shortly after Satan’s “birth,” the idea of Hell gained wide acceptance. Prior to this, the official doctrine was that all Hebrew people who died went to Sheol. Sheol was a place of shadows where the world still existed but remained forever out of your grasp. Everyone went to Sheol whether or not they were wicked or holy. Our modern idea of ghosts emerged from this belief. But, technically, it was ultimately “the grave.”

The Persians are also responsible for the doctrines of a “final battle,” a “final judgment,” and the “resurrection of the dead.” From them, the Hebrews developed a scheme of world history, new beliefs about the end of time, and a more extensive set of beliefs concerning Angels. Frankly, the Hebrews had few original ideas.

In fact, all of what you will find in Old Testament scripture (allegory and metaphor) was nothing new or original. It had all been said before, and long before the Hebrews came along. They merely customized earlier stories with their own symbolism, rituals, geography, and names. The same goes for the Roman New Testament as well.

So, returning to where we were ... “Satan” gained a established place in late Hebrew and early Roman Christian thought to explain the sinister reality of sin and suffering in a world whose faith, was believed to be under the wise and beneficent guidance of the Almighty God/Source. Biblically speaking, this concept of Satan, was one of being a Prosecuting Attorney, under employ of the Court of God.

The conception of “the evil one” in his dual aspect of being the enemy of God, enemy of man … even a “fallen Angel” can be traced way back to its origins in much earlier religions, and is based entirely upon mythology. Just remember, under all of the stories, fables, metaphors, allegories, parables, and myth … is hidden much deeper lessons for the spiritual advancement of man. This evil one, is none other than the human ego. The one who chooses to either be in alignment with the default of goodness, or stand in opposition to it. 

The ancient Greek root word “mythos” is not as we see the word “myth” today. Today, we see see and use the word “myth” and the meaning we have attached to it is that “it never happened,” or “it’s just a meaningless fable, or urban legend.” But that was not the original concept by the Greeks. There was always something hidden under the guise of a myth that was much more important than the story itself. I will wrap this up with one of my favourite quotes from Joseph Campbell:

“A myth is something that never was, yet always is.”

Research everything you’ve been taught. Question everything you believe, and why you believe it. There is always something more to the story than meets the eye ... and the word. 

Just a thought ... 

Justin Taylor, ORDM. 

ORIGIN OF THE WORDS SIN AND EVIL

ORIGIN OF THE WORDS SIN AND EVIL

Sin & Evil: In the Aramaic Language and culture that the New Testament Biblical Jesus taught in, the terms for “sin” and “evil” were archery terms. When the archer shot at the target and missed, the scorekeeper yelled the Aramaic word for sin. It meant that you were off the mark, take another shot. In Aramaic, the word used is “ḥōb,” which can mean in many Aramaic dialects either a debt owed to a lender or a “sin.” Same with the Greek. In the Greek, “hamartia” means “missed the mark.” In Hebrew, “chait” was used in the same manner. Accurately translated as “error” or “mistake.”

The concept of sin was to be for positive mental feedback. Sin is when you are operating from inaccurate information and thus a perceptual mis-take. When you become conscious and aware of the results of your inaccuracy you have the option to reconsider what you have learned and do as they do in Hollywood, “do another take.” By the way, to further add to what was mentioned above, during the Olympic Archery events, where the arrow fell - when it missed the target - was referred to as evil. This coincides with the original Greek word mentioned above for missing the mark: “hamartia.”

The church system however, defines sin as “an act that is regarded by theologians as a transgression of God’s will.” This would mean, by design, that the church decides what God’s will might be and therefore by default, is a decision as to what the church leaders have decided would be God’s will, since God is Spirit and unable to write a book.

Reaching much farther back into time, and into ancient mythology, Sin - (Akkadian) was god of the Moon; a counterpart of the Sumerian Nanna. In Mesopotamian religion, the god of the moon was the father of the sun god, Shamash (Sumerian: Utu), and in some myths, of Ishtar (Sumerian: Inanna), goddess of Venus, and with them formed an astral triad of deities.

Sin was represented as an old man with a flowing beard - a wise and unfathomable god - wearing a headdress of four horns surmounted by a crescent moon. The last king of Babylon, Nabonidus (556–539 BCE), attempted to elevate Sin to a supreme position within the pantheon.

Biblically speaking, “The wages of sin is death” say the scriptures. We must not look at scripture like this, in a literal sense. It is allegory and always carries a deeper esoteric and metaphorical meaning. Another way of seeing this verse is “what is paid or received for work or services due to inaccurate information and thus a perceptual mis-take, is a resulting ignorance.” As referenced in the first paragraph above: “debt owed to a lender.”

We are also seeing in action, the Law of Cause and Effect ... karma. We are not punished FOR our sin ... we are punished BY our sin. The consequences of ignorant thinking and acting. 

We as human beings, must find the Truth and live within the Universal Laws that have been established ... boundaries. Laws such as mentalism, correspondence, vibration, polarity, rhythm, cause and effect, Gender, etc. When we learn to live within these parameters, we do not transgress the Laws. When we ultimately find the Truth, then “the Truth will make us free.”

Just a thought ... 

Justin Taylor, ORDM.

SET SETH AND SATAN

SET SETH AND SATAN

Set was the Egyptian god of the underworld. There are many stories, myths, and fables involving Set. Set was essentially, THE embodiment of evil. In the ancient Egyptian Myth, Set killed his brother Osiris. He was the Prince of Darkness. Each evening Horus, the Sun or solar deity that ruled the day, would do battle with Set who ruled the night. Set would win this battle and send Horus into the underworld. 

The two would fight throughout the night, and in the morning Horus would eventually overcome the powers of darkness to rise or ascend into heaven (Ouranos/Sky Greek: ουρανός). The next SUN/SET that you see may now have a different meaning to you.

Set had many names throughout the thousands of years that numerous forms of this myth prevailed. The following are some of the various names of Set, or that Set was identified with: 

Seth

Apophis/Apop/Apap/Apepi

Anubis

Sut

Sutu

Typhon

Toth

Sata

The last name in the list should look quite familiar even among the people of today's world ... SATA (satan).

One of the Ancient Greek Myth versions of Set was Typhon or Typhoeus. Here you’ll find some mythological history:

“A monster of the primitive world, who is described sometimes as a destructive hurricane (Typhoon), and sometimes a fire-breathing giant. According to Homer, he was concealed in the earth in the country of the Arimi ... In Hesiod, Typhon (the Greek for Set/Seth) and Typhoeus are two distinct beings. Typhon is represented as the son of Typhoeus, and a fearful hurricane ... Typhoeus ... is called the youngest son of Tartarus and Gaea ... He is described as a monster with 100 heads, fearful eyes, and terrible voices, who wanted to acquire the sovereignty of the gods and men, but, after a fearful struggle, was subdued by Zeus with a thunderbolt. He begot the winds, whence he is called the father of the harpies ... he was buried in Tartarus (hell), under Mount Aetna ... Typhoeus was identified with Set, who typified the power of darkness, the same power of darkness who slew Osiris.”

Satan, as a great serpent being chained in the underworld or “bottomless pit/abyss” (Rev 20:1-3) is drawing from the Typhon and Apophis imagery. As for the pit being bottomless or a great abyss, Greek myths mention that the underworld of Tartarus is as far removed from the earth's surface, as is heaven. Ancient Greek Myth imagery is once again being borrowed here.

Another very powerful myth from ancient Egypt that fit very well into the Biblical record of creation was the legend of the rebellion of Seth against Horus. Seth, a synonym of hatred and disobedience in Egyptian mythology, caused all sorts of troubles to befall man in revenge for his banishment by Horus and the rest of the “Egyptian Ennead.” The Ennead (or Great Ennead) was a group of nine deities in Egyptian mythology. 

“Know that in the minds of the early Egyptian Christians, Satan, as a parallel to Seth, became a rebel and the enemy of man, who began to lurk in ambush in order to drag him (man) into disobedience.”  

-Dr. Wlison B. Bishai 

Professor Emeritus of Arabic for the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University

And a quote from "The Christ Conspiracy"

“ ... Of course, the dualistic concepts of absolute good and evil did not originate with Christianity but are found long before the Christian era, particularly within Zoroastrianism. Satan is an adaptation of the Persian representative of evil “Ahriman,” the twin brother of “God (Ahura Mazda),” the same as the Egyptian Set, Horus's twin and principal enemy also known as “Sata,” the source of which comes “Satan.” Horus struggles with Set in the exact manner that Jesus battles with Satan, with 40 days in the wilderness, among other similarities, such as the revealing from the mount “all the kingdoms of Earth.” This myth represents the triumph of light over dark, or the sun's return to relieve the terror of the night (Darkness+Evil=Devil). Horus/Set was the god of the two horizons; hence, Horus was the rising sun, and Set the time of the Sun-SET. The origin of the “devil” also can be uncovered through etymology, in that the word comes from the Sanskrit term “deva” or the Persian “daeva,” both of which originally referred to angelic entities, usually female, who were demonized by Christian indoctrinators. In actuality, “devil” shares the same root as “divine.” In addition, “demon” is a Christian vilification of the Greek word “daemon,” which likewise referred to a divine spirit ...”

Also from “The Christ Conspiracy”

Now onto the use of the term “Lucifer (Latin).” Despite all the political intrigue, Lucifer (Greek: Phosphorus) simply means “Light bearer/bringer,” and he was in the earliest times a sun god, which is why he is called “Day Star, son of the morning/dawn.” The sun god Lucifer is “cast out of heaven” by the other angels (or stars), as night descends. This god/angel Lucifer is pre-Hebraic, found in Canaan, Egypt and Mesopotamia, and was not originally considered evil ...”

-C.C. (229)

So, those of you that are worried about Satan following you around and making people do things, as you can plainly see it was just a story that originated in ancient Egypt that sprang out of ignorance of the natural world. The church used it as a ploy to control people of the times that had no education and would easily fear these mythical entities.

In a deeper more esoteric and metaphysical level, allegorically, our ego is considered to be satan, devil, demon, anti-christ ... simply because it goes against the common good (God) for it's own ego-centric and selfish desires. So we see that satan is symbolic of the human ego, opposer to the Divine Spark of God. But more on that, in another writing.

Just a thought ... 

Justin Taylor, ORDM.

PERSONIFICATION OF SATAN

PERSONIFICATION OF SATAN

The characterization and personification of “Satan” (Greek: σατανάς) (Hebrew: ha-satan) is portrayed to humanity in ever changing and varied images. The diversity of the images should be noted, particularly the diversification of forms “Satan” has taken on throughout history depicted by the images which have been catalogued, is not coincidental. 

Either these extremely varied pictures are all true to some extent and represent the “Satan” creature’s ability to morph like some kind of “shape shifter,” or there is no Truth to his being a real entity. 

In his poem, Dante portrayed the Devil as a grotesque, winged creature with three faces - each chewing on a devious sinner - whose wings blew freezing cold winds throughout Hell’s domain. In The Bible, there is no description of the Devil in any physical detail, and Historically by the end of the Middle Ages, the Devil had taken on the appearance of the horned, trident-wielding figure with a tail that has endured to modern times.

All the images of Satan are just many different depictions of many different imaginations that are based on imagery borrowed from ancient mythological creatures ... such as Pan. Pan being the nature demon that frightened everyone at that time. Pan’s fearful presence has carried on into our English language through words such as PANic and PANdemonium.

The primary meaning of the Hebrew word שָׂטָן (satan) is “an adversary, an opponent.” So in the Old Testament, satan (ha-satan) is commonly used to mean “an enemy”, either within or without. Biblically, in many of the places where this word is traditionally translated “Satan,” it should really be translated as “enemy or adversary." The Greek word σατανάς (satanas), comes from the Hebrew word satan, and has the same meaning: an adversary or enemy. 

We also find the use of the other word known as “Devil” in ancient texts. In the Greek of the New Testament, the word  “devil” (διάβολος/diabolos) most of the time meant a ruling evil figure. The underlying meaning of this Greek word is “false accuser, slanderer.” So once again, when we read “the Devil” in the New Testament, it refers to a very human reality: those who slander others and make false accusations.

These different graphic depictions can only be mental fabrications and constructs with no real model to base them on. So too is “Satan” himself ... a mental fabrication. Albeit, one in which many people believe to be real, in a physical sense.

The medieval period has been the most profound period of artistic depictions of what it is believed Satan looked like. The graphic images played a huge part in the conciousness of unsuspecting and unquestioning citizenry throughout that period, and assisted in setting up a belief that “Satan” was a physical being with a physical form ... and this horned being may well be the oldest deity reconized by humankind. 

Just like the fabrications of creative pagans and superstitious Christians of the past, the demons of the present day and of the New Testament period, were little more than mental constructs used to strike fear in the heart of mankind. That being said, know that the very word “demon” in the original Greek simply meant “spirit” (δαίμονας/daímonas), or Divine power. Nothing more. 

Although every culture assigned images to their concepts of their evil deity, the Truth of the matter is that the pagan nations each had their own multiplicity of Gods to worship, but that doesn’t make them real. These are non-existent, fabrications of men’s minds and were often made into statues and idols by the very hands of men. It is these “Gods” who were known as diamons/demons by the Ancient Greeks.

Although not specifically good or bad, they were believed to be “spirit energies” but eventually the Christians of old rejected the concept of “good spirit energies” and concluded ... these must be evil demons.

Today, many Christians believe the Devil was once a beautiful angel named Lucifer who defied God and fell from grace. This assumption that he is a fallen angel is often based the book of Isaiah in the Bible which says: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations.” It is important to note that “Lucifer” isn’t a proper name but a descriptive phrase meaning “morning star or day star,” and can also be properly translated as “light Bearer or light bringer.” Lucifer is Latin, and in the Greek we find “Phosphorus” (Greek Φωσφόρος Phōsphoros) ... the Morning Star, the planet Venus in its morning appearance. 

The Latin word lucifer, corresponding to Greek φωσφόρος, was used in Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translation of the Hebrew word הֵילֵל (helel), meaning Venus as the brilliant, bright or shining one, in Isaiah 14 (Isaiah 14:12), where the Septuagint Greek version uses, not φωσφόρος, but ἑωσφόρος. As a translation of the same Hebrew word the King James Version gave “Lucifer,” a name often misunderstood as a reference to Satan. Still, the name stuck and the Devil is often referred to as Lucifer.

By the time the Christian movement had swept across the Western world, our language would reflect that reversed perception, the Greek term daimones, “spirit energies,” would become in the English language, “demons” ... and are considered to be evil. These spirit-energy creatures, had become Satan's little helpers. 

Throughout history, the Devil’s reputation as an evildoer hasn’t changed much. Most followers of the Christian Religion still believe he has literally wreaked havoc on the earthly plane, and is responsible for much of the world’s corruption and chaos. To find the real satan though, we must look within ... and find our own sensory based ego-driven choices that bring consequence rather than benefit to humanity. This, is the “Opposer,” the enemy, false-accuser, and adversary - and, in many ways - the Antichrist. 

Just a thought ... 

Justin Taylor, ORDM.

WHO OR WHAT IS LUCIFER?

WHO OR WHAT IS LUCIFER?

Isaiah 14:12 - Hebrew Old Testament - NEVI'IM (The Prophets)

" חוֹלֵשׁ עַל-גּוֹיִם. יב  אֵיךְ נָפַלְתָּ מִשָּׁמַיִם, הֵילֵל בֶּן-שָׁחַר; נִגְדַּעְתָּ לָאָרֶץ, "

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, that didst cast lots over the nations!"

In the KJV (King James Version - and ONLY in the KJV) we read the same verse: 

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O LUCIFER, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” 

More modern translations ... except for the NKJV ... have the proper translation of the word LUCIFER as “day star” or “morning star” instead of the Latin word "Lucifer."

LUCIFER literally translates from the Latin (because it is not in the original Hebrew text) (Phosphoros in the Greek) as "Light Bringer, Morning Star, Venus, etc." because this morning star ushers in the "SUN of God" every morning in the celestial kingdom. And allegorically, this light ushers in the Christ within each of us.

Now ... this will more than likely be the first time you have heard of these Truths so get ready for some enlightenment. The ancient civilizations already knew of the concept of the "Lightbearer" and "Lucifer" and they used this symbolism for thousands, and thousands of years ... to depict the "indwelling Krst/Christ" within all humanity. 

This means that for thousands of years, until the rise of western theology, the concept of "Lucifer" was likened to the "incarnated Christ" who brings light to our darkened Souls incarnated, trapped and mummified in "matter/form" and "crucified in the bodies of 'matter/form'". The Greeks termed it to be "SOMA/SEMA" or ... symbolically, the body (soma) is a tomb (sema). 

The ancient Spiritual Wisdom and symbol of Lucifer, the ancient symbol for "the indwelling Christ", was altered into becoming Satan and evil. Lucifer and the devil are not one in the same. Much in the same way as Venus ushers in the Sun of God each and every morning - preceding the sun in the heavens every morning. 

Now read the verse again with MAN as allegorical reference ... in this case, the King of Babylon - the original allegorical character in this scriptural message.

"How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain."

~ Isaiah 14:12

It is the unseen Divine Soul of man (the christed one) who is eternal and has forgotten he is the Lord's begotten. When we follow our human ego rather than Divine Order and Law (God) ... we fall from the sacred mountain and fall to the dense state of matter (the lowest level of vibrational energy) rather than our eternal state of Spirit (our highest state of vibrational energy). Welcome to earth school. 

Here we have the insertion of a "Christly Spiritual Concept" inserted into the Hebrew Scriptures where it never originally was. Don't believe it? Study it, research it, reference it. 

Mankind, is the begotten son of god. We are one in Spirit ... one in consciousness ... and the microcosm of the macrocosm. Whether you believe in - creationism, or big bang ... everything came from something, and that something is in all things visible and invisible. The point of origin for ALL things leaves within those things traces of itself thereby unifying all of creation.

So, Lucifer (Lucent/Luminescence/etc) is the Bringer of Light, not the Lord of Darkness, as we have been led to believe. We should always be able to openly discuss any subject ... with an open mind for Truth. There are billions of opinions (mine included), but only ONE TRUTH. Let's continue our search to find it, and share it.

-30-

DEVIL AND EVIL

DEVIL AND EVIL

If you were raised in the Christian Faith, chances are some of your earliest fears were brought on by the fearsome personage of all evil ... evil incarnate ... the Devil, and/or Satan. Chances are you were also taught at the same time about the all-powerful God who could turn off the sun if he chose to do so. So then, how can "another" mighty, eternal, God of Evil co-exist with this Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent total power of the One good God/Source of Absolute Truth? Hmmm. 

The church would teach that this Devil/Satan was once a mighty Angel, the most beautiful of all, they say. But his rebellion led to an uprising and he took a third of the Angels with him ... cast out of the heavenly realm. So, having no where else to go apparently, he came to Earth as a serpent, tempted Adam and Eve, and therefore brought with him, chaos and disorder into the Garden/Paradise that once was - before he moved into the neighborhood. Talk about home values plummeting ... 

So, now he and his fallen cohorts (so-called demons) travel about the world  tempting humans into wars, poverty, hunger, lies, rapes, murders, theft, vandalism, and every other evil that we can come up with. "The Devil made me do it" is what people claim, yet it is the person who has done the evil that will go to jail ... not the Devil or his demons. This is all fine and dandy if it was the basis for the plot of a low-budget horror film, but other than that ... it is all bunk. Yes, bunk. It is just a convenient way to blame someone else the for effects that WE cause. 

The original Christians knew the Truth. But then again, they were murdered and tortured to death by the Roman Church and most all of their scriptures and physical evidence were either destroyed or confiscated. Quite a bit of bounty was collected for a newly formed Empirical Religion that had behind it the armies and legions of the Roman Empire. But, to maintain power over mankind, the power must be held in secret within the highest ranking leaders of the Church. If the people knew the Truth, if they had been empowered with the Truth of The Ages, the Hidden Wisdom, the Apocalyptic Revelation that was life changing, then they would no longer be able to be controlled. And the money, donations, and food offerings would cease to come rolling into the temples and churches.

So then, who is this guy/power?

"For as much as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself took part in the same, that through DEATH, he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is THE DEVIL."

Hebrews 2:14

Much like a dictionary, biblical scripture will give you definitions if you look hard enough. Many times, we have to go back to the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. So right here, we are told in plain English, that whoever or whatever has the "power of death" is the Devil. 

"For since BY MAN came DEATH, by man came also the resurrection of the dead."

1 Corinthians 15:21

So, according to this verse ... direct from the Bible ... MAN has the power of DEATH. And every man is subjected to duality (Though it is an illusion). There are two polarities of men within every man. The Inward Man and the Outward Man. The "outward" is the man of flesh ... Adam so to speak. We inherited this outward man from the story of Adam. Adam is a man (according to scripture) and therefore we inherited the sin nature of Adam, right up the line, as an inclusive part of our human nature. 

"For the wages of SIN is DEATH."

Romans 6:23

Now follow me ... I'm going somewhere. So it is SIN that has the power of DEATH. Sin is the Adam man ... the human nature man ... the first of two. Adam, and Jesus. Adam (and sin) represent your human animal nature ... the flesh that your Soul is wrapped in. 

"If you live after the flesh, you shall die. (sounds a bit like Genesis huh?) but if you "by the Spirit" (the Mind of Christ) do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live."

Romans 8:13

The human body has the power of death, through it's sin (error in thinking) and the battle is in the mind ... where Spirit lives. This is ego-centric consciousness vs. Christ consciousness. While in the mythical Garden of Eden (mind), Adam and Eve were tempted by the lust of sin ... wrong thinking, missing the mark of Divine Truth, which is in all men. The conversation with the serpent, was actually Eve having an internal conversation amongst herselves. Just as we do today. We talk to ourselves, ask ourselves questions, and actually answer them. She wandered into Ego-land.

This story is about inner temptation. Eve was tempted. Adam was tempted. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. The lust of sin in the flesh (the ramblings and desires of our ego) bring about these temptations. And therefore, this Devil/Satan who is "the opposer" leads us astray from the default of goodness and righteousness. When we "sin" (make an error in judgement through ignorance leading to consequences) - we bring forth the Devil. Satan (ha-satan! the Opposer). The opposite end of polarity between good, and not good. We are given this duality (range of polarity) so that we can discern what is right, or unright. Human nature ego, or Divine nature Mind. Once we see the Truth, that which was illusion dissipates. 

Your mirror reflection is not actually you, but it looks just like you ... in the opposite reverse polarity. Once you see that the image is not real, that it is merely an illusion, it is no longer needed. You have learned the lesson that was intended. The Devil/Satan are not anthropomorphized evil as personages, they are our ego mind, forever wanting to follow the desires of our senses, rather than what is best for our Self and everyone else. We are one race, one blood, one point of origin. God/Source/Spirit lives with us, through us, and as us. When all is "whole" ... "holy," then we can attain Heaven on Earth. The Kingdom is described in the scriptures as being "Love, Peace, and Joy." So, let's make it happen. Collectively, we are commissioned to bring order from chaos (day from night, light from darkness). We have the ability to reason. The universe is one giant organism, and we live within it, as it, and there is nowhere else to go but right where we are. All is NOW. All is here. 

Just a thought ... 

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.