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Evokation
 
 
Index
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
A
=
1
-
5
ADDED
18
18
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
T
=
2
-
2
TO
35
8
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
A
=
1
-
3
ALL
25
7
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
M
=
4
-
5
MINUS
76
22
4
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
N
=
5
-
4
NONE
48
21
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
S
=
1
-
6
SHARED
55
28
1
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
B
=
2
-
2
BY
27
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
E
=
5
-
10
EVERYTHING
133
61
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
M
=
4
-
10
MULTIPLIED
121
49
4
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
I
=
9
-
2
IN
23
14
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
A
=
1
-
9
ABUNDANCE
65
29
2
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
35
-
58
First Total
995
266
59
-
1
2
3
8
5
6
14
8
18
-
-
3+5
-
5+8
Add to Reduce
9+9+5
2+6+6
5+9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+4
-
1+8
-
-
8
-
13
Second Total
23
14
14
-
1
2
3
8
5
6
5
8
9
-
-
-
-
1+3
Reduce to Deduce
2+3
1+4
1+4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
4
Essence of Number
5
5
5
-
1
2
3
8
5
6
5
8
9

 

 

21 Mar 2007 ... A word coined by Horace Walpole, who says (Let. to Mann, 28 Jan. 1754) that he had formed it upon the title of the fairy-tale `The Three ... serendip.brynmawr.edu/serendip/about.html

The Meanings of "Serendip"

 

"--- you don't reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings ... serendipitously." (John Barth, The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor)
"To put the matter differently, "play" (and its associated behavioral variability) is not purely entertainment or a luxury to be given up when things get serious. It is itself a highly adaptive mechanism for dealing with the reality that the context for behavior is always largely unknown. (Paul Grobstein, Variability in behavior and the nervous system, IN Encyclopedia of Human Behavior, Volume 4, Academic Press, 1994)

 

17 Nov 2008 ... Serendib, the old Arabic/Persian name for Sri Lanka · Serendib (spider), ... Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serendib" ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serendib

Serendib
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Look up Serendib in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Serendib may refer to:

Serendib, the old Arabic/Persian name for Sri Lanka
Serendib (spider), a spider genus (Corinnidae)

 

 

21 Mar 2007 ... A word coined by Horace Walpole, who says (Let. to Mann, 28 Jan. 1754) that he had formed it upon the title of the fairy-tale `The Three ... serendip.brynmawr.edu/serendip/about.html

The Meanings of "Serendip"

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SERENDIPITY (from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd Edition)
The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.

[From the characters in the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, from Persian Sarandip,Sri Lanka, from Arabic Sarandib]

Word history: We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for coining the word serendipity. In one of his 3,000 or more letters, on which his literary reputation rests, and specifically in a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that "this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word." Perhaps the word itself came to him by serendipity. Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of a "silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip; as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of ... One of the most remarkable instances of this accidental sagacity (for you must observe that no discovery of a thing you are looking for comes under this description) was of my Lard Shaftsbury, who happening to dine at Lord Chancellor Claredon's, found out the marriage of the Duke of York and Mrs. Hyde, by the respect with which her mother treated her at table."

SERENDIPITY (from the Oxford English Dictionary)

f. Serendip, a former name for Sri Lanka + -ity. A word coined by Horace Walpole, who says (Let. to Mann, 28 Jan. 1754) that he had formed it upon the title of the fairy-tale `The Three Princes of Serendip', the heroes of which `were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of'.

The faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident. Also, the fact or an instance of such a discovery. Formerly rare, this word and its derivatives have had wide currency in the 20th century.

* 1955 Sci. Amer. Apr. 92/1 Our story has as its critical episode one of those coincidences that show how discovery often depends on chance, or rather on what has been called `serendipity'-the chance observation falling on a receptive eye.

* 1971 S. E. Morison European Discovery Amer.: Northern Voy. i. 3 Columbus and Cabot..(by the greatest serendipity of history) discovered America instead of reaching the Indies.

* 1980 TWA Ambassador Oct. 47/2 It becomes a glum bureaucracy, instead of the serendipity of 30 people putting out a magazine.

Hence

SERENDIPITIST

* 1939 Joyce Finnegans Wake 191 You..semisemitic serendipitist, you (thanks, I think that describes you) Europasianised Afferyank!

* 1968 Punch 13 Nov. 684/1 There are the financial serendipitists, the men blessed monetarily by a fortunate law.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Serendipitous Links

The Three Princes of Serendip -- an ancient fable retold by Richard Boyle

Another Serendip - Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka - Then & Now

Ancient Places of Serendib

The Origins of Sri Lanka's Names

And the History of her Names

Sri Lanka Virtual Library

Yet Another Serendip - The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe

Three Principles of Serendip: Insight, Chance, and Discovery in Qualitative Research, by Gary Fein and James Deegan (appeared in Qualitative Studies in Education, Volume 9, Number 4, 1996)

Serendipi ... WHAT?, from Science, Technology, and Society, by Pedro Gomez-Romero, Materials Science Institute, Barcelona, Spain

"Bahramdipty" and Scientific Research, from The Scientist

The Princes of Serendip - music/poetry/mathematics/language

And another Serendip : Serendipity Management Services
And Some Books on Serendipity
James H. Austin, Chase, Chance, and Creativity, Columbia University Press, 1971
Robert K. Merton and Elinor Barber, The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity: A Study in Sociological Semantics and the Sociology of Science, Princeton University Press, 2004
Jacques Monod, Chance and Necessity, Knopf, 1971
Royston M. Roberts, Serendipity: Accidental Discoveries in Science, Wiley, 1989
David Ruelle, Chance and Chaos, Princeton University Press, 1991

 

 

 

Lewis Carroll is best known as author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through ... Alice Liddell · Alice in Oxford · Lewis Carroll Birth Place Trust ... home.clara.net/heureka/art/carroll.htm


Lewis Carroll
'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice -- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) follows Alice down a rabbit-hole in search of the White Rabbit who is very late for a tea party. Alice meets a cast of strange creatures including the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare and the Mad Hatter. Written for Carroll's young friend Alice Liddell (daughter of Henry Liddell, Dean of Christ Church), it contains brilliant verbal word play with logic pushed beyond the limit.

... the chess framework is full of absurdities and impossibilities, and it is unfortunate that Dodgson did not display his usual dexterity by bringing the game, as a game, up to chess standard. He is known to have been a chess-player ... He might have searched for a printed problem to suit his story, or have made one. But he allows the White side to make nine consecutive moves(!):

To enter the world of Alice is to enter a strange surreal world where words take on different meanings and nothing is quite as it seems. A rabbit that walks and talks, food and drink that has the effect of magical potions.

At times we have what could pass as Eastern mysticism: What happens to a flame when it goes out?

“ for it might end, you know, ” said Alice to herself, “in my going out altogether, like a candle. I wonder what I should be like then?” And she tried to fancy what the flame of a candle looks like after the candle is blown out, for she could not remember ever having seen such a thing.

Or as a Zen master would ask: What is the sound of one hand clapping?

 

Sigmund Freud and his acolytes have had a field day with the symbolism in Alice, reading into it nonsense that is not there.

What then would Freud have made of the following entry on dreams in Lewis Carroll's diary (9 February 1856):

Query: when we are dreaming, and as often happens, have a dim consciousness of the fact and try to wake, do we not say and do things which in waking life would be insane? May we not then sometimes define insanity as an inability to distinguish which is the waking and which the sleeping life? We often dream without the least suspicion of unreality: 'Sleep hath its own world', and it is often as lifelike as the other.
It is into this surreal dreamworld we enter in Alice.

 

 

Sarah Thorne (1836-99), actress-manager, taught many aspiring young ... 'Lewis Carroll' is known almost throughout the world by his incomparable Alice, ...

Diversions and digressions of Lewis Carroll‎ - Page 392 by Lewis Carroll - Drama - 1961 - 375 pages

A remarkable working collection of 1836 basic design.* and variations, all copyright-free. Variations of circle, line, cross, diamond, swastika, star, ...

Pattern poetry: guide to an unknown literature‎ - Page 105 by Dick Higgins, Herbert Francke - Literary Criticism - 1987 - 275 pages

... start of this section, to be anonymous (only those by Lewis Carroll are signed). ... described in Yates's "Essay on sanskrit alliteration" (1836, 154)....

The logic of Lewis Carroll: a study of Lewis Carroll's contribution to logic ...‎ - Page 15 by Edward Wakeling - Logic - 1978 - 41 pages

This diagram shows Lewis Carroll's first representation of a Universal Set. ... (iii) 1884; (iv) 1885 (v) 1836 (used in GAME OF LOGIC: 1887) (vi) 1888 (Used ...

 

 

Ripon Timeline // History // Visit Ripon, the Cathedral City of ...
1836:Ripon Cathedral. The Minster finally became a Cathedral in 1836, ... Lewis Carroll. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-98) was more commonly known as Lewis ... www.visitripon.org/history/ripon_timeline.html

 

FTER reading the article 'I've found another o' them Manchesters' (Peterborough), I was reminded of a story I heard as a child.
The neighbour of an uncle was telling us of his upbringing in .George Muller's orphanage in Bristol during the latter part of the 19th century.
He went on to tell us of other incidents after he left the orphanage. I remember this one clearly.
He attended a church and was asked one Sunday to give a Bible reading.
It was the Old Testament story of three men thrown into a furnace because they would not obey the king's command to worship an idol.
When he came to the names of the three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, he
could not pronounce them, so he substituted each name with the word 'Hallelujah'.
The men's names occur several times in the reading, so it must have caused some amusement in the congregation when he said 'Hallelujah, Hallelujah and Hallelujah' each time.
He was a wonderful man and
I was sorry when he emigrated to Australia.
Irene Down, Whitchurch, Cardiff

 

 

 

THERE IS NO ATTEMPT MADE TO DESCRIBE THE CREATIVE PROCESS REALISTICALLY

THE ACCOUNT IS SYMBOLIC AND SHOWS GOD CREATING THE WORLD BY MEANS OF LANGUAGE

AS THOUGH WRITING A BOOK BUT LANGUAGE ENTIRELY TRANSFORMED

THE MESSAGE OF CREATION IS CLEAR EACH LETTER OF

THE

ALPHABET

IS

GIVEN

A

NUMERICAL

VALUE BY COMBINING THE LETTERS WITH THE SACRED NUMBERS

REARRANGING THEM IN ENDLESS CONFIGURATIONS

THE MYSTIC WEANED THE MIND AWAY FROM THE NORMAL CONNOTATIONS OF WORDS

 

....

 

THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN

Thomas Mann 1875 - 1955

Page 660

"In the evening, on the stroke of ten, they gathered privily, and in whispers mustered the apparatus Hermine had provided, consisting of a medium-sized round table without a cloth, placed in the centre of the room, with a wine glass upside-down upon it, the foot in the air. "Round the edge of the table, at regular intervals, were placed twenty-six little bone counters, each with a letter of the alphabet written on it in pen and ink."

"ROUND THE EDGE OF THE TABLE, AT REGULAR INTERVALS, WERE PLACED TWENTY-SIX LITTLE BONE COUNTERS. EACH WITH A LETTER OF THE ALPHABET WRITTEN ON IT IN PEN AND INK."

 

 

 

 

R
=
9
-
2
RE
23
14
5
L
=
3
-
5
LIGHT
56
11
2
O
=
6
-
2
ON
29
11
2
R
=
9
-
9
RELIGIONS
108
63
9
-
-
27
-
18
First Total
216
99
18
-
-
2+7
-
1+8
Add to Reduce
2+1+6
9+9
1+8
-
-
9
-
9
Second Total
9
18
9
-
-
-
-
-
Reduce to Deduce
-
1+8
-
-
-
9
-
9
Essence of Number
9
9
9

 

 

-
-
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
=
9
-
2
RE
23
14
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
-
5
LIGHT
56
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
-
2
ON
29
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
R
=
9
-
9
RELIGIONS
108
63
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
216
99
18
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
=
9
1
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
E
=
5
2
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
-
14
-
2
-
23
14
14
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
3
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
4
-
-
-
-
-
I
=
9
4
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
G
=
7
5
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
7
-
-
H
=
8
6
1
H
8
8
8
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
8
-
T
=
2
7
1
T
20
2
2
-
-
2
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
29
-
2
-
56
29
29
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
8
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
4
-
6
-
-
-
N
=
5
9
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
-
11
-
4
-
29
11
11
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
R
=
9
10
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
E
=
5
11
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
12
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
4
-
-
-
-
-
I
=
9
13
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
G
=
7
14
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
7
-
-
I
=
9
15
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
O
=
6
16
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
4
-
6
-
-
-
N
=
5
17
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
S
=
1
18
1
S
19
10
1
-
1
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
63
-
9
-
108
63
54
-
1
2
6
4
20
12
14
8
45
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2+0
1+2
1+4
-
4+5
R
=
9
-
2
RE
23
14
5
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
L
=
3
-
5
LIGHT
56
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
-
2
ON
29
11
2
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
R
=
9
-
9
RELIGIONS
108
63
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
216
99
18
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
-
-
2+7
-
1+8
2+1+6
9+9
1+8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
9
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
9
18
9
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
9
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
9
9
9
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9

 

 

-
-
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
=
9
-
2
RE
23
14
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
-
5
LIGHT
56
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
-
2
ON
29
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
R
=
9
-
9
RELIGIONS
108
63
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
216
99
18
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
=
9
1
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
E
=
5
2
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
3
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
4
-
-
-
-
-
I
=
9
4
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
G
=
7
5
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
7
-
-
H
=
8
6
1
H
8
8
8
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
8
-
T
=
2
7
1
T
20
2
2
-
-
2
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
8
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
4
-
6
-
-
-
N
=
5
9
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
R
=
9
10
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
E
=
5
11
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
12
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
4
-
-
-
-
-
I
=
9
13
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
G
=
7
14
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
7
-
-
I
=
9
15
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
O
=
6
16
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
4
-
6
-
-
-
N
=
5
17
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
S
=
1
18
1
S
19
10
1
-
1
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
6
4
20
12
14
8
45
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2+0
1+2
1+4
-
4+5
R
=
9
-
2
RE
23
14
5
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
L
=
3
-
5
LIGHT
56
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
-
2
ON
29
11
2
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
R
=
9
-
9
RELIGIONS
108
63
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
216
99
18
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
-
-
2+7
-
1+8
2+1+6
9+9
1+8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
9
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
9
18
9
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
9
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
9
9
9
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9

 

 

-
-
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
=
9
-
2
RE
23
14
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
-
5
LIGHT
56
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
-
2
ON
29
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
R
=
9
-
9
RELIGIONS
108
63
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
216
99
18
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
S
=
1
18
1
S
19
10
1
-
1
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
T
=
2
7
1
T
20
2
2
-
-
2
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
3
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
4
-
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
12
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
4
-
-
-
-
-
E
=
5
2
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
N
=
5
9
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
E
=
5
11
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
N
=
5
17
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
8
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
4
-
6
-
-
-
O
=
6
16
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
4
-
6
-
-
-
G
=
7
5
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
7
-
-
G
=
7
14
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
7
-
-
H
=
8
6
1
H
8
8
8
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
8
-
R
=
9
1
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
I
=
9
4
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
R
=
9
10
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
I
=
9
13
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
I
=
9
15
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
6
4
20
12
14
8
45
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2+0
1+2
1+4
-
4+5
R
=
9
-
2
RE
23
14
5
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
L
=
3
-
5
LIGHT
56
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
-
2
ON
29
11
2
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
R
=
9
-
9
RELIGIONS
108
63
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
216
99
18
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
-
-
2+7
-
1+8
2+1+6
9+9
1+8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
9
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
9
18
9
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
9
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
9
9
9
-
1
2
6
4
2
3
5
8
9

 

 

-
-
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
5
6
7
8
9
R
=
9
-
2
RE
23
14
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
-
5
LIGHT
56
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
-
2
ON
29
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
R
=
9
-
9
RELIGIONS
108
63
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
216
99
18
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
5
6
7
8
9
S
=
1
18
1
S
19
10
1
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
T
=
2
7
1
T
20
2
2
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
3
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
L
=
3
12
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
E
=
5
2
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
N
=
5
9
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
E
=
5
11
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
N
=
5
17
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
8
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
-
-
O
=
6
16
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
-
-
G
=
7
5
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
G
=
7
14
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
H
=
8
6
1
H
8
8
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
R
=
9
1
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
I
=
9
4
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
R
=
9
10
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
I
=
9
13
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
I
=
9
15
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
6
20
12
14
8
45
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2+0
1+2
1+4
-
4+5
R
=
9
-
2
RE
23
14
5
-
1
2
6
2
3
5
8
9
L
=
3
-
5
LIGHT
56
11
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
6
-
2
ON
29
11
2
-
1
2
6
2
3
5
8
9
R
=
9
-
9
RELIGIONS
108
63
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
27
-
18
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
216
99
18
-
1
2
6
2
3
5
8
9
-
-
2+7
-
1+8
2+1+6
9+9
1+8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
9
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
9
18
9
-
1
2
6
2
3
5
8
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
9
RE LIGHT ON RELIGIONS
9
9
9
-
1
2
6
2
3
5
8
9

 

 

RE ATUM RE

 

Ancient Egyptian Religion: Old Kingdom

At the time of the Old Kingdom his cult and some of his characteristics was taken over by Re but he lived on in the combined forms of the names Re-Atum and ...

 

 

Egyptian deities

The ancient Egyptians adopted the solar disc standing for the suffix –ri as the name of the sun-god and called it Ra, as shown below. ...
www.astroset.com/bireysel_gelisim/ancient/a22.htm - Cached - Similar

 

 

Atum (Egyptian god) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia

Atum's myth merged with that of the great sun god Re, giving rise to the deity Re-Atum. When distinguished from Re, Atum was the creators original form, ... www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/42347/Atum

Atum's myth merged with that of the great sun god Re, giving rise to the deity Re-Atum. When distinguished from Re, Atum was the creators original form, living inside Nun, the primordial waters of chaos. At creation he emerged to engender himself and the gods. He was identified with the setting sun and was shown as an aged figure who had to be regenerated during the night, to appear as Khepri at dawn and as Re at the suns zenith.

 

RE THE SUN GOD RE

 

 

THE DEATH OF FOREVER

A NEW FUTURE FOR HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS

Darryl Reanney 1991

Page 101

"99.9"

 

 

HOLY BIBLE

Scofield References

SAINT JOHN

Chapter 1

Page1114

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD  AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD AND THE WORD WAS GOD

 

 

-
-
-
4
-
DEITY
-
-
-
D
=
4
-
1
D
4
4
4
E
=
5
-
1
E
5
5
5
I
=
9
-
1
I
9
9
9
T
=
2
-
1
T
20
2
2
Y
=
7
-
1
Y
25
7
7
-
-
27
4
5
4DEITY
63
27
27
-
-
2+7
-
-
-
6+3
2+7
2+7
-
-
9
-
5
DEITY
9
9
9

 

I

DIE TRY DIE

 

 

G
=
7
3
GOD
26
17
8
I
=
9
2
IS
28
19
1
-
-
16
5
Add to Reduce
54
36
9
-
-
1+6
-
Reduce to Deduce
5+4
3+6
-
Q
-
7
5
Essence of Number
9
9
9

 

 

T
=
2
3
THE
33
15
6
C
=
3
6
COSMIC
61
25
7
M
=
4
5
MINDS
59
23
5
I
=
9
2
I
9
9
9
-
-
18
16
Add to Reduce
162
72
27
-
-
1+8
1+6
Reduce to Deduce
1+6+2
3+6
3+6
Q
-
9
7
Essence of Number
9
9
9

 

 

 

 

GOD IS GREAT IS GREAT IS GOD

 

-
-
-
4
-
DEITY
-
-
-
D
=
4
-
1
D
4
4
4
E
=
5
-
1
E
5
5
5
I
=
9
-
1
I
9
9
9
T
=
2
-
1
T
20
2
2
Y
=
7
-
1
Y
25
7
7
-
-
27
4
5
4DEITY
63
27
27
-
-
2+7
-
-
-
6+3
2+7
2+7
-
-
9
-
5
DEITY
9
9
9

 

 

-
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
-
+
=
9
-
=
9
=
9
-
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
2
7
+
=
18
1+8
=
9
=
9
-
-
4
5
-
20
25
+
=
54
5+4
=
9
=
9
-
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
5
9
20
25
+
=
63
6+3
=
9
=
9
-
-
4
5
9
2
7
+
=
27
2+7
=
9
=
9
-
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
ONE
1
-
-
-
-
``-
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
2
occurs
x
1
=
2
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
TWO
2
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
occurs
x
1
=
4
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
occurs
x
1
=
5
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
THREE
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
7
occurs
x
1
=
7
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
FOUR
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
1
=
9
18
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
27
-
-
5
-
27
1+8
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
-
2+7
-
-
-
-
2+7
9
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
9
-
-
5
-
9
-
-
4
5
9
2
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
9
-
-
5
-
9

 

 

5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
-
+
=
9
-
=
9
=
9
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
5
-
2
7
+
=
18
1+8
=
9
=
9
-
4
5
-
20
25
+
=
54
5+4
=
9
=
9
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
5
9
20
25
+
=
63
6+3
=
9
=
9
-
4
5
9
2
7
+
=
27
2+7
=
9
=
9
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
``-
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
2
occurs
x
1
=
2
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
occurs
x
1
=
4
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
occurs
x
1
=
5
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
7
occurs
x
1
=
7
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
1
=
9
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
27
-
-
5
-
27
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
-
2+7
-
-
-
-
2+7
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
9
-
-
5
-
9
-
4
5
9
2
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
D
E
I
T
Y
-
-
9
-
-
5
-
9

 

 

-
-
-
4
-
DEITY
-
-
-
D
=
4
-
1
D
4
4
4
E
=
5
-
1
E
5
5
5
I
=
9
-
1
I
9
9
9
T
=
2
-
1
T
20
2
2
Y
=
7
-
1
Y
25
7
7
-
-
27
4
5
4DEITY
63
27
27
-
-
2+7
-
-
-
6+3
2+7
2+7
-
-
9
-
5
DEITY
9
9
9

 

 

D
=
4
4
-
DEITY
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Deity - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deity

deity

/'de??ti,'di??ti/

noun

noun: deity; plural noun: deities

a god or goddess (in a polytheistic religion).
"a deity of ancient Greece"

synonyms: god, goddess, divine being, celestial being, supreme being, divinity, immortal; More
creator, demiurge;

godhead;

daemon, numen;

avatar

•divine status, quality, or nature.
"a ruler driven by delusions of deity"

•the creator and supreme being (in a monotheistic religion such as Christianity).
noun: Deity; noun: the Deity

"she raised her head as if appealing to the Deity presiding over the church"

Definitions - A deity is a supernatural being considered divine or sacred. The Oxford Dictionary of English defines deity as "a god or goddess (in a ...
A deity (/'di??ti/ (About this soundlisten), /'de?-/ (About this soundlisten))[1] is a supernatural being considered divine or sacred.[2] The Oxford Dictionary of English defines deity as "a god or goddess (in a polytheistic religion)", or anything revered as divine.[3] C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater than those of ordinary humans, but who interacts with humans, positively or negatively, in ways that carry humans to new levels of consciousness, beyond the grounded preoccupations of ordinary life".[4] In the English language, a male deity is referred to as a god, while a female deity is referred to as a goddess.

Religions can be categorized by how many deities they worship. Monotheistic religions accept only one deity (predominantly referred to as God),[5][6] polytheistic religions accept multiple deities.[7] Henotheistic religions accept one supreme deity without denying other deities, considering them as aspects of the same divine principle;[8][9] and nontheistic religions deny any supreme eternal creator deity but accept a pantheon of deities which live, die and may be reborn like any other being.[10]:35-37[11]:357-358

Although most monotheistic religions traditionally envision their God as omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, and eternal,[12][13][14] none of these qualities are essential to the definition of a "deity"[15][16][17] and various cultures conceptualized their deities differently.[15][16] Monotheistic religions typically refer to God in masculine terms,[18][19]:96 while other religions refer to their deities in a variety of ways – masculine, feminine, androgynous and without gender.[20][21][22]

Historically, many ancient cultures – including the ancient Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Norsemen and Asians – personified natural phenomena, variously as either deliberate causes or effects.[23][24][25] Some Avestan and Vedic deities were viewed as ethical concepts.[23][24] In Indian religions, deities were envisioned as manifesting within the temple of every living being's body, as sensory organs and mind.[26][27][28] Deities were envisioned as a form of existence (Sa?sara) after rebirth, for human beings who gain merit through an ethical life, where they become guardian deities and live blissfully in heaven, but are also subject to death when their merit is lost.[10]:35

ETYMOLOGY

The English language word "deity" derives from Old French deité,[29][page needed] the Latin deitatem or "divine nature", coined by Augustine of Hippo from deus ("god"). Deus is related through a common Proto-Indo-European (PIE) origin to *deiwos.[30] This root yields the ancient Indian word Deva meaning "to gleam, a shining one", from *div- "to shine", as well as Greek dios "divine" and Zeus; and Latin deus "god" (Old Latin deivos).[31][32][33]:230-231 Deva is masculine, and the related feminine equivalent is devi.[34]:496 Etymologically, the cognates of Devi are Latin dea and Greek thea.[35] In Old Persian, daiva- means "demon, evil god",[32] while in Sanskrit it means the opposite, referring to the "heavenly, divine, terrestrial things of high excellence, exalted, shining ones".[34]:496[36][37]

The closely linked term "god" refers to "supreme being, deity", according to Douglas Harper,[38] and is derived from Proto-Germanic *guthan, from PIE *ghut-, which means "that which is invoked".[33]:230-231 Guth in the Irish language means "voice". The term *ghut- is also the source of Old Church Slavonic zovo ("to call"), Sanskrit huta- ("invoked", an epithet of Indra), from the root *gheu(e)- ("to call, invoke."),[38]

An alternate etymology for the term "god" comes from the Proto-Germanic Gaut, which traces it to the PIE root *ghu-to- ("poured"), derived from the root *gheu- ("to pour, pour a libation"). The term *gheu- is also the source of the Greek khein "to pour".[38] Originally the German root was a neuter noun. The gender of the monotheistic God shifted to masculine under the influence of Christianity.[33]:230-231[38] In contrast, all ancient Indo-European cultures and mythologies recognized both masculine and feminine deities.[37]

There is no universally accepted consensus on what a deity is,[2] and concepts of deities vary considerably across cultures.[2] Huw Owen states that the term "deity or god or its equivalent in other languages" has a bewildering range of meanings and significance.[39]:vii-ix It has ranged from "infinite transcendent being who created and lords over the universe" (God), to a "finite entity or experience, with special significance or which evokes a special feeling" (god), to "a concept in religious or philosophical context that relates to nature or magnified beings or a supra-mundane realm", to "numerous other usages".[39]:vii-ix

A deity is typically conceptualized as a supernatural or divine concept, manifesting in ideas and knowledge, in a form that combines excellence in some or all aspects, wrestling with weakness and questions in other aspects, heroic in outlook and actions, yet tied up with emotions and desires.[40][41] In other cases, the deity is a principle or reality such as the idea of "soul". The Upanishads of Hinduism, for example, characterize Atman (soul, self) as deva (deity), thereby asserting that the deva and eternal supreme principle (Brahman) is part of every living creature, that this soul is spiritual and divine, and that to realize self-knowledge is to know the supreme.[42][43][44]

Theism is the belief in the existence of one or more deities.[45][46] Polytheism is the belief in and worship of multiple deities,[47] which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, with accompanying rituals.[47] In most polytheistic religions, the different gods and goddesses are representations of forces of nature or ancestral principles, and can be viewed either as autonomous or as aspects or emanations of a creator God or transcendental absolute principle (monistic theologies), which manifests immanently in nature.[47] Henotheism accepts the existence of more than one deity, but considers all deities as equivalent representations or aspects of the same divine principle, the highest.[9][48][49] Monolatry is the belief that many deities exist, but that only one of these deities may be validly worshipped.[50][51]


Pantheists believe that the universe itself and everything in it forms a single, all-encompassing deity.[52][53]
Monotheism is the belief that only one deity exists.[54][55][56][57][58][59][60] A monotheistic deity, known as "God", is usually described as omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnibenevolent and eternal.[12][13] However, not all deities have been regarded this way[15][17][61][62] and an entity does not need to be almighty, omnipresent, omniscient, omnibenevolent or eternal to qualify as a deity.[15][17][61]

Deism is the belief that only one deity exists, who created the universe, but does not usually intervene in the resulting world.[63][64][65][page needed] Deism was particularly popular among western intellectuals during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.[66][67] Pantheism is the belief that the universe itself is God[68] or that everything composes an all-encompassing, immanent deity.[69] Panentheism is the belief that divinity pervades the universe, but that it also transcends the universe.[70] Agnosticism is the position that it is impossible to know for certain whether a deity of any kind exists.[71][72][73] Atheism is the non-belief in the existence of any deity.[

Scholars infer the probable existence of deities in the prehistoric period from inscriptions and prehistoric arts such as cave drawings, but it is unclear what these sketches and paintings are and why they were made.[77] Some engravings or sketches show animals, hunters or rituals.[78] It was once common for archaeologists to interpret virtually every prehistoric female figurine as a representation of a single, primordial goddess, the ancestor of historically attested goddesses such as Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte, Cybele, and Aphrodite;[79] this approach has now generally been discredited.[79] Modern archaeologists now generally recognize that it is impossible to conclusively identify any prehistoric figurines as representations of any kind of deities, let alone goddesses.[79] Nonetheless, it is possible to evaluate ancient representations on a case-by-case basis and rate them on how likely they are to represent deities.[79] The Venus of Willendorf, a female figurine found in Europe and dated to about 25,000 BCE has been interpreted by some as an exemplar of a prehistoric female deity.[78] A number of probable representations of deities have been discovered at 'Ain Ghazal[79] and the works of art uncovered at Çatalhöyük reveal references to what is probably a complex mythology.[79]

African[edit]

Main articles: List of African mythological figures, Traditional African religion, Afro-American religion, and Orisha

A Yoruba deity from Nigeria.
Diverse African cultures developed theology and concepts of deities over their history. In Nigeria and neighboring West African countries, for example, two prominent deities (locally called Òrì?à)[80] are found in the Yoruba religion, namely the god Ogun and the goddess Osun.[80] Ogun is the primordial masculine deity as well as the archdivinity and guardian of occupations such as tools making and use, metal working, hunting, war, protection and ascertaining equity and justice.[81][82] Osun is an equally powerful primordial feminine deity and a multidimensional guardian of fertility, water, maternal, health, social relations, love and peace.[80] Ogun and Osun traditions were brought into the Americas on slave ships. They were preserved by the Africans in their plantation communities, and their festivals continue to be observed.[80][81]

In Southern African cultures, a similar masculine-feminine deity combination has appeared in other forms, particularly as the Moon and Sun deities.[83] One Southern African cosmology consists of Hieseba or Xuba (deity, god), Gaune (evil spirits) and Khuene (people). The Hieseba includes Nladiba (male, creator sky god) and Nladisara (females, Nladiba's two wives). The Sun (female) and the Moon (male) deities are viewed as offsprings of Nladiba and two Nladisara. The Sun and Moon are viewed as manifestations of the supreme deity, and worship is timed and directed to them.[84] In other African cultures the Sun is seen as male, while the Moon is female, both symbols of the godhead.[85]:199-120 In Zimbabwe, the supreme deity is androgynous with male-female aspects, envisioned as the giver of rain, treated simultaneously as the god of darkness and light and is called Mwari Shona.[85]:89 In the Lake Victoria region, the term for a deity is Lubaale, or alternatively Jok.[86]

Ancient Near Eastern[edit]

Main article: Religions of the ancient Near East

Egyptian[edit]

Main articles: Ancient Egyptian deities, Egyptian mythology, and Ancient Egyptian religion

Egyptian tomb painting showing the gods Osiris, Anubis, and Horus, who are among the major deities in ancient Egyptian religion[87]
Ancient Egyptian culture revered numerous deities. Egyptian records and inscriptions list the names of many whose nature is unknown and make vague references to other unnamed deities.[88]:73 Egyptologist James P. Allen estimates that more than 1,400 deities are named in Egyptian texts,[89] whereas Christian Leitz offers an estimate of "thousands upon thousands" of Egyptian deities.[90]:393-394 Their terms for deities were n?r (god), and feminine n?rt (goddess);[91]:42 however, these terms may also have applied to any being – spirits and deceased human beings, but not demons – who in some way were outside the sphere of everyday life.[92]:216[91]:62 Egyptian deities typically had an associated cult, role and mythologies.[92]:7-8, 83

Around 200 deities are prominent in the Pyramid texts and ancient temples of Egypt, many zoomorphic. Among these, were Min (fertility god), Neith (creator goddess), Anubis, Atum, Bes, Horus, Isis, Ra, Meretseger, Nut, Osiris, Shu, Sia and Thoth.[87]:11-12 Most Egyptian deities represented natural phenomenon, physical objects or social aspects of life, as hidden immanent forces within these phenomena.[93][94] The deity Shu, for example represented air; the goddess Meretseger represented parts of the earth, and the god Sia represented the abstract powers of perception.[95]:91, 147 Deities such as Ra and Osiris were associated with the judgement of the dead and their care during the afterlife.[87]:26-28 Major gods often had multiple roles and were involved in multiple phenomena.[95]:85–86

The first written evidence of deities are from early 3rd millennium BCE, likely emerging from prehistoric beliefs.[96] However, deities became systematized and sophisticated after the formation of an Egyptian state under the Pharaohs and their treatment as sacred kings who had exclusive rights to interact with the gods, in the later part of the 3rd millennium BCE.[97][88]:12–15 Through the early centuries of the common era, as Egyptians interacted and traded with neighboring cultures, foreign deities were adopted and venerated.[98][90]:160

Levantine[edit]

A 4th century BCE drachm (quarter shekel) coin from the Persian province of Yehud Medinata, possibly representing Yahweh seated on a winged and wheeled sun-throne.[99]:766[100]:190
Main articles: Ancient Canaanite religion, Origins of Judaism, Ancient Semitic religion, Yahweh, Second Temple Judaism, and History of ancient Israel and Judah

The ancient Canaanites were polytheists who believed in a pantheon of deities,[101][102][103] the chief of whom was the god El, who ruled alongside his consort Asherah and their seventy sons.[101]:22-24[102][103] Baal was the god of storm, rain, vegetation and fertility,[101]:68-127 while his consort Anat was the goddess of war[101]:131, 137-139 and Astarte, the West Semitic equivalent to Ishtar, was the goddess of love.[101]:146-149 The people of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah originally believed in these deities,[101][103][104] alongside their own national god Yahweh.[105][106] El later became syncretized with Yahweh, who took over El's role as the head of the pantheon,[101]:13-17 with Asherah as his divine consort[100]:45[101]:146 and the "sons of El" as his offspring.[101]:22-24 During the later years of the Kingdom of Judah, a monolatristic faction rose to power insisting that only Yahweh was fit to be worshipped by the people of Judah.[101]:229-233 Monolatry became enforced during the reforms of King Josiah in 621 BCE.[101]:229 Finally, during the national crisis of the Babylonian captivity, some Judahites began to teach that deities aside from Yahweh were not just unfit to be worshipped, but did not exist.[107][39]:4 The "sons of El" were demoted from deities to angels.[101]:22

Mesopotamian[edit]

Akkadian cylinder seal impression showing Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of love, sex, and war[108]:92, 193

Wall relief of the Assyrian national god Aššur in a "winged male" hybrid iconography.[109]:73

Main articles: List of Mesopotamian deities, Ancient Mesopotamian religion, and Sumerian religion

Ancient Mesopotamian culture in southern Iraq had numerous dingir (deities, gods and goddesses).[19]:69-74[110] Mesopotamian deities were almost exclusively anthropomorphic.[111]:93[19]:69-74[112] They were thought to possess extraordinary powers[111]:93 and were often envisioned as being of tremendous physical size.[111]:93 They were generally immortal,[111]:93 but a few of them, particularly Dumuzid, Geshtinanna, and Gugalanna were said to have either died or visited the underworld.[111]:93 Both male and female deities were widely venerated.[111]:93

In the Sumerian pantheon, deities had multiple functions, which included presiding over procreation, rains, irrigation, agriculture, destiny, and justice.[19]:69-74 The gods were fed, clothed, entertained, and worshipped to prevent natural catastrophes as well as to prevent social chaos such as pillaging, rape, or atrocities.[19]:69-74[113]:186[111]:93 Many of the Sumerian deities were patron guardians of city-states.[113]

The most important deities in the Sumerian pantheon were known as the Anunnaki,[114] and included deities known as the "seven gods who decree": An, Enlil, Enki, Ninhursag, Nanna, Utu and Inanna.[114] After the conquest of Sumer by Sargon of Akkad, many Sumerian deities were syncretized with East Semitic ones.[113] The goddess Inanna, syncretized with the East Semitic Ishtar, became popular,[115][108]:xviii, xv[113]:182[111]:106-109 with temples across Mesopotamia.[116][111]:106-109

The Mesopotamian mythology of the first millennium BCE treated Anšar (later Aššur) and Kišar as primordial deities.[117] Marduk was a significant god among the Babylonians. He rose from an obscure deity of the third millennium BCE to become one of the most important deities in the Mesopotamian pantheon of the first millennium BCE. The Babylonians worshipped Marduk as creator of heaven, earth and humankind, and as their national god.[19]:62, 73[118] Marduk's iconography is zoomorphic and is most often found in Middle Eastern archaeological remains depicted as a "snake-dragon" or a "human-animal hybrid".[119][99][120]

Indo-European[edit]

Main article: Proto-Indo-European religion

Greek[edit]

Zeus, the king of the gods in ancient Greek religion, shown on a gold stater from Lampsacus (c. 360–340 BCE)

Corinthian black-figure plaque of Poseidon, the Greek god of the seas (c. 550-525 BCE)

Attic white-ground red-figured kylix of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, riding a swan (c. 46-470 BCE)

Bust of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, copy after a votive statue of Kresilas in Athens (c.?425 BCE)

Main articles: List of Greek mythological figures, Greek mythology, Ancient Greek religion, and Twelve Olympians

The ancient Greeks revered both gods and goddesses.[121] These continued to be revered through the early centuries of the common era, and many of the Greek deities inspired and were adopted as part of much larger pantheon of Roman deities.[122]:91-97 The Greek religion was polytheistic, but had no centralized church, nor any sacred texts.[122]:91-97 The deities were largely associated with myths and they represented natural phenomena or aspects of human behavior.[121][122]:91-97

Several Greek deities probably trace back to more ancient Indo-European traditions, since the gods and goddesses found in distant cultures are mythologically comparable and are cognates.[33]:230-231[123]:15-19 Eos, the Greek goddess of the dawn, for instance, is cognate to Indic Ushas, Roman Aurora and Latvian Auseklis.[33]:230-232 Zeus, the Greek king of gods, is cognate to Latin Iupiter, Old German Ziu, and Indic Dyaus, with whom he shares similar mythologies.[33]:230-232[124] Other deities, such as Aphrodite, originated from the Near East.[125][126][127][128]

Greek deities varied locally, but many shared panhellenic themes, celebrated similar festivals, rites, and ritual grammar.[129] The most important deities in the Greek pantheon were the Twelve Olympians: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hermes, Demeter, Dionysus, Hephaestus, and Ares.[123]:125-170 Other important Greek deities included Hestia, Hades and Heracles.[122]:96-97 These deities later inspired the Dii Consentes galaxy of Roman deities.[122]:96-97

Besides the Olympians, the Greeks also worshipped various local deities.[123]:170-181[130] Among these were the goat-legged god Pan (the guardian of shepherds and their flocks), Nymphs (nature spirits associated with particular landforms), Naiads (who dwelled in springs), Dryads (who were spirits of the trees), Nereids (who inhabited the sea), river gods, satyrs (a class of lustful male nature spirits), and others. The dark powers of the underworld were represented by the Erinyes (or Furies), said to pursue those guilty of crimes against blood-relatives.[130]

The Greek deities, like those in many other Indo-European traditions, were anthropomorphic. Walter Burkert describes them as "persons, not abstractions, ideas or concepts".[123]:182 They had fantastic abilities and powers; each had some unique expertise and, in some aspects, a specific and flawed personality.[131]:52 They were not omnipotent and could be injured in some circumstances.[132] Greek deities led to cults, were used politically and inspired votive offerings for favors such as bountiful crops, healthy family, victory in war, or peace for a loved one recently deceased.[122]:94-95[133]

Germanic[edit]

The Kirkby Stephen Stone, discovered in Kirkby Stephen, England, depicts a bound figure, who some have theorized may be the Germanic god Loki.[134]
Main articles: List of Germanic deities, Æsir, Vanir, Germanic paganism, Germanic mythology, Common Germanic deities, Norse religion, and Norse mythology

In Norse mythology, Æsir means gods, while Ásynjur means goddesses.[135]:49-50 These terms, states John Lindow, may be ultimately rooted in the Indo-European root for "breath" (as in "life giving force"), and to the cognates os which means deity in Old English and anses in Gothic.[135]:49-50

Another group of deities found in Norse mythology are termed as Vanir, and are associated with fertility. The Æsir and the Vanir went to war, according to the Norse and Germanic mythologies. According to the Norse texts such as Ynglinga saga, the Æsir–Vanir War ended in truce and ultimate reconciliation of the two into a single group of deities, after both sides chose peace, exchanged ambassadors (hostages),[136]:181 and intermarried.[135]:52-53[137]

The Norse mythology describes the cooperation after the war, as well as differences between the Æsir and the Vanir which were considered scandalous by the other side.[136]:181 The goddess Freyja of the Vanir taught magic to the Æsir, while the two sides discover that while Æsir forbid mating between siblings, Vanir accepted such mating.[136]:181[138][139]

Temples hosting images of Nordic deities (such as Thor, Odin and Freyr), as well as pagan worship rituals, continued in Nordic countries through the 12th century, according to historical records. This shocked Christian missionaries, and over time Christian equivalents were substituted for the Nordic deities to help suppress paganism.[136]:187-188

Roman[edit]

Main articles: List of Roman deities, Roman mythology, Religion in ancient Rome, and Capitoline Triad

A 4th-century Roman sarcophagus depicting the creation of man by Prometheus, with major Roman deities Jupiter, Neptune, Mercury, Juno, Apollo, Vulcan watching.
The Roman pantheon had numerous deities, both Greek and non-Greek.[122]:96-97 The more famed deities, found in the mythologies and the 2nd millennium CE European arts, have been the anthropomorphic deities syncretized with the Greek deities. These include the six gods and six goddesses: Venus, Apollo, Mars, Diana, Minerva, Ceres, Vulcan, Juno, Mercury, Vesta, Neptune, Jupiter (Jove, Zeus); as well Bacchus, Pluto and Hercules.[122]:96-97[140] The non-Greek major deities include Janus, Fortuna, Vesta, Quirinus and Tellus (mother goddess, probably most ancient).[122]:96-97[141] Some of the non-Greek deities had likely origins in more ancient European culture such as the ancient Germanic religion, while others may have been borrowed, for political reasons, from neighboring trade centers such as those in the Minoan or ancient Egyptian civilization.[142][143][144]

The Roman deities, in a manner similar to the ancient Greeks, inspired community festivals, rituals and sacrifices led by flamines (priests, pontifs), but priestesses (Vestal Virgins) were also held in high esteem for maintaining sacred fire used in the votive rituals for deities.[122]:100-101 Deities were also maintained in home shrines (lararium), such as Hestia honored in homes as the goddess of fire hearth.[122]:100-101[145] This Roman religion held reverence for sacred fire, and this is also found in Hebrew culture (Leviticus 6), Vedic culture's Homa, ancient Greeks and other cultures.[145]

Ancient Roman scholars such as Varro and Cicero wrote treatises on the nature of gods of their times.[146] Varro stated, in his Antiquitates Rerum Divinarum, that it is the superstitious man who fears the gods, while the truly religious person venerates them as parents.[146] Cicero, in his Academica, praised Varro for this and other insights.[146] According to Varro, there have been three accounts of deities in the Roman society: the mythical account created by poets for theatre and entertainment, the civil account used by people for veneration as well as by the city, and the natural account created by the philosophers.[147] The best state is, adds Varro, where the civil theology combines the poetic mythical account with the philosopher's.[147] The Roman deities continued to be revered in Europe through the era of Constantine, and past 313 CE when he issued the Edict of Toleration.[131]:118-120

Native American[edit]

Inca[edit]

Inti Raymi, a winter solstice festival of the Inca people, reveres Inti – the sun deity. Offerings include round bread and maize beer.[148] Right: Deity Viracocha.

Main articles: Inca mythology, Religion in the Inca Empire, and Inca religion in Cusco

The Inca culture has believed in Viracocha (also called Pachacutec) as the creator deity.[149]:27-30[150]:726-729 Viracocha has been an abstract deity to Inca culture, one who existed before he created space and time.[151] All other deities of the Inca people have corresponded to elements of nature.[149][150]:726-729 Of these, the most important ones have been Inti (sun deity) responsible for agricultural prosperity and as the father of the first Inca king, and Mama Qucha the goddess of the sea, lakes, rivers and waters.[149] Inti in some mythologies is the son of Viracocha and Mama Qucha.[149][152]

Inca Sun deity festival

Oh creator and Sun and Thunder,
be forever copious,
do not make us old,
let all things be at peace,
multiply the people,
and let there be food,
and let all things be fruitful.

—Inti Raymi prayers[148]

Inca people have revered many male and female deities. Among the feminine deities have been Mama Kuka (goddess of joy), Mama Ch'aska (goddess of dawn), Mama Allpa (goddess of harvest and earth, sometimes called Mama Pacha or Pachamama), Mama Killa (moon goddess) and Mama Sara (goddess of grain).[152][149]:31-32 During and after the imposition of Christianity during Spanish colonialism, the Inca people retained their original beliefs in deities through syncretism, where they overlay the Christian God and teachings over their original beliefs and practices.[153][154][155] The male deity Inti became accepted as the Christian God, but the Andean rituals centered around Inca deities have been retained and continued thereafter into the modern era by the Inca people.[155][156]

Maya and Aztec[edit]

The zoomorphic feathered serpent deity (Kukulkan, Quetzalcoatl).
Main articles: List of Maya gods and supernatural beings, Maya religion, List of Aztec gods and supernatural beings, and Aztec mythology

In Maya culture, Kukulkan has been the supreme creator deity, also revered as the god of reincarnation, water, fertility and wind.[150]:797-798 The Maya people built step pyramid temples to honor Kukulkan, aligning them to the Sun's position on the spring equinox.[150]:843-844 Other deities found at Maya archaeological sites include Xib Chac – the benevolent male rain deity, and Ixchel – the benevolent female earth, weaving and pregnancy goddess.[150]:843-844 The Maya calendar had 18 months, each with 20 days (and five unlucky days of Uayeb); each month had a presiding deity, who inspired social rituals, special trading markets and community festivals.[156]

A deity with aspects similar to Kulkulkan in the Aztec culture has been called Quetzalcoatl.[150]:797-798 However, states Timothy Insoll, the Aztec ideas of deity remain poorly understood. What has been assumed is based on what was constructed by Christian missionaries. The deity concept was likely more complex than these historical records.[157] In Aztec culture, there were hundred of deities, but many were henotheistic incarnations of one another (similar to the avatar concept of Hinduism). Unlike Hinduism and other cultures, Aztec deities were usually not anthropomorphic, and were instead zoomorphic or hybrid icons associated with spirits, natural phenomena or forces.[157][158]The Aztec deities were often represented through ceramic figurines, revered in home shrines.[157][159]

Polynesian[edit]

Deities of Polynesia carved from wood (bottom two are demons).
Main article: Polynesian narrative

The Polynesian people developed a theology centered on numerous deities, with clusters of islands having different names for the same idea. There are great deities found across the Pacific Ocean. Some deities are found widely, and there are many local deities whose worship is limited to one or a few islands or sometimes to isolated villages on the same island.[160]:5-6

The Maori people, of what is now New Zealand, called the supreme being as Io, who is also referred elsewhere as Iho-Iho, Io-Mataaho, Io Nui, Te Io Ora, Io Matua Te Kora among other names.[109]:239 The Io deity has been revered as the original uncreated creator, with power of life, with nothing outside or beyond him.[109]:239Other deities in the Polynesian pantheon include Tangaloa (god who created men),[160]:37-38 La'a Maomao (god of winds), Tu-Matauenga or Ku (god of war), Tu-Metua (mother goddess), Kane (god of procreation) and Rangi (sky god father).[109]:261, 284, 399, 476

The Polynesian deities have been part of a sophisticated theology, addressing questions of creation, the nature of existence, guardians in daily lives as well as during wars, natural phenomena, good and evil spirits, priestly rituals, as well as linked to the journey of the souls of the dead.[160]:6–14, 37–38, 113, 323

Religions[edit]

Abrahamic religions[edit]

Christianity[edit]

Holy Trinity (1756–1758) by Szymon Czechowicz, showing God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all of whom are revered in Christianity as a single deity[161]:233-234
Main articles: God in Christianity, Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, Jesus, Holy Spirit (Christianity), Names of God in Christianity, and Christian theology

Christianity is a monotheistic religion in which most mainstream congregations and denominations accept the concept of the Holy Trinity.[161]:233-234 Modern orthodox Christians believe that the Trinity is composed of three equal, cosubstantial persons: God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit.[161]:233-234 The first person to describe the persons of the Trinity as homooúsios (?µ???s???; "of the same substance") was the Church Father Origen.[162] Although most early Christian theologians (including Origen) were Subordinationists,[163] who believed that the Father was superior to the Son and the Son superior to the Holy Spirit,[162][164][165] this belief was condemned as heretical by the First Council of Nicaea in the fourth century, which declared that all three persons of the Trinity are equal.[163] Christians regard the universe as an element in God's actualization[161]:273 and the Holy Spirit is seen as the divine essence that is "the unity and relation of the Father and the Son".[161]:273 According to George Hunsinger, the doctrine of the Trinity justifies worship in a Church, wherein Jesus Christ is deemed to be a full deity with the Christian cross as his icon.[161]:296

The theological examination of Jesus Christ, of divine grace in incarnation, his non-transferability and completeness has been a historic topic. For example, the Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE declared that in "one person Jesus Christ, fullness of deity and fullness of humanity are united, the union of the natures being such that they can neither be divided nor confused".[166] Jesus Christ, according to the New Testament, is the self-disclosure of the one, true God, both in his teaching and in his person; Christ, in Christian faith, is considered the incarnation of God.[39]:4, 29[167][168]

Islam[edit]

Main articles: Allah, Ilah, God in Islam, and Names of God in Islam

Ilah, ?Ilah (Arabic: ????; plural: ???? ?alihah), is an Arabic word meaning "god".[169][170] It appears in the name of the monotheistic god of Islam as Allah (al-Lah).[171][172][173] which literally means "the god" in Arabic.[169][170] Islam is strictly monotheistic[174] and the first statement of the shahada, or Muslim confession of faith, is that "there is no ?ilah (deity) but al-Lah (God)",[175] who is perfectly unified and utterly indivisible.[174][175][176]

The term Allah is used by Muslims for God. The Persian word Khuda (Persian: ???) can be translated as god, lord or king, and is also used today to refer to God in Islam by Persian and Urdu speakers. The Turkic word for god is Tengri; it exists as Tanri in Turkish.

Judaism[edit]

The tetragrammaton in Phoenician (12th century BCE to 150 BCE), Paleo-Hebrew (10th century BCE to 135 CE), and square Hebrew (3rd century BCE to present) scripts
Main articles: God in Judaism, Yahweh, Tetragrammaton, Elohim, and Names of God in Judaism

Judaism affirms the existence of one God (Yahweh, or YHWH), who is not abstract, but He who revealed himself throughout Jewish history particularly during the Exodus and the Exile.[39]:4 Judaism reflects a monotheism that gradually arose, was affirmed with certainty in the sixth century "Second Isaiah", and has ever since been the axiomatic basis of its theology.[39]:4

The classical presentation of Judaism has been as a monotheistic faith that rejected deities and related idolatry.[177] However, states Breslauer, modern scholarship suggests that idolatry was not absent in biblical faith, and it resurfaced multiple times in Jewish religious life.[177] The rabbinic texts and other secondary Jewish literature suggest worship of material objects and natural phenomena through the medieval era, while the core teachings of Judaism maintained monotheism.[177][178][page needed]

According to Aryeh Kaplan, God is always referred to as "He" in Judaism, "not to imply that the concept of sex or gender applies to God", but because "there is no neuter in the Hebrew language, and the Hebrew word for God is a masculine noun" as he "is an active rather than a passive creative force".[179]

Eastern religions[edit]

Buddhism[edit]

Left: A Buddhist deity in Ssangbongsa in South Korea; Right: A Chinese deity adopted into Buddhism.

Further information: Creator in Buddhism

Buddhists do not believe in a creator deity.[180] However, deities are an essential part of Buddhist teachings about cosmology, rebirth, and sa?sara.[180] Buddhist deities (known as devas)[180] are believed to reside in a pleasant, heavenly realm within Buddhist cosmology,[181] which is typically subdivided into twenty six sub-realms.[10]:35 These beings are numerous, but they are still mortal;[181] they live in the heavenly realm, then die and are reborn like all other beings.[181] A rebirth in the heavenly realm is believed to be the result of leading an ethical life and accumulating very good karma.[181] A deva does not need to work, and is able to enjoy in the heavenly realm all pleasures found on Earth. However, the pleasures of this realm lead to attachment (Upadana ), lack of spiritual pursuits, and therefore no nirvana.[10]:37 The vast majority of Buddhist lay people in countries practicing Theravada, states Kevin Trainor, have historically pursued Buddhist rituals and practices because they are motivated by their potential rebirth into the deva realm.[181][182][183] The deva realm in Buddhist practice in Southeast Asia and East Asia, states Keown, include gods found in Hindu traditions such as Indra and Brahma, and concepts in Hindu cosmology such as Mount Meru.[10]:37-38

Hinduism[edit]

Main articles: Hindu deities, Deva (Hinduism), Devi, God in Hinduism, Ishvara, and Bhagavan

Left: Ganesha deity of Hinduism, Right: Saraswati, Hindu goddess of knowledge and music.

The concept of God varies in Hinduism, it being a diverse system of thought with beliefs spanning henotheism, monotheism, polytheism, panentheism, pantheism and monism among others.[184][185]

In the ancient Vedic texts of Hinduism, a deity is often referred to as Deva (god) or Devi (goddess).[34]:496[36] The root of these terms mean "heavenly, divine, anything of excellence".[34]:492[36] Deva is masculine, and the related feminine equivalent is devi. In the earliest Vedic literature, all supernatural beings are called Asuras.[186]:5-11, 22, 99-102[34]:121 Over time, those with a benevolent nature become deities and are referred to as Sura, Deva or Devi.[186]:2-6[187]

Devas or deities in Hindu texts differ from Greek or Roman theodicy, states Ray Billington, because many Hindu traditions believe that a human being has the potential to be reborn as a deva (or devi), by living an ethical life and building up saintly karma.[188] Such a deva enjoys heavenly bliss, till the merit runs out, and then the soul (gender neutral) is reborn again into Sa?sara. Thus deities are henotheistic manifestations, embodiments and consequence of the virtuous, the noble, the saint-like living in many Hindu traditions.[188]

Jainism[edit]

Padmavati, a Jain guardian deity.[189][190]
Main articles: God in Jainism and Deva (Jainism)

Like many ancient Indian traditions, Jainism does not believe in a creator, omnipotent, omniscient, eternal God; however, the cosmology of Jainism incorporates a meaningful causality-driven reality, and includes four realms of existence (gati), and one of them for deva (celestial beings, gods).[11]:351-357 A human being can choose and live an ethical life (karma), such as being non-violent (ahimsa) against all living beings, thereby gain merit and be reborn as deva.[11]:357-358[191]

Jain texts reject a trans-cosmic God, one who stands outside of the universe and lords over it, but they state that the world is full of devas who are in human-image with sensory organs, with the power of reason, conscious, compassionate and with finite life.[11]:356-357 Jainism believes in the existence of the soul (Self, atman) and considers it to have "god-quality", whose knowledge and liberation is the ultimate spiritual goal in both religions. Jains also believe that the spiritual nobleness of perfected souls (Jina) and devas make them worship-worthy beings, with powers of guardianship and guidance to better karma. In Jain temples or festivals, the Jinas and Devas are revered.[11]:356-357[192]

Zoroastrianism[edit]

Investiture of Sassanid emperor Shapur II (center) with Mithra (left) and Ahura Mazda (right) at Taq-e Bostan, Iran
Main article: Ahura Mazda

Ahura Mazda (/??h?r??mæzd?/);[193] is the Avestan name for the creator and sole God of Zoroastrianism.[194] The literal meaning of the word Ahura is "mighty" or "lord" and Mazda is wisdom.[194] Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism, taught that Ahura Mazda is the most powerful being in all of the existence[195] and the only deity who is worthy of the highest veneration.[195] Nonetheless, Ahura Mazda is not omnipotent because his evil twin brother Angra Mainyu is nearly as powerful as him.[195] Zoroaster taught that the daevas were evil spirits created by Angra Mainyu to sow evil in the world[195] and that all people must choose between the goodness of Ahura Mazda and the evil of Angra Mainyu.[195] According to Zoroaster, Ahura Mazda will eventually defeat Angra Mainyu and good will triumph over evil once and for all.[195] Ahura Mazda was the most important deity in the ancient Achaemenid Empire.[196] He was originally represented anthropomorphically,[194] but, by the end of the Sasanian Empire, Zoroastrianism had become fully aniconic.[194]

Rational interpretations[edit]

The Greek philosopher Democritus argued that belief in deities arose when humans observed natural phenomena such as lightning and attributed such phenomena to supernatural beings.[123]:314
See also: Evolutionary origin of religions, Evolutionary psychology of religion, and Neurotheology

Attempts to rationally explain belief in deities extend all the way back to ancient Greece.[123]:311–317 The Greek philosopher Democritus argued that the concept of deities arose when human beings observed natural phenomena such as lightning, solar eclipses, and the changing of the seasons.[123]:311–317 Later, in the third century BCE, the scholar Euhemerus argued in his book Sacred History that the gods were originally flesh-and-blood mortal kings who were posthumously deified, and that religion was therefore the continuation of these kings' mortal reigns, a view now known as Euhemerism.[197] Sigmund Freud suggested that God concepts are a projection of one's father.[198]

A tendency to believe in deities and other supernatural beings may be an integral part of the human consciousness.[199][200][201][202]:2-11 Children are naturally inclined to believe in supernatural entities such as gods, spirits, and demons, even without being indoctrinated into a particular religious tradition.[202]:2-11 Humans have an overactive agency detection system,[199][203][202]:25-27 which has a tendency to conclude that events are caused by intelligent entities, even if they really are not.[199][203] This is a system which may have evolved to cope with threats to the survival of human ancestors:[199] in the wild, a person who perceived intelligent and potentially dangerous beings everywhere was more likely to survive than a person who failed to perceive actual threats, such as wild animals or human enemies.[199][202]:2-11 Humans are also inclined to think teleologically and ascribe meaning and significance to their surroundings, a trait which may lead people to believe in a creator-deity.[204] This may have developed as a side effect of human social intelligence, the ability to discern what other people are thinking.[204]

Stories of encounters with supernatural beings are especially likely to be retold, passed on, and embellished due to their descriptions of standard ontological categories (person, artifact, animal, plant, natural object) with counterintuitive properties (humans that are invisible, houses that remember what happened in them, etc.).[205] As belief in deities spread, humans may have attributed anthropomorphic thought processes to them,[206] leading to the idea of leaving offerings to the gods and praying to them for assistance,[206] ideas which are seen in all cultures around the world.[199]

Sociologists of religion have proposed that the personality and characteristics of deities may reflect a culture's sense of self-esteem and that a culture projects its revered values into deities and in spiritual terms. The cherished, desired or sought human personality is congruent with the personality it defines to be gods.[198] Lonely and fearful societies tend to invent wrathful, violent, submission-seeking deities (or God), while happier and secure societies tend to invent loving, non-violent, compassionate deities.[198] Émile Durkheim states that gods represent an extension of human social life to include supernatural beings. According to Matt Rossano, God concepts may be a means of enforcing morality and building more cooperative community groups.[207]

LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Consciousness is a loosely defined concept that addresses the human awareness of both internal and external stimuli. This can refer to spiritual recognition, psychological understanding, medically altered states, or more modern-day concepts of life purpose, satisfaction, and self-actualization.

Most proposals map consciousness in a series of levels, some stages of which are more continuous or complex than others. Movement between stages is often bidirectional depending on internal and external conditions, with each mental ascension precipitating a change in reactivity. In the most basic sense, this alteration might lead to a reduced responsiveness as seen in anesthesiology; more abstract facets of tiered consciousness describe characteristics of profoundness, insight, perception, or understanding.

First appearing in the historical records of the ancient Mayan and Incan civilizations, proposals of multiple levels of consciousness have pervaded spiritual, psychological, medical, and moral speculations in both Eastern and Western cultures. Because of occasional and sometimes substantial overlap between hypotheses, there have recently been attempts to combine perspectives to form new models that integrate components of separate viewpoints.

Which if any of these proposals, models or viewpoints can be verified or falsified is open to question.

Although historical views of the separation of consciousness into various layers do not exactly mirror modern-day perspectives, many parallels can be gathered from the overarching themes found in Eastern and Western cultures.

Eastern perspectives[edit]

Many specific similarities have been drawn between Ancient Incan and historical Eastern views of tiered consciousness.[5] Within most Eastern belief structures is the principle of the Cosmos as a joint entity with human awareness. Many branches stress the importance of AUM, also written Om, as the first sound produced after the world was created. Within Christianity this concept can be likened to the first words of Genesis regarding the holiness of the Word.[6]

Historical beliefs[edit]

The majority of Eastern perspectives assert that while consciousness originates from the sound of AUM, it has incorporated itself into flesh, which therefore gives humankind the goal of attaining oneness with the universe once more.[7] Unlike Incan tradition, this oneness eliminates the separation of external and internal changes into one general indication of movement from stage to stage, commonly known as the Seven Shamanic Levels of Consciousness.

Modern-day beliefs[edit]

Like the Seven Shamanic Levels of Consciousness, yoga meditation practices as well as the teachings of Vedanta and Tantra emphasize the importance of self-realization, a concept that has become increasingly popular in Western philosophy after Abraham Maslow's and Carl Rogers's research in Humanistic Psychology.

Advaita Vedanta[edit]

Aum (Om) Mantra

Aum (Om) Mantra
In particular, the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy has been a topic of extensive study in both Eastern and Western cultures for its tiered depiction of the steps toward attaining self-realization.[8] Unlike the unidirectional nature of Mayan, Inca, and ancient shamanic perspectives, however, this particular belief structure arranges the attainment of oneness with OM through rows and domains, each of which constitutes a fragment of this vibratory sound.[9]

OM Mantra[edit]

Similarly, the seven levels of consciousness defined by modern-day OM mantras strive to reach Absolute Reality through the same four realms described in the Advaita Vedanta, with three transitional tiers in between each.[10]
Between the first ("A") and second ("U") levels is the Unmani, similar to the Western concept of hypnagogia, or the movement from full alertness into stage 1 sleep
Between the second ("U") and third ("M") levels is the Aladani, mirroring ideas of REM sleep
Between the third ("M") and fourth ("AUM") levels is the Samadhi, or the attainment of deep absorption

The Veda[edit]

The ancient Indian Vedas texts have lent a comparable view of unified consciousness, with a key difference in the purpose of human ascension from stage to stage. Instead of oneness with the universe, the Vedic vision of consciousness emphasizes the importance of attaining knowledge and pure intelligence.[11]

Ananda Sangha[edit]
Statue of Shiva
Statue of Shiva
The Ananda Sangha movement has evolved following the teachings of the late yogi and guru Paramhansa Yogananda. Compared to the multi-dimensional theories of consciousness in shamanic and OM mantra perspectives, this particular ideological faction stresses simplicity rather than detail.[12]
Subconscious: relatively dim awareness; repository of remembered experiences and consequent mental impressions
Conscious: rational awareness; guides daily decisions and can be influenced by others; input from the bodily senses
Superconscious Awareness: intuition and heightened mental clarity; problem and solution are seen as one entity

Western perspectives[edit]

Fluctuations in consciousness theories are not particular to Eastern cultures. A surprising degree of overlap can be found within the field of health and social sciences with regard to dulled, standard, and heightened intensities of awareness, both naturally and as a result of injury or disorder.[13]

Psychological views[edit]

Like many psychological theories within the particular field of psychoanalysis, one of the most popular theories of consciousness was proposed by Sigmund Freud, who described three facets of the psychic apparatus: the unconscious (id) or instinctual facet, the preconscious (ego) or rational facet, and the conscious (superego) or moral facet.

Although not unlike the Vedic vision of consciousness as a form of intelligence, Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development is not commonly considered a form of knowledge awareness but instead as the evolution of the brain's capacity for thought throughout the human lifespan.[14]

Medical and pathological views[edit]

Similar to previously mentioned psychological views, medical and pathological perspectives often hypothesize tiered consciousness as a result of disease or disorders. The Altered Levels of Consciousness (ALC) theory is one such measure, in which a person's arousability and responsiveness to environmental stimuli are classified by their behavioral response.

Glasgow Coma Scale[edit]

Although many such ALC tests take place in hospital settings, the primary evaluation of patient alertness is the Glasgow Coma Scale, which separates levels of consciousness from standard conscious awareness to a comatose state.[15]
Conscious: normal, attentive; oriented to self, place, and mind
Confused: impaired or slowed thinking; disoriented
Delirious: disoriented, restless, clear deficit in attention; possible incidence of hallucinations and delusions
Somnolent: excessive drowsiness; little response to external stimuli
Obtunded: decreased alertness, slowed motor responses; sleepiness
Stuporous: conscious but sleep-like state associated with little or no activity; only responsiveness is in reaction to pain
Comatose: no response to stimuli, cannot be aroused; no gag reflex or pupil response to light

Relationship to schizophrenia[edit]

Recent hypotheses have incorporated these ALC theories into the psychopathological study of schizophrenia, suggesting that each altered level of awareness is connected to a degree of suffering or shock experienced by the patient, arguably traversing the Qliphoth in the process. As the situation increases in seriousness, patients will descend to lower levels of consciousness and consequentially lose the capacity to cry, to smile, or to exhibit a wide range of emotions when reacting to the environment.[16]

In more physiologically based studies, scientists have found that while the reticular formation controls alertness, wakefulness, and arousal in the brain, many mental responses to internal and external stimuli are dictated through signals relayed to and from the thalamus.[17] Propofol and other consciousness-altering drugs are therefore antagonists of thalamus activity, possibly leading to a drug-induced comatose state.[18]

Modern-day perspectives[edit]

Although many of the previously mentioned theories are still widely held today in various groups, beliefs, and areas of study, a majority of commonly accepted perspectives stem from just the past decade. These hypothesized structures of awareness draw from many historical and early eighteenth- or nineteenth-century theories to form an integrated and overarching generalization of consciousness as a means of determining inner and outer recognition of stimuli.

Holder's three levels of consciousness[edit]

Derived loosely from his philosophy of the Kung Fu system, Philip Holder offers three levels of consciousness that feature distinct differences in the way in which they are reached.[19]

 


 

 

F
=
6
-
9
FRATERNAL
95
41
5
G
=
7
-
9
GREETINGS
104
50
5
A
=
1
-
3
AND
19
10
1
S
=
1
-
11
SALUTATIONS
151
34
7
B
-
15
Q
32
First Total
369
135
18
-
-
1+5
-
3+2
Add to Reduce
3+6+9
1+3+5
1+8
-
-
6
-
5
Second Total
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
Reduce to Deduce
1+8
-
-
-
-
6
-
5
Essence of Number
9
9
9

 

 

T
=
2
-
3
THE
33
15
6
G
=
7
-
5
GREAT
51
24
6
S
=
1
-
3
SEE
29
11
2
S
-
10
4
11
Add to Reduce
113
50
14
-
-
1+0
-``
1+1
Reduce to Deduce
1+1+3
5+0
1+4
S
-
1
-
2
Essence of Number
5
5
5

 

 

3
THE
33
15
6
10
COLLECTIVE
106
43
7
13
CONSCIOUSNESS
175
49
4
2
IS
19
10
1
28
First Total
333
117
18
2+8
Add to Reduce
3+3+3
1+1+7
1+0
10
Second Total
9
9
9
1+0
Reduce to Deduce
3+3+3
1+1+7
-
1
Essence of Number
9
9
9

 

 

UNCONDITIONAL LIFE

MASTERING THE FORCES THAT SHAPE PERSONAL REALITY

Deepak Chopra 1991

A Mirage of Miracles

Page 89

"The Mask of Maya"

"...denoting the ability of gods to change form, to make worlds, to assume masks and disguises."

"Maya also means magic a show of illusions"

"Maya also denotes the delusion of thinking that you are seeing reality when in fact you are only seeing a layer of trick effects superimposed upon the real reality

True to its deceptive nature, Maya is full of paradoxes. First of all it is everywhere, even though it doesnt exist. It is / Page 90 / often compared with a desert mirage, yet unlike a mirage Maya does not merely float "out there" The Mysterious One is nowhere if not in each person. Finally Maya is not so omnipotent that we cannot control it - and that is the key point Maya is fearfull or diverting all powerful or completely impotent depending on your perspective."

"The fearfull illusion becomes a wonderful show if only you can manipulate it."

 

 

HOLY BIBLE

Scofield References

C

9 V 9

AND

I BEHOLD I

ESTABLISH MY COVENANT WITH

YOU AND WITH YOUR SEED AFTER YOU

12

AND GOD SAID

THIS IS THE TOKEN OF THE COVENANT WHICH

I

MAKE BETWEEN

ME

AND

YOU AND EVERY LIVING CREATURE THAT IS WITH YOU

FOR

PERPETUAL GENERATIONS

13

I

DO SET MY BOW IN THE CLOUD AND IT SHALL BE FOR A TOKEN OF

A

COVENANT

BETWEEN

ME

AND THE

EARTH

14

AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS WHEN

I

BRING

A

CLOUD OVER THE EARTH THAT THE BOW SHALL BE SEEN IN THE CLOUD

15

AND

I

WILL REMEMBER MY COVENANT WHICH IS BETWEEN

ME AND YOU

AND

EVERY LIVING CREATURE OF ALL

FLESH AND THE WATERS SHALL NO MORE BECOME A FLOOD TO DESTROY ALL FLESH

16

AND

THE BOW SHALL BE IN THE CLOUD

AND

I WILL LOOK UPON IT THAT I

MAY REMEMBER THE

EVERLASTING COVENANT BETWEEN

GOD

AND EVERY LIVING CREATURE OF ALL FLESH THAT IS UPON THE EARTH

 

 

-
THE RAINBOW LIGHT
-
-
-
3
THE
33
15
6
7
RAINBOW
82
37
1
5
LIGHT
56
29
2
15
THE RAINBOW LIGHT
171
81
9
1+5
-
1+7+1
8+1
-
6
THE RAINBOW LIGHT
9
9
9

 

 

3
THE
33
15
6
7
RA-IN-BOW
82
37
1
5
LIGHT
56
29
2
15
First Total
171
81
9
1+5
Add to Reduce
1+7+1
8+1
-
6
Final Total
9
9
9
THE RA-IN-BOW LIGHT

 

 

3
RED
27
18
9
6
ORANGE
60
33
6
6
YELLOW
92
29
2
5
GREEN
49
31
4
4
BLUE
40
13
4
6
INDIGO
58
40
4
6
VIOLET
83
29
2
36
First Total
409
193
31
3+6
Add to Reduce
4+0+9
1+9+3
3+1
9
Final Total
13
13
4
8
THIRTEEN
99
NINE
NINE

 

 

RED ORANGE YELLOW GREEN BLUE INDIGO VIOLET

 

 

7
R
O
Y
G
B
I
V
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
18
15
25
7
2
9
22
+
=
98
9+8
17
1+7
8
EIGHT
8
-
1+8
1+5
2+5
-
-
-
2+2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
6
7
7
2
9
4
+
=
44
4+4
8
-
8
EIGHT
8
7
R
O
Y
G
B
I
V
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

 

 

R
=
9
-
3
RED
27
18
9
O
=
5
-
6
ORANGE
60
33
6
Y
=
7
-
6
YELLOW
92
29
2
G
=
7
-
5
GREEN
49
31
4
B
=
2
-
4
BLUE
40
13
4
I
=
9
-
6
INDIGO
58
40
4
V
=
4
-
6
VIOLET
40
13
4
-
-
43
-
36
-
409
193
31
-
-
4+3
-
3+6
-
4+0+9
1+9+3
3+1
-
-
7
-
9
-
13
13
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+3
1+2
-
-
-
7
-
9
-
4
4
5

 

 

3
THE
33
15
6
7
RA-IN-BOW
82
37
1
5
LIGHT
56
29
2
15
First Total
171
81
9
1+5
Add to Reduce
1+7+1
8+1
-
6
Final Total
9
9
9
THE RA-IN-BOW LIGHT

 

 

-
-
-
18
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
=
9
-
3
RED
27
18
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
5
-
6
ORANGE
60
33
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Y
=
7
-
6
YELLOW
92
29
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
G
=
7
-
5
GREEN
49
31
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
B
=
2
-
4
BLUE
40
13
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
I
=
9
-
6
INDIGO
58
40
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
V
=
4
-
6
VIOLET
40
13
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
43
-
36
-
409
193
31
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
=
9
1
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
E
=
5
2
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
D
=
4
3
1
D
4
4
4
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
8
-
O
=
6
4
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
8
-
R
=
9
5
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
A
=
1
6
1
A
1
1
1
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
N
=
5
7
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
G
=
7
8
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
8
-
E
=
5
9
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
Y
=
7
10
1
Y
25
7
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
8
-
E
=
5
11
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
L
=
3
12
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
8
-
L
=
3
13
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
8
-
O
=
6
14
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
8
-
W
=
5
15
1
W
23
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
G
=
7
16
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
8
-
R
=
9
17
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
E
=
5
18
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
E
=
5
19
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
N
=
5
20
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
B
=
2
21
1
B
2
2
2
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
L
=
3
22
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
8
-
U
=
3
23
1
U
21
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
8
-
E
=
5
24
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
I
=
9
25
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
N
=
5
26
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
D
=
4
27
1
D
4
4
4
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
8
-
I
=
9
28
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
G
=
7
29
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
8
-
O
=
6
30
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
8
-
V
=
4
31
1
V
22
4
4
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
8
-
I
=
9
32
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
O
=
6
33
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
8
-
L
=
3
34
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
8
-
E
=
5
35
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
T
=
2
36
1
T
20
2
2
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
R
=
9
-
3
RED
27
18
9
-
1
4
15
12
55
24
28
8
54
O
=
5
-
6
ORANGE
60
33
6
-
-
-
1+5
1+2
5+5
2+4
2+8
-
5+4
Y
=
7
-
6
YELLOW
92
29
2
-
1
4
6
3
10
6
10
8
9
G
=
7
-
5
GREEN
49
31
4
-
-
-
-
-
1+0
-
1+0
-
-
B
=
2
-
4
BLUE
40
13
4
-
1
4
6
3
1
6
1
8
9
I
=
9
-
6
INDIGO
58
40
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
V
=
4
-
6
VIOLET
40
13
4
-
1
4
6
3
1
6
1
8
9
-
-
43
-
36
-
409
193
31
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4+3
-
3+6
-
4+0+9
1+9+3
3+1
-
1
4
6
3
1
6
1
8
9
-
-
7
-
9
-
13
13
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+3
1+2
-
-
1
4
6
3
1
6
1
8
9
-
-
7
-
9
-
4
4
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
9
-
9
9
9
-
1
4
6
3
1
6
1
8
9

 

 

-
-
-
18
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
=
9
-
3
RED
27
18
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
O
=
5
-
6
ORANGE
60
33
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Y
=
7
-
6
YELLOW
92
29
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
G
=
7
-
5
GREEN
49
31
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
B
=
2
-
4
BLUE
40
13
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
I
=
9
-
6
INDIGO
58
40
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
V
=
4
-
6
VIOLET
40
13
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
43
-
36
-
409
193
31
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
A
=
1
6
1
A
1
1
1
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
T
=
2
36
1
T
20
2
2
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
B
=
2
21
1
B
2
2
2
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
L
=
3
12
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
8
-
L
=
3
13
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
8
-
L
=
3
22
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
8
-
U
=
3
23
1
U
21
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
8
-
L
=
3
34
1
L
12
3
3
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
8
-
D
=
4
3
1
D
4
4
4
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
8
-
D
=
4
27
1
D
4
4
4
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
8
-
V
=
4
31
1
V
22
4
4
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
8
-
E
=
5
2
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
N
=
5
7
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
E
=
5
9
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
E
=
5
11
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
W
=
5
15
1
W
23
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
E
=
5
18
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
E
=
5
19
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
N
=
5
20
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
E
=
5
24
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
N
=
5
26
1
N
14
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
E
=
5
35
1
E
5
5
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
8
-
O
=
6
4
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
8
-
O
=
6
14
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
8
-
O
=
6
30
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
8
-
O
=
6
33
1
O
15
6
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
8
-
G
=
7
8
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
8
-
Y
=
7
10
1
Y
25
7
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
8
-
G
=
7
16
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
8
-
G
=
7
29
1
G
7
7
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
8
-
R
=
9
1
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
R
=
9
5
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
R
=
9
17
1
R
18
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
I
=
9
25
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
I
=
9
28
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
I
=
9
32
1
I
9
9
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
R
=
9
-
3
RED
27
18
9
-
1
4
15
12
55
24
28
8
54
O
=
5
-
6
ORANGE
60
33
6
-
-
-
1+5
1+2
5+5
2+4
2+8
-
5+4
Y
=
7
-
6
YELLOW
92
29
2
-
1
4
6
3
10
6
10
8
9
G
=
7
-
5
GREEN
49
31
4
-
-
-
-
-
1+0
-
1+0
-
-
B
=
2
-
4
BLUE
40
13
4
-
1
4
6
3
1
6
1
8
9
I
=
9
-
6
INDIGO
58
40
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
V
=
4
-
6
VIOLET
40
13
4
-
1
4
6
3
1
6
1
8
9
-
-
43
-
36
-
409
193
31
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4+3
-
3+6
-
4+0+9
1+9+3
3+1
-
1
4
6
3
1
6
1
8
9
-
-
7
-
9
-
13
13
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+3
1+2
-
-
1
4
6
3
1
6
1
8
9
-
-
7
-
9
-
4
4
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
9
-
9
9
9
-
1
4
6
3
1
6
1
8
9

 

 

3
THE
33
15
6
7
RA-IN-BOW
82
37
1
5
LIGHT
56
29
2
15
First Total
171
81
9
1+5
Add to Reduce
1+7+1
8+1
-
6
Final Total
9
9
9
THE RA-IN-BOW LIGHT

 

 

CATCHING THE LIGHT

THE ENTWINED HISTORY OF LIGHT AND MIND

Arthur Zajonc

1993

ANGELIC LIGHT - HUMAN LIGHT

Page 44

HOW YOU HAVE FALLEN FROM HEAVEN BRIGHT SON OF THE MORNING

FELLED TO THE EARTH

Isaiah 14:1215

 

 

-
DIVINE CHILD
-
-
-
6
DIVINE
63
36
9
5
CHILD
36
27
1
12
CHILD DIVINE
99
63
15
1+2
-
9+9
6+3
1+5
3
DIVINE CHILD
18
9
9
-
-
1+8
-
-
3
CHILD DIVINE
9
9
9

 

DIVINE CHILD OF THE RAINBOW LIGHT

 

 

CATCHING THE LIGHT

THE ENTWINED HISTORY OF LIGHT AND MIND

Arthur Zajonc

1993

SPIRIT LIGHT

Page 219

The universe seen from within is light; seen from without, by spiritual perception, it is thought .:35
Rudolf Steiner

Seeing Light-Ensouling Science: Goethe and Steiner

" Like so many before him, Steiner drew on the opening passage of the Gospel of St. John when seeking the spiritual dimensions of light. John speaks there of the Logos-or Word­as the Light of the World. Everything we see, from sun to stream, cloud, animal, and man is, says Steiner, an embodiment or image of that divine-spiritual reality-the Logos.

Page 220

The purest appearance of the outer physical body of the Logos is the light of the Sun. Sunlight is not only material light. To spiritual perception it is also the garment of the Logos. In sunlight, spirit streams to the earth, the spirit of love. . . . Together with physical sunlight streams the warm love of the Godhead for the earth. 36
Light is the pure body of the Word, of the Logos. The very same light that illumines our world is the most perfect image of God's creative song. Grosseteste had called light the first corporeal form; Steiner agreed. The electromagnetic theory of light was, in Steiner's view, but a pale and abstract reflection of light's much greater nature, one of which we should remain forever mindful.

IN LECTURES AT the close of 1920, given to an audience well acquainted with his spiritual world conception, Steiner offered
a remarkable vista onto the nature and biography of light. He performed a kind of spiritual archaeology of the ancient origins of light, providing an account that was mythic in its proportions and language, yet one he intended to be an exact imagination of the genesis and being of light. 37 Once again Goethe provides the entry point for our considerations. "Colors are," Goethe said, "the deeds and sufferings of light." The metaphor is exact; yet what can act and suffer but beings?
The spiritual hierarchies spoken of in early Christianity (Angels, Archangels, and so on), and which were so much a part of Grosseteste's world, were and still are real according to Steiner. To each of us is given a personal guardian Angel, over groups there hovers an inspiring Archangel, and a Zeitgeist or Archai rules every age. Steiner's many descriptions of the nature and evolution of the hierarchies were detailed and of a scope unknown since the Gothic cathedral builders. It seems that the / Page 221 / angelic orders have evolved over enormous periods of time in ways somewhat similar to man's own spiritual evolution. In particular, in aeons past, the angelic hierarchies passed through a "human" stage. During that period they possessed an inner or moral world analogous to ours, one full of life and struggle, of deeds, noble and ignoble. Then, in a remarkable passage, he suggests that what the angelic host once carried within themselves as moral realities have since become "world-thoughts," which we in turn experience as the light of the world. The actual physical light that surrounds us is the fossillike remains of an ancient moral world lived by angelic beings. What was inner becomes outer.
With disarming logic, Steiner goes on to say that the moral world we are now nurturing within our souls will likewise one day become the light, or darkness, of a future evolutionary phase of the cosmos. "We see about us today a world of light; millions of years ago it was a moral world. We bear within us a moral world, which, millions of years hence, will be a world of light. . . . And a great feeling of responsibility toward the world­to-be wells up in us, because our moral impulses will later become shining worlds."38
Within such a view, it can never be a question of separating the moral from the physical. In Emerson's words, "Every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact. . . . The world is emblematic. The laws of moral nature answer to those of matter as face to face in a glass."39 Thus, every physical reality is but the obverse of a moral reality. Steiner's vision extended Emer­son's to the greatest limits of human and cosmic history. In his view, the physical world is the fruit of the moral world. Pure hearts truly will illumine future worlds. Or, if we harbor darkness within, then a dark world will be its lawful consequence in the distant future. We are cocreators of the world not only through the deeds of our hands but, in even greater measure, through
the spiritual impulses we foster inwardly.
In Steiner's words, / Page 222 /

"The physical and the moral do not exist side by side. No, they are only different aspects of something that is in itself one. The moral world order reveals itself out of the natural world order."
The connection of physical and moral, of sensual and spiritual, was, and remains, largely heretical within religious as well as scientific circles. Powerful forces within Protestant theology have insisted on dividing religion from science utterly. Likewise, within the scientific community, religion has been viewed as treating an aspect of life entirely distinct from those investigated by science. Max Planck spoke for many when he said, "There can never be any real opposition between religion and science; because the one is the complement of the other." For scientist and theologian alike, there have been two worlds, and so two truths: one scientific and the other religious.
Goethe, Emerson, and Steiner, by contrast, acknowledge distinctions within life, but refuse to fragment it. Truth might be many-sided, but at root it is one. To Steiner, Planck's views are naive. Simple faith, as Planck envisions it, cannot withstand the impressive and ever-growing force of natural science. If modern habits of visualizing nature as a deterministic mechanism prevail, "then there is no possible way of saving the moral realm. . . there is simply no evidence anywhere in this moral realm of a power to prevail against the realm of the natural order. ,,40 By implication, if the moral realm falls, so, too, does the light of future aeons. Thus, Steiner sees the segregation of scientific and spiritual knowing not only as a hindrance to a comprehensive understanding of light, but also as a threat to our future. To Steiner, the natural world around us grows out of the moral world within us just as the butterfly evolves from the caterpillar. Its shape will depend on the worm we place inside the chrysalis.

 

 

MEDITATION FOR EVERY DAY

Rev Father Andrew, S.D.C. 1934

MONDAY IN EASTER WEEK

RISEN INDEED

Page 136

'The Lord is risen indeed.'-S. LUKE xxiv. 34­

"S. JOHN tells us in his Gospel that, when he and Peter went speeding down to the sepulchre of our Lord and entered in, he ' saw and believed.' What was it that brought conviction to John? He saw something in the way the grave-clothes were disposed which brought absolute conviction to him of our Lord's Resurrection. If he had just seen the grave­clothes put on one side, surely he would have thought, as the women thought, that the body of our Lord had been taken from the tomb, but there was something about them which he says brought conviction to him.
The Jewlsh method of burial was to wind linen round and round the body, sprinkling myrrh and spices upon the linen as they did so. The myrrh was sticky and made the bands of linen adhere closely together, so that the body was like a mummy or the chrysalis of a caterpillar. What S. John saw, when he entered the tomb, was that the linen which had been wound round the body still kept its shape, but it was clear that the body was not inside it. The linen lay there like an empty shell or a chrysalis from which the moth has risen. The napkin which had been laid over the face of Jesus had fallen back and lay in its own place by itself. He saw that, and it brought conviction to him, and he went away with a wholly different frame of mind from that with which he came. As Bishop Westcott says so well in his commentary, the feeling of the apostles is better expressed by their words, , The Master lives,' than by the words, , He is risen.' They realized that our Lord had never been defeated by death.

 

 

-
THE RAINBOW LIGHT
-
-
-
3
THE
33
15
6
7
RAINBOW
82
37
1
5
LIGHT
56
29
2
15
THE RAINBOW LIGHT
171
81
9
1+5
-
1+7+1
8+1
-
6
THE RAINBOW LIGHT
9
9
9

 

 

 

 

....

 

GOD WITH US AND US WITH GOD

BEYOND THE VEIL ANOTHER VEIL ANOTHER VEIL BEYOND

 

THIS IS THE SEEN OF THE SCENE UNSEEN THE UNSEEN SEEN OF THE SCENE UNSEEN THIS IS THE SEEN

 

 

 

LOOK AT THE NINES LOOK AT THE NINES LOOK AT THE NINES THE NINES THE NINES

 

I

SAY

IS THIS THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD?

NO ITS OVER THERE

OH!

I'VE JUST BEEN OVER THERE AND THEY SAID IT WAS OVER HERE.

 

 

 

MESSAGE

FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OTHER SIDE

 

 

 

I

HAVE

COME

HAVE YOU COME FROM WHOLE SOURCE

?

FROM WHOLE SOURCE HAVE

I

COME

 

 

 
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