The Formula of the Sun

©2003 - 2004 by Ian Axir. All rights reserved.

The consensus among early societies was that woman was the source of life.  Woman was observed to give birth, nurturing children upon the white ‘blood’ of her breasts.  This primitive view was akin to that of a child that has not yet grasped the concept of sexual intercourse but, understands that babies come from a woman’s body.  Primitive people much like children believing that the woman was the source of life began to think of woman (or the archetypal woman) as god.  They had not yet grasped the fact that a woman alone without a man’s seed cannot become pregnant and give birth.

    The archetypal goddess came to be associated with the moon in many different cultures. The heavenly symbols the sun, moon, and stars were universally adopted, because they are visible from any place upon the earth.  A women's monthly menstrual cycle of approximately 30 days corresponds to the waxing and waning of the moon which reflects it's capacity for fertility or it's capacity to receive the light of the sun. People during this aeon believing that god was a woman initially patterned their societies as matriarchies (the goddess rules) – the Egyptian Isis, Sumerian Innana, the Babylonian Ishtar, etc.  Some societies at this time were characterized by cannibalism (this was reflective of the woman taking life into her body during coitus).

    With the progression of knowledge man began to gain a clearer perspective of the cosmos.  The recognition that it is in fact the male that sacrifices his seed to the female, ushered forth the paternal society.  Almost universally god came to be associated with male deities symbolized by the sun.  The sun was recognized as the source of life.  The sun’s rays gave life to the planet, as the male’s semen (the phallus dies, looses it's potency to the womb during sexual intercourse).  The moon (goddess) reflected his light.  True to the law of Hermes (‘as above, so below’ or ‘as within, so without’) this came to be reflected in the cultivation of agriculture, the sowing of the land (planting the seed).  At this time a new and erroneous observation of nature was made.  The sun was thought to die each day when it set just as the male sacrificed his seed to give life.

    To alleviate the fear that the sun ‘died’ each morning to ‘resurrect’ anew societies cultivated the drama of the ‘dying god’.  With the changing of the seasons came a further concern.  Would the sun survive a yearly death?  The story of Jesus, predated by tales of similar gods such as Osiris, Orpheus, Dionysus, Adonis, etc. is one such example.  In addition to its daily ‘death’, the sun 'died' to ‘resurrect’ in the Spring after the observed death of crops in the Winter.  The sun was perceived to rise or resurrect in the East and this may be the source of the word ‘Easter’ (east-er) which takes place in the Spring.  This pattern was also assimilated internally.   Philosophically and existentially the moon was a symbol of the mind which reflected the sun or awareness.  The ‘inner sun’ of consciousness ‘set'’ (note: the god Set strives against the solar deity Horus in Egyptian mythos, who avenges his slain father Osiris, a solar diety) for each individual daily during the unconsciousness that came with sleep. Socrates once said:

It was the Sun, then, that I meant when I spoke of that offspring which the Good has created in the visible world, to stand there in the same relation to vision and visible things as that which the Good itself bears in the intelligible world to intelligence and to intelligible objects. (219)

    The cross itself symbolizes the intercourse between opposites. Notice that the horizontal line or horizon of Mother Earth (blue line) is traversed, crossed by the course of the rising Sun (red line) forming a cross.  There were at least a thousand variations of the cross, including the Egyptian ankh, that pre-date the Christian Cross. "Pick up your cross and follow me a-cross the abyss!".  Because the vertical line when transcended brings one from 3 to 2 dimensions (and thence to one; Kether), from duality to unity, form to formless.  And this is also how the Christians pray (the prayer is supposed to represent the transcendence of the ego, duality), but do not understand why they do it.  Any one who has studied the qabalah knows that the Tree of Life also correspond to the body.  Kether is at the level of the head.  Chokmah and Binah at the third-eye,  Geburah and Chesed correspond to the right and left shoulders and Tipharet to the heart.  So that when we cross ourselves we are implying that we would like to transcend duality (we await the mystic wedding).  Note:  Some may place the vertical line as (time) between Binah and Chokmah (the mind's eye being ascribed to the Moon) and the abyss (Da'ath) between these two supernals and Kether (see Metaphysica).

    This is also why Sunday is considered ‘god’s day’ (son-day).  The days of the week were originally named after various gods.  Monday was moon-day, Tuesday was ascribed to the Tue, the god of war, Wednesday was named after the god Woden, Thursday was Thor’s day, Friday was named after the goddess Freya, while Saturday took its name from the god Saturn. Duquette writes:

Magical formulae evolve from older magical formulae as humanity’s ability to perceive itself and the universe increases.  A change in the consciousness of the race necessitates a change in magical formula.  It’s not that the old formula doesn’t work anymore, it’s just that the new one works so much better.(6)

    Today few are under the illusion that the sun suffers death and yet many religious institutions such as Christianity, Buddhism and Freemasonry are based on the outdated formula of the ‘dying god’ and the sacrifice of the ego.  For example, in Masonry the master sits in the East because the master represents the sun or the son of god.  In the allegory of Hiram the master is slain and resurrected.  Parallel with these changes in perspective and quantum theory, came the realization that the observer is an inextricable component in universal processes.  We also know that without the ego there can be no non-ego, one defines the other. There must be a balance between the two if we are to come to a more complete and effective understanding of the universe in which we live.

    The fact is that both mother and father are essential for a child’s growth.  Indeed all life in the universe comes from the interplay of opposites.  In Taoism the yin and yang either produce life or return to the original source of all or zero (+1 + -1 = 0; kabbalistically this is known as No-Thing and represents the original riddle of existence – how everything came from nothing). Crowley states:

H. Serious philosophy has always begun by discarding all these puerilities.  It has of necessity been divided into these schools: the Nihilist, the Monist, and the Dualist.

I. The last of these is, on the surface, the most plausible for almost the first thing that we notice on inspecting the Universe is what the Hindu schools call “the Pair of Opposites”. (54)

    It must be remember that although the female appears to be the source of life she is barren and ineffective without her counterpart and this is equally true of the male.  The seed needs the fertility of ‘Mother Earth’ in order to produce life.  A child is a product of both its parents.  We must not create a division between the levels but, recognize that a complete understanding of any given topic comes from a deep realization of the unity between body, mind and spirit.   Science came to confusion when it tried to separate the observer from the observed.  Those that choose to minimize the importance of balance (one must cultivate one’s skill in both art as well as the sciences) are guilty of the same.  The truth is gleaned from scientific/mystical/magical observations of processes and experience, not by sophisticated arguments prompted or supported by logic alone.  The mind is limited being simply a vehicle of the unconditioned self or consciousness.

The Importance of Male and Female Polarities

    Opposing qualities are often viewed as either conflicting or mutually complimenting one another.  Religious and social institutions have been primarily responsible for cultivating a perception of the universe that has led to a battle between the sexes.   The aeon of Osiris ushered forth the patriarchal society we see predominant in most the societies in the world today.  The former aeon had stressed the importance of the female and with it the maternal society.  These two are now being recognized as equally essential to life in the universe.  The product of the interaction between the opposites is what produces a third factor life.  A balance between these polarities is essential to a child’s growth, sustenance and development.  Stephanie Coontz writes in an article called “The American Family”:

Hands-on fathers make better parents than men who let their wives do all the nurturing and childcare:  They raise sons who are more expressive and daughters who are more likely to do well in school, especially in math and science. (Coontz)

    Marriage was originally a spiritual rather than a state contract.  The symbols of marriage reflect the unity between male and female.  The act of copulation is graphically depicted in the symbolism of the ring and finger.  We find various symbols, rituals and laws mirrored in the perceived processes of the universe and that various concepts hold true for more than one level.  For example metaphysically the woman, in Egyptian magic, is best conceived as the goddess Nuit possessing the qualities of infinite space and infinite expansion.  Her counterpart the male Hadit, represents infinite contraction, a star, a sun, the Self, the point of view, the “I AM”.  Nuit is ascribed to the number zero, while Hadit to the number one.   Their union implies the transcendence of opposites.  The union between one and zero depicts the sexual act.  In kabalistic terms it is the angel Metatron that crown the child with consciousness even as the woman’s womb crowns the child’s head at birth.  This is also the reason why the crown represents authority.  Only the one that has achieved higher consciousness has the right to rule.  This is because a true king must be fair.  In order to be truly impartial one must judge from the vantage point of perfect empathy and this can only be achieved by transcending the limited, individual point of view.  The rightful ruler must perceive the big picture.  As Socrates rightly said:

            The philosopher must be king. (Socrates)

In the technological sphere the computer is based on bits which can be either one’s or zeros.  Through numeric abstraction using values for ‘on’ and ‘off’ (metaphysically parallel to – “existence” and “non-existence”) we arrive at all other possible numbers.  In a computer everything is represented in this manner and an entire ‘virtual universe’ may be constructed.  Quantum physicists tell us that matter is made up of mostly nothing. In their book Awaken Healing Light of the Tao Mantak and Maneewan Chia write:

“Taoists refer to the first observable variations of the Universal Force, which emanates from the Wu Chi, as Yin and Yang.  The two qualities of this force can be understood as the positive and negative poles of the primordial energy.  Yin and Yang are inseparable tendencies of all energy, and it is impossible to have one without the other.   Their interactions are the root of all universal action; hence, the polarity of Yin and Yang is a factor intrinsic to all creation.” (14)

Physically we witness this processes in the growth of plants.  We know that everything starts with an idea.  The idea must be nurtured in order to come into manifestation.  A seed is planted, nurtured by the sun and elements until it grows to adulthood.  In a magic ritual the magician (the One), a phallus, Sun, stands erect in the circle (Zero), a hole, a womb ejaculating ideas.  He is also the Sun (consciousness) which brings the unconscious ideas to light nurturing them with the 4 elements (a cross has 4 sides) Air, Fire, Water and Earth, the ideas is protected by 4 angels (the word angel is supposed to be derived from or related to the word angle, the implications is that we are using a system of Divine Geometry), 4 pentagram (the pentagram like the cross is a symbol of the human body it represents, among other more sublime and sophisticated concepts, the 5 extremities of the human body - head, the two arms out in the form of the cross with the two legs apart, instead of together which would form the cross (qabalistic cross in this case) .  This is a depiction of the Great Rite witches practice. Wicca is also patterned on the formula of the Sun God, Moon Goddess and the drama of the "Dying God", in which the Oak King (Sun God of the waxing year) and Holly King (Sun God of the waning year) represent two aspects of the Sun God in the phases of "death" and "resurrection" as it progresses through it's yearly cycle.  A true witch is not a gullible individual that spouts mumbo-jumbo and expects something to happen.  A witch or magician understands that the laws of the universe are reflected on many planes and how to apply this knowledge to practical ends.  Indeed the ‘path of the wise’ satisfies all questions and it is clear that ‘ALL Questions’ are answered with ‘ALL Answers’.

Theory of Aeons

*NOTE: The days of the week were named after various gods ascribed to corresponding planets - Sun (Sunday), Moon (Monday), Mars (Tuesday, Tue), Mercury (Wednesday, Woden), Jupiter (Thursday, Thor), Venus (Friday, Freya), Saturn (Saturday).  Notice also that the course of the Aeons corresponds to the progression of days in the week.  The Sun (Sunday) father impregnates the Moon (Monday) mother giving birth to Tue (Tuesday) which corresponds to Horus, the crowned and conquering child.

**NOTE: The next Aeon is that of the goddess Thmaist, Justice which combines the gods Thoth and Maat.

***NOTE: A women's monthly cycle of approximately 30 days corresponds to the waxing and waning of the moon which reflects it's capacity for fertility or to receive the light of the sun.

§ Notice also that the Greek letter for Omega is similar to the arched image of Nuit while the letter 'A' corresponding to Hadit is a pentagram.

Additional Comment:  The bible implies several aeons with it's Old Testament, New Testament, and Book of Revelations (Future Testament). 

Glossary of terms

sun/moon - The symbol of the holy grail or enlightenment. The name of Solomon may be derived from the words sol(sun) y(and) Amon (moon). Amon was the Egyptian god of the moon.

A marriage is an agreement between two individuals.  This agreement is essential for true love which must be unconditional or unchanging – agape.  Although he was never successful in his own relationships Aleister Crowley understood this perfectly:

There is no bond that can unite the divided but love.  Love is the law.   Love under Will. (Crowley)

Unfortunately, Crowley (he appeared on the Beatles’ Sargent Pepper album; a former residence of his being procured by Jimmy Page) was partly responsible for laying the ground for the liberal philophies responsible for belittling marriage and initiating the counterculture of the sixties.   Will is the Self that transcends the polarities.  Love must reflect and be as true a foundation as the unchanging, eternal Self, else it declare itself false.   So marriage and family must be based on unconditional love.  This love must emanate from its central point in family to encompass the larger family - ‘the brothers and sisters of the world”.  This understanding is absolutely crucial if we are to achieve Heaven on earth.  It is truly unfortunate that so few magicians have any real interest in politics.  Although many politicians have made an effort to study the effects of the traditional family their arguments fail to carry the overwhelming conviction that comes from ‘seeing the big picture’, when standing free of the forest populated by thought.  Former politician Dan Quayle writes:

I found that ordinary working Americans rather than Washington officials or political pundits are the experts in creating healthy families. (Quayle)

Further Dan Quayle argues in his book The American Family:

When prime-time TV has Murphy Brown – a character who supposedly epitomizes today’s intelligent, highly paid, professional woman – mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone and calling it just another ‘lifestyle choice’. (Quayle)

This demonstrates the mass mind and how people are swayed by media and peer pressure rather than taking their guidance from the inner light of consciousness.  Quayle expands on the above statement with:

The media decision makers give the impression that the American people can’t understand what is happening without constant analysis and interpretation by the media elite themselves. (Quayle)

And the following:

Couples should use every possible means to make their marriages strong and keep their families united rather than succumbing to the pro-divorce messages that permeate our culture. (Quayle)

Whether you place your trust in scripture, history, science, reason, or common sense – all evidence suggests that strong families are the only earthly hope for the future of this or any other civilization.  Try as we may to improve our society, our efforts will be in vain if we lose sight of that central truth. (Quayle)

The effect of divorce on children is sited by many as controversial although to some it appears obvious that a healthy family is composed of both biological parents.  Stephanie Marston in her book writes:

For many of these kids, divorce represented the end of their family as they had known it and also the loss of the relationship with their fathers.  As Pedro, a twenty-three-year-old graphic designer, looks back, he recalls the pain of growing up without a male role model.  ‘The worst part of my parents’ divorce was that I missed my dad.’ (Marston)

The following piece from the Gnostic Mass attests the essential relationship of members of a family to the higher sphere of consciousness:

WOMEN:

Glory to thee from waiting womb!

MEN:

Glory to thee from earth un-ploughed!

WOMEN:

Glory to thee from virgin vowed!

MEN:

Glory to thee, true Unity
Of the eternal Trinity!

WOMEN:

Glory to thee, thou sire and dam

And self of I am that I am!

MEN:

Glory to thee, beyond all term,

Thy spring of sperm, thy seed and germ!

WOMEN:

Glory to thee, eternal Sun.

Thou One in Three, Thou Three in One!

CHORUS:

Glory and worship be to Thee,

Sap of the world-ash, wonder-tree!
           
            (Crowley)

For further information see The Divine Geometry, Duality, Ego and "The Devil" and Metaphysica

Bibliography

Chia, Mantak, and Chia, Maneewan. Awaken the Healing Light of the Tao. Huntington, NY:Healing Tao, 1993.

Coontz, Stephanie. “The American Family”. Life Magazine, Nov. 1999: 79-94.

Crowley, Aleister. Magick Without Tears. Tempe, Arizona: New Falcon, 1991.

Demo, David H. “The Future Is Now: Twenty-first Century Family Forms (2000)”. Reading Our Histories, Understanding Our Cultures.Ed. Kathleen McCormick. New York:Longman, 2003.

Duquette, Lon Milo. The Magick of Thelema. York Beach, Maine:Weiser, 1993.

Marston, Stephanie. The Divorced Parent. New York: Morrow, 1994.

Socrates, and Plato. The Republic of Plato. New York, NY:Oxford, 1990.

Quayle, Dan. “Restoring Basic Values (1992)”. Reading Our Histories, Understanding Our Cultures.Ed. Kathleen McCormick. New York:Longman, 2003.

Quayle, Dan.The American Family. NewYork: HarperCollins, 1996.

Skolnick, Arlene. Embattled Paradise: The American Family in an Age of Uncertainty. New York:Basic, 1991.

Walker, Alice. “Father.” Living by the Word. New York:Harcourt, 1981, 9-17.

Whitehead, Barbara Dafoe. “Dan Quayle Was Right.” Atlantic Monthly Apr. 1993: 47-84.