THE ARCANE ARCHIVE
	a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects.

To: babalon@pobox.com (Babalon Elist)
From: nagasiva 
Subject: Aeonics, Baphomet
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 1995 15:22:03 -0800 (PST)

ky951104 (bounced from old address, I hope the reply-to's are now fixed)

|From: Nyk Cowham 
|Date: Fri, 27 Oct 1995 20:58:51 GMT

|...children being eaten: the theme of Child sacrifice is particularly
|strong in my current workings which are connected to the Phoenician/
|Carthaginian cult of Thanith (ThNTh=930) which was one of the last cults to
|continue the ancient practice of Child sacrifice and this was one of the
|reasons the Phoenicians were so abhorrent to and despised by other peoples in
|the civilised world. Indeed, this practice was also linked to the Rites of
|Moloch who was worshipped in ancient Jerusalem (930 is the number of
|Moloch-Shalem as well as Thanith) by the Caananites.

Upon my altar the child-troll beheaded, a sacrifice to the Mad Mother.  
Consumption of children and the sacrament of sexual mass are one.


|...the Old Aeon was symbolised by the Dying God who shed his blood that the 
|child might be spared ....

Interesting.  I'd always heard the story was that the Dying God spends his
life for all, as a testament to the eternal endurance of martyrdom.


|(the story of Abraham being spared from sacrificing his first-born son by 
|Jehova represents this transfer from the Aeon of the Mother to the Aeon 
|of the Father), 

And here I just thought it was a simple parable about how important it
is/was to obey without question the Lord Almighty.  Cf. Yeheshua ben Miriam's
exhortations about being at potential odds with family members if one is to
tread the 'Good Path'.


|...The child is merely sacrificed 'spiritually', in the sense that the 
|injunction to 'put away childish things' in acts of self-abrogation driven by
|the impetus towards adult duties represents the death of the sponteneity of 
|the child (which only makes childhood the ground for adult romanticisation and
|'garden of Eden' fantasies). Thus, instead of the blood of some children
|being spilt in the Aeon of Osiris every child is sacrificed upon the altar
|fires of Duty. In terms of developmental psychology, this could be seen as the
|impetus behind the identity crisis stage of adolescence).

I'd call the sacrifice you mention above socially-conditioned and a form of
psychological harness.


|Thus, the Aeon of Child is that wherein this sacrifice is totally abandoned
|(the formula of FIAOF, and a variant of that formula WH-IAO-WH, which
|emphasises the hermaphroditic twin current of that formula, is particularly
|relevant in this respect). For this reason the Cult of Thanith is important
|in that this cult never abandoned the more ancient bloody sacrifice, and it
|is therefore appropriate that from this cult the end of all sacrifice
|of the Child should be declared.

I appreciate the sentiment but feel that such 'declarations' are in essence
Old AEon (to use your terminology) evocations.  The only worthwhile manner
that we shall declare our will (true, presumably) is through direct action
and personal exchange.  The concepts of cults and organizations spearheading
individualist principles has been shown to be bankrupt and illusory, the
notion that there are 'Universal AEons' itself is an 'Old Aeon' (e.g. 'BC')
concept which has yet to loose its grip upon the modern mind.

Children are sacrificed in every way every day.  Our contentions that this
is the 'Aeon of Child' or 'Aeon of Mother' or whatever amounts to a self-
delusory fabrication to justify our very real cultural biases, quite useful
magical tools, but not universal in any sense.


|This most clearly relates to Kenneth Grant's conceptions of the New Aeon as
|representing a double current of the Twins Horus-Set (or Ra-Hoor-Kuit and
|Hoor-paar-kraat).

Note that Grant's and Crowley's argumentation for AEonics arrives with their
preference for organized support of the Law, when in fact no organized
effort will ever do as much for Thelema (and any other cherished principles
which are associated with it) as an individual action carried through with
dedicated intention.


|I see Aleph, as the glyph of the Fyllfot cross, as representing Life, Love,
|Light, and Liberty (four letter 'L's' form the Crooked Cross). Thus, it is
|the essence of the Law. 

Only if one is figure-based rather than ground-based or, less extremely 
focussed more upon the whole fylfot image.  There is more to the fylfot 
than the Ls.  I enjoy one upon the temple wall which is a composite of
four yin/yang-tai chi diagrams, a central point making 9 in total.


|In my own sexual rites I find that congress with Baphomet is a highly potent
|aspect of my working....

|Thus, my most potent congress with BABALON is when she ceases to be BABALON
|and we both become Baphomet (Woman and Beast United, and alternative to the
|Sphinx), then a Single Baphomet, then NOTHING at all!

You identify Baphomet as the Beast and Babalon conjoined?  I've more often
seen Baphomet as masculine than as truly hermaphroditic.  Please elaborate
from where you derived your notions about Baphomet and if you know anything
about Hir history.  Thanks.

tyagi