Mythology
Another difference is that myths and legends are allegorical and symbolic in nature; that is, not to be taken literally.
The Party LineWhen people think about the word mythology, they imagine it to deal only with fairy tales, fictions and fantasies; suitable for children and unsophisticated or primitive people, but contrasted to the realm of historic facts, truth, and science. Of course, most people never stop to consider that: 1)History is written by the winners, that is by elements of the dominant social and political factions of any given time period. What passes as historical fact is itself the product of a myth-making, propoganda process. Historical events and individuals tend to be mythologized, heroes and idols are created and marketed. 2)The accepted scientific theories of the day, are merely the latest revision of the continually evolving world view of the scientific, religous and political elite. [See "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by Thomas Kuhn and "The Cosmic Trigger" by Robert Anton Wilson.] Niels Bohr said it best - "The map is not the territory". Science, like mythology and religion, uses word pictures and maps. Qunatum physics shows us that our word pictures look a certain way because of how we frame them, due to the assumptions that we have made about the world and God, and that our word maps depend on the methods that we use to measure what ever we are studying. We can design experiments that show light to be either a wave or a packet, depending on what tool we use to measure it. The same is undoubtably true of God. In other words, what we call history or science are really prevailing mythologies; the party line, as we say. 3)Lying and fraud are not unheard of in human society. Remember that 400 years ago they were still burning people at the stake for proclaiming the truth that the Sun is the center of our system, and that many were convinced that the world is flat; but convinced by who?? Note that when I say the party line, what I mean is what is professed publically, not the privately held beliefs of the ruling elite. There is a big difference between saying that 'someone taught' that the world is flat and that someone 'believes' that it is, because one need not believe what one writes or proclaims, teaches or preaches.
[If you read about the Greeks and Plato, you will see it proclaimed, that Plato taught, and the Greeks believed that the soul 'comes from' and 'returns to' the stars (or the Milky Way) after the body dies. It is my belief that this is just an ancient atomists way of telling us that everything in the Universe from here to the stars is made of the same stuff, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and is not a doxology. Of course, now that we are among mature adults we can say out loud that this was just the 'legend' that was told to the 'common people' who were too dumb to be able to understand emanation philosophy. Emanation philosophy is the ancient atomists version of the big bang. It begins with a 'singularity", the One, whose qualities are identical to what we call a back hole- it is a singularity; One Thing. The Universe is said to 1)be contained in, 2) emanate from and 3)return to this singularity, like in the big bang legend. Hindus have a story about God breathing in and out, that has the same implications. The story is spelled out graphically by the Tree of Life from the Kaballah, where the theme is one of exile and return. In physics we view this as an interplay of mass and energy, but rarely do we include spirit or consciousness. Legends from the Kabbalah and Phenomenology mark Conciousness as the singularity from which the World emanates. Theosophy and phenomenology both study a 'not-thing' that allows 'things' to be, one God and the other the Transcendental Ego. Like I said, a fairy tale about a journey from and back to the Milky Way is easier for most people to understand than emanation philosophy is. Also you can use the fairy tale as a teaching tool about astronomy for sharper students.]
A Racket
“A racket is best described as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is
conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.” By this I mean that I believe that in all likelihood, the men who burned Giordono Bruno in 1600 knew that he was right when he proclaimed that the sun is the center of our local system, they just didn't want him telling other people about it; just like they didn't want everyone reading holy books. The implication is that the ruling and priestly class conspired to keep the public dumb, and this was getting harder to do with the invention of the moveable-type printing press in the 15th Century. If you were the 'elite', you knew that the thing to do was to make sure that the holy books that commoners read were the ones that you wanted them to read, that you had composed and compiled for them. The KJV was published in 1611, codifying the several legends that commoners learned by rote for hundreds of years there after. Catholics wouldn't even translate theirs, so that priests could keep their jobs.
Astronomical Facts
This book suggests that the educated classes 1)have had knowledge of the orbits of the planets etc, 2)have devised legends that encode aspects of that knowledge for the other educated people, 3)have passed the stories off as if they were histories to the less educated people, 4)have transmitted misinformation (lies) about the astronomical facts as we now know them, and 5)burned people for telling the truth - for ever! The story of the 12 Labors of Hercules comes to mind. Hercules represents the sun, and the 12 labors are the 12 signs of ther zodiac, the monthly myth. Hurcules is seen wearing a lion's skin because Leo rules the Sun. In the Apollo/Dionysus story, Apollo rules Delphi for 9 months, and Dionysus rules for the three winter months. Characters like Demeter are said to spend six months in the underworld, that being when the sun is in the southern hemisphere. The Canon also suggest that the Bible is full of 'veiled allusions to astronomical facts'. The 12 zodiac signs can be seen in Jacob's sons and the tribes, the number of apostles and the gates of the New Jerusalem in Rev 21. Enoch for instance is said to have lived 365 years. John was said to have been born at the June Solstice while the nativity of Jesus was at the December Solstice, John being conceived at the Autumnal Equinox and Yom Kippur and Jesus being conceived at the Vernal Equinox near the Passover and Easter. John says I will decrease but he will increase. That story deals with the solar arc.
[from http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/world/christ/xt-preb2.htm] You will note that you won't hear people trying to convince you that the stories of Hercules labors or of Apollo are historical narratives, since they are 'only myths', but if you look you find plenty of refrences to people looking for the Holy Grail, and pieces of Noah's Ark or the True Cross.
Astronomy and Numerology Supposedly Condemned"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons" - Genesis 1:14 But isn't astrology and numerology condemned by the Church you ask? The "Canon" suggests that "The fact that the numerical system of the Cabalists and Gnostics is generally condemned by the Fathers, appears to be no more than a priestly artifice, intended to deceive the vulgar, and prevent inquisitive people from prying too deeply into the mysteries, which were retained as the exclusive property of the few." p45 [On a related subject, Peter Tompkins points out that "the churchmen of Rome who officially condemned sex as satanic and evil were personally clandestinely happy to indulge". We see this as the "do as I say, not as I do" style of leadership. Of course we know that, "the problem with claiming to have cornered the market on virtue is that people will get snippy when they spot vice in your ranks"- as they did during the Reformation and more recently with the Catholic priest and Congress scandals.] We are confronted with the notion that government and religous institutions that are supposed to be caring for us could be corrupt, and that there is a seperate set of moral rules for the elite in society. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
A Santa Claus MomentWhat if the Bible wasn't written as a history, but as a set of allegories with non-literal meanings, just like the labors of Hercules? What if the whale never swallowed Jonah? Lot's wife is not a salt pillar? Would it make a difference to you? Near the top of the DC Symbols page I said that I did not believe that Masonic symbols in the map were evidence of a conspiracy since I am more interested in the mystical elements than in the magical aspects of the map design, but I am afraid that in this case I would have to say that it looks conspiratorial to me. In what I call "the Santa Claus Moment" we entertain the idea that "History, both secular and religious, is a fable, conceived in self-serving deceit and promulgated by those who perceive benefit." (from: http://www.solargeneral.com/pp/mysteryintro.htm) The implication is that religion and holy books have been designed and used by some as propoganda tools.
 Rose and Thistle You will recall that the 1611 version of the Bible was compiled, edited, published and presented as history by a monarch supposedly pushing the divine rights of kings. Above you can see the rose and thistle (England and Scotland) motif that James uses to indentify himself in the KJV of the Bible. The state of Israel today owes it's existence to a notion of divine right to property, based solely on proclamations made in their holy books. The Santa Claus moment is when you find out that you were systematically lied to about Santa Claus, and that everyone older than you was in on deceiving you. From then on, some people are aware that at any time and place it is possible that large groups of people are in concert in a lie about the fundamental nature of reality. That is just the facts. The correlary of this is that people and groups constantly use Rhetoric to try to influence our beliefs about Reality as a means to controling our behavior. Propoganda is all about controlling the flow of facts, information and knowledge. Propogandists work for princes and priests and movie companies on contract to princes and priests. In the old days it was just priests. They, like lawyers, politicians, car sales people and ex-wives are cynical and aren't ashamed to lie or deceive. Anyway, what you should have learned from the Santa Claus Moment is that it is highly likely that people are orchestrated in an effort to lie to you about the fundamental nature of reality. Rhetroic and propoganda are diametrically opposed to Philosophy, the love of Knowledge, Sophia.
"Everybody who read the Jungle Book knows that Riki Tiki Tavi is a mongoose who kills snakes.
A Tale of Two Kingdoms"Whether the legend of these degrees are historically true or but an allegory, containing in itself a deeper meaning, we shall not debate. If it be but a legendary myth you must find out for yourself what it means." Albert Pike 'Morals and Dogma' The ceremonial headress that Tut is wearing below is the 'two kingdoms' symbol from King Menes. Menes is said to have been 'the first Egyptian king who united the two kingdoms', which are symbolized by a cobra and a vulture (serpent and bird). We are told that these represent 'the upper and lower kingdoms' that had been at war with one another. Menes takes command of both kingdoms ending the civil war.
 A warfare between the Upper and Lower Lands and their kings was generally a part of the 'history' of Egypt, ending in the conquest of the Lower by the Upper and the union of the two under the crown of dual sovereignty. This drama was enacted so often in the history of so many kings of Egypt that William H. Breasted, in his "History of Egypt", expresses his puzzlement over the fact that nearly every Pharaoh of the dynasties had to conquer Lower Egypt and unite the two halves of the country! If you do some research about Menes, you find some writers stating categorically that Menes was the first king of Unified Egypt, while others suggest that the name was synonymous with the long process of unification, or that he was a legendary figure. If it is just a legend what is it's message to symbologists?
TranscendenceNote that both the serpent (the cobra) and the bird (the vulture) are symbols of transcendence, meaning that they are seen as living in more than one realm, as bridges between two different dimensions. The serpent lives above and below the ground, while the bird occupies both the ground and the sky; between them they cover all three realms. When Zarathustra came down from the mountain he was accompanied by a serpent and an eagle. The wizard in the Alladin movie had a cobra for a staff and a parrot. The feathered serpent and winged dragons combine the two elements into one entity. The cadeusus features two snakes wrapped around a winged staff. The symbolism is all the same, the opposition, strife and unity of opposites, the dialectic, the yin and yang. The conflict between spirit and matter, mind and body, the earth and the sky or heavens, etc. The two kingdoms. The Upper and the Lower. Two extremes and some kind of 'mediator'. Menes represents 'incarnation', the joining of spirit and flesh. The serpent and bird represent the mind and the body, and mankind's dual nature. The Chariot Tarot card depicts the same idea. Menes was the first to master the two kingdoms.
 The Menes story is a tale of transcendence as he is seen as the bridge between the earth and sky, the upper and lower realms, as is the ritual of the raising of the Djed pillar which is said to restore the proper connection between the earth and the heavens. This can't help but remid us of the story of Jacob's Ladder that was set up on the earth and reached to heaven. What some might consider a history turns out to be a Kabbalistic legend. You should know that, in general, Egypt represents matter and the body, while Israel represents mind and spirit, and the exile in Egypt is symbolic of the soul trapped in the body. Menes, king of egypt, mediates between the extremes . These legends need not be historical to work.
The Doctrine of Exclusion
The term 'esoteric' is used to describe knowledge kept secret from outsiders by certain individuals, either for reasons of exclusivity or to protect themselves against prejudice and persecution.
You may recall that the Bible tells us that "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them". Matt 13:34. When asked "Why speakest thou unto them in parables?" Jesus answers, "Because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand"... "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables". When Jesus says "unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables", he defines an inner and outer group, and two levels of understanding and meanings, one exoteric and one esoteric. You will recognize this as the ancient roots of what we now call 'the good ole boy system', which is by no means limited to so-called secret societies, although it does pervade all religous structures.
AllegoriesOf the early Church Fathers, Origen was the most famous to assert that the Bible can only be understood allegorically and not literally. What this means is that rather than being histories and prophecies, the stories that it contains are legends manufactured by the elite for the elite, and used as propoganda tools to help control the unsuspecting masses. For some people this doesn't pose any problems to discover that stories about legendary figures might not represent historical facts, like the guy said, history is written by the winners; but for some people it presents them with a dilema.
If we accept the notion that a parable is a condensed allegory where "a single principle comes to bear, and a single moral is deduced", then we can say that the Bible is also a system of morality veiled in allegories, illustrated by symbols, and not to be understood by everyone, in spite of what some people say. I am of course referring to people who suggest that the Bible is to be understood literally and historically and not allegorically or symbolically. These people contend that "There is no double talk or weasel wording in Scripture... we do not need to look for some strange hidden meaning to what the Scripture says for it is very plain", but this is clearly not true. Take a look at the results for a KJV Bible search for the words 'parable' and 'parables'. Parables literally are 'double talk'; a language of two-fold meaning composed for those who are able to understand their allegorical sense. It should be clear that anyone who tells us that the Bible is not allegorical is one of those who Jesus speaks of who "seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand"; meaning that 'they don't get it'. Proverbs 26:7 tells us "The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools", meaning that people who can't understand parables (fools) are lame in one sense. A 'parable', you will recall, is a story that says one thing but means something else; in other words, the narrative has a concealed spiritual meaning. Remember that it says "Without a parable spake he not unto them", meaning everything that was said is to be understood as parables, not as literal or historical. We are confronted with the possibility that none of the Bible is historical.
Secrecy and Deception"Masonry, like all religions... conceals it's secrets from all except the Adepts... and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of it's symbols to mislead only those who deserve to be misled... Truth is not for those who are unworthy or unable to receive it, or would pervert it. Morals & Dogma 104-5" This is pretty much a restatement of what Jesus said about parables which also conceal and deceive, meaning that the doctrine that he was teaching was, like Masonic Symbols, NOT intended for everyone to understand. The inference here is that the Church is, and has been, a secret order just like many others which it attacks. This is the same assertion made by the author of "The Canon", that the esoteric doctrine of the Cathedral Builders was "the Pagan Mysteries perpetuated in the Cabala". On page 817 of "Morals and Dogma", Albert Pike writes that, "The Templars, like all Secret Orders and Associations, had two doctirnes, one concealed and reserved for the Masters, which was Johannism; the other public, which was Roman Catholic". On the next page, he reveals that "the Johannism of the Adepts was the Kabalah of the earlier Gnostics". "The Blue Degrees are but the outer court or portico of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the Initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them. Their true explication is reserved for Adepts, the Princes of Masonry. It is well enough for the mass of those called Masons, to imagine that all is contained in the Blue Degrees; and whoso attempts to undeceive them will labor in vain, and without true reward violate his obligations as an Adept" (M&D page 819) While I realize that in an initiation process that consists of many levels or degrees, you don't want to give the "punch line" away too soon, it is here that I am afraid I have to agree with Dion Fortune when she writes in "The Mystical Qabalah" that "there seems to be no point in deliberately misleading students with spurious information. To refuse to divulge anything may be justifiable, but how is it possible to justify the handing on of misleading statements". Fortune points out that since no one today is going to be persecuted for studies in unorthodox sciences, "there can be but one purpose in withholding teaching that relates solely to the theory of the universe and the philosophy arising therefrom, and that purpose is to retain a monopoly on knowledge that confers prestige, if not power." She calls this the "old sin" of retaining knowledge in the hands of the priesthood, and denying it to all outside the sacred clan. [You will note that this quote comes from a discussion of the "Unwritten Qabalah", which Fortune describes as the "correct knowledge of the manner in which the symbol-systems are arranged on the Tree of Life".] Fortune speaks for me when she says that: "I am not betraying anything that is secret, but collecting that which has already been given to the world and is of a simple and well-known nature... If the self-constituted guardians of this knowledge consider that I am wrong to give accurate information upon matters which they consider to be their private reserve, I reply that this is a free country and they are entitled to their opinion." When all is said and done, the desired information can be worked out from existing literature by those who care to take the trouble, or purchased plainly set forth by those who can afford high prices for books now rare. Surely the possesion of ample time and cash should not be a test of the fitness to obtain Sacred Wisdom."
ConclusionsDid you ever see "Happy Birthday Wanda June" about the little girl who is killed in a car accident on her 7th birthday? At some point in the film they show us Wanda June in heaven, and she is playing shuffle board with Jesus and Adolf Hitler. The question that this raises is what if you find after you die that your 'idea of reality' was wrong; that you ended up in an unimagined senario? That what you had been taught was wrong in other words. First I guess you know that the idea that your consciousness of this ego remains tied to this body and survives intact is an infantile fantasy. It is unlikely that you and everyone survive and meet up to play shuffle board after you lay the body down. But don't tell every one, because some have nothing else to look forward to. What if the ideas that you hold are wrong because you have chosen to believe A instead of B? There are those that proclaim that what happens to you ultimately depends on what you believe in relationship to several key issues, none of which have to do with astronomy. By that I mean that some people still believe that the soul comes from and returns to the stars (heaven).
Your leadership classes form around the philosophers and priests. These people study nature and determine the 'astronomical facts' about where we are in the system; this knowledge becomes a source of prestige and power and is jealously guarded. Schools develop to teach the information. In order to both preserve and transmit the knowledge, the data was encoded into legends written as if they were histories that were transmitted orally before the invention of writing or books. To be sure, the legends were codified by the priests, just as they controled the building of religous buildings. Masonry is born when Architecture became connected to astronomy and philosophy. Architecturally based legends evolve, Jacob, Enoch, the Tabernacle, Solomon, Herod, New Jerusalem etc. Since the Initiates are the ones who created the mythologies (consisting of parables and allegories), they knew that the gods and goddesses were the personifications of abstract principles of natural order and the vital forces of the universe. Adepts from different cultures could recognize that the attributes of Zeus and Jupiter were the same, it was only the name that was different, and arguing about the name of a god didn't make sense. This is what we might call a 'unifying concept' and would be foreign to those who worship war gods. To them, their god is just like the one next door, just bigger, stronger and better. The chosen people and all that. And I have the book to prove it. And if you don't believe me your in Big Trouble. Yes sir. So we now find ourselves in the position where a book based on a collection of astronomical, masonic and kabbalistic legends written by occultists in code is being interpreted by the people least qualified to do that, and determining that the book points to, not only how the world will end, but how it 'should' end. Of course their whole arguement depends on large parts of the bible being literal and historical, and not the parables that Jesus speaks of; becuase, if it is a parable it is not literal. I can see how people who can't understand allegories might read the story of John and Jesus and not see that the solar arc is being described, and believe that it was a real story about two cousins baptizing each other. I can't believe that one Easter Sunday every one doesn't look up and say, hey I get it, it's about the sun coming back and all the vegetation coming to life again, not about a man dying, but not dying, and coming back again for a short time once but for a longer time in the not too distant yet indeterminable future. Psst. It's allegorical and for many a racket, just like the priesthood and Congress.
Suggested Reading
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