Retracing Old Ground

One of my prized possessions, back in the day, was an over-the-top, folio-sized copy of Manly P. Hall's The Secret Teachings of All Ages. (It didn't survive the trip when we fled our old home, alas; but just as well, since it wasn't the direction I needed.)

The highlight of that book, I think, was it's extravagant full-page illustrations by John Augustus Knapp. I had occasion to be looking back over these today, and what do I see in the painting accompanying Hall's essay on Hermetism?

woof woof

Why, it's our old and faithful friend Upuat, waiting to guide us into the ruins of ancient wisdom! Hey there, buddy! Who's a good boy?

On Providence

ὃ δ’ ἀφήμενος οὐκ ἀλεγίζει οὐδ’ ὄθεται
but he sits apart neither heeding nor caring

(Hera speaking of Zeus. Homer, Iliad XV 106b–7a, as translated by yours truly.)

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We homeschool my daughter, and the curriculum we are working from is a Christian curriculum—not surprising, I suppose, as most homeschoolers in the USA are so for religious reasons, and so most of the materials on the market cater to that. In any case, the English textbook she is studying had her working with Christian hymns today, and she was complaining about these; so, as a counterpoint, I read her a few bits and pieces from the Homeric Hymns and Orphic Hymns and Porphyry's Hymn to the Intellect, and we discussed what the point of the hymns are, coming to the conclusion that the hymns in her book were about lowering god to the man, while the hymns I showed her were about raising man to the god. This led to a pretty interesting dialogue:

Daughter. But why should we raise ourselves to Zeus (for example)?

Me. Do you care about the cells in your body?

Daughter. What? ... No, not really. I don't even think about them.

Me. But you are like a "cell" in the "body" of Zeus.

Daughter. So Zeus doesn't care about us?

Me. I don't think so. (That's pretty different from what the hymns in your book say, isn't it?) But you still take care of the cells in your body, don't you?

Daughter. I don't try to, but yeah, I guess I kinda do. I mean, if I didn't, I'd get sick and die.

Me. I think that's how it is with Zeus, too. He doesn't care of us but that doesn't mean he doesn't take care of us. (That's what angels are for, after all!) So to raise yourself to Zeus is to harmonize with Zeus: it's like your cell trying to harmonize with your body. Wouldn't your body work better if all your cells tried to be as aware of the whole as possible?

She went away very contemplative...