Force & Fire No. 1

FORCE & FIRE

∆ The Northern Cosmos & the Human Body

by Joel Hopkinson…………………………………… …………..6

THE NEWSLETTER OF

AURORA AUSTRALIS THELEMIC TEMPLE Issue No. 1

(Summer 2002 e.v.) Anno IVx

Editorial “Beauty & strength, leaping laughter & delicious languor, force & fire, are of us” – Liber AL II: 20

ΘΕΛ ΗΜ Α

Contents ∆ Editorial- Fr. LVX/NOX………………..1

∆ Liber SetHorus………………………..2 ∆ On the Powers of Number

by Aleister Crowley……………………………………… ……3

Do What Thou Wilt shall be the Whole of the Law – Welcome to the first issue of Force & Fire, an irregular journal of Thelemic & magical studies. This journal is published under the aegis of Aurora Australis Thelemic Temple, an independent research facility (also a working magical temple) established to provide information to genuine seekers about Aleister Crowley’s magical systems, the implications of Liber AL vel Legis (The Book of the Law), the 93 Current, and contemporary magical practice in Australia. (In seeking a name for this temple, it was decided to draw on the symbolism of one of our planet’s most remarkable atmospheric phenomena, those dazzling sheets of mystical multicoloured lights that ebb and flow across the clear night sky at the Southern Pole. The Aurora Australis, being unique to the Southern Hemisphere where we are situated, and while having fascinating and significant astronomical and magical features, also conveniently suggests by its initials the connection with the magical order of the A.A. itself, and so seems highly appropriate as the name for our temple. It should be noted that while the A∴ A∴ T.T. currently has no formal connection with the O.T.O. and is not an initiating body, we are operating in close spiritual synchronism with that Order, and fraternal relations with local bodies can be said to

exist. Your editor is an O.T.O. initiate (Oceania Lodge in Sydney). We also maintain fraternal relations with the Temple of Set in Australia through their Nan Madol Pylon. In addition, the Temple operates New Aeon Distribution, a small-scale distribution service for occult books; and plans to establish Hawk’s Head Press to publish some specialist material in booklet form. Within these pages we will be reprinting some classic and less accessible Aleister Crowley material; various non-confidential papers relating to Thelema and the O.T.O. system; & we hope to include original notes and speculations on some more controversial areas such as ‘Typhonian’ Thelema. We will also print news, reviews and practical ritual material from time to time. This journal will of necessity be a part-time venture, produced on a low to non-existent budget, hence will

appear irregularly, but Force & Fire welcomes contributions in its areas of interest and will print them subject to relevance and a reasonable degree of literacy. Relevant subjects are Thelemic and Typhonian magick, ritual magick in history, theory and practice, Qabalah, Eastern and Western traditions of magick and mysticism, the Left Hand Path, and general news and views on pagan and magical events in Australia today.) We are pleased to present in this issue an original piece by Joel Hopkinson (of Brisbane Qld), which makes some suggestive connections between symbolisms of the traditional Teutonic mythology and subtle body exercises of the Eastern tradition. Other potential contributors should regard Joel’s essay as a sample of the standard we are looking for in the future. Letters of comment are also welcome, as are enquiries from aspirants who wish to know more about the systems of O.T.O. & AA. Art contributions that fit our subject matter are also most welcome. At present we are not on the World Wide Web, but as the journal develops, a web version may be made available. Force & Fire will be free of charge and hence will be unable to pay for contributions. Send

all

comments

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contributions

to:

Fr.

LVX/NOX, Force & Fire, PO Box A281, Sydney South, NSW 1235. Australia. Special note: This first issue is being sent for perusal to some who may not wish to continue to receive it, whether due to philosophical differences or otherwise. If you do not wish to receive future issues, please advise by sending a brief note to the editorial address above. Love is the Law, Love Under Will

-Fr. LVX/NOX

LIBER SET- HORUS [Note: The following ritual is reprinted from an American OTO newsletter, possibly Scarlet Woman Camp. Details of date and issue of publication are not available but we would be happy to acknowledge these if the relevant author would provide them] “…But she said: the ordeals I write not: the rituals shall be half known and half concealed: the Law is for all.” – Liber AL vel Legis I.34 ((The temple is ringed with 13 black candles. Mournful music is played. Isis, or Nuit, is robed in white and gold. Osiris, or Hadit is robed in White. SetHorus is robed black over red. In the north is the sword of Set; in the South, concealed, is the phallus of Osiris. Isis and Osiris stand together in the East, facing outward. Set stands in the West, facing inward. Banishings. Music. The ritual opens.)) Isis: My Lord Osiris, let us face the rising Sun, for day awakens. Osiris: The Sun rises not, but sets. SetHorus (whispers): The Son rises not, but Set. ((Set walks stealthily to the North and picks up the sword. He steps behind Osiris and taps him upon the head)) Set-Horus: Thus I slay thee! ((Set taps Osiris upon the arm)) Set: I divide thy body, and throw it into the Nile. ((Set taps the limbs and trunk of Osiris in turn. Osiris assumes his own god-form, then falls, face up, in the position of the hanged man. Set forcefully turns Isis around)). Set: I have slain Osiris thy husband and divided his body, that I might have thee. Isis: I am as though slain myself. But, beware! The knowledge of me is the knowledge of death. Set: I am alone; there is no God where I am. ((Set tears off the robe of Isis and forces her to her knees. She acknowledges him with a kiss, lifting his robe))

Isis: But, remember: knowledge of me is the knowledge of death. ((Set takes of Isis as he wills. She whispers:) Isis – the knowledge of death. ((Set falls into a deep slumber. Isis arises and divides the remains of her robe into bandages. She approaches Osirisand binds his wounds)) Isis: Osiris, my husband, I have restored thy limbs that were cast into the Nile. But thy organ of generation I have found not. (Isis searches the temple and discovers the concealed phallos. She returns to Osiris and binds it to his body)) Isis: This organ have I fashioned by my magick, by the will of Thoth. By Buit, Hadit, and Ra Hoor Khuit, I say unto thee, Arise. ((Isis places herself upon Osiris. Osiris is restored to life. Both stand.)) Osiris: (bows) You have conceived by this. Feed the dead god, that the crowned and conquering child may Arise. ((Isis places her chalice at the mouth of Set, removing his outer robe. Set-Horus consumes the elixir.)) Set-Horus: I am killed and reborn. Isis: Set is dead. Behold, the god of the new aeon! ((Horus moves to the East, facing outward, Isis and Osiris move to the West, facing inward)). Osiris: He is risen!

ON THE POWERS OF NUMBER A Manuscript Fragment written by Aleister Crowley, c. 1899 e.v. IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN! 1 Berashith: In the Beginning. The Lord of Creation: the Light of Osiris: The Spirit of the Invisible: the Father, the Logos, and the Holy Breath: these Three are One.

human Will which illumined by the Essence of the Three first letters can put forth Jod (the hand, symbol of force beginning to manifest and vice-regent of the first letter of the great Name) unto Tau the Universe of Matter. This is the Law of Creation, the Eternal Hexagram of Life. Yet it must never be forgotten that no mystery can be utterly understood by man. I have revealed to you an Arcanum; but behind it are Arcana, and Arcana of Arcana: until the Infinite is Finite, and the Circle is the Square. Yet are they not many Arcana, but one Arcanum. Even as the seven colours are lesser functions of the Light: as the chemical elements themselves (as the men of science now begin to see) are all mere forms and types of pervading Self. So also is it the first knowledge of a child, that he is different from the persons and things around him. And that is the very symbol and Sigil that he is born in Sin. The first illusion of a child: and ah! The last illusion of the Magus. (Who is also, occultly, the child) After days of silence, and of fasting, and of absolute darkness: long after consciousness of self has failed: long, long, after all desire, and hope, and mere belief in the existence of the universe has become merged in the central consciousness of Divine Light: persists this fatal illusion of division, of separation, of death. For this is the deepest and most occult meaning of the word “Death” and the lie to it is given direct in the Tarot, that noble compendium of Truth, by the fact that the 13th key is Death, and 13 in the Hebrew tongue is Achad, Unity. Yet the metaphysical nature of this Truth of Universal Unity is so involved in itself, so infinite in the terms it employs and connotes, that the exact converse is equally true. To declare God incapable of selfcontradiction is to limit and blaspheme God: for limit is the only evil. And, indeed, the idea of God must, from its very nature, transcend not merely the computations, but the very laws of mathematics, metaphysics, and nature itself. It is written “That which is, and that which is not, and that which is beyond both”. Here again is the primal Triad expressed. And these three are included in Kether. Now Kether is the point, the atom, the Beginning: the Inscrutable Height, the Smooth Point, Lux Simplicissima; these are its names; yet a point is infinitely small; and Kether is the reflection at a point of the infinitely large, the Boundless ocean of the Ain Soph Aur. Yet this in its turn is but a veil, and a veil of veils. Consider, then thyself.

This is the Triad of Eternity: Light, Life, and Love. Light is the Monad: the first manifestation of that negative Abyss of [the] Boundless.

In the mysteries of old it was said unto the Aspirant: Who art thou? For to this question no reply is possible. And this is a certain great mystery.

Life is the Dyad: the inward and outward breath. Love is the Triad: the conjunction and the realization. Without the knowledge of the Unity, expressed or explained by Trinity, all magical knowledge is evil. Without the identity of the Soul of the Magus with this Unity in himself, it is vain. For the letters BRA precede those of ShITh. Now Sh is the fire of the

It was found by them of old time that the meditation upon the Highest filled and surrounded them with thick darkness: that with increasing will, and aspiration more intense, a certain light withdrew them into its glory; that by formulating a deliberate refusal to be satisfied with this result it was possible to pierce

through the dazzling zones of light unto another state which could not be classed under either head: and moreover, that in this condition time ceased, and that they returned to human consciousness at the same moment that they left it. This is perhaps the supreme physical test, whereby the doubting, faithless, human soul may know that his long task is at an end, and that the goal is won. Above the Mercy Seat beyond the Cherubim, beyond the Glory: that is his House: the House of his Father. Into what stupendous ideas has this mere physical and verbal contemplation of unity not lead us? On the tomb of Christian Rozencreutz were these words: Hoc compendium universi unus mihi sepulorum feci. Herein is also a great wonder. The compendium of the universal unity is only completed as a sepulchre for “myself”. And this is the supreme, the impossible, the necessary task of the Magus. It is the Beginning of all things; the regeneration of the soul; the Resurrection of the Body; the indwelling of the Holy Ghost; and the formation of the mysterious Star of Light, which must abide in the midst of the Temple of the Rosy-Cross. Therefore is this number 1 given into the Tarot Key of the Magus. His arms are extended: he has four implements: yet he is one – one and alone. He is clothed with the body of flesh: but in him dwells the Spirit of the Eternal Gods. He is the central point of the Cross: the Jeheshua: the Lux of the Universe: the Star of the Unconquerable Will. In Oriental Symbolism he is the Swastika, and the Buddha: yet he is occultly Isis, bewailing her loss unto Amoun. Amoun, the Supreme and Concealed Unity; it is Nature that cries aloud “Here is division: here is death: How long, O Lord, how long?” And it is the slain Osiris who answers her: “I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen: and behold the Keys of Hell and of Death.” Thus far concerning the Universal Unity. 2 Having come thus far, it will be evident to you that this formidable number is the key of all evil. It is the Sigillum of limitation. The horns of the Goat of Khem are two: these are the dual contending forces. Not those of Good against Evil; there is no such contention, for, mathematically, two forces acting in opposite directions are equal if no motion results; and even if we consider that evil is being gradually pushed back, the forces are at least commensurable. No, therefore, no: the contending forces are those of evil in itself: Satan divided against Satan. Yet there is an aspect of the dyad which is not evil. The figure 2 is in shape almost identical with the Coptic aspirate and the inward and outward breath is

symbolised therein. Hence the letter Beth means “House”, for it is the material formulation or abode of thought of the Father. The Tarot Key is the High Priestess. She is [???] and her book is his tablet, that is in this aspect of the dyad as the creative force in matter. But she is also Isis, seated between the pillars of the temple, expounder of the mysteries. Advanced initiates can prove easily that this card of symbolical of Chokmah; which again is the dyad and Isis in her aspect as the visible beginning of things. The Catholic Church has grasped this dogma in great purity. The Virgin Mary, herself immaculate, formulates the Christ (in his aspect as Adam Qadmon the Universe undefiled) by the influx of the Divine Spirit or breath. By the Virgin do our prayers ascend unto the throne; by Chokmah only, say the Qabalists, can we at all grasp Kether. Now this card is the occult link between the human life and the Divine Light. The High Priestess is the Higher Soul of Man, and his aspiration unto the Divine. The denial of the Virgin is therefore no less than the unpardonable sin: for it is the denial of the Holy Spirit in oneself. While on this subject, it is necessary for a moment to turn to the question of the woman-symbol in the divine One. The Christians, by translating all the names of God in the Bible as if they were identical, have robbed their translation of its greatest use. But they dare not deny, that the name Elohim in Genesis I.1 is a feminine plural and governs a feminine plural verb. “God”, therefore, in the creation of heaven and earth, is not by any means the Single and Supreme Deity. Of course, the mala-fides of these “translators” must follow as a matter of course. They were not ignorant: but they were not fools: and their salaries were well worth keeping. It is curious too to watch how the idea of woman has been deliberately kept out of all honour and prominence, more especially in the Christian religion. For the Catholic Church, while retaining the person of the Virgin Mary, yet by its political influence did much to retard the emancipation of women. Now in consideration of the Divine One, it is ridiculous to assign sex, which, even on lower planes, is a misleading and unscientific classification. In the last chapter we have shown how the ideas of division must recede as we approach the shrine. How much more, then, the ideas of distinction! The idea of sex, when duly spiritualized, resolves itself into that of the two pillars, the active and the passive, fire and water, mercy and severity. To oppose either of these conceptions to the other; to claim one and one only for the God-head is to define God as the Unbalanced Force, that is as a Devil. In effect, those who have passed their youth in an earnest Christian family, preferably of the Evangelical Church or Plymouth Brother persuasion, will realize how awful a demon rules in these assemblies (I expressly exclude individuals from these remarks). Hatred, intolerance, contending force often leading to division, jealousy, hysteria when opposed, respectability, carnal reason in spiritual things; these are the signs of the denial of womanhood. [The

following sentence appears in Crowley’s hand at the bottom of the page: ‘This of course only applies to symbolism; in sociology the debasement of woman is the sign of civilisation.”] My friend, the Chevalier S.L. Macgregor Mathers has written in his invaluable “Kabbalah Unveiled” on this subject with far more eloquence and fire than I can bring – but his work is long since out of print: and the heel of the woman is still bruised by the serpent of bigotry and ignorance. It is true that in the Universe there is an arrangement where the woman-symbol is thrust down into Yesod and Malkuth. It is among the Qliphoth, the devils, the lords of putrefaction and decay! The Qabalists lay stress on the number 2 as being produced by the reflection of the Unity: while Eliphaz Levi, the most suggestive as the most literary of all writers on magic, although not the least obscure, calls particular attention to the important dogmas which the Qabalists so mysteriously discussed in the phrase “running and returning”. It is the lunge and the recovery; the attraction and repulsion of the magnet. This dogma is perhaps the most practical of any that have been given to the outer world: and it is assuredly the least understood. Levi himself carried it into every action of his life and it is curious to observe how his editors fail to recognise in his practice the doctrine they have found in his writings. Dr Westcott, himself an expert Qabalist, actually calls attention to the circumstance that Levi adds a postscript to his “Magical Ritual” disclaiming and renouncing magic, and advocating simple faith in the true Church. He further speaks of Levi’s “two minds”. Now this kind of duality is mere vacillation and had Levi been such a man he could not have been the Magus he undoubtedly was. But he knew to a nicety how to withdraw himself, so that the reflex of the current was not hostile to him: more, that he withdrew the rays into his own aura, so as to gain, rather than lose energy by the cycle of an operation. It is impossible to break a suspension bridge by causing a body of men to jump heavily upon it: but, if their weight is applied and released in regular alteration, the bridge will begin to heave, and the continued motion would ultimately cause its destruction. This law of nature goes ever deeper. It is found, for example, that such a thing as constant sound cannot be perceived. A monotone prolonged beyond a certain limit breaks itself up into a succession of waves. A falling column of water shows the corresponding effect. It is one of the laws of limit. Flux and reflux are of its essence. Working, therefore, at the operations of material magic, it is most necessary to obey this fundamental law. Nor must we mistake it for the law of equilibrium. It is balance, true, but in a different dimension. The third dimension of balance contains a most profound arcanum, which has never been, which can never be, revealed or profaned. For it is a mystery which transcends equally the words of the mouth and the thought of the brain.

Contemplate also the twin serpents of Egypt and the Caduceus: for above them is the Winged Globe, and the Flying Shaft of Light. 3 In our first chapter we have treated of the Triad as the expression of the Supreme Unity. It is now our duty to consider it in relation to itself. Love we announced to be the Triadic principle – that which joins and produces, Isis, Osiris and Horus. For Isis is the Dyad in her immaculate conception. But in the Birth of Horus is nothing mysterious; just as two and one made three. No longer is the circle extended into a line, nor is the point reflected: the process is that of mere addition. The triangle also is the simplest plane figure. Therefore is the Tarot Key called the Empress: the Queen of Radiant Beauty and Love; having the moon at her feet, for she is above mere increase and decrease; with the crown of twelve stars upon her head for the Glory of Kether (since Hoa, a title of Kether, adds up to 12). The further mystery of the number 12 may be studied under that chapter. For the present, consider that 3+4=7 the planets; 3x4=12 the Zodiac; and that 3 represents the Supernal Triad, and the Mother Letters, while 4 answers to the Elements, and the Letters of the Ineffable Name. She is clothed with the Sun, the Light of Osiris, born in her from that Glory above; clothing her with Light and Love to formulate the new life, Horus, the Emperor, the Tetragrammaton. Yet this is not a uniting and completion of the two natures; but a materialization thereof, for the farther we recede from our Unity, the more material and liable to error do we become. Not that evil can enter into the formula of Horus; yet is his flaming symbol set up as against that evil which has not yet arisen. The Sephira Binah, to which the number three is allotted, is perhaps as treated by Qabalists, the most formidable of the greater mysteries. The darkness and severity of her aspect is especially strange and forbidding. Yet a great difference is made between AMA who is barren (symbolical of the forty-two-fold name of God, and of the Assessors of the Dead in Egyptian ritual) and the fruitful AIMA who contains in herself BN the son who is (consonantly with our formula for Horus) the name Tetragrammaton in the World of Assiah, IVD-HH-VV-HH. This glorified aspect is sufficiently explained by the Tarot Key. Let us rather follow the Great Mother in her darkness and suffering. In stellar writing, the finger of God has traced this mystery in the eclipse of the Moon, who is in one aspect Isis, and has been universally acclaimed by poets as virgin. Here we strike the symbolism of the Dragon. This at once suggests the Apocalyptic account; but we must remember that we are not dealing with the mother, but with the virgin. The name BINH itself is a compound of BN and IH the Son and the United Father and Mother and is therefore referred rather to AIMA. We must look back to

Genesis for the true formula underlying this Sorrow. It is written “and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” Now the “Great Sea” is one of the most usual titles of Binah. The lunar symbolism of this dark AMA is then best shewn by saying that she is the dark side of the moon.

underworld. The threefold model implies a three by three model. The upper or sky-world Asgard includes its tributary worlds (Vanaheim & Ljossalfrheim). Midgard includes Jotunheim and Muspelheim. Niflheim or perhaps Niflhel to include Svartalfheim and Nidvellir.

DESUNT CETERA

To the modern Druids, the three worlds are described in the Barddas as Annwvn the underworld, Abred this world and Gwynbvid the upper-world. Although a fourth world Cerguant ‘the face of the sun’ is added.

THE NORTHERN COSMOS & THE HUMAN BODY

The three worlds can be related to parts of the body as used in Hindu and Taoist practices. Firstly there is Asgard, realm of the gods. This relates to the head as the seat of consciousness. Ancient Northern Europeans saw the head as harbouring the life essence. For this reason, the practice of collecting the heads of the slain was used by ancient Scythians, Celts and Germanics.

By Joel Hopkinson (2000 Gjoll Hobkynsson )

Secondly we have Midgard as the chest. Midgard is the realm of humans, the world of flesh and material things. Thirdly Niflheim the underworld is the abdomen. It contains the lower chakras.

The following is the result of some of my intuitions and experiences while working with Teutonic mythology. As a modern person I have many interests including comparative religion, mythology, qi gong and Taoism. This led me to see comparisons between the Northern cosmos as described in the Poetic and Prose Eddas; and Taoist/Buddhist subtle body exercises. Further research provided clues that led me to see the Norse myths in an entirely different light. I thought I would share my intuitions with others and see what they thought. They are an entirely modern reconstruction of mine, and not part of any secret tradition.

This threefold system can also be related to the three castes mentioned in the Rigsmal ‘Tale of Rig’. Heimdall as Rig is the father of all humans as explained in this myth. His three sons relate to the worlds as such: Thrall the serf or servant relates to the abdomen and the underworld. Karl the craftsman and yeoman farmer is the chest/solar plexus and Midgard. Earl the noble person and warrior is the head. Notice also the relationship between the descriptions of Rig. He is kunngir ‘knowing’ = the head; rammr ‘tough’ = the chest; and lastly ‘vigorous’ for the abdomen.

In Buddhism, Taoism and modern paganism, the microcosm is said to relate to the macrocosm. This is reflected in such sayings as “As above, so below” and such. In Buddhism when the Buddha achieved enlightenment it is said that the sun and moon rose within his body. Using these clues I began to relate the Northern cosmos to the human body and its subtle energy system. In the Snorri Sturluson’s “Prose Edda” (1) we are introduced to very rich imagery describing the world-view of the pagan Scandinavians. By drawing and trying to map this ancient world-view, I began to see patterns remerging and correlations with work from other mythologies or religions. Finally after years of meditation and research my findings are presented to the public.

The Three Worlds The concept of the three worlds is extremely archaic and is shared by many cultures. Specifically the Germans, Celts, Turko-Tartars, North and Central Asians. (2). For the Northern correspondences I have used Asgard for the Upper world, Midgard for the middle world, and Niflheim or Niflhel for the

In Taoist Qi gong the head, chest and abdomen form the basis of the three Dan Tiens. These are areas of power in the body and form the basis of more complex exercises in Chinese internal alchemy. The three Dan Tiens are as follows: The Taoists call The Upper Dan Tien ‘the Crystal Palace’. But is also called Ni-Wan ‘mud-pill’, a Chinese rendering of the Buddhist Sanskrit ‘Nirvana’. This is in the middle of the head, behind the eyes and above the palate. This includes the middle of the brain, the hypothalamus, the pineal and pituitary glands. I correlate this region with Asgard, specifically Hlidskialf, Odin’s throne of clairvoyance. The Chinese Crystal Palace is obviously the Norse Asgard and it has relationships with the Crystal Tower in Celtic mythology (like the one where Merlin retired), and the Sacred Enclosure (see a previous article about the martial banners of the Irish Fianna)(3). The Middle Dan Tien is variously described as in the Heart or in the Solar Plexus. I prefer the solar plexus, as it is not good to store too much energy in the heart. The solar plexus is also called the brain of the abdomen. It contains cells very much like brain cells,

which are used to subconsciously control the intricate functions of the organs and ducts in the abdomen. The Lower Dan Tien is two inches below the navel. It is also called the Hara and is our centre of balance. The umbilical cord was attached to our navels before we were born. Although this cord has been removed after birth, the connections that transported nourishment around our bodies still exist in our adult bodies on a subtle level.

Yggdrasil The concept of a World-Tree I common to many cultures as well. The Central Pillar is found among the peoples of Arctic and North America, the Samoyed, the Ainu, Central and North Asia, the Germans and Scandinavians. To the Abakan Tartars the World-tree was a white birch with seven branches, growing on a mountain. This sevenfold correspondence reveals a Mesopotamian influence; a more archaic model related to the shamanic practices of Central Asia would be a Yggdrasil with nine branches. Odin hitching his eight-legged horse Sleipnir to Yggdrasil is also a feature of Mongol and Siberian Tartar mythology (2). The exact species of Yggdrasil is called into question. The most common theory is that is an ash. The ash tree is a tall and straight tree that is very impressive. However, others have postulated that Yggdrasil is evergreen and therefore must be a yew. Other versions include the birch or pine (2). According to the mythology, though, Yggdrasil is evergreen because of the white clay from the Well of Urdr that is put on its trunk and branches by the Nornir (1). Possibly the world tree has different correspondences depending on the level it is on. For example, it could be visualised as a yew in the underworld, and an ash in Midgard. In Mongol mythology, the Tengeri or gods feed on the fruit of the tree (2) This clue has led me to believe that Yggdrasil might also be the tree on which Idunn’s apples of youth grow. But then the ash and yew also have fruits. I postulate that Yggdrasil the great cosmic tree could be related to the spinal column. The spine is the cosmic pillar in Chinese Taoism and this by no stretch of the imagination could refer to the World Tree. Under its roots lies a dragon, Nidhogg, just as in Kundalini yoga, a serpent lies at the base of the spine. Other animals also live in the tree and they are a topic for future articles, but for now the eagle at the crown with a falcon sitting on the eagle’s third eye also seems to support a theory that the animals could be codes or kennings for glands, organs or chakras. Yggdrasil is the horse of Odin or the vehicle of our super consciousness, just as the spine, central nervous system and glands can be trained to help us achieve higher forms of consciousness. The honeydew collected from Yggdrasil that feeds the bees and the white clay of the Well of Urdr that regenerates the World –Tree bear some resemblances to Taoist and yogic practices that claim longevity or immortality as their reward.

The Three Wells The tree has three roots and three wells. The three wells are also related to the three Dan Tiens in Chinese qi gong. The three Dan Tiens as mentioned before are part of the third eye, the solar plexus and the navel. The three wells are found in Asgard (the head), Midgard (the chest), and Niflheim (the abdomen). The three wells of springs are the Well of Wyrd, the Well of Wisdom and the Seething Cauldron. The Well of Wyrd is also called the Well of Urd the eldest Nornir. The Well of Urd (pronounced Aurth) is where the Nornir deal out fate and the gods make oaths. The Well of Wisdom is where Mimir guards Gjallarhorn; a draught from this spring is the mead of poetry. Lastly Hvergelmir ‘seething cauldron’ or ‘roaring kettle’ is the well of the underworld. Inside seethe the four serpents Goin, Moin, Grabak and Grafvolluth. The dragon Nidhogg lies underneath the Well and gnaws on the third root of Yggdrasil. The three wells probably have a similar use as the Chinese Three Cauldrons. The passage about the Norni using the milk-white water of the Well of Urd to heal Yggdrasil begins to sound like Taoist Longevity practices. Interestingly, Caitlin Matthews has also found references to three wells in Celtic mythology (4) so perhaps we are looking at a common tradition.

Mead of Poetry The mead of inspiration could refer to the yogic soma or the Taoist jade elixir of immortality. This really refers to saliva produced in the mouth while the individual is deep in meditation. This saliva is supposed to be magically charged with life energy and is described as having a sweet, honey-like taste.

Nine Worlds There are nine worlds or realms in the Northern cosmos. They are interesting to compare with the nine centres or nine pools of energy within the body. The centres are slightly different from the seven chakras as given in Hindu texts although there are some crossovers. The ninefold system is used in Taoist Qi Gong and Buddhist Ninjitsu kuji-kiri. My theory is that the sevenfold Hindu system as made popular by Western writers is a blind to trick the uninitiated. Looking at different pictures or descriptions of the chakras we find that some show the chakras as: crown, third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral and base with the sacral centre as the genitals. Other versions have the sacral centre as the navel. However, this is a debate for another time. If the nine worlds can be related to nine centres what would they be?

Starting with Asgard (in the ninefold model I use Asgard to specifically indicate the dwellings of the Aesir), I relate the realm of the gods to the crown. This is a tricky one because as we shall explore in other articles the realm of the gods is a complex mythological symbol and can be related to Qi Gong practices such as various Crystal Palace and Twelve Chamber exercises. Note that the twelve chambers of Taoist practice could possible relate to twelve mead-halls in Asgard of which Valholl and Folkvang are two. The crown is called Pai-Hui or Bai-Hui in Chinese. The third eye relates to Vanaheim. This is the realm of the Vanir, an ancient race who practice Seidhrcraft. Practitioners of Seidhr are spakona or ‘prophetesses’. Niord, Freyr and Freyja were Vanir hostages for Mimir and Hoenir. Interestingly a giant also called Mimir protects the Well of Wisdom, the same well that Odin exchanges one of his eyes for a draught. Thus old One-eye could be trying to show us a correspondence with the psychic third eye. It is also interesting to compare the correspondences between Vanaheim, Freyja, her magical falcon costume, Seidhr and its relationship with divination, the third eye and its relationship to psychic ability, and the eye of Horus from Egyptian lore. The third eye was well known in Hindu Yoga and is called Yin Tang by the Chinese. I use Jotunheim for a correspondence with the Aura. Jotunheim is also called Utgard (out-gard i.e. outside of Midgard – the body). Jotunheim is the realm of the giants. On one level it is a realm of danger and conflict but here is also romance, treasure and wisdom in the depths of Jotunheim. Thus we must explore our external environment for these adventures. Jotunheim is also described in mythology as being a development of Gunningagap the Yawning Chasm or Great Void. The aura is Wei-Chi in Chinese. I place Ljossalfrheim the realm of the elves as a throat correspondence. In the Hindu system the throat has an air correspondence, and elves are the creatures of the air element in ceremonial magick. The throat is Tan Tiu in the Chinese system. Muspelheim the realm of fire I place in the heart. The heart relates to the element of fire in the Hindu four plus one elemental system, as well as the Chinese five-elemental system. The heart is Shuan Chung or Sha Zhong in Chinese. Midgard I use as a solar plexus correspondence. It relates to the Middle Dan Tien in the solar plexus. Midgard is the realm of humans. The solar plexus is called Chung Wan or Chung Kung in Taoist exercises. The base centre I relate to Niflheim the underworld. I do not separate the area of Hel from Niflheim and to express this I sometimes use the word Miflhel. This is where Hvergelmir and Nidhoggr dwell. The base is

Hui-Yin the gate of death and life in the Chinese system. The sacral or genital centre I relate to Nidavellir the realm of the dwarves. This correspondence reminds me of the myth of Freyja and the Brisingamen. This is called Kuan Yuan ‘ovarian palace’ in women and Jing Gong ‘sperm palace’ in men. Lastly Svartalfrheim I relate to the navel. Mostly I choose this correspondence because it is the last available place. This is one area of my thesis where more research is necessary for this very complex system to be working properly. The navel is also called Chi-Chung.

Jormungandr The world serpent Jormungandr could be a serpent of energy that circles the body, which is called the microcosmic orbit in the Taoist tradition, and which is further described in the works of Mantak Chia. The serpent biting its tail is a common symbol in Western alchemy. Note that Jormunggndr is in the sea between Midgard and Jotunheim, thus it is between the flesh body (Midgard) and the aura (Jotunheim).

Bifrost The rainbow bridge guarded by Heimdall. Although not a realm, Bifrost has a special place in Norse mythology. The colours of the rainbow are tempting to relate to the seven ray visualisations but this is stretching the mythology too far. For the sake of the vision of the Northern cosmos mapping the human body, I would place Bifrost a bridge over the gap between Midgard and Asgard. In Hindu Yoga and Taoist Qi Gong, there is a gap between the body and the head in the mouth. This gap is covered during meditation by pressing the tongue against the palate. The tongue is also applying pressure of the palate, which massages the pituitary gland above it. As the pituitary gland and related area is the Crystal Palace in Chinese practice, it is not difficult to correlate this with Asgard.

Afterword Of course, there is much more, and this is only scratching the surface of a rich mythology that possibly conceals many cunning secrets. The ancients might never have thought of anything like what I have described above, but it is a measure of this culture’s strength that it can be reinterpreted to correlate with sophisticated internal alchemy techniques. I look forward to exploring this new world I have discovered. And I look forward to seeing how others experience the above meditations.

Bibliography 1. Sturluson, S. THE PROSE EDDA. 2. Eliade, M. SHAMANISM. Princeton University Press, 1964.

3. Hopkinson, J. “The Banners of the Fianna”. Touchstone magazine, UK. 4. Mathews, C., & Matthews, J. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CELTIC WISDOM. 5. Chia, M. TAOIST WAYS TO TRANSFORM STRESS INTO VITALITY. Huntington, NY: Healing Tao Books, 1985.

Next Issue: “Maat Heru: The Symbolism of the Eyes of Horus” by Fr. LVX/NOX.