Newsgroups: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.satanism,alt.religion.all-worlds,alt.pagan Path: shell.portal.com!svc.portal.com!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!csn!csus.edu!netcom.com!poirot From: poirot@netcom.com (Knight of Samhain) Subject: Re: Witches are Satanists (Was Re: are Wiccans, Satanists?) Message-ID: Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) References: <36vkcr$lvh@cmcl2.NYU.EDU> <37hvff$9ck@cmcl2.NYU.EDU> Date: Mon, 17 Oct 1994 14:02:42 GMT Lines: 37 Xref: shell.portal.com alt.magick.tyagi:825 alt.satanism:9918 alt.religion.all-worlds:1510 alt.pagan:73840 >> Then there's "serpent= NaHaSH = 358 = MaSHYaH = Messiah." > >There's another one, used by Christian Gnostics, that equates the >serpent to Sophia (wisdom). I forget how it goes. > >Blackjack >-- Aside from the Qabalist equation, there is one text in the NAG HAMMADI scriptures called the Hypostases of the Archons, written circa 3 A.D. which retells the Judeo-Christian creation story in quite a different light. A synopsis of this story is as follows : The creator-God, JHVH (also called Samael), in his arrogance and power, declared that he is the only God, as he looked out upon his vibration level and saw none else. Those above him on higher vibrations became angered at his ignorance, and he is called a blind god and cursed. His mother is Sophia, and she pursued him down to the abyss. JHVH goes on to create a lower vibration level called Earth and puts souls in the creatures called mankind. In order to get back at JHVH the elder gods/archons placed Spirit within man - thus making an aspect of mankind greater than God. The serpent was sent into the Garden to free mankind from the restrictive dictates of Samael and to ignite the spirit within them. Mankind heeds the advice of "the instructor serpent" and is cursed by JHVH into exile... into pain. Mankind is cast into the material world for it to be a distraction against his true nature in order for him to not claim his birthrite and surpass God. There is quite a bit more to this book. It's one of the more interesting original gnostic texts I've gotten my hands on. Mayhap at some point I'll key it in and post it here. frater oktober