Heaven and Earth

Opus Medico Chymicum

  

    Across the span of cultures and continents, the ancient story of the creation of "Heaven" and "Earth" is as ubiquitous as the idea of a Living Tree. In my previous post on the Tree of Life, I explored permutations of the story of the Tree that is found throughout the world. I established that the Tree mythology is deeply connected with the creation of the Universe and the bridge between the "Above" and "Below" that we find in the Emerald Tablet of Hermes. Of course, the Above is associated with what we traditionally call Heaven and the Below is what we call Earth, the Tree being the symbol that links the two. It must be kept in mind at all times that the programming and widely spread notions of these mythologies and religious traditions must be put aside if we are to come to the original intention that these stories share. Symbols and stories have a tremendous power over the human being, especially when combined with cultural heritage and one's sense of identity. Throughout history manipulative forces have inverted these symbols and myths for control and fear. It is the purpose of these writings to shed the true light of the Sages of antiquity. In this way we can reclaim our common heritage that is the Perennial Philosophy and guard our minds from the institutions that use these symbols and myths for control, divide and conquer, and manipulation. The story of our creation, Genesis, the Tree of Life and the idea of Heaven and Earth must be corrected in light of a more comprehensive understanding.


            


   In Genesis of the Bible we have the first act of creation being "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". In the Quran, chapter 21, the 30th verse reads "Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?". Going to Japan there is the original creation myth found in what is said to be the first book called "Kojiki" there is Tenchikaibyaku which is the story of the creation of Heaven and Earth. Subsequently this created what they call Kamiyonanayo or the "Seven Generations" which emerged after the creation of the Heaven and Earth. In the Rig Vedas there is Dyaus and Prithvi or "Father Sky" and "Mother Earth". They represent the primordial duality that manifest everything. In China there is the story of Pangu who is said to be the first living being. Pangu is said to be contained in a Cosmic Egg which contains the two principles of Yang and Yin, or Sky and Earth. In Polynesian mythology we find the story of the "Children of Heaven and Earth" called KO NGA TAMA A RANGI or Tradition relating to the Origin of the Human Race. It describes how the human race as only one pair of ancient ancestors which humans spring "from the vast heaven that exists above us, and from the earth which lies beneath us". They call these two 'ancestors' Rangi and Papa or Heaven and Earth in the beginning when "Darkness then rested upon the heaven and upon the earth, and they still both clave together, for they had not yet been rent apart". Moving to Greek mythology we find "Uranus" (Father Sky) and "Gaea" (Mother Earth) from which the Titans were born. The Maori creation story describes how Ranginui, the Sky Father, and Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother, once laid together in a tight embrace. To the Maori people this story is the creation of all things. In the Norse story it is said that there was only a chasm or Ginnungagap, in the beginning (The First Matter, our Chaos) bounded on either side by fire and ice. From these stories a theme of an Original Story or Perennial Philosophy becomes quite obvious to anyone who wishes to see.

                                                                          Phi


   Preceding the creation of Heaven and Earth is the division of Unity. To understand this process, lets take a look at the number line and sacred geometry. The first number, which actually represents pure potential with a tremendous power, is zero, 0. Zero is the perfect symbol and expression of the original Unity of Creation. Even the theory of the big bang implies this original singularity from which all things expand. Zero is "nothing", "emptiness" yet it also has the power to increase the size of a number tenfold. So on one hand we think of Zero as nothing yet this nothing also contains everything. The Zero is also a circle which is the perfect symbol of Unity and the Cosmic Egg. From this Zero emerges the One. This One is the original impulse of Creation. It is an irrational event, something Schwaller De Lubicz termed the Primordial Scission. Its important to note the idea of the original creative impulse being an irrational event because then we will realize there can be no mechanistic explanation for the reason behind the force that began the big bang. It can only be understood as an experience. It could be said that the Egg of Creation is cracked by the One to produce the Two, which is rhythm and polarity. This cracking of the Cosmic Egg is also a universal myth found in many cultures across the world. This polarity created from the division of the Seed of Creation by Unity to create the two first forces can be connected with the implosive/explosive correlations that was covered in my last post. This is what the Taoist Ying Yang represents. It is the Greek symbol of Phi which is also an Eye. It is a circle in which two forces are contained and interconnected, one being within the other. From the Zero, to the One, to the Two, brings us to the stability of the Three. The Three represents the first plane, or a triangle, which brings stability to the previous principles. Remember Hermes is called "Trismegistus" meaning "Thrice Great" or "Three Times Great". The Third principle can be seen as the apex of the triangle which unites the two forces into a stable plane or body. These Three principles represent the creation of Heaven and the three alchemical substances, Mercury, Sulfur and Salt. Again it must be emphasized that we aren't talking about the "vulgar" representations of these substances which we are all familiar with. We are talking about the principles which they embody, namely Mercury or Quick Silver being the primordial Water, fluid, emotional and feminine. Sulfur being the principle of Fire, astringent, desire and masculine. Salt is the embodiment of these Two forces, it is the body and represents stability and neutrality. These can also be seen as electron, proton, and neutron! It is through these three forces that the Hermetic TRIumph is accomplished. In the tradition of Sacred Geometry the number 3 is always given to a circle. This three within the Hermetic Seal or circle is also the creation of the Above and Heaven. Earth or the Below has always been symbolized as a square which is given the number 4, obviously because of its four corners. This square of Earth is the four principle elements which we already went over.

                    

   So now when we add Heaven to Earth (3+4) we get the creation of the All or the Seven days of creation! The Emerald Tablet is divided into seven sections. It is said that seven is the number that divides all things. There are seven days to the week, seven primary colors in the light spectrum, seven notes in an octave, seven seals of the bible, seven stages to the alchemical process and seven chakras in the body. The human being was always given the number 5, five, phonetically connected to PHI.  This is because the human has five major extremities, a head, two arms and two legs as well as the five senses that mediate our experience. We have five fingers and toes that are mirrored on each side of our body. Also, the entire body follows the blueprint of Phi, as it branches into its various sections. Five is symbolized by the pentagram which creates the Golden Section by the division of its proportions. Five is also the middle path or the Golden Mean in the number line as is the place of balance between 1 and 10. This idea is explored in the Samurai book called the "Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi which speaks of the microcosm and macrocosm in exactly the same way we have been exploring. Now we can see the occult significance of the Pythagorean 3-4-5 pyramid. 3+4+5 = 12 which gives us the wheel of the Heavens or the 12 houses of the Zodiac. This can be explored much deeper.

   If we give the number 22 to the circumference of a circle and 7 to the diameter we get a very close approximation of Pi. The numbers 21 and 22 are quite important because there are 22 Tarot cards in the Major Arcana. The fact that there are 22 cards in the Major Arcana leads one to view the Tarot as a rotar (to spin) or WHEEL. These 22 cards are the 22 connections between the 10 Sephiroth or Spheres of the Tree of Life. Also, there was said to be 21 pictograms in the engraved book that Nicholas Flamel deciphered to create the Philosopher's Stone. The reason why the numbers 21 and 22 are symbolic of the same thing is because they are both numbers that convey what is called the triple octave 7-7-7 or 7-7-8 (7+7+7 =21) (7+7+8 =22). The reason 21/22 are connected so closely is the same reason the numbers 7/8 have been always connected. There are 7 notes in an octave of music, and the 8th note is actually just the same as the first but on a higher scale. So if one would travel through the 7 energy centers or chakras (which are also circular wheels) they would arrive at the 8th note which is a higher scale of frequency or Heaven. The number 8 is also clearly the Hermetic caduceus, as well as an upright infinity. If we are to use numerology we can see that 21 is actually 3 because 2+1=3 and 22 is 4 because 2+2=4, so hidden within 21/22 is also our 3 and our 4 or Heaven and Earth. All of this will be explored in greater depth in another article. When correlated with our understanding of seven being a compound of Heaven and Earth the true esoteric significance can begin to be understood.

   In relationship to everything just discussed it is amazing to realize that Pi, the diameter of a circle to its circumference, IS in fact this Primordial Scission. This Primordial Scission is the Word or Logos of God. It is also the sound AUM that was the beginning of creation.

                           

   In conclusion, Heaven and Earth represent the first Circle and Square which is the reason why Freemasonry's primary symbols are the Compasses and Square! Squaring the Circle is one of the oldest themes in history, even the great pyramid at Giza encodes Pi in many different ways and it also Circles the Square! It is interesting to note that in the "higher" degrees of Masonry's Scottish Rite there are 32/33 degrees, likewise there are 33 vertebrae in our spinal column (caduceus, Djed pillar), water goes from solid to liquid at 32/33 degrees, adding up the total number of paths and Sephiroth on the Tree of Life equals 32/33, and of course the purpose of mercury in a thermometer is that it is volatile and RISES (like the Brazen Serpent) when exposed to heat (Sulfur). This is an exact correlation with the Kundalini process. This all has to do with the Royal Art or Royal Arch being explored, which is As Above, So Below. While we now take for granted the idea that there are many invisible energies at work beyond the spectrum of our five senses, it has been well established for thousands of years for those who developed and followed this Sacred Science. All of this may seem a bit confusing initially but continued research and study will help solidify the concepts and ideas explored here. Our task is to reunite Heaven and Earth within our experience and perception. This is why the word 'religion', which comes from 'religio', means "to link back" with the beginning of creation, the Primordial Unity from which all things come. Also, the word 'yoga', which means 'union', is connected to the 'yoke' of the Cosmic Egg . This is the Yin Yang of creation which unites our archetypal parents, Sulfur and Mercury, Fire and Water, Adam and Eve, Explosive and Implosive, Active and Passive, Heaven and Earth, both of which are continuously interacting in a celestial embrace. The human being is the apex of spirits ability to come full circle. Heaven's descent into Earth, or Spirit's involution into Matter, represents an evolutionary process which exalts the Prima Materia into the Ultima Materia and we are living that process. This is the transformation of the Rough Ashlar into the Perfect Ashlar. The Alchemist is simply someone who understands this and through the understanding is able to accelerate its natural unfoldment. This can then be applied to all levels of reality, whether it be spagyric herbal remedies, evolving a precious gem or metal, or quickening our spiritual growth from the Seed to the fruit of the Tree. The most important thing to note is that this life experience has a definite goal, the end of which is a return to the beginning but in a highly exalted state - the King/Queen returns crowned, the lead is evolved into the incorruptible solar body of Gold. The impurities and superfluous qualities are purified revealing the cheif corner Stone. Through the continued process of Solve et Coagula Spirit comes to complete itself by separation and reunification. All of this means nothing unless it becomes a way of life by which we uplift ourselves and, in turn, everything around us. This is the true meaning of a Pious or religious life. It is the meaning of living in the Tao or the Way. This is a life of the Middle Path which unites the Two into One, the mean or meaning of life! The objective and subjective realities are fused together, the Sun marries the Moon, Heaven is reunited with Earth and we begin to reach into the next octave of creation. The process places us in a new relationship with reality and guides us to a new way of life. Its time to balance these forces within us and subsequently in society at large for the benefit of all sentient beings. Hopefully this will help inspire a much needed deep investigation, which these Mysteries deserve.