Lexicon of Paganism, Mystery Religions, And Magical Creatures
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Glossary of Terms A
Magical
worlds and mythological creatures have played a large part in metaphysics,
in ancient times and in the modern day. Without the creatures of fantasy,
and the legends about magic, perhaps metaphysics would not be what it is
today. It is not unusual for metaphysical community to refer to nature devas
and fairies, angels and spirit beings.
Many believe that the fantasy creatures in myths and legends, fantasy stories,
and even movies like the Harry Potter series, are actual creatures that
once roamed the Earth. Some believe these creatures might be ancient memories
in the human unconscious. It certainly stands to reason that anything that
can be imagined by the human mind might have been created somewhere
in the universe, if not on Earth. Included here is a reference list of mythological
and fantasy creatures, as well as some places and objects so that you will
be a little more familiar with what purposes these creatures have served.
Included is a description of alchemy, since it was a large part of a sorcerer’s
work.
Abracadabra: This is the Latinate version of an Aramaic
phrase that is the secret magical formula for healing, immortality and parthenogenesis.
Abracadabra was used by doctors in Rome to reduce fevers and delirium. Its
magical formula consists of making Pythagorean Triangles eleven times, removing
a syllable each time until the syllables of the magic word are gone, along
with the sickness or fever. This method was used to cure the Plague as well.
Abracadabra is also an alchemical transformative formula for realizing the
"hidden god within" of European Witchcraft. In religious and magical
terms Abracadabra means "so be it" or "it is commanded"
and is used during evocation of powers and forces, as well as banishing
negativities and demonic spirits.
Abraxas: He was the Gnostic Pagan God representing the
divinity of all of time. Abraxas’ number is 365 for the days of the
year. His cosmology was important to Gnostic Paganism and was absorbed into
mystical Christianity in Greece and Rome. Abraxas was a completely symbolic
deity without any attempts at anthropomorphism, representing the emergence
of multiplicity from the universal ground called “pleroma,”
the divine mind which is seeded with myriad points of light, the points
of potential which can emerge as an event during the 365 day cycle of the
god.
Aesir: This was a race of old Norse gods corresponding
to the functions of magic, law, and war.
Alchemy: Alchemy was a combination of chemistry and magic, and
alchemists were trying to create gold from baser metals and create a potion
that would cure any and all ills, and a side effect was that the drinker
would also become immortal. Alchemy originates in the Arabic world and comes
from the Arab term al-kimia, which is also a word for chemistry. Some historians
believe that the Arab word itself came from the Greek language, kimia, meaning
“Egypt.” It is believed that Egyptian alchemists existed long
before Arab alchemists. Perhaps, in truth, alchemy existed everywhere in
some form or another, for mankind has always been interested in having more
gold, immortality and freedom from sickness.
It was not unusual for rulers to hire alchemists, employing them to find
the secret to creating gold out of base metals, and when they failed, they
were imprisoned or executed. Fraudulent alchemists managed to con rulers
out of gold as well. One was daring enough to invite the wealthiest men
of Prague to a banquet. He promised to multiply the gold they brought. What
he really did though was create a stink bomb that allowed him to escape
with the gold they brought for multiplication purposes.
The work of alchemists laid the foundation for what we know as chemistry
today. In medieval and other Christian dominated times, alchemy was considered
the work of witches and wizards and was considered evil, punishable by death.
People who played with alchemy, or even basic chemistry, had to be very
secretive about their work.
Angelic Hierarchy: The concept of the Angelic hierarchy
is as old as the universe. The basic premise is a hierarchy of divine beings
emanating down from a supreme Creator. The basic hierarchy of the magical
universe for the Medieval Alchemist and Wizard was as follows: God upon
his Throne lived above the Empyrean, the most subtle part of heaven; beneath
him was the Primum Mobile, the first motion, etc.
Angels: The word means “messenger” in Aramaic
and Greek. Angels are messengers of the Supreme Intelligence, beings made
of varying degrees of light and holy fire depending upon their rank and
function. The different angels live in kingdoms with their own species of
angel. For example, the Cherubim live in the holy fire of the love of God,
while the Angels live between the earth and heavenly planes. There are forms
of Angels in all cultures serving all sorts of positive and negative functions
in the universe. Archangels were the main angels of the Western Judaic and
Christian pantheons. The Psalms of David mentions Universal Intelligence's
primal conception of Angels with the words, "I make winds my messengers,
flames of divine fire my ministers..."
Animagus: This is a wizard who can turn into an animal
with full magical powers. This transformation ability is found in almost
all mythology, including the lore of the Native Americans. Shape changing
is a common shamanic feature of all magic and religion. Such Wizards such
as Osiris, Merlin, and Thoth all performed transformations into various
animals.
Arachne: This was a mythical woman who was a spinner and
weaver. She challenged Minerva, Roman goddess of handicrafts, and won a
contest between them. Minerva was angry, though, and turned Arachne into
a spider so that now she could only weave webs. Spiders are considered dreamweavers
not only in Native American stories, but also the stories of other cultures.
The web of the spider was meant to catch the good and let the bad pass through
without entanglment in the human’s affairs. This was for dreamtime
and for real life applications. Dreamcatchers come from this legend, hung
over a bed to catch good dreams. In the Pacific Islands, it was believed
that Areop-Enap, a spider existed at the beginning of time with only the
sea. Then Areop-Enap created everything in the world. Ghana has legends
of a spider god named Anasi who created the world but liked playing tricks
on humans.
Architeuthis: This is not an elusive creature because it
is small, but because it lives so deep in the ocean that no human has ever
seen one alive. Only a dead one has been found. It is a giant octopus, which
is actually a real sea monster studied by scientists, and is the largest
animal on Earth as far as we know. It grows up to 70 feet long and it can
glow in the dark mile deep depths in order to light its own way.
Astrum: Astrum is Latin for “star.” Paracelsus brought
the knowledge of congrex with the essences of Stars from Egypt and knowledge
of the inner essences of things from India to the Medieval western world
with his notion of healing by “Astrum or the inner star of things.”
The idea, adapted from the Egyptians, was that certain inner essences of
things have either harmonizing or negating reactions when encountering the
inner essences of other things. This inner essence is the Astrum Occultis
or hidden star. As humans we have a very complex Astrum that certain minerals,
herbs, or conditions of sunlight and environment can enhance or disturb.
The Astrum is experienced by the Healer in order he know what to prescribe
the patient. Noticing the Astrum of certain minerals helped cure and lighten
the Astrum of terminally ill patients, Paracelsus revived the use of mineral
drugs during the heights of Christian superstition and persecution.
Avadera Kedavara: This is a killing curse from the Aramaic, which
means, "May you and your soul be devoured and undone, lost in negative
or anti-creation (the Abyss)." Literally it means: "disappear
like this word.” Avadera Kedarvara is from the same or a similar Aramaic
phrase as Abracadabra. A powerful Sorcerer can make a victim explode with
this curse and it goes hand in hand with the evil eye. A healing wizard
can heal terminal illness with this phrase as well. There is no evidence
of it being used as a curse until the Dark Ages of the medieval period.
Traditionally, in Aramaic speaking Judea and Palestine, it was used by physicians
to help make illnesses and skin diseases disappear.