In the last post so many months ago I started out with the intention of composing a blog page about dreams, then proceeded to slide into an involved perusal of the then current cycle between Venus and Uranus. One day I may still construct a page dedicated to dreams, but today I am admitting that once again my passion for discussing organic time has overcome that intention.
Below is chart for end of this morn's session reading Iamblichus on the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans and Assyrians: Translated by Thomas Taylor in 1821.
I was reading Iamblichus biography of Pythagoras, but it seemed to be full of tall tales and repetition. It looks like that was also translated by Thomas Taylor but 3 years earlier in 1818. It helps me flesh out the intellectual climate of early Christian times, Iamblichus wrote around 300ad; he died during the reign of Constantine some time before 333ad. Just situating him in the reign of Constantine helps me cut some slack for his repetitive and worshipful lists of the signs of the purity and perfect virtue of Pythagoras. He begins with a wonderful intro to the awesome education Pythagoras acquired from many illustrious intellectuals including Thales and the priests of both Egypt and Mesopotamia; but after a brief overview of a remarkable 40 years of intellectual development, we are brought to southern Italy where Pythagoras settles and leads an extremely ascetic, secretive and exclusive community of believers. The protracted celebration of purifying rituals and communal rules got on my nerves and I switched to Iamblichus' writing on the old mysteries.
This work is so much more satisfying. It thoroughly explores definitions of Gods, demiurges, deamons, soul (psyche) and other concepts central to the mysteries. It is as though Iamblichus is speaking through the voice of an Egyptian priest to give us some idea of the education Pythagoras had received through hard work and loving dedication, and was attempting to pass on to the Greeks. It is remarkably clear considering that Iamblichus was writing a good 8 centuries after the days of Pythagoras.
Well, I gotta go clean a house for a wonderful young couple, so I'll just mention the last thing I noticed in today's chart - the Moon was finishing up it cycle with Neptune and starting a new one as I was settling into my studies of Iamblichus.
I made a quick chart for the last meet up between Moon and the planet of grand illuminations or disilluminations. Sometimes to reach one area of light we have to turn our backs on an area of illumination that we are comfortable with. Last Moon/Neptune meet up happened during the early morning hours for Raleigh; Mercury was conjunct Sun in the beginning of Scorpio. The mysteries for me are opening up to become linguistic exercises for grasping the nature of eternity. I learned in the first minutes of this morning's reading that Apollo comes from apolutoi - disposed to acquit, which comes from apoluo - to loose from, to undo, to set free from, release or relieve from. Apollo is the 'son' of Zeus who was saved from being consumed by his 'father' Cronos.
Please forgive mistakes, I am eager to post before running off to work.