PHOENIX

TEMPLE OF THE PHOENIX

"To say: O Atum-Khepri, when thou didst mount as a hill,

and didst shine as bnw of the ben (or, benben) in the temple of the 'phoenix' in Heliopolis…"

(Pyramid Text - Utterance 600)

THE BLACKENING - NIGREDO

PUTREFACTION
"Then living creatures were produced together with plants, so that both men and beans arose out of
putrefaction, whereof he alleged many manifest arguments."

(Porphyry - The Life of Pythagoras 44)

"These customs, then, and others besides, which I shall indicate, were taken by the Greeks from the
Egyptians. It was not so with the ithyphallic images of Hermes; the production of these came from the
Pelasgians, from whom the Athenians were the first Greeks to take it, and then handed it on to others…
The Athenians, then, were the first Greeks to make ithyphallic images of Hermes, and they did this
because the Pelasgians taught them. The Pelasgians told a certain sacred tale about this, which is set
forth in the Samothracian mysteries."1

Herodotus states here that the phallic images of Hermes incorporated a sacred tale that was revealed in
the Samothracian Mysteries. This archaic sacred myth, according to Clement of Alexandria, was the
phallus of Bacchus/Dionysus which was brought to Lemnos and this rite was celebrated by the Cabeiri.
These entities were the ministers to the deified phallus and performed ritualistic orgiastic performances
in its honour.

"Those Corybantes also they call Cabiric; and the ceremony itself they announce as the Cabiric mystery.
For those two identical fratricides, having abstracted the box in which the phallus of Bacchus was
deposited, took it to Etruria - dealers in honourable wares truly. They lived there as exiles, employing
themselves in communicating to precious teaching of their superstition, and presenting phallic symbols
and the box for the Tyrrhenians to worship." 2

Zagreus was a deity associated with the Orphic Mysteries but the myth of his dismemberment by the
Titans was fused with those surrounding Dionysus/Bacchus and Osiris. The phallus of this deity was
recovered by the Cabeiri and enshrined in a cave on the island of Samothrace. This sacred myth became
the central inspiration of the Samothracian Mysteries.

Herodotus describes the Cabeiri as being formed in the shape of pygmies and being related to
Hephaestus. They were therefore associated with the forging of metals and were the denizens of the
labyrinthine substrata from which the ores were mined.

"Cambyses committed many such mad acts against the Persians and his allies; he stayed at Memphis,
and there opened ancient coffins and examined the dead bodies. Thus too he entered the temple of
Hephaestus and jeered at the image there. This image of Hephaestus is most like the Phoenician Pataici,
which the Phoenicians carry on the prows of their triremes. I will describe it for anyone who has not
seen these figures; it is the likeness of a dwarf. Also he entered the temple of the Cabeiri, into which no
one may enter save the priest; the images here he even burnt, with bitter mockery. These also are like
the images of Hephaestus, and are said to be his sons." 3
These pygmies or dwarfish-formed deities had apotropaic powers and also were phallic in nature.
Depictions show their oversized phalli that dominate their diminutive bodies and define them as phallic
entities. The rituals are described by Strabo as being equivalent to those of the Dionysian satyrs that
engage in a "Bacchic frenzy." The Cabeiri perform a type of war-dance to the accompaniment of the
noise of cymbals, drums, flutes and chanted exhortations. This frenzy can be deduced as informing the
spirit of the Samothracian Mysteries.

"... those accounts which, although they are called 'Curetan History' and 'History of the Curetes,'… are
more like the accounts of the Satyri, Sileni, Bacchae, and Tityri; for the Curetes, like these, are called
genii or ministers of gods by those who have handed down to us the Cretan and Phrygian traditions,
which are interwoven with certain sacred rites, some mystical, the others connected in part with the
rearing of the child Zeus in Crete and in part with the orgies in honour of the mother of the gods which
are celebrated in Phrygia and in the region of the Trojan Ida… they represent them, one and all, as a kind
of inspired people and as subject to Bacchic frenzy…" 4

Depictions of orgiastic rituals that are related to the Samothracian Mysteries can be seen in images that
have been excavated from Pompeii. In the House of the Physician/Doctor a depiction of pygmies
engaged in an orgy is presented as a voyeuristic spectacle.

Another depiction from Pompeii creates a vision of the pygmies engaged in Nilotic orgiastic celebrations.
The Nile is identified by the inclusion of hippopotami and crocodiles alongside the copulating pygmies.
The paintings of orgiastic pygmies from Pompeii are therefore linked to the mysteries in Egypt. The
dismemberment of Osiris is related to that of Zagreus/Dionysus/Bacchus and this supports the text of
Clement of Alexandria that posits the severed phallus as being at the centre of the Samothracian
Mysteries.

The oil lamps excavated from Pompeii/Herculaneum extend the theme of phallic pygmies into a
sculptured form. In some examples these pygmies are involved in a dance that matches the description
of the war-dance described by Strabo. These entities with their monstrous phalli engage in a war-like
dance with the potential aim of creating an ecstatic Bacchic state.

This establishes a visual image of the mysteries that confirms their central phallic character. In the words
of Strabo the revelers are "subject to Bacchic frenzy, and, in the guise of ministers, as inspiring terror at
the celebration of the sacred rites by means of war-dances, accompanied by uproar and noise and
cymbals and drums and arms, and also by flute and outcry; and consequently these rites are in a way
regarded as having a common relationship, I mean these and those of the Samothracians and those in
Lemnos and in several other places, because the divine ministers are called the same." 5

Herodotus connects the mysteries, especially in their phallic aspect, to Hermes. The caduceus is
composed of two copulating snakes on either side of the staff that mirror each other and symbolize polar
opposites. "The Athenians, then, were the first Greeks to make ithyphallic images of Hermes, and they
did this because the Pelasgians taught them. The Pelasgians told a certain sacred tale about this, which is
set forth in the Samothracian mysteries."6

The snake was revered for its ability to signal resurrection by shedding its skin but also because of its
ability, particularly manifested in the cobra, to rear up in the manner of an engorged phallus. In addition
it was evident that this cold-blooded reptile was infused and energized by the power of the sun. The
wings on the caduceus also express the ability of the snakes and the implied phallus to rise erect. They
thus symbolize the concept of resurrection.

An original source for the contention that there were two statues at the gates of the temple complex in
Samothrace is the text by Varro. They are described as "potent deities."

"For Earth and Sky, as the mysteries of the Samothracians teach, are Great Gods, and these whom I have
mentioned under many names, are not those Great Gods whom Samothrace represents by two male
statues of bronze which are set up before the city gates (ante portas statuit duas virilis species aeneas
dei magni), nor are they, as the populace thinks, the Samothracian gods, who are really Castor and
Pollux; but these are a male and a female, these are those whom the Books of the Augurs mention in
writing as potent deities for what the Samothracians call powerful gods."7

Varro describes the two male statues as virilis and a male and a female. This contradiction is explained if
the modern terms of positive or negative polarity are understood as the basis of the male/female
duality. Like the caduceus with the two mirrored snakes the two male statues form a positive and
negative polarity at the city gates.

Pliny applies the terms of male and female in his discussion on magnetism and so indicates that
magnetic polarity was described in these terms. "The leading distinction in magnets is the sex, male and
female…"8

Both lightning strikes and magnetism could be seen to be driven by forces that united opposing entities.
This could apply to otherwise inert iron objects or the division between the sky and the earth.

Varro further refers to the "potent" deities that determined the mysteries. "... these are those whom the
Books of the Augurs mention in writing as potent deities, for what the Samothracians call powerful
gods."

Arsenic derives from the Persian zarnikh (yellow orpiment) which is the origin of the Greek word
arsenikon (Latin - arsenicum). This is related to arsenikos which means 'masculine' or 'potent.' The use of
the word 'potent' in Varro’s text therefore functions as a code word for metallurgy or alchemy.

Arsenic was used in copper smelting as a chemical agent to create bronze. By binding with copper and
thus creating a new more powerful alloy it could be said to have castrated the original metal. The agent
acted as a catalyst equivalent to semen in this alchemical process.
Meteoric iron, as the product of baetyls (meteorites), represented the seed or semen of the gods in the
hard form of heavenly vegetative seeds or the liquid form of deified semen that flows from the forge. It
is speculated that the first discovery of terrestrial iron came as a by-product of copper smelting where an
iron ore such as haematite was used as a flux.

The concept that iron was the fiery semen of the gods is evident in the mysteries of Egypt. One of the
most revered artefacts in the tomb of Tutankhamun, as defined by its placement in relation to the body,
was an iron dagger. The blade of this dagger was crafted from iron that had come from a meteorite.

The discovery of a shining silvery liquid metal that was separate to the smelted copper was equivalent to
extracting the essence from the ore. The ultimate realization that this was the same metal contained in
some meteorites meant that theology and metallurgy were bound together like a new religious alloy.

Porphyry states that a person chewing the pulp of a bean would perceive the scent of human blood. "For
if anyone should chew a bean, and having ground it to a pulp with his teeth, and should expose that pulp
to the warm sun, for a short while, and then return to it, he will perceive the scent of human blood." 9

Haematite (hematite) was used as a flux in the smelting of copper and was also a primary ore in the
smelting of iron. Haematite is defined as a reddish-black iron oxide. The name is derived from the Greek
haimatites lithos - 'blood-like stone.' Haemoglobin and haematology both derive from the same Greek
root word haima - 'blood.'

Therefore metallurgy and the human body are inextricably linked by these words. The numerous myths
that envisage castrated deities seem to mirror the addition of arsenic or tin to copper and thus castrating
the original metal to create a powerful new alloy. To this day we still speak of 'cutting' one substance
with another in contemporary discourse. Chemical castration of humans also forms part of modern
medicine. The new alloy was stronger than the original metal and therefore had metaphorically
castrated the original metal or deity.

The sexual acts of the gods in these myths can therefore be seen to reflect the metallurgy of antiquity.
These concepts can be divined in the texts and images of alchemy which preserved elements of the
earliest human theologies. Castration is a ubiquitous theme that shapes the myths of antiquity.

"... Attis snatches the pipe borne by him who was goading them to frenzy; and he, too, now filled with
furious passion, raving frantically (and) tossed about, throws himself down at last, and under a tree
mutilates himself, saying, 'Take these Acdestis, for which you have stirred up so great and terribly
perilous commotions.' With the streaming blood his life flies; but the Great Mother of the gods gathers
the parts which had been cut off, and throws earth on them, having first covered them, and wrapped
them in the garment of the dead. From the blood which had flowed springs a flower, the violet, and with
this the tree is girt."10
The blood that was shed during the act of castration by Attis fell to earth and from this sprang violets.
This was a colour that was associated with the bruising of skin and ultimately with death. Violets
therefore had a funerary colour and were used in wreaths that were presented to the deities.

The theme of transformation or metamorphosis is here related to resurrection. Zeus had ordained that
the body of Attis should not be corrupted in death. The act of castration is therefore linked to a
transaction with the deities that ultimately purifies the mortal nature of humans.

On the Day of Blood, during the rites of Attis, the Galli castrated themselves in a frenzy of ecstasy and
offered the severed parts to the goddess. Lucian of Samosata describes the ecstatic rites.

"As the Galli sing and celebrate their orgies, frenzy falls on many of them and many who had come as
mere spectators afterwards are found to have committed the great act. I will narrate what they do. Any
young man who has resolved on this action, strips off his clothes, and with a loud shout bursts into the
midst of the crowd, and picks up a sword from a number of swords which I suppose have been kept
ready for many years for this purpose. He takes it and castrates himself and then runs wild through the
city, bearing in his hands what he has cut off… Thus they act during their ceremonies of castration." 11

The castrated parts were buried in the earth in a ritual that invokes a process of alchemical fermentation.
"These broken instruments of fertility were afterwards reverently wrapt up and buried in the earth or in
subterranean chambers sacred to Cybele, where, like the offering of blood, they may have been deemed
instrumental in recalling Attis to life and hastening the general resurrection of nature, which was then
bursting into leaf and blossom in the vernal sunshine. Some confirmation of this conjecture is furnished
by the savage story that the mother of Attis conceived by putting in her bosom a pomegranate sprung
from the severed genitals of a man-monster named Agdestis (Acdestis/Agdistis), a sort of double of
Attis."12

The process of burying an object in the earth which engenders some form of birth or rebirth is an
indication that the mysteries are being referenced. In this magical garden exists the field of beans that
forms part of the history of Pythagoras wherein his disciples are unable to cross a field of beans despite
being pursued. Porphyry offers an explanation for this myth which extends the understanding of the
symbolism of seeds in the mysteries.

"Beans were interdicted, it is said, because the particular plants grow and individualize only after (the
earth) which is the principle and origin of all things, is mixed together, so that many things underground
are confused, and coalesce; after which everything rots together. Then living creatures were produced
together with plants, so that both men and beans arose out of putrefaction whereof he alleged many
manifest arguments."13

Putrefaction is one of the stages in alchemy and the statement that "both men and beans arose out of
putrefaction" seems to have an alchemical genesis. The synthesis of vegetative fertility and human
reproduction is a known feature of the Eleusinian Mysteries. These mysteries can be recognized in the
description of the ritual process of burying the beans in an earthen container which then gives birth to
human infants or human sexual organs.

"For if anyone should chew a bean, and having ground it to a pulp with his teeth, and should expose that
pulp to the warm sun, for a short while, and then return to it, he will perceive the scent of human blood.
Moreover, if at the time when beans bloom, one should take a little of the flower, which then is black,
and should put it into an earthen vessel, and cover it closely, and bury it in the ground for ninety days,
and at the end thereof take it up, and uncover it, instead of the bean he will find either the head of an
infant, or the pudenda of a woman."14

In the creation myth of Hephaestus and Athena the semen from the gods in the heavens impregnates
the earth (Gaia) below. Hephaestus ejaculates his fiery semen over Athena who casts it down upon
earth, so impregnating it. Human life is therefore formed by the Demiurge, Hephaestus or Vulcan,
moulding his creations from the fiery heat.

"... Athena came to Hephaestus, desirous of fashioning arms. But he, being forsaken by Aphrodite, fell in
love with Athena, and began to pursue her; but she fled. When he got near her with much ado (for he
was lame), he attempted to embrace her; but she, being a chaste virgin, would not submit to him, and
he dropped his seed on the leg of the goddess. In disgust, she wiped off the seed with wool and threw it
on the ground; and as she fled the seed fell on the ground, and Erichthonius was produced." 15

Thus a deity is produced from an act of male-only procreation. Like Aphrodite Urania the birth is
accomplished entirely within a nexus of deified semen. Athena placed the progeny in a chest in order to
hide him from the other gods. But the chest was surreptitiously opened and revealed a serpent that was
coiled around Erichthonius.

"But the sisters of Pandrosos opened it out of curiosity, and beheld a serpent coiled about the babe; and,
as some say, they were destroyed by the serpent, but according to others they were driven mad by
reason of the anger of Athena and threw themselves down from the acropolis." 16

THE WHITENING - ALBEDO

WHITE FOAM
"... and a white foam spread around them from the immortal flesh, and in it there grew a maiden… Her
gods and men call Aphrodite and the foam-born goddess and rich-crowned Cytherea, because she grew
amid the foam."

(Hesiod - Theogony 176-180)

In the Memphis Theology the Egyptian creator deity Atum constructs the universe from his own semen.
According to the Shabaka Stone this was the original act of creation. "This Ennead of Atum came into
being through his semen and through his fingers."

Therefore the universe is formed from an act of male-only procreation. In the Egyptian creation myth the
creator is a single deity that procreates two further entities through an act of self-contained
autoeroticism.

Hephaestus is linked to the Memphis Theology via the temple of Ptah in that city. The Greeks identified
this temple with Hephaestus as is attested by Herodotus. "... the shrine of Hephaestus, which he (Min)
instituted in Memphis itself."17

The theology of the Shabaka Stone is supported by the Pyramid Texts of Sakkara which confirm this
theory of creation. The Pyramid Texts document the original Egyptian creation myth and are in
themselves among the most ancient evidence of recorded human thought.

The autoerotic act of Atum is elaborated in these ancient texts. The rivers of semen that flow from this
act fill the night sky with shining celestial foam. The Nile is replicated above by these celestial rivers. The
celestial river of the Milky Way is reflected in the Nile below.

"To say: Atum created by his masturbation in Heliopolis.

To put his phallus in his fist
to excite desire thereby.
The twins were born, Shu and Tefnut."18

The single entity (the autoerotic mind of Atum) gives birth to two entities (Shu and Tefnut) without
recourse to procreative intercourse. This act avoids the chicken and egg syndrome by postulating the
original act of creation within the self-contained autoerotic mind of the creator.

Macrobius defines the difficulty in explaining the original act of creation through an act of conventional
procreation. "To say that the egg was produced before the chicken is like saying a womb came to be
before a woman: asking how a chicken could exist without an egg is like asking how humans were
produced before the genitals instrumental in their procreation." 19
Therefore the act of primordial creation is explicitly linked to the autoerotic mind of Atum and visual
evidence of this was seen in the shining celestial trails of star clusters in the night sky. The foaming
celestial star clusters, formed from the primordial semen, were envisaged as the ejaculatory splatter of
the deity in the night sky.

The rivers of semen that stream from this act of deified autoeroticism define the creation myth of
ancient Egypt. Atum is self-created through this act which gives birth to the sacred primordial mound
that rises out of the undefined waters of the pre-existing state. Thus the rising of the phallus of Atum is
the first act of creation.

The creation myth of Hephaestus and Athena posits the birth of a deity entirely within the nexus of fiery
semen ejaculated by Hephaestus and cast down to earth by Athena. Semen then is the moisture
containing the hot aether from the fire of creation. The primordial fire contains the hot breath, the
pneuma of the semen, forged by the Demiurge, Hephaestus.

This fiery semen can be seen as equivalent to meteorites that fall to earth. Uranus (Ouranos), the god of
the vault of the heavens, sent the meteorites or baetyls to seed the earth. Urania (Ourania), the
daughter of Uranus, also symbolized the heavens and by extension these sacred stones. She was
combined with Aphrodite to form a deity that encapsulated the qualities of the fallen stars.

Aphrodite was represented by a black conical stone that was believed to be animated by the spirit of the
goddess. The baetyl was thought to be a meteorite that had come from the stars and to be a gift from
the gods.'Baetyl' derives from the Semitic languages and literally means 'the house of god.'

In reference to the shrine of Astarte at Byblos, and her cult there, Philo of Byblos states that "Astarte set
the head of a bull upon her head as a mark of royalty; and in travelling round the world she found a star
that had fallen from the sky, which she took up and consecrated in the holy island of Tyre. And the
Phoenicians say that Astarte is Aphrodite."20

Aphrodite Urania was worshipped across Asia Minor and the sanctuary on Cyprus was one of the most
celebrated in antiquity. The Phoenicians identified her with their own Baalath or Atarte. "If two deities
were thus fused in one, we may suppose that they were both varieties of that great goddess of
motherhood and fertility whose worship appears to have spread all over Western Asia from a very early
time. The supposition is confirmed as well by the archaic shape of her image as by the licentious
character of her rites; for both that shape and those rites were shared by her with other Asiatic
deities."21

Varro indicates that this goddess was worshipped in Samothrace by referring to her myth in close textual
proximity to the section describing the Samothracian statues. He also states that the goddess was born
from fiery seed that fell from the sky. "The poets, in that they say the fiery seed fell from the Sky into the
sea and Venus (Aphrodite) was born 'from the foam-masses,' through the conjunction of fire and
moisture, are indicating that this vis 'force' which they have is that of Venus. Those born of this vis have
what is called vita 'life'..."22

The use of the expression "foam-masses" clearly indicates that Varro is speaking of the myth recited by
Hesiod about the birth of Aphrodite Urania. In this vision the stars become the semen of the gods filling
the night sky with a shining heavenly foam. Ouranos (Uranus) was castrated with a gigantic scythe
wielded by Chronos (Saturn) leaving his disembodied phallus shining in the night sky. Aphrodite Urania
emerged from the foam surrounding the severed genitals of Uranus. According to Hesiod this seminal
foam formed the heavenly body of the goddess.

"And so soon as he had cut off the members with flint and cast them from the land into the surging sea,
they were swept away over the main a long time; and a white foam spread around them from the
immortal flesh, and in it there grew a maiden… Her gods and men call Aphrodite and the foam-born
goddess and rich-crowned Cytherea, because she grew amid the foam…" 23

The foaming clusters of stars are the source of all creation. These streams of semen were envisaged as
rivers of stars formed from the ejaculatory acts of the gods in the night sky. The semen splatter was
woven into an infinite network of stars that formed the shining constellations.

This vision draws direct comparison with the myth termed the 'Kingship in Heaven,' and describes the
castration of the archetypal Mesopotamian deity Anu. This deity is seen as equivalent to the archaic
Greek deity Ouranos in that both the original creator gods that symbolize the generalized concept of the
vault of the sky. Kumarbi castrates/genitally mutilates Anu in a remarkable parallel to the later text of
Hesiod in which Chronos castrates Ouranos.

"He (Kumarbi) bit his (Anu’s) loins

(so that) his manhood united with Kumarbi’s interior like bronze.
When it united,
when Kumarbi swallowed Anu’s manhood,
he rejoiced and laughed.
Anu turned back
and to Kumarbi he began to speak:
‘Thou rejoicest about thine interior
because thou hast swallowed my manhood!
Do not rejoice about thine interior!
Into thine interior I have put a (heavy) load:
first I have made thee pregnant with the weighty Storm-god;
second I have made thee pregnant with the river Aranzakh (Tigris), the irresistible;
third I have made thee pregnant with the weighty god Tash-mishu,
and two (other) terrible gods have I put as load into thine interior…" 24
The semen of Anu fertilizes the interior of his male successor Kumarbi who is now laden with five gods.
"His manhood united with Kumarbi’s interior like bronze." This pregnancy therefore results from male to
male insemination and is consistent with both Greek and Egyptian creation myths.

Arsenic was used as an agent in copper metallurgy to create a form of bronze. By breaking down the
original metal to create a new more powerful alloy it metaphorically castrated the smelted copper. This
conception is supported by the description of the progeny as weighty gods and heavy loads thus
indicating metals. The "weighty Storm-god" has an additional association with lightning.

As metallurgy developed tin was added as the castrating element. The two metals (copper and tin) form
a new metal which contains the essence of all three in the new trinity. The addition of tin, or in earlier
times arsenic, to the copper not only created a synthesis of three elements in the new alloy but also can
be said to have castrated the original metal to create a new and more powerful metal (bronze).

This trinity is symbolized by the entity, Hermes Trismegistus, that personifies the alchemical trinity by his
title - 'Trismegistus' (the Thrice Greatest). The ancient Egyptian festival of the Pamylia involved a triple
phallus which was believed to be especially potent due to its three-fold nature.

"Moreover, when they celebrate the festival of the Pamylia which, as has been said, is of a phallic
member, they expose and carry about a statue of which the male member is triple; for the god is the
Source, and every source, by its fecundity, multiplies what proceeds from it; and for 'many times' we
have a habit of saying 'thrice,' as, for example, 'thrice happy,' and unless, indeed, the word 'triple' is used
by the early writers in its strict meaning; for the nature of moisture, being the source and origin of all
things, created out of itself three primal material substances, Earth, Air and Fire." 25

Another ancient source the Derveni Papyrus, supports this theory of creation. This appears to have been
inspired by Orphic doctrines and the charred remains of the document were recovered from a
Macedonian tomb. In this vision the clusters of stars are similarly seen as the foaming secretion of the
deified phallus.

The celestial phallus was consequently the originator of the firmament of stars. According to the Derveni
Papyrus "He (the deity) ingested/swallowed the phallus that first procreated the aether."

Thus Cicero states that "... an ancient belief prevailed throughout Greece that Caelus (Uranus) was
mutilated (castrated) by his son Saturn, and Saturn himself thrown into bondage by his son Jove: now
these immoral fables enshrined a decidedly clever scientific theory. Their meaning was that the highest
element of celestial aether or fire, which by itself generates all things, is devoid of that bodily part which
requires union with another for the work of procreation." 26

Outside the gate of the temple complex in Samothrace stood two male statues in bronze. Hippolytus
states that these were phallic in nature. They were also, in his description, linked to the concepts that
informed the Samothracian Mysteries.
"This is, he says, the great and ineffable mystery of the Samothracians, which is allowable, he says, for us
only who are initiated to know. For the Samothracians expressly hand down, in the mysteries that are
celebrated among them, that (same) Adam as the primal man. And habitually there stand in the temple
of the Samothracians two images of naked men, having both hands stretched aloft towards heaven, and
their pudenda erecta, as with the statue of Mercury (Hermes) on Mount Cyllene. And the aforesaid
images are figures of the primal man, and of the spiritual one that is born again, in every respect of the
same substance with that man."27

Pausanias states that the image of Hermes that was worshiped on Mount Cyllene and is referenced by
Hippolytus above was the pure form of a phallus. "In Cyllene is a sanctuary of Asclepius, and one of
Aphrodite. But the image of Hermes, most devoutly worshipped by the inhabitants, is merely the male
member upright on the pedestal."28

Hippolytus describes the Samothracian statues as "having both hands stretched towards heaven." Philo
of Byblos, quoting from the Phoenician history which he ascribes to Sanchuniathon, states that this
posture derives from rain-making rituals. These archaic rites would therefore seem to be the genesis of
the stance. The stretching of hands towards heaven is part of the earliest history of the Phoenicians
forming the second generation of their creation myth.

"Those that were begotten by these were called Genus and Genea and dwell in Phoenicia: But when
great drought came, they stretched their hands up to Heaven towards the Sun; for him; he saith, they
thought the only lord of Heaven…"29

In the text from Arnobius that relates the myth about the birth of Agdestis he states that Jupiter (Zeus)
"spent his lust on the stone." The stone became pregnant from this act and after ten months gave birth
to Agdestis. This allegorical and alchemical myth appears to refer to lightning striking the rock. This was
the mechanism by which the deities interacted with the physical plane.

"Within the confines of Phrygia, he (Timotheus) says, there is a rock of unheard-of wildness in every
respect, the name of which is Agdus, so named by the natives of that district. Stones taken from it, as
Themis by her oracle had enjoined, Deucalion and Pyrrha threw upon the earth, at that time emptied of
men, from which the Great Mother, too, as she is called, was fashioned along with the others, and
animated by the Deity. Her, given over to rest and sleep on the very summit of the rock, Jupiter (Zeus)
assailed with (the) lewdest desires. But when, after long strife, he could not accomplish what he had
proposed to himself, he, baffled, spent his lust on the stone. This the rock received, and… Acdestis
(Agdestis) is born in the tenth month, being named from his mother rock." 30

Lightning, the phallus of the gods, strikes the earth and through this deified sexual act fertilizes the
goddess. In the myth related by Arnobius the stones are described as being "animated by the Deity."
They thus bear a direct comparison to the alchemical magnetic stone that animated the Samothracian
Mysteries. Varro refers to the 'potent' deities that determined the mysteries. "... these are those whom
the Books of the Augurs mention in writing as potent deities, for what the Samothracians call powerful
gods."31

Archaeological evidence links these myths to magnetized iron rings that have been found on Samothrace
which are undeniably connected to the mysteries. Iron rings appear to have been a central feature of the
cult and probably became souvenirs upon initiation. In addition the advanced metallurgy of the island is
shown by the reported invention of a new type of gilding that was applied to iron rings. They were
known as 'Samothracian rings' and are attested by Pliny.

"At the present day, too, the very slaves even, encase their iron rings with gold (while other articles
belonging to them, they decorate with pure gold), a licence which first originated in the Isle of
Samothrace, as the name given to the invention clearly shows." 32

The magnetic power of the lodestone is extensively documented in antiquity. Numerous references to
the phenomenon, when combined with the archaeological evidence of the magnetized iron rings, enable
an understanding of the concepts behind the Samothracian Mysteries. It appears that the rings were
strung in a chain with only magnetic power as the binding force. This magical chain can be imagined as a
prototype of the initiation.

According to Plato, in the words of Socrates, this magnetic attraction was "… a divine power, which
moves you like that in the stone which Euripides named a magnet, but most people call 'Heraclea stone.'
For this stone not only attracts iron rings, but also imparts to them a power whereby they in turn are
able to do the very same thing as the stone, and attract other rings; so that sometimes there is formed
quite a long chain of bits of iron and rings, suspended one from another; and they all depend for this
power on that one stone. In the same manner also the Muse inspires men herself, and then by means of
these inspired persons the inspiration spreads to others, and holds them in a connected chain." 33

Lucretius makes explicitly clear that these texts are referring to the Samothracian Mysteries. He
describes brazen bowls that hold iron filings which are excited by the action of the lodestone beneath
the bowl.

"Those Samothracian iron rings leap up,

And iron filings in the brazen bowls
Seethe furiously, when underneath was set
The magnet stone."34

This force is described by Pliny as animating the iron rings and propelling them to leap towards the
magnetic stone as if they possessed hands and feet. "What is there more stubborn than hard iron?
Nature has, in this instance, bestowed upon it both feet and intelligence. It allows itself, in fact, to be
attracted by the magnet, and, itself a metal which subdues all other elements, it precipitates itself
towards the source of an influence at once mysterious and unseen. The moment the metal comes near
it, it springs towards the magnet, and, as it clasps it, is held fast in the magnet’s embraces." 35
This is also equivalent to the force that is exerted by the gods on humans driving the participants in the
mysteries into various ecstatic states. There is a similar equivalence to the forces that drive the lyric
poets to create works that are inspired by the pull of the gods. Plato compares this momentum to the
forces that lie within the magnetic stone. These unseen forces drive the souls of both the bacchants and
the poets.

"... just as the Corybantian worshippers do not dance when in their senses, so the lyric poets do not
indite those fine songs in their senses, but when they have started on the melody and rhythm they begin
to be frantic, and it is under possession - as the bacchants are possessed, and not in their senses, when
they draw honey and milk from the rivers - that the soul of the lyric poets does the same thing, by their
own report."36

Pliny states that stones that had been struck by lightning acquired magical powers. They are compared
to meteorites which were believed to contain the spirits of the gods.

"Sotacus mentions also two other varieties of ceraunia, one black and the other red; and he says that
they resemble axes in shape. Those which are black and round, he says, are looked upon as sacred, and
by their assistance cities and fleets are attacked and taken: the name given to them is baetyli
(meteorites), those of an elongated form being known as cerauniae. They make out also that there is
another kind, rarely to be met with, and much in request for the practices of magic, it never being found
in any place but one that has been struck by lightning." 37

The idea that a stone that had been struck by lightning could accrue magical powers seemed until
recently an ancient superstition. But this magical quality now lies at the forefront of scientific research.
Magnetite naturally exhibits a low level of magnetism but the high level of magnetic polarity in rare
examples was unexplained. New scientific research has revealed that a lightning strike on magnetite
creates a powerful magnetic field that magnetizes the stone giving it a potent magnetic polarity.

Given the strong magnetic polarity that is attested by ancient texts documenting the Samothracian
Mysteries it appears that this was the type of stone that was used. The magnetic stone or lodestone of
Samothrace was therefore a magnetite rock that had been struck by lightning.

In ancient Rome the stone, object or place struck by lightning was defined as sacred. The Puteal Libonis
in the Roman forum was a shrine marking a location that had been struck by lightning. The space was
defined as a bidental and was tended by priests who affirmed its sacred category by sacrificing sheep
there.

This architectural format followed archaic instructions that laid out procedures governing the sanctity of
a location struck by lightning. These specified that the space penetrated by the lightning strike should
remain open to the heavens to propitiate the gods. Hence the Pantheon in Rome has a large oculus that
is open to the sky.
The original building on the site of the Pantheon was struck by lightning and destroyed in 110 AD. The
new construction in the reign of Hadrian was designed to commemorate this lightning strike that had
been hurled by the gods. Orosius records that "lightning struck and burned the Pantheon in Rome." 38

The Pantheon was therefore constructed on new foundations as a huge circular drum that encased the
area that had been struck by lightning. The change in the architectural format from a rectangular to a
circular form reflects the new purpose of the reconstructed building. In commemoration of the lightning
that had struck its predecessor the interior of the dome was originally gilded so reflecting the celestial
fire that the building celebrated.

By striking a specific location with lightning the gods defined a sacred space that was their own. The
space was contained by the circular confining drum of the walls. Above these the open oculus allowed
the god to enter and occupy the space that the deity itself had chosen by striking it with lightning. This
then is the architectural genesis of the Pantheon that is defined by its circular form and oculus that is
open to the sky.

Lightning also determined the architecture of the Erechtheion in Athens. The temple, adjacent to the
Parthenon, has a space in the roof of a porch that is open to the sky. This is bound to the myth that
Erechtheus was struck by lightning thrown by Zeus.

Erichthonius is either conflated with Erechtheus or is his progenitor. Either way the Erechtheion was
constructed in their honour and to propitiate Poseidon. The myths that celebrate Poseidon striking the
rock with his trident function as a metaphor for a lightning strike.

"There is also a building called the Erechtheum. Before the entrance is an altar of Zeus the Most High…
Inside the entrance are altars, one to Poseidon, on which in obedience to an oracle they sacrifice also to
Erechtheus, the second to the hero Butes, and the third to Hephaestus… On the rock is the outline of a
trident. Legend says that these appeared as evidence in support of Poseidon’s claim to the land." 39

As in the Pantheon the space that was deliberately inserted into the roof structure expresses the belief
that the location struck by lightning should be left open to the heavens. Beneath the aperture in the roof
there is a gap in the paving of the floor showing the rock beneath and so marking the specific location of
the lightning strike.

These locations celebrated the purifying celestial fire that came from the domain of the gods. It was
reasoned that as lightning was the pure fire of the gods it purified the mortal bodies of the humans that
were struck. The celestial fire also allowed the humans that survived the strike to transcend their
mortality and achieve heroic status. The thunderbolt conferred a divine status on its victim. "For no one
who has been struck by a thunderbolt is without honour, wherefore he is revered even as a god." 40
The ideas behind the sacred architecture that enclosed and protected the space struck by lightning from
the profane world were also applied to human victims. Humans that were killed by the celestial fire
acquired an incorruptible sacred status. Like the place that had been struck the body had to be fenced
around and left open to the sky. Plutarch states that there was a general belief that the bodies of those
killed by lightning never putrefy.

"But that which is most wonderful, and which everybody knows, is this, - the bodies of those that are
killed never putrefy. For many neither burn nor bury such bodies, but let them lie above ground with a
fence about them, so that every one may see they remain uncorrupted… And I believe brimstone is
called divine, because its smell is like that fiery offensive scent which rises from bodies that are
thunderstruck. And I suppose that, because of this scent, dogs and birds will not prey on such
carcasses."41

There is evidence that archaic and shamanic religious cults attempted to bring down lightning from the
heavens as part of their rituals. The Roman cult of Jupiter Elicius was associated with the belief that
humans could command lightning from the heavens. This phenomenon appears to derive its origin from
Egyptian practices that attempted to attract lightning strikes on their architectural edifices.

"It is related in our Annals, that by certain sacred rites and imprecations, thunder-storms may be
compelled or invoked… that this had been frequently done before his time by Numa, and that Tullus
Hostilius, imitating him, but not having properly performed the ceremonies, was struck with the
lightning. We have also groves, and altars, and sacred places, and, among the titles of Jupiter, as Stator,
Tonans, Feretrius, we have a Jupiter Elicius… To believe that we can command nature is the mark of a
bold mind."42

Seneca suggests that the sacred lightning could be brought down from the heavens through entreaties
to Jupiter. Humans could "summon or, to use a more polite word, invite Jupiter to share a sacrificial feast
with us. If he happens to be angry with his host when he is invited, then his coming, Caecina says, is
fraught with danger to his entertainers."43

Livy describes the way humans by invoking rites could bring down lightning from the heavens. "Tradition
records that the king whilst examining the commentaries of Numa, found there a description of certain
sacrificial rites paid to Jupiter Elicius: he withdrew into privacy whilst occupied with these rites, but their
performance was marred by omissions or mistakes. Not only was no sign from heaven vouchsafed to
him, but the anger of Jupiter was roused by the false worship rendered to him, and he burnt up the king
and his house by a stroke of lightning."44

This belief that humans could draw down lightning explains the ancient Egyptian desire to attract
lightning to their pyramids, temples and funerary monuments. The purifying celestial fire of the gods
rendered the mortal bodies of humans incorruptible. The lightning additionally laid out a burning forked
path that allowed the soul of the pharaoh, shed of its mortal impurities, to ascend to the stars.
The Pyramid Texts clearly refer to lightning and it appears that there was a belief that the pharaoh could
be carried up into the heavens by the "hands of lightning."

"Unas is he who burns before the wind to the limits of heaven, to the limits of earth, as soon as the
hands of Lightning are emptied of Unas. Unas stands on the East side of the vault of heaven and what
rises to the road (of heaven) is brought to him. It is Unas, the message of the Storm." 45

"The phallus of Babi is pulled out (lock of door), the doors of the sky are open. The doors of the sky are
locked (the way leads) over the fire glow, under that which assemble the gods. They make a way for Unas
that Unas may pass along it."46

The soul of Unas traverses the air and passes over the earth. The hands of the lightning make a path and
allow the human to ascend towards the doors of the sky. The lightning thrown by the god is the path to
immortality. "Unas traverses the air and passes over the earth. He kisses the Red Crowns as one hurled
by a god."47

The place or building that was struck by lightning thrown by the gods therefore assumed a sacred status.
The capstone of the pyramids and the apex of the obelisks is termed the pyramidion and is associated
with the archaic mythology of the Benben Stone. The pyramidion is associated with the emergence of
the primeval mound at the dawn of history, a theory that is supported in the Pyramid Texts.

"To say: O Atum-Khepri, when thou didst mount as a hill,

and didst shine as bnw of the ben (or, benben) in the temple of the ‘phoenix’ in Heliopolis,
and didst spew out as Shu, and did spit out as Tefnut,
(then) thou didst put thine arms about them, as the arm(s) of a ka, that thy ka might be in them."48

These shining sacred summits functioned as a medium between the gods and humans and contained the
living gods. The stones were thus animated by the spirits of the gods and functioned as a type of
extraterrestrial relic that contained magical powers.

The pyramidia or capstones of Egyptian pyramids were the apex of the structures and were the closest
point of contact between humans and thunderbolts thrown towards earth. They were coated in
conductive metals such as gold leaf or electrum "and didst shine as bnw of the ben (or, benben) in the
temple of the ‘phoenix’ in Heliopolis."

Electrum is an alloy of silver and gold and was used to cover the pyramidia (capstones) of the pyramids
and obelisks of ancient Egypt. In the recent excavation of the Old Kingdom Sahure pyramid complex
limestone reliefs were discovered depicting the construction of the pyramid. The inscription describes
the pyramidion as being covered in electrum.

Obelisks were also surmounted by pyramidia and formed the tallest structures framing the entrance to
Egyptian temples. The adornment of the summits of these tall structures with conductive metals such as
electrum created a highly alluring target for lightning strikes. This created a sacred bond by binding the
actions of the gods with the structures of humans.

In its fundamental form the obelisk penetrates the space of the sky and would therefore inevitably have
attracted lightning strikes. That obelisks were struck by lightning and that these events were venerated in
antiquity is attested by the record of the lightning strike on the obelisk in the Circus Maximus. By order
of Constantius Augustus an obelisk was transported from Egypt and erected in the Circus Maximus in
Rome. Ammianus Marcellinus documented this event.

The obelisk "was gradually drawn up on high through the empty air, and after hanging for a long time,
while many thousand men turned wheels resembling millstones, it was finally placed in the middle of
the circus and capped by a bronze globe gleaming with gold leaf, this was immediately struck by a bolt of
the divine fire, and therefore removed and replaced by a bronze figure of a torch, likewise overlaid with
gold foil and glowing like a mass of flame."49

An obelisk that had been struck by lightning became the perfect embodiment of the divine fire and as
such an effective representation of a thunderbolt. A section of text from the 'Inventory Stela,' discovered
by Auguste Mariette in the vicinity of the Sphinx, references a sycamore tree that had been struck by
lightning. The stela incorporates the idea that a thunderbolt could be seen ("in order to see the
thunderbolt") implying that the thunderbolt existed on the terrestrial plane and was manifested in a
physical form.

"He came to make a tour, in order to see the thunderbolt which stands in the place of the Sycamores, so
named because of a great sycamore whose branches were struck when the Lord of Heaven descended
upon the Place of Hor-em-akhet…"50

This shamanic form of worship existed before the appearance of codified organized religion and thus
predates the construction of the pyramids. "... when lightning sets fire to a tree… the head men convey
the lightning-kindled fire to the chief, who prays over it. The chief then sends out the new fire to all his
villages, and the villagers reward his messengers for the boon. This shows that they look upon fire
kindled by lightning with reverence, and the reverence is intelligible, for they speak of thunder and
lightning as God himself coming down to earth." 51

Trees that protrude from the landscape are targets for lightning strikes, and the sharp edges of the
branches are thought to be a contributing factor in this attraction. Laboratory experiments examining
lightning have tested pointed electrodes to explore the enhancement of the electrical discharge.

Lightning occurs when the negatively charged bases of storm clouds send down negatively charged
branches (leaders) which are attracted to the upwardly rising positively charged stem or trunk (streamer)
that rises from the earth, or a tall structure thereon. The sycamore tree in the Inventory Stela therefore
functions as a visual metaphor for the phenomenon of lightning.
The proposition is that the Giza pyramids and the obelisks in general are designed to initiate positively
charged streamers projecting into the sky during thunderstorms. These connect with the negatively
charged leaders that are sent down from the base of storm clouds. A resulting return stroke is triggered
that is visually interpreted by humans as a flash of lightning.

The obelisks with their gilded or electrum-coated apexes and the pyramids with their similarly metalled
apexes are designed to facilitate these positively charged streamers. These architectural structures
exhibit a perfect fusion of form and function. The connection between heaven and earth is thus
established and the soul of the pharaoh is carried up, accorded to the Pyramid Texts, "in the hands of
lightning."

THE YELLOWING - CITRINITAS

YELLOW MYRRH

"As soon as (the phoenix) has lined it with cassia bark, and smooth spikes of nard, cinnamon fragments
and yellow myrrh, it settles on top, and ends its life among the perfumes."

(Ovid - Metamorphoses 15.391)

"'And the phoenix,' he said,' is the bird which visits Egypt every five hundred years, but the rest of that
time it flies about in India; and it is unique in that it gives out rays of sunlight and shines with gold, in size
and appearance like an eagle; and it sits upon the nest; which is made by it at the springs of the Nile out
of spices. The story of the Egyptians about it, that it comes to Egypt, is testified to by the Indians also,
but the latter add this touch to the story, that the phoenix which is being consumed in its nest sings
funeral strains for itself.'"52

The fabled phoenix constructed a nest out of the fragrant woods associated with the incense or spice
trade and the precious tree sap known as myrrh. This sap was one of the primary products of the trade
routes. Also traded along these routes were Indian 'wootz' steel ingots that were similar in shape and
size to large eggs.

The nest of the phoenix can therefore be compared to the production of crucible steel that arose in India
in the east and was traded with the civilizations to the west. Crucible wootz steel involved a process
whereby clay cylindrical crucibles were packed with pieces of iron and organic matter such as shards of
wood, bark and leaves together with pastes and oils created from tree sap.

This crucible was then fired in charcoal which smelted the pieces of iron and turned the concoction into
a highly carbonated steel. Wootz steel was the primary source material for the legendary Damascus steel
swords. These combined an advanced steel metallurgy with a mystical alchemical pattern on the blade.

After constructing its nest the phoenix turns it into a crucible of fire. From this crucible is born a new
phoenix emerging from the ashes in an exact replica of the processes involved in crucible steel
production. This would explain why the phoenix is seen as representing the ultimate stage in alchemy as
its genesis mirrors that of early steel metallurgy.

The nest of the phoenix can be seen as representing the crucible in which iron is transformed into steel.
The organic materials used in the construction of the nest, such as the shards of wood and the tree sap
(myrrh) would then be equivalent to the application of a carburizing paste to iron in ancient metallurgy.
This carburizing paste was applied to the iron in order to facilitate the transfer of carbon to the iron as
part of the hardening process.

Crucibles were fashioned from clay to create a cylindrical form that was the size of a large bird’s nest.
These crucibles were then packed with organic materials in order to form a carbon-rich environment that
bound the iron with carbon during the firing process. The resulting steel ingots had the appearance of
large eggs that were traded along the spice and incense routes.

Shards of wood such as cassia were one of the principal carburizing elements added to the crucible or
nest. This correlates with Ovid's description of the nest of the phoenix. "As soon as it (the phoenix) has
lined it (the nest) with cassia bark, and smooth spikes of nard, cinnamon fragments and yellow myrrh, it
settles on top, and ends its life among the perfumes." 53

Cinnamon likewise correlates with the geographic area of crucible steel production and its trade through
the Arab silk and spice routes. By some accounts leaves were added to the crucibles together with the
wood. The general impression then, both in the size of the crucible and in its content of organic matter,
is of a bird's nest.

Historical Indian accounts speak of pastes that were created from the sap of banana and plantain trees.
Other accounts speak of the milky white sap from the calotropis plant which was smeared on the metal
as a carburizing agent. This use of sap also correlates to Ovid's description of the nest.

"Yet these creatures receive their start in life from others: there is one, a bird, which renews itself, and
reproduces from itself. The Assyrians call it the phoenix. It does not live on seeds and herbs, but on
drops of incense, and the sap of the cardamom plant." 54
There are textual sources stating the process of smearing the metal with a carburizing paste created
from tree sap took place during the subsequent forging of steel blades. Indian accounts speak of
plunging the red-hot blades into the sap of banana or plantain trees and then leaving the blades to cool
slowly in the carbon-rich environment.

The application of carburizing paste to blades and then heating and tempering them is attested by the
Sushruta Samhita in respect to surgical blades. Varahamihira describes swords being coated with a latex
paste from the juice of the plant Arka (Calotropis gigantea).

The stem of this plant exudes a milky latex sap that is used in traditional medicine. The purifying nature
of the calotropis plant shares this characteristic with myrrh which was used in ritualistic Egyptian
embalming practices. Some accounts refer to cleansing the metal of impurities and this intent may
explain why organic materials that were associated with religious purifying practices were initially tested
in metallurgy. Herodotus reveals the symmetry between the embalming process and the myth of the
death and resurrection of the phoenix.

"Then, making a cut near the flank with a sharp knife of Ethiopian stone, they take out all the intestines,
and clean the belly, rinsing it with palm wine and bruised spices; they sew it up again after filling the
belly with pure ground myrrh and cassia and any other spices, except frankincense. After doing this, they
conceal the body for seventy days, embalming it in saltpetre; no longer time is allowed for embalming;
and when the seventy days have passed, they wash the body and wrap the whole of it in bandages of
fine linen cloth, anointed with gum, which the Egyptians mostly use instead of glue; then they give the
dead man back to his friends. These make a hollow wooden figure like a man, in which they enclose the
corpse, shut it up, and keep it safe in a coffin-chamber, placed erect against a wall." 55

Herodotus here describes palm by-products being used in the embalming process. The Alexandrian
alchemist Zosimos of Panopolis brings a new element into the matrix. In a section of text titled 'The
Tempering of Indian Iron' he describes the process of breaking up soft iron into small pieces and placing
them in a crucible together with the fruits of the palm tree. The crucible was then fired in charcoal until
the iron became molten and reacted with the oil of the palm tree fruits.

Pliny refers to oils that were used in the hardening of iron. "It is to be observed also, that in giving an
edge to iron, there is a great difference between oil-whetstones and water-whetstones, the use of oil
producing a much finer edge… It is the practice to quench smaller articles made of iron with oil, lest by
being hardened in water they should be rendered brittle." 56

The crucible smelting process by turning soft iron into steel therefore resurrects and transforms the
metal into a stronger harder form. Myrrh as an embalming element in the putative resurrection of
humans and a primary element in the nest of the phoenix also functions (in its generic form as a tree
sap) as a carburizing agent in crucible steel production.
"Now the Phoenix's bright eye grows dim and the pupil becomes palsied by the frost of years, like the
moon when she is shrouded in clouds and her horn begins to vanish in the mist. Now his wings, wont to
cleave the clouds of heaven, can scarce raise them from the earth. Then, realizing that his span of life is
at an end and in preparation for a renewal of his splendour, he gathers dry herbs from the sun-warmed
hills, and making an interwoven heap of the branches of the precious tree of Saba he builds that pyre
which shall be at once his tomb and his cradle." 57

The precious tree of Saba, referenced here by Claudian, almost certainly refers to the sap of the trees
that produced the precious aromatic products of myrrh and frankincense that were native to Saba
(modern-day Yemen) and southern Arabia. The products of the "precious tree of Saba" were traded from
southern Arabia towards the west along the incense or spice routes. Also traded along these routes were
the wootz steel ingots from India.

These trading patterns reflected the flight of the phoenix from Arabia in the east to Heliopolis in the
west. Herodotus describes the flight of the phoenix while carrying the myrrh from Arabia to the temple
of the Sun in Heliopolis in Egypt. The destination of the temple of the Sun defines the phoenix as a solar
entity.

"What they said this bird manages to do is incredible to me. Flying from Arabia to the temple of the Sun,
they say, he conveys his father encased in myrrh and buries him at the temple of the Sun. This is how he
conveys him: he first moulds an egg of myrrh as heavy as he can carry, then tries lifting it, and when he
has tried it, he then hollows out the egg and puts his father into it, and plasters over with more myrrh
the hollow of the egg into which he has put his father, which is the same in weight with his father lying in
it, and he conveys him encased to the temple of the Sun in Egypt." 58

THE REDDENING - RUBEDO

FLAMING AUREOLE

"A mysterious fire flashes from its eye, and a flaming aureole enriches its head."

(Claudian - Carmina Minora - The Phoenix)

Heliopolis was associated with the cult of the Benben Stone and the cult is therefore linked to another
obelisk that was transported to Rome. The Solarium Horologium Augusti was an obelisk that Augustus
had transported from Heliopolis and erected in Rome during the height of Roman imperial power. The
documentation of this event is relevant because of the clear intent to replicate the symbolism that the
obelisk would have had in Egypt. The obelisk therefore reflects a history that has been erased from
Heliopolis.

The obelisk was erected in the Campus Martius in such a way that it cast its shadow on a pavement
inlaid with a gilded bronze network of lines. It was integrated with the adjacent Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace)
so that the obelisk’s shadow fell towards the altar according to the position of the sun. The concepts that
were embedded in the Altar of the Sun in Heliopolis were thus mirrored in Rome.

According to Pliny the obelisk "in the Campus was put to use in a remarkable way by August of Revered
Memory so as to mark the sun’s shadow and thereby the length of days and nights. A pavement was laid
down for a distance appropriate to the height of the obelisk so that the shadow cast at noon on the
shortest day of the year might exactly coincide with it. Bronze rods let into the pavement were meant to
measure the shadow as it gradually became shorter and then lengthened again." 59

Therefore the obelisk was a solar meridian designed to indicate the progress of the year as the sun
appeared to move through the sky from solstice to solstice. Its purpose, as stated by Pliny, was to
measure the shadow day by day as it gradually became shorter and then lengthened again. Inlaid into
the surrounding paving was a longitudinal line demarcating the furthest extent of the shadow at
noontime on the winter solstice. From the obelisk, situated in its geometry of lines, could therefore be
determined the two solstices and the two equinoxes.

Vitruvius describes the technical calculations that were derived from the obelisk and its positioning in
the geometric network of lines. "If, at Rome, the shadow be eight ninths of the gnomon, let a line be
drawn on a plane surface, in the centre whereof is raised a perpendicular thereto; this is called the
gnomon… By an analemma is meant a rule deduced from the sun’s course, and founded on observation
of the increase of the shadow from the winter solstice, by means of which, with mechanical operations
and the use of compasses, we arrive at an accurate knowledge of the true shape of the world. By the
world is meant the whole system of nature together with the firmament and its stars." 60

Despite the altar being named the Altar of Peace it visually identifies as the Altar of the Sun. The
prominent solar meander that traverses the outer walls binds the altar to the worship of the sun.

Fire is emblematic of the sun and infuses the form of the phallus. The path of the sun starts with its
resurrection at the beginning of every day and its decline into a state of repose at the end. The shape-
shifting chimerical nature of the phallus held a magical fascination for humans since archaic times and
was venerated in shamanic rites. This was related to the procreative power of the sun.

"In the sacred hymns of Osiris they call upon him who is hidden in the arms of the Sun… On the waning
of the month Phaophi they conduct the birthday of the Staff of the Sun following upon the autumnal
equinox, and by this they declare, as it were, that he is in need of support and strength, since he
becomes lacking in warmth and light, and undergoes decline, and is carried away from us to one side." 61

Plutarch states that everywhere in Egypt they represented Osiris with his phallus erect and that this
veneration was associated with the power of the sun. "Everywhere they point out statues of Osiris in
human form of the ithyphallic type, on account of his creative and fostering power; and they clothe his
statues in a flame-coloured garment, since they regard the body of the Sun as a visible manifestation of
the perceptible substance of the power for good... In the sacred hymns of Osiris they call upon him who
is hidden in the arms of the Sun..."62

Hidden in the arms of the sun is the conceptual entity that is known as the phoenix, a bird that was
sacred to Apollo Phoebus. "That the creature is sacred to the sun and distinguished from other birds by
its head and the variegation of its plumage, is agreed by those who have depicted its form…" 63

The phoenix entreats Phoebus, a solar deity that is an epithet of Apollo, to renew its strength and enable
its resurrection. After constructing the nest which is both a funeral pyre and a cradle the phoenix
petitions "... the Sun with his sweet voice; offering up prayers and supplications he begs that those fires
will give him renewal of strength. Phoebus, on seeing him afar, checks his reins and staying his course
consoles his loving child with these words; 'Thou who art about to leave thy years behind yon pyre, who,
by this pretence of death, art destined to rediscover life; thou whose decease means but the renewal of
existence and who by self-destruction regainest thy lost youth, receive back thy life, quit the body that
must die, and by a change of form come forth more beauteous than ever.'" 64

Apollo, or more specifically, Apollo Phoebus, was the solar deity that was associated with the
resurrection of the phoenix. The epithet 'Phoebus' expresses the quality of pure bright light that is
embodied by both the descriptions of the phoenix and by its self-immolation.

Phoebus represents the specific characteristic of the bright shining light that emanates from the sun.
This shining emanation is exemplified by the corona that surrounds the black orb of the sun during the
totality of a solar eclipse. Claudian expresses this quality by invoking the "flaming aureole" that crowns
the head of the phoenix. "A mysterious fire flashes from its eye, and a flaming aureole enriches its
head."65

The phoenix symbolizes the death and resurrection of the sun and the most dramatic demonstration of
such an event is a total solar eclipse. The diamond ring effect which occurs just before and just after
totality represents the crest of the phoenix that shines with the sun’s light piercing the enveloping
darkness of an eclipse. "Its crest shines with the sun’s own light and shatters the darkness with its calm
brilliance."66

As the sun emerges from totality a narrow ring of solar prominences appears that is consistent with the
"worm" that is described by some ancient accounts as preceding the birth of the phoenix. "... the worm
is said to be of a milky colour. And it suddenly increases vastly with an imperfectly formed body, and
collects itself into the appearance of a well-rounded egg. After this it is formed again, such as its figure
was before, and the phoenix, having burst her shell, shoots forth…" 67

The time frame that determines the longevity of the phoenix is consistent with a total solar eclipse
occurring twice in the same location. Due to the narrow path of total solar eclipses over the earth’s
surface the likelihood of a total solar eclipse in the same location is currently calculated as occurring
every 360 years on average. This figure compares with the rounded 500 year lifespan of the phoenix that
is most often used in the ancient accounts.

The shadow bands that accompany a total solar eclipse are especially resonant of the phoenix myth.
These are caused by the refraction of the light (collimation) resulting in alternating bands of light and
darkness moving across the surface of the earth underneath the eclipse. The effect would be a
simulation of the shadows cast by the wings of a giant bird flying overhead.

The surreal atmosphere that accompanies such a total eclipse is expressed by Claudian through a vision
in which the moon appears in the daytime sky and the normal movements of the universe appear to be
suspended. "The moon in amaze checks her milk-white heifers and heaven halts its revolving spheres,
where the pyre conceives the new life; Nature takes care that the deathless bird perish not, and calls
upon the sun, mindful of his promise, to restore its immortal glory to the world." 68

The blackened ashen pyre at the totality of the eclipse represents the ashen nest of the phoenix. The sun
is resurrected from the ashen nest appearing first as the white worm that transforms into the crest of
the diamond ring phase. The colours that can be seen around the rim of the ashen nest of the sun are
reflected in the plumage of the phoenix. "An irradiated crown is fitted to the whole of her head,
resembling on high the glory of the head of the Phoebus." 69

As the ashen core springs to life again the phoenix and the sun are reborn. "The ashes show signs of life,
they begin to move though there is none to move them, and feathers clothe the mass of cinders. He who
was but now the sire comes forth from the pyre the son and successor; between life and life lay but that
brief space wherein the pyre burned."70

"For - so the tale is told - when its sum of years is complete and death is drawing on, it builds a nest in its
own country and sheds on it a procreative influence, from which springs a young one, whose first care
on reaching maturity is to bury his sire. Nor is that task performed at random, but, after raising a weight
of myrrh and proving it by a far flight, so soon as he is a match for his burden and the course before him,
he lifts up his father's corpse, conveys him to the Altar of the Sun, and consigns him to the flames." 71
THE ALTAR OF THE SUN

"Now this has the form of a myth, but really signifies a declination of the bodies moving in the heavens
around the earth, and a great conflagration of things upon the earth, which recurs after long intervals..."

(Plato - Timaeus)

Construction of the pyramids coincides with, or in some theories predates, the end of the African Humid
Period between 7000 and 5000 years ago. The remorseless desiccation of the Sahara led to widespread
human migration into the Nile valley and the consolidation of Egyptian civilization. "... then Typhon,
being in possession, blazes with scorching heat; and having gained complete mastery, he forces the Nile
in retreat to draw back its waters for weakness, and, flowing at the bottom of its almost empty channel,
to proceed to the sea. The story told of the shutting up of Osiris in the chest seems to mean nothing else
than the vanishing and disappearance of water." 72

As the desiccation proceeded the rains increasingly retreated into the African interior during the
following millennia. The pyramids of Giza define this climate change event which is documented by Plato
in the Timaeus.

"There is a story, which even you have preserved, that once upon a time Phaethon, the son of Helios,
having yoked the steeds in his father's chariot, because he was not able to drive them in the path of his
father, burnt up all that was upon the earth, and was himself destroyed by a thunderbolt. Now this has
the form of a myth, but really signifies a declination of the bodies moving in the heavens around the
earth, and a great conflagration of things upon the earth, which recurs after long intervals; at such times
those who live upon the mountains and in dry and lofty places are more liable to destruction than those
who dwell by rivers or on the seashore. And from this calamity the Nile, who is our neverfailing saviour,
delivers and preserves us."

(Plato - Timaeus)
1. Herodotus - Histories 2.51
2. Clement of Alexandria - Exhortation to the Heathen 2
3. Herodotus - Histories 3.37
4. Strabo - Geography 10.3.7-9
5. Ibid. 10.3.8-9
6. Herodotus - Histories 2.51
7. Varro - On the Latin Language 5.58
8. Pliny - Natural History 36.25
9. Porphyry - Life of Pythagoras 44
10. Arnobius - Adversus Gentes 5.7
11. Lucian of Samosata - De Dea Syria
12. James Frazer - The Golden Bough
13. Porphyry - The Life of Pythagoras 44
14. Ibid.
15. Apollodorus - Library 3.14.6
16. Pausanias - Description of Greece 1.26.5
17. Herodotus - Histories 2.99
18. Pyramid Text - Utterance 527
19. Macrobius - Saturnalia 7.16.10
20. Philo of Byblos
21. James Frazer - The Golden Bough
22. Varro - On the Latin Language 5.63
23. Hesiod - Theogony 176-180
24. Kingship in Heaven
25. Plutarch - Isis and Osiris 34
26. Cicero - De Natura Deorum
27. Hippolytus - Refutation of All Heresies 5
28. Pausanias - Description of Greece 6.26.5
29. Philo of Byblos
30. Arnobius - Adversus Gentes 5.5
31. Varro - On the Latin Language 5.58
32. Pliny - Natural History 33.6
33. Plato - Ion 533
34. Lucretius - De Rerum Natura 6
35. Pliny - Natural History 36.25
36. Plato - Ion 534
37. Pliny - Natural History 37.51
38. Orosius - Historiae Adversus Paganos 7.12
39. Pausanias - Description of Greece 1.26.5
40. Artemidorus - Oneirocritica 2.9
41. Plutarch - Quaestiones Convivales 4.2
42. Pliny - Natural History 2.54
43. Seneca - Quaestiones Naturales 2.49
44. Livy - History of Rome 1.31
45. Pyramid Text - Utterance 261
46. Ibid. 313
47. Ibid. 261
48. Ibid. 600
49. Ammianus Marcellinus - Res Gestae 17.4
50. The Inventory Stela
51. James Frazer - The Golden Bough
52. Philostratus - Life of Apollonius 3.49
53. Ovid - Metamorphoses 15.391
54. Ibid.
55. Herodotus - Histories 2.86
56. Pliny - Natural History 34.41
57. Claudian - Carmina Minora - The Phoenix
58. Herodotus - Histories 2.73
59. Pliny - Natural History 36.72
60. Vitruvius - De Architectura
61. Plutarch - Isis and Osiris 52
62. Ibid. 51
63. Tacitus - Annals 6.28
64. Claudian - Carmina Minora - The Phoenix
65. Ibid.
66. Ibid.
67. Lactantius - The Phoenix
68. Claudian - Carmina Minora - The Phoenix
69. Lactantius - The Phoenix
70. Claudian - Carmina Minora - the Phoenix
71. Tacitus - Annals 6.28
72. Plutarch - Isis and Osiris 39