Correspondences of Azazel in different traditions

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Lux

Correspondences of Azazel in different traditions

Post by Lux »

I'd like to start a discussion about the correspondences of Azazel in different esoteric and spiritual traditions, as it could reveal and clear alot and in a good way the little bit mysterious figure of Azazel.

As can be seen from the aspect correspondences of our fraternity, Azazel is related to the red aspect and to rajas guna, which is dynamic, active and masculine. It's planetary correspondence is Mars. Azazel is said to be the archetypical "smith" and the fallen angel / grigori who taught men the secrets of heaven, (spiritual) warfare or weaponry and the "beautifying of the eye-lids" (aesthetics of beauty etc.), for example.

Azazel is related to 'the new life' of the disciple in his or hers spiritual journey, which is closely related to the concept of self-sacrifice, unselfishness ("altruism") and working for the good of the whole - one's society and community, the world and other people etc. - instead only for one's own spiritual progress. From these we can derive "the basic nature of Azazel" as brought forward and understood by our fraternity.

I'd like to start with a correspondence from the ancient nordic traditions:

Asa-Týr (or Tiwaz), one of the Aesirs of the Nordic Pantheon, is connected to smithery, bravery, warfare (traditionally understood both as the internal and external struggle, depending upon the exoteric or esoteric interpretation), and his planetary correspondence is Mars. It could be said that Tyr is also the force of daring in men, which means that he endows men with the capability to go where others do not dare to go: Tyr was the one who placed his right hand into the mouth of the Fenriz wolf as the other Aesirs bound it. Because of this daring and bravery a man endowed with the "Týr nature" can be also easily seen in bad light by people who do not understand his motives and true intentions, which are always in reality benevolent and constructive, aimed at the upholding of justice and order both internally and externally. This can be related to the nature of Azazel as the archetypical 'scapegoat', to whom the sins of the community and other people are bestowed upon for Azazel to bear "in the desert" (normal and mundane life). The prefix Asa can in itself be related to Azazel, methinks.

Wikipedia on the prefix As and the Aesirs

An interesting correspondence is this: Tyr is said to be the god who upholds the cosmic order and justice by upholding the Cosmic Pillar called the Irminsul by the ancient Saxons. Tuesday is derived from the word Tiw's Day (Dies Martis, the day of Mars). From the word Tiwaz is transferred into Finnish the word 'Taivas', which basically means Heaven or the Sky. As a guardian of transcendent and eternal order, Tyr is the archetypical and exemplary correspondence of Azazel in the ancient Nordic and Germanic traditions.

Wikipedia about Tyr
Last edited by Lux on Sun Jan 15, 2012 6:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: more thoughts about the relationship of Tyr and Azazel
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Nefastos
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Re: Correspondences of Azazel in different traditions

Post by Nefastos »

Lux wrote:Azazel is said to be (...) fallen angel / grigori


Now when you brought this up, I just have to point out Grigori Rasputin, who really had right to his egregorian name. That mystic with both ascetic & Dionysian world view at the same time, manifesting almost avatar-like in the midst of the times of upheaval, represented extremely well one (!) side of this mystery of the cross, i.e. the messianic nature of uniting the opposite forces. And that, in some form or another, is always a sign of martyrdom, be it of a spiritual/mental kind or an actual violent death, like Rasputin suffered.

And I hope it's clear without saying that archetypal divine beings (Azazel, Christus Mysticus, &c.) should not be identified with their representatives in mundane circles; these latter can only give a glimpse of the mystery, like a light through stained glass window.
Faust: "Lo contempla. / Ei muove in tortuosa spire / e s'avvicina lento alla nostra volta. / Oh! se non erro, / orme di foco imprime al suol!"
Lux

Re: Correspondences of Azazel in different traditions

Post by Lux »

Nefastos wrote:
Lux wrote:Azazel is said to be (...) fallen angel / grigori


Now when you brought this up, I just have to point out Grigori Rasputin, who really had right to his egregorian name. That mystic with both ascetic & Dionysian world view at the same time, manifesting almost avatar-like in the midst of the times of upheaval, represented extremely well one (!) side of this mystery of the cross, i.e. the messianic nature of uniting the opposite forces. And that, in some form or another, is always a sign of martyrdom, be it of a spiritual/mental kind or an actual violent death, like Rasputin suffered.
That's true. I think Rasputin was and is still very mis-understood as a personality and in his role in the upheavals of the court of Russia (seducing many women, displaying psychic and paranormal powers in public etc.), and many see him only as a charlatan and as "an opportunist rat", or as a corrupt magicianat best. A farmer and a man of plough, with close ties to virgin nature in his youth, I think he was some sort of a heretic manifestation of primordiality in his own time, and thus very mis-understood.
Nefastos wrote:And I hope it's clear without saying that archetypal divine beings (Azazel, Christus Mysticus, &c.) should not be identified with their representatives in mundane circles; these latter can only give a glimpse of the mystery, like a light through stained glass window.
Yes, this is also a good point that should be emphasized. I would also like to mention that the very reason for this topic and conversation is the fact that these different manifestations of the same archetype in different cultures and times can reveal alot about both the ambivalence and the multi-layered / multi-dimensional nature of divine archetypes in relation to their particular manifestations.

Following my own example, if it could be said that Azazel = Tyr = Azazel - or Christ = Jesus = Christ etc. - and that's it, there would really not be any need for these different names and manifestations, just like there would not be a need for different cultures, different peoples etc.; we could simply lump them all together in some syncretistic melting-pot and call it a day. But that's not the way Numinous forces work, nor do they follow the mundane logic or laws of men - hence the mysterious part that will always be there, as it should be. The veil of maya can never be opened or rent wholly in the sphere of manifestation no matter how subtle, which is a true enrichment and even the very reason for the world to exist!
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Eradicatus
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Re: Correspondences of Azazel in different traditions

Post by Eradicatus »

As with Many Deities and Familiars, one grasps them by how much they know of them and come to understand their being, they are several traditions with different outlooks that view entities in their own perspective.


I see Azazel as a being who can give strength to many through hardships and times, it is said he took his time to teach mankind how to make certain tools to help in advancing humanity in various ways, including weapons for when in need to defend ones self or for when certain actions must be taken. He is also a teacher for those who wish to learn sacred works, for which one can progress through spiritual manners what he has to give to those who accepts his generosity, his wisdom in such works also should be taken in to account for the advice he can give can be useful when one listens to it. He help not only gave woman but also man beauty to improve ones image for one another, which will attract those who need to meet with one another to give off a good impression at gatherings or for the matter when one first meets someone who they take a interest for. They is in fact a great offering he has made for many for he does what he can for a good cause in order to keep us free from such restraints, for if a self-sacrifice will mean something to me it will mean that one will go out of their way to do something for others no matter what.

I will like to hear how the Brotherhood of The Star of Azazel has their perspective from each who is wanting to share their outlook. :)
Build not upon sand, but upon rock And build not for today or yesterday but for all time.
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Lux

Re: Correspondences of Azazel in different traditions

Post by Lux »

I just stumpled by into an interesting story in an old Runa magazine (issue 10), which tells of a story from ancient Boulgaria and about the Huns. The story can be found in a book called Hon Kitab (The Book of the Huns), written by a hungarian poet Kul Gali (1172-1242 CE), and I think that one can find a clear correspondence to Azazel (and Tyr also) from the story.

The story goes in the following way:

'Once people knew not the truth of their origin, but then there came Audan and told them how the human race had come into being from Tang-ra. Since then people began to worship Tang-ra. They used to climb the high mountain, Taiga, whose hillsides where overgrown with forests, and on its top the Boy Kazan (The Holy Birch) was grown, and there was also an altar. There they lit fires and sacrificed the horse Azak (white horse) to Tang-ra. The first worship of Tang-ra, wherein participants circumambulated three times around the Boy Kazan was led by Audan. He was the the first Boyan (Shaman). His son they called Idzhik (which is another form of Azak) since, during the ritual, the Boyan led the sacrificial horse Azak covered with a beautiful rug. Later on Idzhik himself began to lead the worship. Here on that mountain people decided to choose him as a Khagan. They lifted him up and bore him on the rug, circumambultaing three times around the Boy Kazan, and then bestowed the Buntchuk (a spear with a tail of the horse attached to it-The Khagan's battle flag) on him as a sign given to him by Tang-ra himself. Becoming a Khagan, Idzhik remained a Boyan and continued the worship of Tang-ra. The Boyans after him maintained the practice.'

I think the whole story is practically filled with symbolical connections to the myths of both Azazel and Tyr, both of them as principles and embodiments of sacrifice, and also as representatives of the highest deity of the Sky. In the story one can also find very interesting correspondences and symbols of how the sacrificial animal (either a goat as in the Azazel myth, or the white horse as in the Azak myth) are offerings made in the desert mountain. The planetary and astrological correspondences of the goat and the horse offer interesting parallels and fulfillments from both myths, as Azazel the Goat can be seen as a deity of Mars and Capricorn (and also Aries), and Horse can be seen as representing Mars as well as Sun (the horse is a usual solar symbol especially in Indo-European cultures). The birch tree on top of the mountain that is circumambulated three times quite lierally refers to Venus-Lucifer as a symbolical representative of the higher trinity in the domain of manifestation; the peak of the mountain being the place where the earth (mountain = stone = Earth) and the sky meet with a messenger between them. The birch tree could also be seen as a symbol of the tree of life. The forest surrounding the mountain might be a symbol of the "forest of passions" which must be passed through to reach the Holy Mountain. The transformation or the transference of the symbol of the sacrificial horse Azak into the "Son of Tangra" (Sun of God!) Idzhik quite literally reeks the transformation of the personal self into the level of the Son of God = spiritual initiation, priesthood etc. Audan reminds one of Adam "the first Man".

Other symbolical connotations could easily be developed further on (the spear and the tail of the horse attached to it etc.), and their connexions to other myths in other traditions and myths could make an interesting study of inter-connexions and also fulfillments between different mythological tales with an initiatory meaning.

Here's some information about Tang-ra / Tengri: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengri
And the most clearly visible deity corresponding the cthonic concept and aspects of Satan from the same mythos, Erlik, is also an interesting figure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlik

From the runic symbols depicting Tang-ra / Tengri the Irminsul symbol and the Tiwaz rune can be found quite easily.
obnoxion
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Re: Correspondences of Azazel in different traditions

Post by obnoxion »

Considering the matter why Asuras are said to be prior to Devas, René Guénon writes ("The Symbolism of the Cross" Sophia Perennis, 2004, p. n54):

"It is at least curious to note that in the symbolism of the Hebrew Genesis, the creation of the plants before that of the heavenly bodies or 'lights' may be connected to with this priority; in fact, according to the Hindu tradition, the plant proceeds from the nature of the Asuras, that is, the states lower than the human state, while heavenly bodies naturally represent the Devas, that is, the higher states. In this connection it may be added that the development of 'vegetative essence' in Eden is the development of the germs proceeding from the former cycle, and here the same symbolism also applies."

I think that it is, also, at least curious that the gematric value of the name 'Azazel' (OZAZL) corresponds to the Burning Bush, that is, the dis legomenon 'Seneh' (SNH), both having the value 115.

This could be an example of how Azazel is connected to the Asuras, via the 'asuric' plant symbolism, and also to the mystery of the cross!
One day of Brahma has 14 Indras; his life has 54 000 Indras. One day of Vishnu is the lifetime of Brahma. The lifetime of Vishnu is one day of Shiva.
Fomalhaut
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Re: Correspondences of Azazel in different traditions

Post by Fomalhaut »

I was doing a research over Yazidis and I bumped into following writing about Azazel and Melek Taus:

http://www.paganspace.net/forum/topics/ ... rimanangra
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Fomalhaut
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Re: Correspondences of Azazel in different traditions

Post by Fomalhaut »

I am sorry for inconvenience. The link I put last night was working but I just wanted to check it now if it was working. I cannot open it anymore.

It was an interesting writing that was telling correspondences between Azazel and Melek Taus. However I found some other information over it. It is kind of similar to previous writing bout I would prefer the previous one as the better one

http://morrigandunn.blogspot.com/2010/0 ... yazid.html
"I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."
— C.G. Jung
obnoxion
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Re: Correspondences of Azazel in different traditions

Post by obnoxion »

Thank you for the links, Formalhaut. You are always so polite. :)

I actually managed to read both links, and i much prefered the latter one. I too would like to share a link of my own on the subject:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJSaMDnt ... re=related

I think that even through the language barrier, this film gives a good overview of the authentic Yezidi tradition as it exists today. I think there is very little in common with the actual Yezidi tradition and the usual western satanism. Of these two i find the Yezidi religion to be much more sympathetic, and closer to my own religious observance.
One day of Brahma has 14 Indras; his life has 54 000 Indras. One day of Vishnu is the lifetime of Brahma. The lifetime of Vishnu is one day of Shiva.
Fomalhaut
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Re: Correspondences of Azazel in different traditions

Post by Fomalhaut »

I read both links again and I think I find the second link information-wise much more interesting and useful.

Thanks for the youtube link Obnoxion! From the second link I sent, there are so many parts that I would love to discuss and ask the opinions of other members here at the forum.

All the parts written in blue are new and interesting information for me. I would like to ask from other members if the information with blue color from second link is authentic and relevant?
"I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."
— C.G. Jung
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