Satan as The Earth Diver

[obnoxion]

Yuri Stoyanov in his book ”The Other God”, an excellent study of dualism from antiquity to medieval Balkan Heresy, deals with particularly fascinating aspect of Satan, that is, The Earth Diver. This is a popular cosmogonic theme in Eastern Europe, northern America and northern & central Asia. These feature a primordial sea from whence the world is created. They also often feature two demiurgic beings, who on many occasions are brothers or similarly close associates, but end up having interrelations that are conflicting or ambiguous.

So there are several cosmic beings hovering above cosmic waters. One, usually a greater demiurgic being, charges the other, the lesser or antagonistic demiurgic being, to fetch earth from the bottom of the primordial sea. And from this earth the world is created.

In some myths there is only one demiurgic being, and the other is born from his spit or from his reflection on the primordial waters. This Earth Diver is usually more or less ornitomorphic. The oldest versions of The Earth Diver are monistic, for example the Aryan Indian myth of Prajapati, and the dualistic versions are a later development. In antique and medieval Gnosticism, we often find echoes of this theme.

One interesting question is, considering the seven aspects of Satan spoken of by Johannes Nefastos, can The Earth Diver be spoken of as an independent aspect?

It also relates to my private studies. In Genesis 8:6-12, where Noah sends a Raven and a Dove to searc for dry land, the Dove is mentioned five times. When we multiply the gematric value of the Dove, ha’yonah, we get 5x76=380. This is the number of the defining dimensions of Noah’s ark – length 300 cubits, breath 50 cubits, height 30 cubits – so it does seem to pertain to the story. The number 380 is also the value of “Like the Appearance of a Lightning", a phrase Jesus used when describing the fall of Satan as he saw it, and a sentence used both in Sepher yetzirah (1:6) and the “merkabahic” first chapter of Ezekiel (1:14). The wording in original Hebrew is exactly the same in both cases.

So it does seem like there is a sympathetic undertone to the Earth Diver theme in Genesis 8, which is no less interesting be it there by choice or by chance. Also, if we consider the mater with Cordoveros Rule of Colel in mind (which I usually don’t like to do, because I want my kabbalah to have a bit stricter rules), the number of ha’yonah is one more than the value of Lucifer, Hilel.

[Nefastos]

When a deep occult pondering reminds you of Dio, you know you've hit more than one gold veins at once...!

So there are several cosmic beings hovering above cosmic waters. One, usually a greater demiurgic being, charges the other, the lesser or antagonistic demiurgic being, to fetch earth from the bottom of the primordial sea. And from this earth the world is created. (...) This Earth Diver is usually more or less ornitomorphic.

Yes, as it is in our Finnish Kalevala. In the version recorded, and partially composed or fused, by Elias Lönnrot, there are "the water mother, [who is or was] the air lass" plus the scaup, who works as a earth diver of sorts, giving birth to seven world-eggs of which six are golden (spiritual) and the seventh is of iron (physical).

One interesting question is, considering the seven aspects of Satan spoken of by Johannes Nefastos, can The Earth Diver be spoken of as an independent aspect?

Now this is an interesting question. Because those seven aspects are scetched in seven articles not published in English, here is the list:

- The Hierophant aspect under Venus
- The Emperor aspect under Jupiter
- The Virgin Yogi [Kumara] aspect of the Pratyeka Buddhas & the angels of darkness under Moon
- The Trickster aspect under Mercury
- The Dragon aspect of the impaled God under Mars
- The Lord of the Death aspect under Saturn
- The Absolute aspect, being the one in all and all in one, under Sun

While these seven aspect names were not comperehensive but more like examples (of aspects under those celestial archetypes), along with you I seriously doubt whether the Earth Diver truly belongs under any of these. It has some connection to Moon & Venus, Jupiter even, but it seems not to be the same, & intimate connections between distinct archetypical beings is a rule rather than exception.

My first hypothesis is, that this aspect might work under one of the higher trinity, more accurately, that of planet (i.e. archetype) Neptune; the planet of mystical union, corresponding to the material power at large: the Auric Egg. In The Demons' Cube, chapter four, you find a tabulation of 7+3 archetypes, where these "three beyond the Sun" are tabulated too.

In Genesis 8:6-12, where Noah sends a Raven and a Dove to searc for dry land, the Dove is mentioned five times. When we multiply the gematric value of the Dove, ha’yonah, we get 5x76=380. This is the number of the defining dimensions of Noah’s ark – length 300 cubits, breath 50 cubits, height 30 cubits – so it does seem to pertain to the story. The number 380 is also the value of “Like the Appearance of a Lightning", a phrase Jesus used when describing the fall of Satan as he saw it, and a sentence used both in Sepher yetzirah (1:6) and the “merkabahic” first chapter of Ezekiel (1:14). The wording in original Hebrew is exactly the same in both cases.

Bird is an animal that touches the earth, but does not really belong to it, but rather to the sphere of heavens. The dove is used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, that is Paracletus, when that sacred fire is poured unto & into those that are to be initiated: the miracle of Pentecost. The Dove is kundalini in one particular move, where in another, it's depicted as Serpent; we also remember the both from Jesus' famous parable how his disciples should be like: to now both the channels (we might say the both hands' ways) of the Holy Spirit. In a word, this is Lucifer-Christos, or the act of His (Hers). That is, Jupiter-Venus the ophite bird of kundalini magic, both theurgic (dove aspect, touching - or "fetching" - the earth briefly from above) and goetic (serpent aspect, touching or fetching the earth briefly from below).

[obnoxion]

While these seven aspect names were not comperehensive but more like examples (of aspects under those celestial archetypes), along with you I seriously doubt whether the Earth Diver truly belongs under any of these. It has some connection to Moon & Venus, Jupiter even, but it seems not to be the same, & intimate connections between distinct archetypical beings is a rule rather than exception.

My first hypothesis is, that this aspect might work under one of the higher trinity, more accurately, that of planet (i.e. archetype) Neptune; the planet of mystical union, corresponding to the material power at large: the Auric Egg. In The Demons' Cube, chapter four, you find a tabulation of 7+3 archetypes, where these "three beyond the Sun" are tabulated too.

This sounds quite correct to me. The Auric, Feminine Neptune suits well with the gnostic aspects of the Myth. In Gnosticism Sophia is basicly what God sees when beholding himself, which is in line with the idea of The Earth Diver being born from the reflection of the Primal Demiurge upon the Cosmic Waters. Also, the kabbalistic Presence of God, the feminine Shekinah, is understood to correspond to the Auric Egg in Theosophy.

Thank you so much for your thoughts! I have to ask you, I only seem to have 7+2 archetypes tabulated in The Demon's Cube. Perhaps I'm missing something... If you don't mind, how would you see the Third beyond the Sun. Would it correspond to the Stellar Sphere as a whole?

[Nefastos]

I have to ask you, I only seem to have 7+2 archetypes tabulated in The Demon's Cube. Perhaps I'm missing something... If you don't mind, how would you see the Third beyond the Sun. Would it correspond to the Stellar Sphere as a whole?

Oh sorry, I was confused! Actually I remembered that I had put the tenth sphere in the bottom, as the beati (the saints, i.e. the true adepts), but since the tabulation was in context with the non-human hosts, that was left out.