Pandora's box. Pandora opens the pithos given to her by Zeus, thus releasing all the bad things of the world. Today the phrase "to open Pandora's box" means to perform an action that may seem small or innocent, but that turns out to have severely detrimental and far-reaching consequences. The similarities of the story to the forbidden fruit in the story of Adam and Eve were identified by early Christians such as Tertullian, Origen and Gregory of Nazianzus.[4] In mythology[edit] A pithos from Crete, c. 675 BC.
In classical Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on Earth. Etymology of the "box"[edit] Rosetti's Pandora (1879) The original Greek word was 'pithos', which is a large jar, sometimes as large as a small person (Diogenes of Sinope was said to have once slept in one). See also[edit] Chalice Notes[edit] References[edit] Athanassakis, Apostolos, Hesiod: Theogony, Works and Days and The Shield of Heracles. Magic (paranormal) Magic or sorcery is an attempt to understand, experience and influence the world using rituals, symbols, actions, gestures and language.[1][2][3][4] Modern Western magicians generally state magic's primary purpose to be personal spiritual growth.[5] Modern theories of magic may see it as the result of a universal sympathy where some act can produce a result somewhere else, or as a collaboration with spirits who cause the effect.[6] The belief in and the practice of magic has been present since the earliest human cultures and continues to have an important religious and medicinal role in many cultures today.[7][8] Magic is often viewed with suspicion by the wider community, and is sometimes practiced in isolation and secrecy.[4] The word "magic" derives via Latin magicus from the Greek adjective magikos (μαγικός) used in reference to the "magical" arts of the Persian Magicians (Greek: magoi, singular mágos, μάγος), the Zoroastrian astrologer priests of the ancient Persian Empire.
Theurgy. Definitions[edit] Neoplatonism[edit] Although the Neoplatonists are considered polytheists, they embraced a form of monism. Iamblichus' analysis was that the transcendent cannot be grasped with mental contemplation because the transcendent is supra-rational. Theurgy is a series of rituals and operations aimed at recovering the transcendent essence by retracing the divine 'signatures' through the layers of being.[7] Education is important for comprehending the scheme of things as presented by Aristotle, Plato and Pythagoras but also by the Chaldaean Oracles.[8] The theurgist works 'like with like': at the material level, with physical symbols; at the higher level, with mental and purely spiritual practices.
Emperor Julian[edit] The Emperor Julian the Apostate (332-363), embraced Neoplatonic philosophy and worked to replace Christianity with a version of Neoplatonic paganism. Julian favored ritual theurgy, with an emphasis on sacrifice and prayer. Esoteric Christian theurgy[edit] Lilith. Lilith as the Serpent by Margi B. 2004-2005 from LilithGate Website Lilith’s link to the garden of Eden is symbolized in Christian iconography that may have been inspired by the Zohar. Also, Lilith as Serpent is not limited by her functions in Eden, but also as other important figures such as Blind Dragon and Leviathan. There are many passages that define Lilith as Serpent. The most obvious passage, says Lilith as the Serpent had an affair with Eve before she had intercourse with Adam. This is the most expressive passage relating to Lilith that contains a description of being both a Serpent and using temptation.
Quoting Bacharach, ’Emeq haMelekh 23c-d - "And the Serpent, the Woman of Harlotry, incited and seduced Eve through the husks of Light which in itself is holiness. Quoting Moses b. Another quote that describes Lilith and Sammael as androgynous: Lilith and Sammael also have intercourse through a "snake" like intermediary also. Not only is Lilith Blind Dragon, but is also Leviathan:
Thelemapedia The Encyclopedia of Thelema & Magick. Aleister Crowley -The “Greatest” Magician of the 20th Century.