QUOTE(bym @ Mar 8 2006, 05:48 PM)
Greetings!
I think that I shall preface this with the ultimate disclaimer, IMHO...
There is a growing movement in certain occult circles to say that all the spirits/demons of the Goetia are merely representations of older gods. There is evidence (and speculation) that some of the Goetia correspond to ancient Sumerian and Egyptian gods. I advise caution here. Check the bibliographies and the sources of your information. The Goetic Amon does not equate with Ra/Re! Perhaps the netjer Amun but not Ra. It has been suggested that Flauros/Hauros is another name for Horus. I, myself, have problems with that. Heru the Elder or Heru the Younger? Hmmmm.....maybe not at all! There was a Canaanite god by the name of Baal, Osiris has absolutely nothing to do with this! The Goetic Astaroth may be, in deed, Astarte or Ashtoreth but with a gender change and a huge difference in magical current (alright you Magicians...invoke Astaroth then Astarte and see if you see the difference!) Isis has a similar role in Egypt but is not the same as Ishtar, Astarte, etc. of Babylonian/Sumerian fame.
In this super computerized age of (mis)information and smaller global community we are falling into the trap of Homogenization (and I'm not talking about gay rights!)- the blurring/blending of the lines. In our infinite need to have everything neatly packaged we have decided that Monotheism applies to all the older polytheistic pantheons. As much as the Christian/Muslims would have us believe, All Gods and Goddesses are NOT one. The Christians/Muslims would group old gods together and call them demons to frighten the followers of these religons into turning to their own god. (Yahweh, btw, was one of a number of gods worshipped in the area of the Black Sea/Dead Sea....the movement overthrowing the worship of the feminine principle and another agricultural diety in lieu of their war god, Yahweh/Jehovah) I cite the Dead Sea Scrolls as the documents. Why this rant?
Believe what you want. But PLEASE check your source material and don't blindly believe what is written on this flaming internet! Make informed choices. Even disregard the ranting of this old man...as long as you really research your material. My ravings come from the Egyptian 'shaman' that I'm striving to be and reacting very badly to the incredible crap I keep stepping in. Granted, a new pair of glasses and bothering to look beforehand will cut down on my crappy shoe stains. *sigh* The Netjers are awake and it is an eye opener! Let me close with this mollified stance: I am glad you have belief in something, even if it is historically altered by time and perspective. As long as you continue to seek your higher self and purpose in this wonderful multiverse you will know saeity. Be happy and be well! (IMG:
style_emoticons/default/blablabla.gif)
Just a few things...
The Egyptians equated their own Osiris with Baal. The archeotype is very simmilar, and CM's are known for comparing archeotypes between systems of magick for further understanding of new pantheons.
Astaroth and Astarte are the same Goddess in different times within the same culture. The people of Cannan worshiped one, while the people within Cannan (pheonecia) worshipped the other. Its good history to understand one is an evolution of the other. The Egyptians also equated their own Isis to her when the Cannanites and Egyptians intermingled.
It is a fact seen in anhropology that the God of one culture will influence and infiltrate the culture of another nation or time period. This is widely understood, so it is not "mis/information" to think that many of the entities in the Goetia are in fact new versions or strains of old Gods. Its actually more intelligent to consider this possibility than to simply believe king Solomon bound these spirits in a brass vessel thousands of years ago, and that this fictitouse story is the true origin of the Goetic Spirits.
Skinwalker