Tag Archives: scripture

Genesis 1

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

So, I have to confess– my heretical Luciferian reading, based mostly on personal gnosis and influenced somewhat by the Zohar, is that this passage describes the creation and separation of Lucifer and Eisheth. 

Eisheth as the darkness. Lucifer as the light. 

What’s interesting is that, if I take this reading further, it may be implied that Lucifer was more favored than Eisheth in the eyes of God (”God saw the light, that is was good”). Of course it is commonly thought that Lucifer was the most beloved and privileged of all angels. 

It could be that God by dividing Lucifer from the Eisheth side of his nature was trying to make Lucifer into something that suited him better, and that this backfired. 

Did Lucifer rebel, not because he was maltreated, but because he thought it was unfair that he was treated with so much favor and love while others were not? 

Don’t mind me, I’m just kicking around some unverified personal gnosis here. 

Side by side comparison on Eisheth and Babalon

Forgive me for retreading the content from my previous post, but I just really wanted to put these two passages next to each other and highlight some of the commonalities.

So, here’s Revelations 17 (KJV):

Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.

6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

And here’s the Zohar portion, (abbreviated slightly for this post, indicated by ellipsis): 

The female of Samael is called a ‘serpent’, “a wife of harlotry,” “The End of all Flesh"; (Beresheet 6:13), and the end of days…

…She cleaves to the spirit of the male, wearing ample jewelry like an abominable whore standing on main roads and pathways to seduce men…

When a fool approaches her, she holds and kisses him, and she pours him wine full of dregs and snake’s venom. After he drinks, he whores after her. When she sees him whoring after her and turning from the path of truth, she removes all the decorations she put on for that fool, AS WILL BE EXPLAINED.

Her seductive features include her hair, which is red as a rose, and her face, which is white and red. In her ears there are six earrings of Egyptian fabric. On her neck hang all the powers of Eastern lands. Her mouth is decorated by a small slit of a comely shape; her tongue is sharp as a sword; her speech as smooth as oil; and her lips as beautiful and red as a rose. Wearing purple and having forty decorations less one, she is sweeter than all that is sweet in the world.

The fool follows her, drinks of her wine, and fornicates with her. What does she do? She leaves him sleeping in his bed, goes up to denounce him, and receives permission TO KILL HIM. She then descends ON HIM. The fool awakes thinking of lusting after her, as before. At this point, she has taken off the decorations and has become a mighty oppressor who wears a garment of burning fire that causes great horror and frightens the body and soul. That oppressor has horrible eyes and a sharp sword on which there are bitter drops. The oppressor kills the fool and throws him into Gehenom.

So, between these two passages we have multiple parallel associations, including:

  • Harlotry/whoredom
  • Destruction/death/blood/end of days 
  • The colors red and purple
  • Heavy ornamentation/jewelry
  • Associations with kingship and power
  • Wine
  • Fornication/lust

So look. I am not saying Eisheth and the Biblical Babylon are the same, even though they have some similar-ass DNA! I do think Crowley probably read both of these passages. 

I mean, check out this bit from Crowley:

As the dancer whirls, she chants in a strange, slow voice, quickening as she goes: Lo! I gather up every spirit that is pure, and weave him into my vesture of flame. 

Hey, Revelations doesn’t say anything about a vesture of flame! But the Zohar sure fucking does. 

…Just saying. 

Text on Eisheth Zenunim from The Zohar

A deep mystery is found in the strength of Isaac’s light OF
HOLINESS, and from the dregs of wine, WHICH ARE KLIPOT. One shape emerged FROM
BOTH, made of GOOD AND EVIL, male and female, as one. It is red as a rose and
extends to many sides and paths, HAVING MANY ASPECTS. The male is called
‘Samael’ and the female is always included within him. As on the side of
holiness, ZEIR ANPIN AND NUKVA ARE ALWAYS INCLUDED ONE WITHIN THE OTHER; so it
is on the Other Side, a male and female are included within one another. The
female of Samael is called a ‘serpent’, “a wife of harlotry,”
“The End of all Flesh” (Beresheet
6:13), and the end of days.

Two evil spirits cling together. THE ILLUMINATION OF the
spirit of the male is a thin light, NAMELY, ONLY THE SIX EXTREMITIES WITHOUT
THE HEAD. And the spirit of the female materializes in many ways and paths,
BEING AN ENTIRE PARTZUF, HEAD, AND BODY, FOR IN THE KLIPAH, THE FEMALE IS
LARGER THAN THE MALE. She cleaves to the spirit of the male, wearing ample
jewelry like an abominable whore standing on main roads and pathways to seduce
men. This teaches us that she values only those who start walking the path of
Hashem and are apt to fall into her trap. Therefore, she is viewed as standing
at the main (lit. ‘start OF’) ROAD TO HASHEM’S DEVOTION. BUT FOR THOSE WHO ARE
accustomed to the ways of Hashem, the whore is separated from them and has no
power over them.

When a fool approaches her, she holds and kisses him, and she pours him wine full of dregs and snake’s venom. After he drinks, he whores
after her. When she sees him whoring after her and turning from the path of
truth, she removes all the decorations she put on for that fool, AS WILL BE
EXPLAINED.

Her seductive features include her hair, which is red as a
rose, and her face, which is white and red. In her ears there are six earrings
of Egyptian fabric. On her neck hang all the powers of Eastern lands. Her mouth
is decorated by a small slit of a comely shape; her tongue is sharp as a sword;
her speech as smooth as oil; and her lips as beautiful and red as a rose.
Wearing purple and having forty decorations less one, she is sweeter than all
that is sweet in the world.

The fool follows her, drinks of her wine, and fornicates
with her. What does she do? She leaves him sleeping in his bed, goes up to
denounce him, and receives permission TO KILL HIM. She then descends ON HIM.
The fool awakes thinking of lusting after her, as before. At this point, she
has taken off the decorations and has become a mighty oppressor who wears a
garment of burning fire that causes great horror and frightens the body and
soul. That oppressor has horrible eyes and a sharp sword on which there are
bitter drops. The oppressor kills the fool and throws him into Gehenom.

Source: http://www.zohar.com/vayetze/samael-and-wife-harlotry (you may need to make a free account on zohar.com to view)

The “Wife of Harlotry” is Eisheth Zenunim (we know this because “Wife of Harlotry” is the translation of that name). She is one of the Four Angels of Sacred Prostitution and consorts of Samael, the Devil. 

I don’t have the receipts yet, but I’m thinking that this passage may have influenced Crowley’s conception of Babalon/the Scarlet Woman. So make of that what you will. 

Some see Eisheth as an aspect of Lilith, which may be true. But based on this passage I think Eisheth might be a LOT more important than I had initially thought. 

Quote

Then came the one who is wiser than all creatures, who was called the beast. When he saw the likeness of their mother, Eve, he said to her, “What is it that god said to you? ‘Don’t eat from the tree of knowledge’?” She said, “He said not only ‘Don’t eat from it’ but also ‘Don’t touch it, lest you die.’” He said to her, “Don’t be afraid! You certainly shall not die. For he knows that when you eat from it your mind will be sobered and you will become like gods, knowing the difference between evil and good people. For he said this to you because he is jealous, so that you would not eat from it.”

Now, Eve believed the words of the instructor. She looked at the tree and saw that it was beautiful and appealing, and she desired it. She took some of its fruit and ate, and she gave to her husband also, and he ate too. Then their minds opened. For when they ate, the light of knowledge shone for them. When they put on shame, they knew that they were naked with regard to knowledge. When they sobered up, they saw that they were naked, and they became enamored of one another. When they saw that their makers had beastly forms, they loathed them. They understood a great deal.

Then when the rulers knew that Adam and Eve had transgressed their commandment, they entered paradise and came to Adam and Eve in an earthquake and a great threat, to see the result of the help that was given.  Then Adam and Eve were very much disturbed and hid under the trees in paradise. The rulers did not know where they were and said, “Adam, where are you?” He said, “I am here. But because of fear of you I hid after I became ashamed.” But they said to him, in ignorance, “Who is the one who spoke to you of the shame that you put on—unless you ate from the tree?” He said, “The woman whom you gave me, she is the one who gave to me, and I ate.” Then they said to that woman, “What is this you have done?” She answered and said, “The instructor is the one who incited me, and I ate.” Then the rulers came to the instructor. Their eyes were blinded by him so they were not able to do anything to him. They merely cursed him, since they were powerless. Afterward they came to the woman, and they cursed her and her offspring. After the woman they cursed Adam and the earth and the fruit because of him. And everything that they created they cursed. There is no blessing from them. Good cannot come from evil.

On the Origin of the World

Did God not tell Eve about the fruit?

luciferianbuddhism:

I have seen this post going about God never told Eve to not eat the fruit. Just so you guys know, I use the NRSV version of the Bible. I did double check the KJV but other than an updated language it says the same thing.

So in the version that I have, it says this in Genesis 2:

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

After that God then makes a woman (Eve) because it is not good that man is alone. It is in Genesis 3 that the serpent has the conversation with Eve.

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’”

There is one way to look at it, that God never told Eve. Adam told Eve. This could make up for the differences of touch versus do not touch. So it could be correct in that God might not have told Eve directly.

I will say it is fascinating that Adam is completely silent throughout this entire narrative. It is interesting that you do not see his objections that he passively just goes along instead of saying, “no!” Adam has interacted with God. There is a lot left out but it is not such a big leap for God to have also interacted with Eve.

Regardless of speculation and interpretations, from Eve’s response in Genesis 3, she is aware of God’s mandate to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge. She still chose to eat the fruit and for that, we are blessed and cursed.

30 Day Luciferian Challenge: Day…. 9?

Whelp. I’m back at it. Who said it had to be 30 consecutive days, eh?

Also, perusing my archives, it appears I somehow skipped lightly over Day 9. So I will fix that right now.

9. How do you feel about God? (aka TBUT, That Bastard Up There)

I started writing a long rant with my personal opinions, but upon reflection, I’d like to approach this in a different way– with scripture. 

By the way, there is a trigger warning on this post for: rape, misogyny, child abuse, incest, homophobia, whorephobia, human sacrifice, slavery, and genocide. 

If you think I am taking things out of context, feel free to go and look up the quotes. There are a lot more things in the Bible that sound really, really bad, but have context that makes them… sort of OK? I have deliberately chosen only passages I found unjustifable in context and/or in any context. 

Genesis 22:2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

1 Samuel 15:2-3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts … go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

1 Timothy 2:12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.

Judges 11:30-35  And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.” 

1 Peter 2:18  Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel. 

Genesis 19:8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes.

Genesis 38:24 Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

Deuteronomy 22:28-29

If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.

Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Numbers 31:17-18 Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately. But all the girls who have not known man intimately, spare for yourselves. 

2 Kings 23:20-25 And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men’s bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem.

Genesis 19:34-36 On the following day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve our family through our father.” So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.

I could go on. But instead I am going to ask a few serious questions:

Why is Satanism associated with human sacrifice, when there is so much human sacrifice condoned by God in the Bible? 

If we as Satanists and Luciferians defy this God, why would we ever condone things like slavery, rape, genocide, and human sacrifice? (I’m looking at you, edgelord Nazi Satanists. Fuck off.)

Looking at these quotes, I feel like Christian stereotypes of Satanists are straight-up projection. Child sacrifice, blood ritual, incest, sexual abuse, and murder have long been accusations with which Christians have confronted their enemies– witches, heretics, Jews, Muslims, and pagans alike. Yet it’s all there in the “good book”– and God approved. 

Are we, in turning away from a God like this, truly evil? By what reasonable human standard could that possibly be true?

30 Day Luciferian Challenge: Day 7

I am ahead of the game, so, time to get into alternate questions again. 

How do you feel about the religious texts of the Abrahamic faiths? Do you use it as part of your path?

“The devil can cite scripture for his purpose.” – Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice 

I love reading the Bible. I love Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha even more. The Bible is like the Hollywood release, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha are like deleted scenes and blooper reels that didn’t make the cut. 

OK, that’s not a perfect metaphor, and I am being quite facetious. 

My point is, Abrahamic scripture can be fun! 

So far, I mostly stick to the Hebrew and Christian Bible, and to Hebrew and Christian Apocrypha, because I am a Luciferian. The passages that inspired the creation of the Lucifer myth can be found in the Bible and in Jewish and Chrstian apocrypha. 

The Quran, however, is post-Lucifer. I view Iblis as a very different entity. I respect him, but I also don’t fuck with him, because I am pretty sure he doesn’t like humans at all. I want to read the Quran eventually, because I live in an Islamophobic society and I feel it is my duty to get educated. However, I don’t think the Quran will be able to contribute to my understanding of Lucifer, because he just isn’t in it. 

Reading Jewish and Christian sacred texts from a Luciferian perspective is like a treasure hunt for me, like a puzzle or a game. I dig through these dense texts, which are fundamentally hostile to my beliefs and sometimes feel fundamentally hostile to my very being, and I find passages that I can interpret heretically. So far I have engaged with, and written in some detail, about: 

Genesis 3 

Isaiah 14:12

The Temptation of Christ in Matthew and Luke

I want to produce a lot more writing in this vein! A lot of Luciferians are understandably squicked by engaging with these texts, especially those of us who survived a damaging Christian upbringing. So I see my engagement with them, and analysis of them, as a gift that I can give back to my community– as long as people understand, of course, that these interpretations are my own, are super heretical, and are absolutely up for debate. 

My goal is to make these texts more accessible to Luciferians by opening them up to detailed Luciferian interpretation. I want to do this because, like it or not, the origins of Lucifer are to be found in the Bible. We don’t have to all base our view of Lucifer on the Bible, of course, but I think it’s good to know our origins. 

We are spiritual and intellectual descendants of heretics who engaged deeply with these scriptures. And, real talk– a lot of people burned for daring to interpret the Bible differently than the Church did. I am grateful that, in this day and age, nobody is stopping me from reading the Bible myself, and coming to my own conclusions.