Thursday, December 25, 2014

Occam's (Ockham's) Razor


"The wisdom of life consists
in the elimination of non-essentials."
- Lin Yutang

"When you have eliminated the impossible,
whatever remains, however improbable,
must be the truth."
- Sherlock Holmes

Who was Occam?

According to Wikipedia:

William of Ockham (also Occam, c. 1288 – c. 1348) was an
English Franciscan friar and scholastic philosopher, who is
believed to have been born in Ockham, a small village in Surrey.
He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought
and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political
controversies of the fourteenth century. Although he is commonly
known for Occam's razor, the methodological principle that bears his
name, William of Ockham also produced significant works on logic,
physics, and theology. In the Church of England, his day of
commemoration is 10 April.

What is Occam's Razor?

The entire metaphor and philosophy of Occam's Razor is based
on the principle that at the heart of every problem, dilemma or
baffling question there lies one, and only one, core issue which
needs to be resolved. Once we recognize what this one core issue
is, we are then able to properly solve our problem, resolve our
dilemma and answer whatever question that has been puzzling us.

Almost every problem which confounds not only us, but society
as well, has become confounding due to the many non-essential,
un-related and petty arguments which have been attached to the
one underlying core issue.

Once we strip away all of the petty controversies which find a way
of attaching themselves to any core issue, we are then able to
reduce all debates, problems and confusing thoughts to their most
basic principle. And once any argument or problem is reduced to
its most basic principle, the problem automatically solves itself.

But, why a razor?

A razor is a reference to shaving away, peeling away, or slicing
away all unnecessary and superfluous attachments which cover
up the one basic and simple answer, principle or Truth which one
is Seeking.

As we keep whittling away all that is superfluous and unnecessary
we eventually uncover the one true and sole issue which has
become buried, concealed and lost beneath a mountain of
contradictory debates, petty arguments, confused thoughts,
unfounded theories, false information and biased thinking.

The metaphor of Occam's Razor instructs us that the simplest
and most unconditional answer, an explanation based upon the
fewest and possibly no assumptions, is most often the correct
answer; for it is the one answer that is free from all assumptions,
speculations, opinions, hypotheses and all other various types
of clutter.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My Email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2014
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Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Nakedness and Nudity in Symbolism and Mythology


The bare Truth; The naked Truth; Nothing to hide; What are
you covering up?; Reveal yourself; The Truth has been exposed.

Naked! It is the way we come into this world. Pure...innocent...
sincere...uninhibited...vulnerable...we have nothing to hide.
We enter our Current Incarnation as a spiritually gifted but
materialistically naive Traveler who is full of excitement, curiosity
and joy.

At the moment we enter this material realm our only Memories are
those of the peaceful and calm Garden of Eden we just departed.
We are devoid of, and unaware of, all of the false trappings, bindings,
expectations and obligations that a materialistic society is all too
anxious to drape upon us.

Then, slowly and methodically, society distances us from the realm
of pure spirit in order to bind and cover us with all of the woes of the
material realm.

This entrance of ours into the world of materialism serves as an
excellent metaphor for nakedness and nudity in Symbolism,
artwork, and mythology. For nakedness and nudity are Symbolic
of purity, innocence, freedom, Truth, Wisdom and Harmony;
which, when we come to think about it, are all really one and the
same virtue.

As nakedness and nudity are a Symbolic reflection of "what is
true", or "what is revealed", they are portrayed as a feminine
aspect of nature.

With these thoughts in mind, let us now explore the Symbolism
of nakedness and nudity.

When we view artwork or read mythological tales of Paradise, we
find that nakedness is the "fashion of the day" in this nostalgic,
innocent and beckoning realm. For Paradise reminds us of the
Golden Age when mankind lived in Harmony with all of Nature
and the burden of clothing was unnecessary.

When we contemplate Paradise, our Thoughts are lifted to the
purity and refinement of higher consciousness. We wistfully
ascend to a realm of integrity, openness, simplicity and plenitude.
In this realm, where all of our needs are provided for, we are
clothed only by pure air...the Aether...the Divine life force...
eternal Truth. Paradisaical nakedness is Symbolic of unconfined
and uninhibited Freedom. For, as clothing represents "something
to hide", "restrictiveness" or the "wear and tear" associated with
temporal Time, we have no need for it in the realm of Paradise.

When we encounter an image of a naked figure floating freely
above the ground, this is a reminder that while Truth and Harmony
make themselves available to all of us here on earth they are not
material essences, but Divine Principles, which transcend the
worldly and mundane.

Truth, Harmony, and all of the other virtues associated with
Symbolic nakedness belong to the eternal spiritual realm and
are willingly bestowed upon all of us in the material realm who
wish to include them in our lives. In this instance, nakedness
also Symbolizes the higher mind, the uncluttered mind, the
unbiased mind, the Unattached Observer and the enlightened
mind which sees things as they truly are.

This same image of a naked figure floating above the ground
is also a Symbol for ascension. To ascend is to achieve
enlightenment; to rise above and beyond the earthly plane.
Ascension occurs when we finally cast off all of the earthly
clothing - the bondages of materialism and the
trappings of illusion - which has been heaped upon us. It is the
sublime moment when our spirit purely, innocently and nakedly
returns to the Paradisaical Unity from whence it originally came.

Partial nudity is a Symbolic way to express the Esoteric. It tells
us that there are still hidden and secret teachings contained
within that which has already been revealed. It represents the
timeless Lessons which lie behind the Idol, curtain, or Veil.
It is the Wisdom behind the parable, metaphor or myth. It is
the hidden Truth contained behind an image or story; a Truth
which can only be recognized by the worthy and well-qualified
Initiate.

Society, through its many organizations and factions, makes a
great effort to Indoctrinate the masses to clothe themselves in
masks, costumes, garments, attitudes, behaviors and makeups
of all sorts in order to either conform, appease or deceive. And
the result for so many people is that they have completely
forgotten who they truly are and their life is nothing but one big
Masquerade.

For it is not our clothing - our physical wrappings or pretty
packaging - that determines who we truly are; it is our true
nakedness, our Inner Beauty, which lies beneath our outer
trappings that determines our spiritual worth.

To be Symbolically naked is to be free from Sin. It is to be
free from the Guilt, Threats and Obligations heaped upon us
by society. It is to be free from false Indoctrinations. It is the
discarding of the constrictive trappings of fickle man-made
demands so that we can freely bask within, and openly
absorb, the unrestrictive and uncontaminated purity of
Divine Light and Divine Law.

For, while corruption. lies, treachery and deception operate
beneath multiple layers of cover in the dark - fearful of showing
themselves - Truth walks naked in the light, showing itself to all
who are prepared to gaze directly upon it.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My Email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2014
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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Justice - And Its Symbolism


"The blind eyes of justice see the truth."
- Unknown

Lady Justice is portrayed with a blindfold covering her eyes while
holding a pair of scales in one of her hands. She is also often
depicted holding a Sword in her other hand.

                                                  (Image via Wikipedia)

The Symbolism of the feminine, the blindfold, the scales and the
Sword all have very specific reasons for being incorporated
within the archetype, or portrayal, of Lady Justice.

First of all, Justice is portrayed as a woman. This is because
receptiveness is a feminine aspect of nature. Lady Justice waits
to receive the facts, or Truths, so that they can be placed in her
scales to be properly weighed. In addition, the scales which Lady
Justice holds in her hands are also a feminine Symbol; for, like a
chalice or cup, they receive and hold that which is placed within
them.

Once all of the facts, or Truths, are placed on her scales, Lady
Justice simply allows her scales to pass an impartial judgement.
This is the exact same Symbolism portrayed in the Ancient
Egyptian Ceremony of the Weighing of the Heart: in which the
heart of the recently deceased is placed on a scale in the Hall of
Justice and weighed against the Feather of Maat.

Lady Justice is associated with the astrological sign of Libra; the
Scales. Libra is an air sign and the element of air is associated
with the mind. However, in Lady Justice's case, we are not simply
referring to the mind; we are referring to the higher mind, or higher
intellect. And that is why Lady Justice is also often depicted
holding a Sword.

The Sword has two blades which enable it to cut in both directions.
Symbolically, this means that the higher mind, which is Symbolized
by the Sword, can not only evaluate both sides of any issue as an
Unattached Observer, but it can also dissect both sides of an issue
until it eventually arrives at the Truth.

And finally, Lady Justice is wearing a blindfold. Symbolically, this
tells us that she is an impartial, and unprejudiced, dispenser of
Justice. The blindfold over her physical eyes tells us that she favors
no one. Her role is to simply weigh the facts without any regard to
a persons physical appearance, communal rank, perceived
importance, social influence or station in life. In other words, the
blindfold prevents Lady Justice from being deceived or swayed by
any false outer Perceptions that the physical world may try to use in
an attempt to confuse the issue which is being weighed.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My Email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2014
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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Precession Of The Equinoxes,
The Ages Of The Zodiac,
The Four Pillars Of Heaven, and the
Egyptian and Sumerian Sphinx
(Symbolism, Mythology and Astrology):


"Every new beginning comes from
some other beginning's end"
- Seneca, Roman philosopher

From ancient Sumer, a civilization which may arguably pre-date
ancient Egypt, we get the Sumerian Sphinx.  The Sumerian
Sphinx has four distinct features, or elements: the head of man,
wings, the body of a lion, and the feet of a bull.

Thousands of years later, we see these same four features being
expressed in the Alchemical, Hermetic and religious paintings of
those times. These four features, are expressed in these paintings
in the following manner: a bull in the lower left corner of the painting,
a lion in the lower right corner of the painting, an eagle in the upper
right corner of the painting, and man in the upper left corner of the
painting.

The bull, lion, eagle and man which appear in these paintings
occur in the same order, and sequence, as they appear on an
astrological chart; and in the zodiac. A perfect example of this
order is expressed in the Tarot card, The World.

(Image via Wikipedia)

This identical sequence also appears on the Tarot card,
Wheel of Fortune

It is interesting to find that these four elements - the bull, the lion,
wings ( the eagle ), and man - have survived, and endured,
throughout the millennia.

Why would the ancient Sumerians create a mythological creature,
an archetype, consisting of these four elements?

And furthermore, what is it that is so powerful about these four
elements that their importance survived the millennia in order to
re-appear once again in Alchemical, Hermetic and religious
paintings thousands of years later?

The Four Pillars of Heaven:

Since the most ancient of times, mankind has worshipped four
specific cardinal points of the year: the two Equinoxes and the
two Solstices.

Temple windows, megaliths and monoliths were aligned so as
to greet and worship the Sun at these four important and sacred
moments of the year.

Ancient cultures referred to these four sacred times of the year
as the Four Pillars which support the Sky; or the Four Pillars
which support the Vault of Heaven.

Why are these four times of the year referred to as the Four
Pillars? These four times of the year are equidistant from each
other; they occur approximately 90 days apart and represent
one-fourth of the year. Also, being equidistant, they are also,
astrologically, 90 degrees apart from each other and represent
one-fourth of a Circle; or one-fourth of the earth's annual Cycle.

We still recognize these four times of the year today: the
Spring Equinox, the Autumn Equinox, the Winter Solstice,
and the Summer Solstice.

And though, today, these four sacred times of the year are
celebrated commercially rather than worshipped spiritually, a
respect for these four important heavenly Events still survives

Precession of the Equinoxes (Ages of the Zodiac):

The earth wobbles on its axis in a clock-wise direction in relation
to the heavens. It takes approximately 25,920 years for it to
complete one complete wobble. This one complete wobble is
referred to, astrologically, as The Great Year.

During each Great Year, the Sun travels ( precesses ) through
each of the twelve constellations of the ecliptic, or zodiac,
in a slow and clock-wise direction. The word zodiac means
"circle of animals".

The time the Sun spends in each constellation is called a
Precessional Age. Each Precessional Age is determined by
which constellation of the zodiac the sun is rising in at dawn on
the Spring ( Vernal ) Equinox. Each Precessional Age lasts for
approximately 2,160 years.

We are currently at the end of the Age of Pisces and preparing
to enter ( precess into ) the Age of Aquarius. And, as we shall see,
Aquarius is one of the components of both the Sumerian Sphinx
and the Alchemical, Hermetic and religious drawings mentioned
at the beginning of this article.

In each Precessional Age the Sun rises in four complimentary
constellations, which are 90 degrees apart, at a specific time of
the year for the duration of that Particular Age. These four
constellations are the Four Pillars of that Precessional Age.

In the current Precessional Age of Pisces, the Sun rises in Pisces
at the Spring Equinox, in Virgo at the Autumn Equinox, and in
Gemini and Sagittarius at the Solstices.

When the Age of Pisces is ended the Sun will precess into
Aquarius and cause the Four Pillars to churn, which will result in
the following: the Sun will rise in Aquarius at the Spring Equinox,
in Leo at the Autumn Equinox, and in Taurus and Scorpio at the
Solstices.

Because the Four Pillars of any specific Precessional Age are
90 degrees apart from one another, each of the Four Pillars is
situated in one of the four different astrological elements of either
fire, earth, air, or water.

The act of precession from one Astrological Age into another is
also represented, Symbolically and mythologically, as the
Churning of the Mill and is often depicted by mythological Gods
or Heroes holding the head and tail of a great Serpent, which is
wrapped around a central pillar. These Gods or Heroes then
churn this pillar by alternately pulling either the head or tail of the
Serpent as one would do today in a game of "tug-of-war". The
Serpent represents the constellation Draco, which is entwined
within the branches of The World (or Cosmic) Tree.

In mythology, we also encounter a "broken pillar" which some God
or Hero ultimately re-sets. The broken pillar symbolizes the end of
one Precessional Age, while the re-setting of the pillar represents
the beginning of the next Precessional Age. The broken pillar is
normally re-set by the particular God, Hero or Archetype who will
be ruling, or governing, the new Precessional Age.

The Sumerian Sphinx:

(Image via Wikipedia)

Let us now consider the Symbolism which is contained within
the Sumerian Sphinx. Again, the Sumerian Sphinx has the feet of
a bull, the body of a lion, wings, and the head of man. And, again,
these are the same four features which later appear in the
Alchemical, Hermetic and religious paintings mentioned above.
So, what are we to make of this enigmatic, mythological creature
which comes down to us from some ancient race?

The feet of the bull represent the constellation Taurus. The
body of a lion represents the constellation Leo. The wings
(which are later expressed as an eagle) represent the
constellation Scorpio. And, the head of man represents the
constellation Aquarius.

These four constellations are 90 degrees apart from each other.
Therefore, because they are 90 degrees apart, it is quite probable
that they represent a Precessional Age. What is also interesting
to note is that these are the same four constellations, or pillars,
which will be involved in the upcoming Age of Aquarius.

So, the question now remains: If this mythological archetype,
this Sumerian Sphinx, is Symbolic of a Precessional Age, which
Precessional Age is it?

There is evidence which seems to point to the Age of Leo as the
Precessional Age being described by the four features of the
Sumerian Sphinx. If so, then we are looking at a Precessional Age
which occurred approximately 10,500 BC!

But why choose the constellation of Leo, represented by the
body of a lion, from among the four constellations which are
represented by the Sumerian Sphinx?

To answer this question, we now turn to the Egyptian Sphinx.

The Egyptian Sphinx:

Proportions, ratios and exact alignment were critical factors that
played an important role in the artwork, and in the construction
of temples, buildings and statues, of  the ancient Egyptians.
Attention to detail was an ingrained aspect of their culture.
And, attention to detail is what kept them in Harmony with
the Law of Maat.

The Egyptian Sphinx, as it exists today, consists of two features:
the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh.

However, according to ancient Greek historians, the Egyptian
Sphinx originally had the body of a lion and the head of a
woman! 

The pharaoh's head, which is a current feature of the Egyptian
Sphinx, is out of proportion when scaled to the size of the lion's
body. In other words, the current pharaoh's head on the Sphinx is
too small when measured against the size of the lion's body. It is
out of ratio; out of scale; out of Harmony. It is therefore not in
keeping with the Law of Maat; something inconceivable to the
ancient Egyptians.

When we consider how detail-, ratio- and alignment-oriented the
ancient Egyptians were in all of their monuments, temples,
statues and artwork, it is nearly impossible to consider that they
would have miscalculated the proper ratio between the Sphinx's
head and the rest of its body. The only alternative is that, at some
time in the distant past, some pharaoh chiseled away the original
head of the Sphinx in order to have his features carved in its place.

Taking all of this into consideration, we are now left with the
reports of the ancient Greek historians which tell us that the
original Egyptian Sphinx had the body of a lion and the head
of a woman.

If this is true, and there is evidence to support this, then the
original Egyptian Sphinx very probably Symbolized the cusp of
a Precessional Age; with the head of a woman representing the
constellation Virgo and the body of a lion representing the
constellation Leo. And, the cusp of the Age of Virgo and the
Age of Leo, as determined by the rising of the Sun on the
Spring Equinox, occurred around 10,500 BC.

So, the question we are left to ponder is this: What is so
significant about the ancient Age of Leo that prompted  the
Ancients, the Alchemists and the Hermetists to honor this
particular Precessional Age? An Age that extends itself, in
perpetuity, all the way from the Sumerian Sphinx to our
modern-day Tarot deck? This is our unanswered enigma.
And, perhaps the answer lies in the upcoming Age of
Aquarius which is in direct astrological opposition to the
Age of Leo which occurred one-half of a Great Year ago.

See also: "The Egyptian Sphinx"

Note: Evidence supporting the alteration of the face of the
Egyptian Sphinx can be found, in greater detail, in
Serpent In The Sky by John Anthony West.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My Email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2014
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