"The beginning of wisdom is to
call things by their right names."
- Chinese proverb
It has been a common practice, throughout the history of mankind,
that when one civilization conquers another, the structures of the
vanquished are replaced, renamed and discredited by the victors.
This holds true for not only political and social structures but for
religious structures as well.
This process of replacing, renaming and discrediting has caused us
to lose the true meaning of many ancient words along with the true
meaning, and understanding, of the names of numerous ancient
deities which we now call gods and goddesses.
One prime example of this process of renaming and discrediting
comes to us in the name of the Ancient Deity, Baal.
Baal today is considered to be, and is presented to us as being,
the name of an evil entity we now call the devil. However, upon
taking a closer look at the name of Baal we get an entirely different
meaning; we see that it represents a very ancient Divine Principle.
The name Baal consists of two ancient words: Ba and Al.
Ba is the Spark of Divinity which enters into, and resides within,
matter. Therefore, Ba is incarnated spirit (See: Ba and Ka).
Spirit, in its unencumbered state, is eternal, infinite and free.
This is metaphorically expressed by us when we refer to someone
as being a "free spirit". Once spirit enters matter, it becomes
imprisoned within the object it occupies for some period of time.
During this period of time, spirit longs to once again be free.
Al (also pronounced and written as El) is the ancient name of
Divinity, or God. Al, or El, refers to The One...The Eternal Unity...
The Eternal Constant...The Source.
When Al, or El, is combined with another word it represents
aspects, or manifestations, of Divinity. We see this in the word
Elohim which means "council of angels" or "council of Gods and
Goddesses". The Elohim are the many different manifestations
of Divinity; they are the Egyptian Neters and the Sumerian
Annunaki.
When Al, or El, is meant to refer to a specific aspect of Divinity
it appears in the name of a specific spiritual entity. For example,
El appears in the names of many of the angels such as Michael,
Gabriel, Nathaniel, and Raphael . Angels, just like Neters, are
Divine Principles and represent a specific aspect, or manifestation,
of Divinity.
Once we have an understanding of these two words, We now see
that the name Baal is no longer is the evil spirit, or the "devil", we
have been led to believe it is. Baal is a Divine Principle, a Neter,
which represents, and Symbolizes, the descent of Spirit into
matter...the binding of Spirit with matter...physical creation...birth!
This descent of Spirit into matter is what is referred to in some
religious texts as "the fall" and "original sin".
However, "the fall", or "original sin" is not the self-imposed guilt
that many of us have been erroneously led to believe we must incur.
It is the moment when Spirit creates matter out of a Divine Thought,
so that each one of us may be born into this material realm and
experience a physical existence in union with the Spiritual Essence,
the Spark of Divinity, the Atman, which resides within all of us.
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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 2010
