Shalom Lynn & All Who May Be Interested In This Subject,
Before I continue with my post from yesterday, I think I should
backtrack a little on the issue of cosmology. Mormon cosmology
differs from Jewish cosmology. The Mormon cosmology is based on
an extreme dualism that often seems indicated in the New Testament
and is reflected in Milton's Paradise Lost. The scripture in
Revelation about the War in Heaven is central to this. The
antagonist in this war is the dragon or devil who is sometimes
called Lucifer and sometimes Satan. This rebel angel, Satan,
wants God's glory for himself and wants to rob mankind of freedom.
(This understanding often leads LDS to right-wing politics in
America and to see the devil in nearly all liberal reforms that
try to ameliorate the condition of the working class and poor.
They see these efforts as trading freedom for security and so
there comes to be a suspicion and "demonization" of the Left--
it is the devil trying rob mankind of freedom.)
Jewish cosmology is somewhat different. It is not based on gods
propagating spirit offspring and creating repetitions of worlds
like this one, with rebel Satans who oppose God and faithful
Jesuses who are obedient for freedom. In Hebrew satan is not
a name at all. It is not a proper noun, but a word that simply
means "adversary." It is usually used with an article, ha-satan,
the satan. The adversary's name is not Lucifer either. "Lucifer"
is a Latin-based word used to translate "heyel" meaning "Venus"
which was a planet-god worshipped by the Babylonians. "Lucifer"
means "Light-bearer." Venus is a "light-bearer" being the
morning and evening star, the brightest planet in the skies.
The only place "Lucifer" is used in translation is in Isaiah,
which I personally believe is a prophetic paradigm that fits
Adolf Hitler quite well. Hitler's Rising Sign was Libra and his
Sun Sign was Taurus, both of which are ruled by Venus. Hitler
came under a strong demonic delusion that led to possession.
In his quest he tried to rise up "on the sides of the north" and
be like "the Most High." He "caused the nations to war" and was
brought down "to the sides of the pit." The Nazis were very much
intrigued with neo-Paganism and the revival or pagan Norse
religion. They indulged in occult rituals, including ritual
murder. The Kabbalist rabbis of the time were aware of this and
that covenants were being made with the Shedim to advance the
Nazi cause. But who are the Shedim?
In Jewish cosmology there is only one God and no other. And
there is a very complex creation of infinite variety and with
different planes of existence. Our plane is a gross material one
of a relatively low frequency or vibration. Yet it is part of
God's creation for His own purpose.
When God decided to create this plane and breathe spirit-souls
into it, a race of beings on another plane of a higher frequency
became extremely jealous. These are the Shedim (divas or demons).
They began trying to undermine the human beings. Their leader or
prince is Azazel. The one usually referred to as ha-satan is
the angel Samael who is the adversary or accuser. The accuser,
Samael, is sent forth by God to test and try us, and if we falter,
to accuse us. He is the prosecuting attorney, so to speak, while
Messiah is our defender. In Christian theology, Samael and Azazel
get mixed together and confused with each other. And this is
further confused and juxtaposed with the Lucifer of Isaiah. In
translation "ha-satan" is made into a proper name, "Satan," to
stand for this composite devil (Azazel, prince of the divas, and
Samael, the accusing angel.)
According to Kabbalah, the Shedim (divas or demons) exist in a
plane called Asiyah (Making). They can see into our realm at
times and can even "materialize" or interface with our realm for
short periods. They are attracted to our realm for various reasons
and can draw strength or energy from certain human activities.
These include some human excretions, such as in sexual activity,
and blood-letting. Burning certain kinds of incense also draws
them and gives them energy. Some Shedim can be evoked to cross
over into our sphere by certain kinds of rituals and incantations.
There are several varieties of Shedim. Some have a good intent
towards us, but most are evil towards us, and even those who
have the good intent are not pure. There is always a mixture of
good and evil, with most of the Shedim intending evil. Among these
varieties is a group referred to as "the pious ones" or simply
the pious Shedim. They like to cross over and imitate angels and
saints or prophets of the past. They can also give many true and
good revelations, but again, their activities are usually, if not
always, tinged with evil in some way.
(Okay, I have to take care of some errands, so--to be continued)
Dean.
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