Neophyte Temple

This the temple setup for the Neophyte. The setup of implements is based off the Hall of Judgement of the Egyptian Underworld. However it is a setup where all four elements are present. The the entire hall on the quarters will be explained.

As above, so below. See the actual rite for details. =p

Here is where the Neophyte begins in the outer darkness where the Sentinal gaurds. Not much save the very faint light of the Kerux's lamp in the distance. I would like to have had the giant eye of the Sentile, but it ruins the effect of the total darkness.

This is the Path of the Light. Being positive I choose a more Ouranic symbolism. Anthropologically sky god worship came to Greece from migratory people raising livestock rather than argiculture. Also in the kingdom division of the Classical pantheon Zeus ruled the sky which is everything above the Earth, even 1 inch. So we as humans naturaly are walking through the sky. Nice flat open plains covey the idea well, especialy with the wide open sky and the ability to see the wind i.e. Air in the blowing grasses.

This the Path of the Light before the Mystic Circumambulation. Naturaly the Sun is symbolic of the Light so before hand it is not there. It also fits well with the postive duality symbolism.

This is drawn mostly from the Dadouchos speech. That's a natural hot springs with little bits of sulpher--hence the yellow rocks. It's situated in the desert which is very hot and dry. These type of pits where in the slums south of Jerusalem called Gehenna where people threw there garbage, similar to office complexes having furances for waste in the basement. It's not evil, just utilitarian. Then there is the burning bush which was the means Deum spoke to Moses on the holy mountain.

In contrast to the Path of Light is the Place of Darkness. Pitchblack sky and opaque waters with only the cold light of the Moon. It is hard to dinstinguish the horizon--I wanted an even harder constrast but you can only do so much--and gives a closed quality opposite to the open sunny plains. There is little beyond the reflected light and it only leads to unknown places.

This is based off the Stolistes speech. A forest was used for cold and moisture. In deep woods the trees block much of the light cooling the space, while the vegetation adds dampness. I went with the earth as productive yet smothering forest instead of potentialy Nordic snowfield Land of the Dead, since that seems more approrpaite to the Place of the West. The well and cauldrin are traced from Gealic deities and are associated with fertiliy if female or martial skill if male. This is a female quarter so its fertilty and therefore another reason for trees and growth.

Here is the end of the Neophyte's journey, the Double Cubical Alter of the Universe, i.e. the Neophyte Temple. Following the Egyptian mythos this should be the actual Hall of Judgement i.e. some underground palace. However they usualy employ paradoxical and conflicting ideas, e.g. being buried in and united with the Earth but also soaring to the heavens and joining the Sun. So I chose to follow a more modern symbolism, not totatly removing the traditional one: the middle of outer space.

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Last updated on 30-Nov-2005 11:25 AM