The Universal Man as God - Self Centrist Symbolism in the Crucifixion of Christ and the Sacrificed Gods

“Esoterically, the Hanged Man is the human spirit which is suspended from heaven by a single thread. Wisdom, not death, is the reward for this voluntary sacrifice during which the human soul, suspended above the world of illusion, and meditating upon its unreality, is rewarded by the achievement of self-realization.” ~Manly P. Hall

In recent discourses with a friend and fellow practitioner, we came upon the sticky subject of polytheism versus monotheism, since my friend is a Christian Mystic but is sympathetic to the ancient pagan traditions of southern and western Europe and Scandinavia. While we agreed that all religions, the Abrahamic faiths included, can be seen as both polytheistic and monotheistic, there was some contention as to whether or not the higher powers were truly external or whether they reside within and emanate from the human consciousness. My friend defends the idea of the Abrahamic perception of God as a sentient first cause, while I have come to know this source principal as an unconscious force which can only be labelled as Chaos, from which the creative principals and forces of the energetic universe emerged as points of order, just as weather patterns emerge from formless fluctuations of geomagnetic energy. It is further my contention that these primordial consciousnesses group together to form a coherent whole, symbolised by the golden spiral from which all structures in nature arise, not unlike a council of deities working together to form the physical world. These forces of nature are unique in their individuation and can exist separately from the larger cosmic order, so rather than the pantheon emerging as creations or emanations from a single conscious being, they instead arise fully formed and sovereign from Chaos and subsequently form God by choosing to collaborate with one another.

The next stage in this cosmic evolution is the creation of man, which we again agreed was intentional and in harmony with the physical universe, but again the only difference being whether or not these creating forces should be thought of as Angels or as individual sovereign Gods. My belief leans more to the latter, and I furthermore believe that these sovereign Gods each have human avatars through which they act. I have always held the belief that 'Free Will' as it is typically perceived, is an illusion; this is because, although we as individuals make choices, sometimes against the sound advice of others and our own better judgement, I feel that no matter what decision we make in life we will always come to the same predestined conclusions as laid out by our individual sovereign God prior to our incarnation. This appears to be in direct contradiction to the Abrahamic model in which the one God sets out a plan for the individual as part of a grander whole, but grants Free Will to the individual as a test of their faith, to gauge how close or how far they get to fulfilling their role in the grand design. On the contrary, I feel that each person's personal God sets a destination, with key events along the way and, possible via non-linear time, is able to perceive the outcome of every possible choice, placing obstacles or helping hands at strategic points to guide us in the right direction, with contingency plans in place if the wrong decision is made. Therefore, all choices we make have already been made by us in advance of us being born on this Earth. The end result of the journey however is the collective experience of other people and subsequently their unique individual Gods to add to the grand spiraling outpouring of creation which we have come to call the one God. As for where the pantheons of old fit into this model, I believe that they are the primordial creative or destructive principals which are present in all aspects of nature, formless and unknowable until they interact with us through the prism of human consciousness, at which point they are given form, meaning and character for us to better understand them and apply that understanding in the physical universe. I employ the Jungian model of 'The Gods' as archetypal facets of the human psyche, but include the additional layer of them being the result of external forces being changed and given form by their interaction with the human consciousness. Therefore, every individual has their own Hermes which represents a part of their own mind or spiritual being, but this only manifests because there is an objective natural principal which is symbiotic with this psychological/spiritual facet, resulting from the unification of pre-existing human consciousnesses which form the patterns in nature...

A lot to take in, I know. Suffice to say that I believe that the 'Objective Universe' was created by the collective consciousness that is Us, the Human race, having arisen at random out of Chaos long before we manifested here physically. I would also elaborate upon this point and state that the 'Objective Universe' is in fact, an amalgamation of the collective individual 'Subjective Universes' created by every single man and woman in their God state, which would explain why every person sees 'the world' slightly differently, with the physiological factors attributed to this difference in perception being a result, rather than the cause, of it. So my point in this article is that, in the words of Aleister Crowley, "every man and every woman is a star", and that every star is a Universe with the man or woman at the centre. This ideology did not begin with Mr Crowley, but has been present in cultures all around the globe throughout human history, so much so that it might possibly be the root perennial truth in all traditions. It would take me a lifetime to adequately demonstrate this by explaining each tradition and its symbolism, so for the sake of ease or writing and reading on your part, I will focus on the most widely recognised religious symbolic representation, that of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ as shown through Catholic mysticism.

Much debate abounds as to whether or not Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical figure or a creation by the early Catholic Church; personally I accept both to be true, for indeed the common image of Jesus Christ is taken directly from the Ptolemaic image of Serapis, an amalgam of the images of Osiris and Apis to draw the Egyptian people into the belief of a single God embodied in Ptolemy I. However I also believe that as the social and political climate of Europe and Asia Minor evolved, the Roman Church in its infancy required a new, more palatable image to represent the already established view of 'the Man as God', and so chose a man of repute and advanced spiritual understanding to embody that image. Thus the Roman Church instituted the staged martyrdom of this individual, as well as his apparent miraculous resurrection to elevate him to a position of divinity in the eyes of the uninitiated, as a living demonstration of the potential power bestowed upon those who follow his teachings, which at their heart are Thelemic in nature. Jesus' ultimate act of self sacrifice to save humanity from their sins is the most explicit representation of 'the Man as God' which I will outline henceforth.

Let us begin with the symbolism of the cross. some of the earliest and most common depictions of crosses are found in western Europe, and are usually in the form of having arms of equal length, encompassed by a circle. This cross was representative of the sun, with the arms as the rays of light spreading out to touch the four corners of the known Universe as symbolised by the circle. The Celtic sun cross also therefore was representative of the four cardinal directions by which ancient peoples measured the four seasons via the position of the sun on the solstices and equinoxes. In the Middle ages with an upsurge in indigenous ritual practice being applied through a Christian lens, the sun cross came to also represent the four primordial elements of creation as known to the ancient Greeks, Fire, Air, Water and Earth. Since at the earliest point in the recorded human history of western Europe and the near east, it was widely accepted that the Earth was at the centre of the Universe with the sun orbiting around it, the solar cross may have also been interpreted as signifying the circle as the orbital path of the sun and the cross as the lateral and vertical planes of the Earth. The cross also presents itself in Qabbalistic Jewish Mysticism through the Sephirothic Tree of Life. This version of the cross is that which is most commonly associated with Christianity, that which has the lower arm longer than the other three arms, and is revealed when one traces the paths between the Sephirothic spheres of Malkuth and Kether, forming the vertical axis, with Chokhmah and Binah forming the horizontal axis. At the point where these lines overlap is found the elusive 'ghost sphere', known as Darth, which is a point of contention between various branches of Qabbalistic thought regarding its existence and significance. When one considers the position of Darth on the tree, one can quickly understand its significance, for it can represent the state of being in harmony between one's creative feminine and destructive masculine archetypes, as well as in balance between one's higher faculties and lower nature. Tipareth is the sphere which epitomises contentment and harmony with the physical world, and Kether is the sphere of the God-head or higher Self, and so Darth can thus be seen as the sphere of the enlightened individual, connected to their God, in balance between their masculine and feminine attributes and at peace in themselves and with the world around them.

Continuing on the subject of Qabbalah, the cross is given even greater significance when we consider Qabbalah's connection to mathematics and geometry. The word 'Qabbalah' was transliterated into 'Kaaba Al Allah' or the 'Cube of God' with the advent of Islam in the sixth century AD. The Kaaba is the most holy relic to the Muslim people and is situated in their most holy city of Mecca. The Kaaba was said to have been sacred to the pre-Hebrew tribes who inhabited the area from as early as 7,500 BC, and was later held to be sacred by the Hebrews until the invasion of the Mohammedans, who proceeded to tear down the statues of the old pagan deities whilst devoting the Kaaba to the 'One True God'. The importance of the Cube to Muslims and Jews alike is evident even today, as Jewish high priests adorn their heads with head dresses which feature a cube situated over the forehead, which in far eastern traditions is referred to as the 'Third Eye'. The Cube, though not the only form to be held as sacred by the Jews, is of high importance due to its mathematical value; it is the most stable of the five Platonic Solids, with six faces, twelve edges and all angles of 90°. The common element throughout the Cube is the number 3, or rather multiples thereof, for 3 has great numerological significance in all cultures around the world, being a number of creation, manifestation and growth, as seen in the Celtic Triquerta which symbolises the three quarters of the solar year spent in pregnancy, and the Trinity in which the forces of Light and Shadow, Chaos and Order, come together to give rise to the natural world, the union of opposites to create something new. However, the earliest depictions of the crucifixion of Christ show yet another form of the cross,

known as the Tau cross, so named due to its resemblance to the nineteenth letter of the ancient Greek alphabet. a link exists between the Tau cross and the Christian cross arising from the Cube, and that is the number 3. In ancient Greek and Hebrew, letters were also attributed with a numerical value; the value of Tau, which is equivalent to 'Tav' or 'Taf' in Hebrew, is 300. If 3 is the root of the dimensions of the Cube, and one divides that number by itself to find the square root, one is left with 1.732, which is extremely close to the value of Phi (1.618) and deviates by just 0.114%, therefore the Cube and by extension the cross is symbolic of the mathematical foundation of the physical Universe. It is also worth noting that Tau ­­is now used in quantum physics to calculate differential spaces, the bending of space and light in gravitational fields as seen with toroidal motions in the cosmos; as I have mentioned in a previous article, I believe it is possible that each person has their own universe which emanates from within and expands outwards before returning to its singularity within the individual in a toroidal motion, ad it is precisely this which embues the cross with so much importance to the self-centrist model of the universe.

Now that we have established the self-centrist interpretation of the cross, let us now look at the image of Christ as a symbol. As I mentioned earlier, the common portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth actually predates the era in which he is said to have lived, and has its origin in the Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egypt as the image of Serapis. The image was fashioned from the likeness of Pharaoh Ptolemy I, who sought to consolidate his grip on power by converting the masses from Polytheism to a belief in a single God for whom he was the sole chosen representative. Serapis was created as an amalgam of Osiris, the King of the heavens, and Apis, the solar Bull, which at the time were the source of much conflict between members of the priesthood in Memphis as to which of them should be regarded as preeminent. Apis was viewed as an avatar of the sun and therefore a lesser aspect of Ra who had been worshiped for centuries, whilst Osiris was seen in the constellation of Orion and was the anointer of kings, as well as the gateway to the afterlife through which Pharaohs passed to face their trials to take their place as Gods. The merging of the two figures was an attempt to reconcile the schism, and although it did not receive much endorsement from the government, it succeeded in laying the groundwork for a monotheistic faith centered around a God of healing and resurrection, somewhat similar to Jesus. The similarities between the death of Jesus and the death of Osiris are the most interesting, however; Osiris is betrayed by one he trusts, his twin brother, Set, just as Jesus is betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot. Osiris then goes through a series of tribulations before he is eventually laid to rest by his wife and sister, Isis, just as Jesus goes through the stations of the cross before being laid to rest by Mary Magdalene. Finally, Osiris is reborn as Horus who succeeds in overthrowing Set and ascends to become the sun God, Ra, in the same way that Jesus is resurrected and ascends to heaven as the one God. By examining the symbolic representation of each deity in the story of Osiris we can establish the message which is then transferred into the Christian teachings with the crucifixion. Osiris represents Order, and Set embodies Chaos; each has their feminine counterpart in Isis and Nepthys, and so the male deities represent the limiting aspects of Order and Chaos whilst the female equivalents embody the potentiality of each universal principle. Osiris is tricked into entering a coffin which fits him perfectly, signifying self sabotage and the downfall of the ordered self through lapse in judgement. the coffin is then dumped in the Nile which represents the fast flowing current of cause and effect resulting from the lapse in judgement, and life subsequently carrying the self along to an uncertain destination.Next, the coffin becomes caught in the roots of a papyrus tree which envelopes it; this is symbolic of a grounding realisation or life lesson resulting from the mistake and the personal growth which results from it. The tree is cut down and used as the central pillar in the temple of a Hittite king, which has its parallel in Freemasonic symbolism with the pillars or king Solomon's temple and the establishment of the self as a house for the divine. The return of Osiris is secured by Isis, but upon his return, he is murdered by Set, symbolic of the false self being destroyed, and dismembered into fourteen pieces which could be seen from a Jungian perspective as being the fourteen facets of the unconscious mind, which would indicate that Osiris is undergoing an internal transformation by analysing and piecing together the seemingly disparate aspects of the self into a cohesive whole. Isis and Nepthys succeed in retrieving thirteen of the fourteen pieces, for the phallus piece was devoured by a fish, which suggests a relinquishing of the base nature which no longer benefits the individual, but are able to reconstruct Osiris to a suitable state for Isis to replace his missing phallus with one of pure gold and impregnate herself with his essence through which he is reborn as Horus. This entire story describes the journey of the self through the tribulations of life, to know what it is to die and be reborn with the knowledge that one can overcome any and all adversity and ascend to Godhood. It also conveys the simple fact that, despite one's inherent ability to influence the world in accordance with Will, one is still suceptible to the influence of Chaos, that which is absolute and precedes all things. This, too, is the message conveyed in the crucifixion, but with the elaboration upon the position of man at the centre of one's universe with ultimate control over their own destiny in the physical world.

Prior to the arrest and execution of Jesus, there is an occasion in which Jesus actually prophecies that a time will come when Judas must betray him, and actually advises him to do so, for it is God's will. So, too, does Jesus also state at the last supper that Peter will disown him and deny any association to Jesus before the cockerel crowed the following morning. This is an indication of one of two things; either Jesus knew that his actions in proclaiming himself the Messiah would get him killed and accepted this as the Will of something greater than himself, or he actually planned to be arrested, which would make both Peter and Judas knowing participants in Jesus' ultimate act of "sacrifice". In either case, when one considered that on the cross, Jesus cries out to God, "why have you forsaken me?", it is indicative of his genuine belief in the Will of a higher power. Jesus, at this point, is a man who has not truly accepted his own divinity, and still views it as his God-given destiny to die to save humanity from their sins. Only when he overcomes his fear and doubt and accepts his position while embracing forgiveness for those who condemned him, does he become the God-man. At the moment of his " death", it is written that the veil of the temple was rent in two, which symbolises the veil of illusion between man and God being torn away and Jesus knowing his place in his own universe. He is then speared in the side with the spear of Longinus, a parallel to the story of Odin which I will link back shortly.

In both the story of Osiris and the story of Jesus, both know that they will be murdered by those who envy their power, and both know that they will be betrayed by someone close to them, and yet they willfully submit themselves to situations which result in their deaths. This teaches us that we must expect others, even our friends and family, to resent our personal power, and that even when they do and seek our downfall, we me must not yield to their Will, even through love for those people. The Law of Thelema conveys this clearly, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law, love is the law, love under Will." Secondly, both figures endure a period of extreme hardship, interspersed with acts of kindness towards them, which demonstrates that life cannot be all good or all bad, and both the best and worst of times can be touched by the opposite. It also teaches us to not be proud and to accept aid when it is offered, for without it we fall victim to our own self sabotaging attitude which can only be born out of insecurity and self doubt. Thirdly, both characters "die" and are resurrected or reborn after 3 days, which indicates that they have reached a new level of consciousness, for the analogy of death and rebirth over a three day period is used to describe initiation into the mystery traditions of the ancient world, as seen with the story of Lazarus whom Jesus brings 'back from the dead' after three days. Could it be, then, that Jesus simply reached the next level of Self Awareness and was consequently initiated into a higher degree of the Mysteries? The fourth similarity between the two figures is that they are both healed by their female counterparts; Isis puts Osiris back together to an extent sufficient for her to conceive Horus by partaking in his spiritual essence, and Mary embalms Jesus and lays him in the tomb, protecting his body until he rises again. The intervention of the sacred feminine in both stories outlines the importance of balance between the masculine and feminine archetypes of the Self in order to reach a state of true love and acceptance of the Self, including all of its flaws. A man who cannot connect to his sacred feminine will never be able to love and nurture himself, and a woman who is out of touch with her divine masculine will have trouble sticking up for herself. The primary element which sets these two stories apart from that of Odin's sacrifice is that the sacred feminine is found in another person, the soul mate/twin flame who balances out the male protagonists and compensates for what they lack in order for them to achieve the state of Godhood, whereas Odin does not receive any such help and finds this understanding within himself.

Returning to the crucifixion, the message of Christ to all mankind is epitomised in the single iconic image of Jesus suspended on the cross. As mentioned earlier, the cross represents the material world, the Earth and everything around it in the known universe. Christ, representing the 'Universal Man' teaches us that he is just like anybody else, and that every single man and woman is their own Christ, their own saviour, their own God. He demonstrates this earlier when he walks upon the waters; Peter exits the boat at Jesus behest and he too walks upon the water with his mentor, and it is only when he questions how he is able to do it that he sinks. At first is appears that he questions his faith in Jesus to keep him above water, but in actuality he question his faith in his own ability, for it is written "But when he saw the wind he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out 'Lord, save me!'" after which Jesus says to Peter "Ye of little faith, why did you doubt?" It is our own fears which prevent us from attempting what others say is impossible, and so, to show to his followers that they need not fear death or the judgement of others, Jesus willingly submits himself to be suspended on the cross. In the symbol we see the individual, the Self, suspended at the centre of the world, marking the place of the individual at the centre of one's own existence, one's own universe, and in the act of sacrificing the Self to one's Self, one learns that while at the centre of one's own universe, they are responsible for everyone and everything within it. The crucifixion is designed to instill the notion that we are solely reponsible for our own actions and decisions, and through the Karma that we create for ourselves, we inadvertently influence the 'external' events which either help or hinder us on our journey down the path of life. It reinforces the teaching of 'Do unto others as you would have done unto you', as well as 'Love they neighbour', for we are all, each an every one of us, our own God, and therefore, we must respect each other as sovereign beings of equally creative and destructive power. We must each take full responsibility for our words, actions, thoughts and feelings, for they shape our individual realities, and as those realities overlap and interact with one another to create the collective reality we experience together, they affect the individual realities of every other person we have contact with. This is why humanity is said to have been made 'in God's image' and why we are all 'sons and daughters of the most high'. This might also account for humanity's "fall from grace", as whilst in Eden, humanity had no concept of Good and Evil, i.e. right and wrong, and therefore had no concept of failure or doubt, and so were capable of anything, and only after they learn shame are they cast out into the mundane or "fallen world" which we know today. Follow Jesus' example, put yourself at the centre of your world, accept what you cannot change, do not trouble yourself to satisfy other people if their Will is in direct contradiction to your own, but also, be mindful, be respectful, be responsible and channel all of your being into manifesting the best possible world for yourself and for those you love, for "Love is the Law, Love under Will".

In the case of Odin, he too suspends himself from Yggdrasil in order to learn the secrets of the Runes. If one has read Norse mythology, one learns that the Norns carved the Runes into the trunk of Yggdrasil in order to curse humanity with mortality in revenge for the death of their brother, Ymir, the primordial Jottun who shaped the worlds out of the Ginnungagap. The Runes represent the lives and destinies of men, and Odin believed that by understanding the Runes, he might understand the workings of fate so as to break the curse of the Norns and overcome death. The only way to do this was to hang himself upon the universal tree and gaze into the misty waters of Chaos, upon the surface of which he saw the reflection of the Runes and learned how to work with them to control his fate and the fates of all who dwelt in the worlds of Yggdrasil. The spear, Gungnir, like the spear of Longinus, is thrust through the side of Odin and pierces his heart, signifying the projection of his Will into the deepest reaches of his being, and this when combined with the act of peering into the primordial waters, represent the darkest and most mysterious depths of self contemplation and meditation. When the Runes reveal themselves to Odin, he feels them reverberate within him, which indicates that the secret to power to control one's own destiny already exists within the Self, and that it can be discovered by truly knowing one's Self. The ultimate sacrifice is that of our fears and attachments, as well as our expectations and preconceived notions of what constitutes the Self, of what makes us who we are; sometimes we have to let go of, or figuratively 'kill' the illusion of who we are in order to realise our true potential as divine beings. Upon the revelation of the Runes, Odin removes Gungnir from his side and releases himself from the tree with no help from any of his kith or kin. This is what sets Odin's story apart from those of Jesus and Osiris, for he is his own saviour and requires no help in his tribulations. To some, this may elevate Odin's story above the others, however, I have found that sometimes, union with one's other half, our soul mates or twin flames, is necessary or at the very least beneficial for us to become the best version of ourselves, for sometimes, if left unchecked, the divine Self can devolve from being 'Self-centred' to 'Selfish', a distinction which is difficult to make for some people. Regardless of preference, this is why I have been so drawn to the Norse tradition in recent years, for it teaches determination, resilience and self-reliance, as well as respect and compassion for others in times of peace. As someone who lacked self worth and confidence in my own abilities, the Norse tradition has been a fantastic teacher for me and has aided me greatly in coming to know myself. This, in conjunction with the Alchemical and Magickal teachings of Aleister Crowley, has allowed me to question everything I once thought defined me, and to overcome it all to be reborn as the God of my own universe.

There is a saying in Freemasonry, "Without my brothers around me, I am but a point within a circle." There is nothing wrong with being a single point within a single circle, but when all of our circles join together, they make up the Flower of Life. Together, we are the Universe which we share; together, we are 'God'.

I hope that this article touches upon some helpful ideas and aids you on your path. May you find your truest Self, discover your divine power and become your own God. I bid you a good day or night wherever you are in the Collective world, and may your God/Gods be with you.

Enki Endymion. O(