| In the book Ophiolatreia: An Account of the Rites and Mysteries Connected With the Origin, Rise, and Development of Serpent Worship (1889), the author Hargrave Jennings writes: “Nearly every enquirer into the primitive superstitions of men has observed a close relationship, if not an absolute identity, in what are usually distinguished as Solar, Phallic, and Serpent Worship, yet the rationale of the connection has been rarely detected. They really are all forms of a single worship.“ “If (as it seems certain) they all three be identical,” observes Mr. O’Brien, “where is the occasion for surprise at our meeting the sun, phallus, and serpent, the constituent symbols of each, occurring in combination, embossed upon the same table, and grouped upon the same architrave.” (64) It appears to me that this is the one single secret which has prevented all known scholars from accessing the truth hidden within symbolism worldwide. This one fact connects all important iconographies of the “mysteries” and weaves a thread through all known myths, religions and cultures, but yet, it appears nowhere in the public libraries of knowledge until now. Occult Numbering in Religious Texts Biblical texts are full of occult numbers and one of the common mistakes people make in interpreting the Bible or any ancient text has to do with the numbers of years or days or months. Oftentimes the writers would express a number of days in terms of years and when we get to the Sumerian King List and read of rulers who lived 900 years, we can reduce that to 90 and we have a more accurate version of the story already. Likewise, we may read that Osiris reigned for 28 years, when in fact the reign of Osiris was a mere 28 days of the lunar month. When we take the 28 days of the month, multiplied by 13 moons, we end up with 1 day left over, which is the phallus that was lost when Isis reassembled the body of Osiris. (65) Iamblichus, in his Life of Pythagoras, writes that: “Orpheus said that the eternal essence of number is the most providential principle of the universe, of heaven, of earth, and of the nature intermediate to these; and, more, that it is the basis of the permanency of divine natures, gods and demons.” Pythagoras stated in his Sacred Discourse: “Number is the ruler of forms and ideas.” The numbers eight and nine were favorite numbers of the Pythagorians with nine standing for lunar wisdom and eight, for solar increase. (66) The Number 3 The number 3 emerged as a significant number for the goddess in very early times. As mentioned, the moon has three major phases, as the triple moon and that is represented by the three goddesses, maiden, mother and crone, though we really don’t know when this idea first took hold. Early engravings on goddess figurines displayed marks in sets of three on the mouth or neck and then |
sometimes expressed as three parallel lines or chevrons. (66) The importance of this number does not seem to be shown though in these examples. More importantly, the month was divided into three parts, in ancient times and this may be one of the reasons for its importance. We see the number three used often in spells and frequently in mythology and religion. In our modern society, we often use terms such as “three strikes,” in baseball, or “three square meals.” There are fairy tales such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and the Three Little Pigs. The Bible includes the myth of the “Three Wise Men” who went to visit the born savior, with “Three Gifts.” Three is a magic number and seems to be represented the most in instances of ancient poems, mythology and religion. There are literally hundreds of instances. There are many more examples shown in this book. The Number 7 & 12 Josephus discussing the alter of incense or Menorah writes in Antiquities v. 5;5: “Now, the seven lamps signified the seven planets, for so many there were springing out of the candlestick; the twelve loaves that were upon the table signified the circle of the Zodiac and the year; and the altar of incense by its thirteen kinds of sweet-smelling spices with which the sea replenished it, signified that God is the Lord of all things in both the uninhabitable and the habitable parts of the earth, and that they are all to be dedicated to his use.” (67) The number seven and twelve will reappear again and again, throughout this book. There are seven days of the week, and that is the significance of this number. Simple, yet so commonly overlooked in Biblical and mythological lore. The Number 13 The significance of the number thirteen is the 13-moon calendar as a yardstick of time measurement. The thirteen months of the year, each with its “new moon” through its “full moon.” The 13th moon was the 13th sign of the zodiac and as such, it would have to have some animal character. This was the serpent sign of Ophiacus, the Serpent Holder. Perhaps the signal to the solar deity worship of the patricians when removing the 13th moon, was to obscure and occult the serpent as a power symbol, which, in essence is the mushroom. (68) Welsh romances contain a number of references to the number thirteen. The Thirteen Kingly Jewels, the Thirteen Prison Locks, the Thirteen Wonders of Britain, the Thirteen Precious Things. (64) The White Goddess, p. 381 (65) The White Goddess, p. 248-51 (66) The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe, p. 147 (67) The White Goddess, p. 268 (68) The Mushroom in Christian Art The Identity of Jesus in the Development of Christianity, John Rush, North Atlantic Books, 2011, p. 320 |