Vampires, Eggs and Names of Gods:
The 'Urge for Survival'
January 8, 2006, added to January 11, 2006

These are loose thoughts I had while looking for other items. I hope to expand these thoughts later, but for now I share this sketch. I was web searching for references to 'cosmic eggs' when this odd result came up in the search strand:

"A walk in Nature among
the Names of God where we have
an Interview with the Vampire
and discover a Cosmic Egg"

I'm not entirely sure what the basic premise is, it might be basic new age fluff. I can't be sure, I didn't read it closely. However, I did take notice of something the author quotes.

Barbara Hort, Ph.D., a jungian psychologist, speaks of 'the vampire' in "In Unholy Hungers":

"The Beast has always been with us. For as long as our hearts have pumped blood, for as long as our souls have glowed with life, for as long as we have yearned for love, the beast has always been there. Sneering and stalking, drooling and scheming, it licks its full, soft lips in anticipation of its next warm meal. For the beast is essentially a feeding thing. Oh, yes, it has many faces, all of them human, and it has our endearing manners as well. But those human graces are a camouflage born of necessity - they are the disguise that enables the beast to prevail. Beneath its veneer of humanity, the core of the beast is hunger, and survival is its only goal."

Are these the words of a 'death worshipper', who doesn't understand the value of the urge for survival? Perhaps this is one of the main distinctions between Left Hand Path and Right Hand Path. We understand more clearly what the value is of these primal urges.

Are the 'endearing manners', the 'charm' and 'glamour' only a veneer? Do we use these 'only to get our own way'? Perhaps. But what is 'our own way' and how do we determine it? What is in our best interests? That is the struggle of our consciousness. Meanwhile, 'the beast' is within us. It can be a source of power. Perhaps we have within ourselves both 'the Beauty' and 'the Beast'. RHP thinks the way to handle the situation is to drive a stake through the heart of the Beast. But we know there are better ways to achieve balance within ourselves.

Such were my thoughts upon reading this quote. Meanwhile, the search for 'the cosmic egg' went on.

Having heard that Don Webb features an ancient 'egg spell' in his "Seven Faces of Darkness", midsearch for that, I found this:

IRON is the metal of Set. Steel is okay, too. But "Bronze and copper, which are attuned to Isis and Horus, are to be avoided." for representing Set. (page 44).

I may need to reread this whole book. The book hasn't changed, but I've changed since I last read it, and many items I will understand better now.

Meanwhile, yes, the 'iron dragon' I have does seem to evoke/invoke the Set energy more than the bronze dragon I have. One is pretty, with lots of flourish, but maybe it does not evince the type of power which the other does. So part of this is the metal used? Perhaps.

  
Iron dragon...bronze dragon

Fascinating... Perhaps the bronze dragon is more 'Lucifer/Horus', with lots of beautiful flourish. Actually, maybe a bronze phoenix might suit him better.

Meanwhile, I am thinking about Set and Horus, the balance therein between the Prince of Darkness and the Prince of Light, 'the Beauty and the Beast'.

Both have 'urges towards survival', but they go about it differently. Horus sees his urge toward survival as best accomplished through group endeavours and co-operation. Charm will be his and beauty, as he has the outward looking eye as how to charm others.

Set sees his urge toward survival as best accomplished through his fierce Will and independant stand. His is the 'inward looking eye'.

Only of Osirus is the 'urge towards death', as he is the god of the dead.

(thoughts of January 11, 2006)

Ever, I strive to be objective, to keep balance within myself. I have many thoughts after reading about Rob's Opera experience, and the experiences of others. Also, a quote leapt out at me from my readings, by Aristotle:

"The good man ought to be a lover of self, since he will then act nobly, and so benefit himself and his fellows; but the bad ought not to be a lover of self, since he will follow his base passions, and so injure both himself and his fellows."
Rob's experience of the Macbeth opera:
"It makes you face some hard truths about desire and power and what we become when we open ourselves up to our animal nature."

Some cannot handle it, it creates imbalance. For some of us, this opening strengthens us. But for some, it does not work.

The manipulation, deceit and cruel treatment of others that some do, they see as justified. From an objective standpoint, we can see these people for what they are, crazy at best, or downright jerks, it does not matter. It does matter that we keep well clear of these people.

So what does this psychologist speak of in her book 'Unholy Hungers'? Is it simple natural (or unnatural, now natural) hunger that enables or enriches survival, or is it cruelty, deceit and manipulation done in the name of 'survival'? There are the hungers which are within Ma'at (Egyptian concept [and Goddess] of Order, Balance, and Truth), this energy gets recycled back into the continuium and the flow is even. And then there are those hungers which are against Ma'at. I keep thinking about the Apep snake, which represents that which goes against Ma'at.

So when I re-enact the 'slaying of Apep', what am I going to recognize as belonging to Apep?

The anger that blinds reason.
The lack of objectivity which clouds our perception of reality.
The things people call 'selfish', yet go against what is rational self interest.
How is it in a person's self interest to be a cruel jerk?

Yet some have it in their delusions that it is. They gain a sense of power by seeing those around them disempowered.

How can we be objective about ourselves and how we interact with others? How can we make sure we are behaving ethically to the best of our ability? It is an ongoing, never ending task. This is the task of those who strive towards excellence.

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