Never mind there were no CD-ROMs in 1984! I wanted to look at the contents of the disc and walked to the upper right hand corner of the living room, as per rectangle with the wider side being horizontal, to where my piano was. All of a sudden, instead of finding the piano, I was twenty years later at my computer, which is also in the upper right hand corner of the living room, as per rectangle with the wider side being horizontal.

But the package was empty! I awoke upon this discovery, and possessed the feeling that this dream was significant.

I take it to mean that I must supply the information that would be contained in such a package by my own web research. I think the reference to twenty years back is because I had then briefly joined the Rosicrusians in order to study their magical secrets.

There is a phrase in the Egyptian Book of the Dead which refers to the 'Pool of Double Fire', that crops up in other invocations.

I knew intuitively what it was when I wrote an invocation called 'From the Font of the Double Fire': the Setian 'Black Flame', and this other Flame within me that works to create change in the world, and now I understand the 'Double Fire' so much better.

The Egyptian God SET can be represented by the Black Flame, while the Egyptian Goddess SEKHMET is represented by the Bright Flame.

So what was my subconscious mind trying to tell me with the dream of the Phoenix? I went and did a little research. The Chinese Phoenix is paired with a Dragon, which are found together in the decorations of weddings or royalty. They are associated with royality, for both are aspects of imperial power. Also the Chinese considered the Dragon and Phoenix symbolic of blissful relations between husband and wife, as well as long life and prosperity.

These are a pair which fit together. The Dragon represents the Masculine Principle of YANG, whereas the Phoenix represents the Feminine Principle of YIN.

The Dragon represents ''...the chaos of original matter with the result that with man's awakening conscience a struggle arose, and the created order constantly challenged the dragon's power.'' (from http://www.crystalinks.com/dragons.html) SET is known as the GOD of CHAOS. Both SET and the Dragon represent '' 'The spirit of the way', bringing eternal change.'' Dragon/Set is 'dark, chaotic unmanifested potential', whereas Phoenix/Sekhmet is 'pure solar force, the potential made manifest'.

Their pairing is necessary to bring about creation out of destruction.

I have seen one reference which claims both SET and RA are dragons, and one reference which claims the "phoenix had associations with the sun and with sun-gods such as Egyptian Ra and the Greek Apollo". ''At Koptos in Egypt, the Bennu bird, [associated with the Phoenix] is depicted with two human arms stretched upwards and outwards toward the star Sothis - Sirius , which appears in the early sky before the sun rises''.

But it seems intuitively right to understand the phoenix not only as forebearer of the sun, but also as bearer of the bright flame, Sekhmet, who is also 'the Eye of Ra', for her strongest attribute, like that of the lioness, another of Her symbols, APPROPRIATE ACTION, especially appropriate violence/destruction as regards 'vengence'. This is clearly power turned towards the external world.

As I had said in my invocation:

Gathering the Radiant Power of SET into me, I declare another inner light. By my touch, what can I inspire? By this fire, change I the world? Know I this force, electricity coursing through me, what can I transform? What can I make right? What can I set free? Can I be an example of refinement in an ugly world? Gathering the Radiant Power of SET into me, I can do all these things.

Now I understand the Electrical power to be that of Set, God of Thunder, whereas that which Radiates outward becomes that of the Phoenix, Sekhmet. The Black Flame of SET invites us to make changes upon ourselves, whereas the Bright Flame of Sekhmet invites us to make changes in the world beyond ourselves. A Chinese ritual says the Phoenix' ''Spurs are powerful against transgressors''

To the Chinese, ''The Dragon was the most revered of all. In its claws it holds an enormous magical pearl, which has the power to multiply whatever it touches. The ancients believed the 'pearl' symbolized the most precious treasure; Wisdom.'' As Set shows us our true face, we indeed gain Wisdom.

These two separate, but joined Elements represent then ''the outward looking eye and the inward looking eye''. As I said in that essay:

Call this 'the outward looking eye' which loves the great potential of humanity. This love flows from me, not by command, but by natural fount, and it thrills me to see what humans can do, inspite of agony, ugliness, infirmity, war, and limitations of every other kind. This pure light of potential gives its evidence by what we humans HAVE already done.

The 'inward looking eye' embraces my own self and my own potential, yet to be realized. Yes, I see as evidence that which I have already wrought. To that end, the evolution will continue, both the inner and the outer.

I know as time goes by, I will only grow to understand these concepts better and how I may make use of them to better my life and those for whom I care.

XEPERA XEPER XEPERU!
So mote it be!

Note of August 9, 2004:
I've discovered the dragon also appears in Babylonian culture. While doing a web search to learn who the 'Great Mother Dragon' is, I discovered the following:

"By simply following the development of Babylonian mythology we find how it came to be that the Great Mother Tiamat, the "dragon" of Chaos, had her "evil" nature developed into a male dragon depicted as the enemy of God and all mankind. This is why the editors of The Encyclopedia Britannica make this comment on the subject: "In Babylonian mythology 'the old serpent goddess 'the lady Nina' was transformed into the embodiment of all that was hostile to the powers of heaven' and was confounded with the dragon Tiamat, 'a terrible monster, reappearing in the Old Testament writings as Rahab and Leviathan, the principle of chaos, the enemy of God and man."

Of course, they would say 'enemy of man'. But not all coming from the Old/New Testament background thought that way. The Gnostic Christians are an interesting lot. There's several varieties of Gnostic sects, but there are some similarities in the various Gnostic branches, however. They believe in a God beyond god. Yahweh who created the material worlds is only a 'demi-urge', or servant of this God beyond God. They believe in the importance of personal revelation, that each person, via the divine spark in him, can reveal the deeper mysteries through knowing themselves. It wasn't too long before the legalistic Christians beat these Gnostic Christians out. There are a few today, however, who return to the Gnostic frame of thought.

One unique branch of the Gnostics was called Orphism. Orphites believe the Serpent in the Garden of Eden was revealing helpful knowledge to the first humans. The Serpent says to Adam and Eve, ''You shall be as Gods, knowing Good and Evil.'' And so they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Whether or not this Serpent is Ahriman, also considered a Great Serpent, is THAT Serpent needs more research, but it is quite likely, as Zoroastrianism did influence the later Christianity.

Ahriman comes out of the Persian tradition. Originally, these Iranians were polytheistic, but Zoroaster only wanted one supreme god, so he declared the rest evil. (Sound familiar?) Hence Ahriman, twin brother of Ahura Mazda, became evil. They were co-creaters of the world. However Ahriman got credited with creating all disease, destruction and decay. This was the first incarnation of the 'Devil', from which Judeo/Christians get theirs, as the Zorastrian dualism is basis for the Judeo/Christian concepts of good and evil.

Ahriman is said to lure people into falsehood via their strong desires or lusts. The dual reign however, has a limited time span, and Ahriman will be defeated, so the Zorastrians say. More research needs to be done into how many sects fully embrace Ahriman. I suspect, as with Set, that he was the original one of Power and Potential, possibly chaotic, and that Ahura Mazda was of Order. But, as I've said, these matters need more research.

One thing that is clearly apparent is the Dragon/Serpent appears in many cultures all over the world, exemplifying the fierce chaos from which all creation arises. Also, the idea of the Serpent as the Initiator, remover of humankind's innocence, is a central theme. There are those that declare that innocence, as of a newborn babe, to be a good thing. Whereas there are those of us who declare knowledge and full prideful awareness of one's consciousness to be the better thing.

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