Luigi
Speranza -- Grice e Cazio – Roma – filosofia ialiana – Luigi Speranza (Roma). He is presented by Orazio as something of a philosophica dilettante
obsessed with food. Cazio. Refs.: Luigi Speranza, pel Gruppo di Gioco di
H. P. Grice, “Grice e Cazio,” The Swimming-Pool Library, Villa Speranza,
Liguria, Italia.
Luigi
Speranza -- Grice e Cazio: l’orto a Roma – filosofia italiana – Luigi Speranza (Roma). Catius insuber. Member of the Garden. He wrote four books in which he
set out the school’s teachings on the nature of the universe and the most
important hings in life. The books were aimed at making the teachings available
and accessible to a wide audience. Nome compiuto: Cazio insallubre. Catius
insuber. Refs.: Luigi Speranza, pel Gruppo di Gioco di H. P. Grice, “Grice e
Cazio,” The Swimming-Pool Library, Villa Speranza, Liguria, Italia.
Luigi Speranza – GRICE ITALO!;
ossia, Grice e Cazzaniga: la ragione conversazionale e l’implicatura
conversazionale dell’iniziazione – You only get first penetrated once –
BACCHANALIUM – scuola di Torino – filosofia torinese – filosofia piemontese -- filosofia
italiana – Luigi Speranza, pel Gruppo di Gioco di H. P. Grice, The
Swimming-Pool Library (Torino). Filosofo torinese. Filosofo
piemontese. Filosofo Italiano. Torino, Piemonte. Grice: “I like Cazzaniga – he
shows that latitdunial unity is not a myth! He has researched
on Cocconato – and he has seriously spoken of the ‘catene d’unione’ – the
handshake – which is crosses the longitudinal and latitudinal unities –
consider Thatcher: “There’s no such thing as societies; only individuals! The
‘catene d’unione’ is represented most easily by a handshake, but this is in a
catena usually a circle – need it be a close circle? It should be! Perhaps
Austin and the Play Group formed such a circle!” -- Gian Mario Cazzaniga
(Torino), filosofo. Studia a Milano. Si laurea a Pisa con Massolo. Insegna
a Pisa. Quaderno Rosso. Il potere operaio. Funzione e conflitto. Forme e classi
nella teoria marxista dello sviluppo, Napoli, Liguori); La religione dei
moderni, Pisa, ETS); Metamorfosi della sovranità: fra stati nazionali e
ordinamenti giuridici mondiali. Società geografica italiana, Roma, Pisa, ETS);
La democrazia come sistema simbolico "Belfagor”; Le Muse in loggia.
Massoneria e letteratura nel Settecento (Milano, UNICOPLI); Storia d'Italia.
Annali: La Massoneria, Torino, Einaudi) Storia d'Italia. Annali 25: Esoterismo,
Torino, Einaudi). C., “Massoneria e letteratura: Dalla 'République des lettres'
alla lettera- tura nazionale,” in Le muse in Loggia, ed. C. et al. (Milan:
Unicopli), C., “Origine ed evoluzione dei rituali carbonari italiani,” in C.,
La Massoneria, Chi anche in questa fine di millennio continua a nutrire
interesse per la storia delle vicende umane, per la storia delle idee e dei
tentativi messi in atto per concretarle - soprattutto se le idee in questione
sono quelle di libertà, fraternità, uguaglianza - trova in libreria un testo di
sicuro interesse: “La religione dei moderni”. Convinto con Eraclito che per
trovare oro è necessario scavare molta terra, C. ha dissodato a fondo un
terreno a prima vista assai ingrato: l'arcipelago multiforme e delirante della
massoneria e delle sue sette. Il risultato è però la dimostrazione di come la
nottola di Minerva possa tornare con un bottino non solo erudito, ma capace
anzi di rinnovare la nostra stessa auto-comprensione spiccando con metodo il
suo volo anche sulle strane isole e penisole culturali in cui vivono
illuminati, teofilantropi, filaleti, U.S.D. (leggasi: Uomini Senza Dio) e come
diavolo con nome di rigenerazione si sono ribattezzati i mille e mille fratelli
costruttori decisi ad erigere una carcere per il vizio e un templi alla virtù.
Tra loro spiccano in ogni caso alcuni tra i massimi intellettuali italiani: e
anche Lessing, Herder, Goethe, a Mirabeau, Condorcet, Fichte, Heine. Chi
indotto da recenti vicende italiche rischiasse di confondere massoneria e
piduismo, può finalmente scoprire momenti e figure assai più nobili e rilevanti
di questa istituzione e apprende come nella loggia e nato praticamente ogni
ideologia - liberalismo, democrazia cristiana, comunismo... - risultati
costituitivi della modernità occidentale. A chi si chiedesse cosa e chi ha
spinto allo studio dell'ambiente massonico un intellettuale lucido, raffinato e
dalla ben nota militanza nel movimento operaio come C., il saggui non manca di
rispondere. Da esso emerge netta l'opzione per una filosofia curiosa dei luoghi
storico-sociali capaci di generare il nuovo e attenta ai valori della differenza,
nutrita da quella passione per le radici culturali del nostro mondo che già
aveva indotto C. a esplorare "Fin'amors e cortezia nella poesia
trabadorica" quali matrici dello "spirito laico". Nel caso
attuale si aggiunge un'indicazione di Marx che, in compagnia di Engels,
criticava i "critici-critici" tedeschi alla luce delle esperienze
realizzate della critica pratica del cervello sociale messo in moto dalla
Rivoluzione Francese. C. stesso segnala il debito con i dioscuri fondatori del
moderno partito politico di massa. Lo fa con ironica signorilità citando a
conclusione del commento su Bonneville le parole che hanno costituito l'input
decisivo per l'avvio di un'indagine che, partita dal Cercle social indicato
dalle pagine della Sacra Famiglia quale origine del "movimento
rivoluzionario moderno", si è poi allargata all'intero mondo delle logge
rivelatosi uno dei luoghi più fecondi dell'attività mito-poietica alla base
della "invenzione" del legame sociale, soprattutto allorquando i
membri dell'istituzione muratoria si sono fatti "massoneria
pubblica", identificando il luogo di rifondazione del legame sociale nel
terreno dell'attività politica organizzata. Fenomeno che abbraccia l'Europa e
le due Americhe, la massoneria si rivela uno dei più rilevanti tentativi
moderni di fornire risposta alla crisi aperta nel fondamento del legame sociale
dalle guerre di religione. Per molti cittadini della République des Lettres la
massoneria più che società segreta è infatti una società che tratta segreti,
terreno embrionale di una nuova possibile convivenza inter-umana, progetto e
luogo possibile di rifondazione di quel legame sociale posto in crisi dalla
nascita dell'individuo come nuovo protagonista spirituale della storia europea
e dalla distinzione tra religione naturale e religioni positive. Con le sue
radici giusnaturalistiche e neo-stoiche, dal mondo classico il progetto
massonico recupera anzitutto l'idea di cittadinanza, primo grande esperimento
riuscito di costruzione artificiale di un legame sociale ispirandosene per
costruire, nella situazione di crisi dell'ancien régime, un progetto analogo.
Collocandosi da questa prospettiva la ricerca di C. trascende ampiamente la
storiografia auto-celebrativa intra-massonica e illumina di nuova luce origine
e natura della politica, identificata, in sintonia con Giarrizzo, come una
“religione”. L'elezione del mondo delle logge massoniche quale oggetto di
analisi avviene cioè in base alla convinzione storica-teorica circa il loro
carattere di "laboratorio" di nuove forme del vivere associato,
anzitutto a proposito del vero opus magnum ch'esse hanno contribuito ad
edificare, ovvero la costruzione di quella forma politica, sostenuta da partiti
di massa, che fu lo stato-nazione d’Italia. Che poi la nottola filosofica
spicchi il suo volo in condizioni oggi hegelianamente ideali, al tramonto
dell'egemonia organizzativa, culturale e morale dei partiti politici di massa,
per oltre un secolo protagonisti della democrazia rappresentativa e di una vita
politica basata sulla cittadinanza, insieme al tempismo di C. è dimostrazione
di come la sua fedeltà al marxismo intelligente non abbia spedito in soffitta
neppure quell'Hegel che qui, insieme a Heine, ottiene il tributo di due
splendidi saggi. Oggi la storia ha cominciato un capitolo nuovo e l'autore non
ha dubbi che si stia voltando pagina. Non condivide però la convinzione che ciò
significhi fine della modernità. Se le crepe nella sovranità degli stati
nazionali pongono in crisi partiti e sindacati, ovvero "i legami sociali
artificiali sui cui la modernità ha costruito la propria storia", la
transizione in atto "lungi dall'essere una negazione dei principi
costitutivi della modernità, è in realtà "un'affermazione radicale di
essa". E la prospettiva indicata da Marx non è affatto radiata in secula
seculorum dalla storia. Il comunismo resta all'ordine del giorno, solo che se
ne riprospetti il nucleo vivo e fondamentale non costituito né
dall'eguaglianza, né dalla giustizia sociale, né tantomeno dal recupero di una
dimensione comunitaria solidaristica, ma dalla capacità progettuale collettiva,
dal controllo consapevole del ricambio con l'ambiente naturale, dalla
possibilità storica che si apre per la società e per i singoli, in rapporto
alla rivoluzione scientifica e tecnologica, di essere finalmente padroni del
proprio destino. Nessun dubbio per noi che qui l'impeccabile storico di questa
religione riveli la sua personale cifra ideologica e la passione per il
marxismo. E' l'unico luogo in cui la sua prosa, peraltro sobria, cede a frasi
fatte come la padronanza del destino. Una espressione, questa, inerente, più
che alla politica, a un ambito filosofico-esistenziale, a tematiche, cioè, con
cui questa religione deve forse ancora imparare a cimentarsi. THE MASCULINE CROSS t PHALLIC WORSHIP PHALLIC WORSHIP A DESCRIPTION OF
THE MYSTERIES OF THE SEX WORSHIP OF THE ANCIENTS WITH THE HISTORY OF THE
MASCULINE CROSS AN ACCOUNT OF PRIMITIVE SYMBOLISM, PHALLICISM, BACCHIC
FESTIVALS, SEXUAL RITES, AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE ANCIENT FAITHS LONDON. The
present somewhat slight sketch of a most interesting subject, whilst not
claiming entire originality, yet embraces the cream, so to speak, of various
learned works of great cost, some of which being issuedfor private circulation
only, are almost unobtainable. During the past few years several books have
been written upon Phallicism in conjunction with other kindred matters, but not
devoting themselves entirely to one ancient mystery, the writers have only
partially ventilated the subject. The present work seeks to obviate this
failing by confining its attention entirely to the Sex Worship or Phallicism of
the ancient world. Many of the topics have received only slight treatment,
being little more than indicated ; but the work will enable the reader to
understand and possess the truth concerning the Phallic Worship of the
Ancients. Those who desire to know more, or to authenticate the statements and
facts given in this book, should consult the large and important works of Payne
Knight, Higgins, Dulaure, Kolle, Inman, and other writers. It was intended to
give with this volume a list of works and miscellaneous pieces written on the
subject, but the length of the list prevented its being added. PHALLIC WORSHIP
NATURE AND SEX WORSHIP Sex Worship has prevailed among all peoples of ancient
times, sometimes contemporaneous and often mixed with Star, Serpent, and Tree
Worship. The powers of nature were sexualised and endowed with the same
feelings, passions, and performing the same functions as human beings. Among
the ancients, whether the Sun, the Serpent, or the Phallic Emblem was
worshipped, the idea was the same—the veneration of the generative principle.
Thus we find a close relationship between the various mythologies of the
ancient nations, and by a comparison of the creeds, ideas, and symbols, can see
that they spring from the same source, namely, the worship of the forces and
operations of nature, the original of which was doubtless Sun worship. It is
not necessary to prove that in primitive times the Sun must have been
worshipped under various names, and venerated as the Creator, Light, Source of
Life, and the Giver of Food. In the earliest times the worship of the
generative power was of the most simple and pure character, rude in manner,
primitive in form, pure in idea, the homage of man to the supreme power, the
Author of life. Afterwards the worship became more depraved, a religion of
feeling, sensuous bliss, corrupted by a priesthood who were not slow to take
advantage of this state of affairs, and inculcated with it profligate and
mysterious ceremonies, union of gods with women, religious prostitution and
other degrading rites. Thus it was not long before the emblems lost their pure
and simple meaning and became licentious statues and debased objects. Hence we
have the depraved ceremonies at the worship of Bacchus, who became, not only
the representative of the creative power, but the God of pleasure and
licentiousness. The corrupted religion always found eager votaries, willing to
be captives to a pleasant bondage by the impulse of physical bliss, as was the
case in India and Egypt, and among the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Jews and other
nations. Sex worship once personified became the supreme and governing deity,
enthroned as the ruling God over all; dissent therefrom was impious and
punished. The priests of the worship compelled obedience; monarchs complied to
the prevailing faith and became willing devotees to the shrines of Isis and
Venus on the one hand, and of Bacchus and Priapus on the other, by appealing to
the most animating passion of nature. This is the worship of the reproductive
powers, the sexual appointments revered as the emblems of the Creator. The one
male, the active creative power; the other the female or passive power ; ideas
which were represented by various emblems in different countries. These emblems
-were of a pure and sacred character, and used at a time when the prophets and
priests spoke plain speech, understood by a rude and primitive people ;
although doubtless by the common people the emblems were worshipped themselves,
even as at the.present day in Roman Catholic countries the more ignorant, in
many cases, actually worship the images and pictures themselves, while to the
higher and more intelligent minds they are only symbols of a hidden object of
worship. In the same manner, the concealed meaning or hidden truth was to the
ignorant and rude people of early times entirely unknown, while the priests and
the more learned kept studiously concealed the meaning of the ceremonies and
symbols. Thus, the primitive idea became mixed with profligate, debased
ceremonies, and lascivious rites, which in time caused the more pure part of
the worship to be forgotten. But Phallicism is not to be judged from these
sacred orgies, any more than Christianity from the religious excitement and
wild excesses of a few Christian sects during the Middle Ages. In a work on the
“ Worship of the Generative Powers during the Middle Ages,” the writer traces
the superstition westward, and gives an account of its prevalence throughout
Southern and Western Europe during that period. The worship was very prevalent
in Italy, and was invariably carried by the Romans into the countries they
conquered, where they introduced their own institutions and forms of worship.
Accordingly, in Britain have been found numerous relics and remains; and many
of our ancient customs are traced to a Phallic origin. “ When we cross over to
Britain,” says the writer, “ we find this worship established no less firmly
and extensively in that island; statuettes of Priapus, Phallic bronzes. pottery
covered with obscene pictures, are found wherever there are any extensive
remains of Roman occupation, as our antiquaries know well. The numerous Phallic
figures in bronze found in England are perfectly identical in character with
those that occur in France and Italy.” All antiquaries of any experience know
the great number of obscene subjects which are met with among the fine red
pottery which is termed Samian ware, found so abundantly in all Roman sites in
our island. “ They represent erotic scenes, in every sense of the word, with
figures of Priapus and Phallic emblems.” The Phallus, or Lingam, which stood
for the image of the male organ, or emblem of creation, has been worshipped
from time immemorial. Payne Knight describes it as of the greatest antiquity,
and as having prevailed in Egypt and all over Asia. The women of the former
country carried in their re¬ ligious processions, a movable Phallus of
disproportionate magnitude, which Deodorus Siculus informs us signified the
generative attribute. It has also been observed among the idols of the native
Americans and ancient Scandinavians, while the Greeks represented the Phallus
alone, and changed the personified attribute into a distinct deity, called
Priapus. Phallus, or privy member (membrum virile), signifies, “ he breaks
through, or passes into.” This word survives in German pfahl, and pole in
English. Phallus is supposed Phallic Worship ii to be of Phoenician origin, the
Greek word pallo, or phallo, “ to brandish preparatory to throwing a missile,”
is so near in assonance and meaning to Phallus, that one is quite likely to be
parent of the other. In Sanskrit it can be traced to phal, “ to burst,” “ to
produce,” “ to be fruitful ” ; then, again, phal is “ a ploughshare,” and is
also the name of Siva and Mahadeva, who are Hindu deities. Phallus, then, was
the ancient emblem of creation: a divinity who was companion to Bacchus. The
Indian designation of this idol was Lingam, and those who dedicated themselves
to its service were to observe inviolable chastity. “ If it were discovered,”
says Crawford, “ that they had in any way departed from them, the punishment is
death. They go naked, and being considered as sanctified persons, the women
approach without scruple, nor is it thought that their modesty should be
offended by it.” The Phallus and its emblems were representative of the gods
Bacchus, Priapus, Hercules, Siva, Osiris, Baal, and Asher, who were all Phallic
deities. The symbols were used as signs of the great creative energy or
operating power of God from no sense of mere animal appetite, but in the
highest reverence. Payne Knight, describing the emblems, says : Forms and
ceremonials of a religion are not always to be understood in their direct and
obvious sense, but are to be considered as symbolical representations of some
hidden meaning extremely wise and just, though the symbols themselves, to those
who know not their true signification, may appear in the highest degree absurd
and extravagant. It has often happened that avarice and superstition have
continued these symbolical representations for ages after their original
meaning has been lost and forgotten; they must, of course, appear nonsensical
and ridiculous, if not impious and extravagant. Such is the case with the rite
now under consideration, than which nothing can be more monstrous and indecent,
if considered in its plain and obvious meaning, or as part of the Christian
worship ; but which will be found to be a very natural symbol of a very natural
and philosophical system of religion, if considered according to its original
use and intention.” The natural emblems were those which from their character
were most suitable representatives; such as poles, pillars, stones, which were
sacred to Hindu, Egyptian, and Jewish divinities. Blavalsky gives an account of
the Bimlang Stone, to be found at Narmada and other places, which is sacred to
the Hindu deity Siva; these emblem stones were anointed, like the stone
consecrated by the Patriarch Jacob. Blavalsky further says that these stones
are “ identical in shape, meaning, and purpose with the * pillars ” set up by
the several patriarchs to mark their adoration of the Lord God. In fact, one of
these patriarchal lithoi might even now be carried in the Sivaitic processions
of Calcutta without its Hebrew derivation being suspected.”The Pole was an
emblem of the Phallus, and with the serpent upon it, was a representative of
its divine wisdom and symbol of life. The serpent upon the tree is the same in
character, both are representative of the tree of life. The story of Moses will
well illustrate this, when he erected in the wilderness this effigy, which
stood as a sign of hope and life, as the cross is used by the Catholics of the
present day ; the cross then, as now, being simply an emblem of the Creator,
used as a token of resurrection or regeneration. iEsculapius, as the restorer
of health, has a rod or Phallus with a serpent entwined. The Rev. M. Morris has
shown that the raising of the May-pole is of Phallic origin, the remains of a
custom of India or Egypt, and is typical of the fructifying powers of spring.
The May festival was carried on with great licentious¬ ness by the Romans, and
was celebrated by nearly all peoples as the month consecrated to Love. The May-day
in England was the scene of riotous enjoyment, very nearly approaching to the
Roman Floralia. No wonder the Puritans looked upon the May-pole as a relic of
Paganism, and in their writings may be gleaned much of the licentious character
of the festival. Philip Stubbes, a Puritan writer in the reign of Elizabeth,
thus describes a May-day in England: “ Every parishe, towne, and village
assemble themselves together, bothe men, women, and children, olde and younge
even indiffer¬ ently ; and either goyng all together, or devidyng themselves
into companies, they go some to the woods and groves, some to one place, some
to another, where thei spend all the night in pleasant pastymes; and in the
mornyng they returne, bryngyng with them birch bowes and branches of trees, to
deck their assemblies withall. But their cheerest jewell thei bryng from thence
is their Maie pole, whiche thei bryng home with great veneration, as thus :
thei have twentie or fortie yoke of oxen, every oxe havyng a sweet nosegaie of
flowers placed on the tippe of his homes, and these oxen drawe home this Maie
pole (this stinckyng idoll rather), which is covered all over with flowers and
hearbes, bound rounde aboute with strynges from the top to the bottome, and
sometyme painted with variable colours, with two or three hundred men, women,
and children, foliowyng it with great devotion. And thus beyng reared up, with
handekerchiefes and flagges streamyng on the top, thei strawe the grounde
aboute, binde greene boughes aboute it, sett up sommer haules, bowers, and
arbours hard by it. And then fall thei to banquet and feast, to leape and
daunce aboute it, as the heathen people did at the dedication of their idols,
whereof this is a perfect patterne, or rather the thyng itself.” The ceremony
was almost identical with the Roman festival, where the Phallus was introduced
with garlands. Both were attended with the same licentiousness, for Stubbes
gives a further account of the depravity attending the festivities. PILLARS
Another type of emblem was the stone pillar, remains of which still exist in
the British Isles. These pillars or so called crosses generally consist of a
shaft of granite with a carved head. In the West of England crosses are very
common, standing in the market and receiving the name of “ The Cross.” These
stone pillars were first erected in honour of the Phallic deity, and on the
introduction of Christianity were not destroyed, but consecrated to the new
faith, doubtless to honour the prejudices of the people. These monolisks abound
in the Highlands, they are stones set up on end, some twenty-four or thirty
feet high, others higher or lower and this sometimes where no such stones are
to be quarried. We learn that the Bacchus of the Thebans was a pillar. The
Assyrian Nebo was represented by a plain pillar, consecrated by anointing with
oil. Arnobius gives an account of this practice, as also does Theophrastus, who
speaks of it as a custom for a superstitious man, when he passed by these
anointed stones in the streets to take out a phial of oil and pour it upon them
and having fallen on his knees to make his adorations, and so depart. In
various parts of the Bible the Pillar is referred to as of a sacred character,
as in Isaiah xix. 19, 20, “In that day shall there be an altar to Jehovah in the
midst oi the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to Jehovah, and
it should be for a sign and a witness to the Lord.” The Orphic Temples were
doubtless emblems of the same principle of the mystic faiths of the ancients,
the same as the Round Towers of Ireland, a history of which was collected by
O’Brien, who describes the Towers as “ Temples constructed by the early Indian
colonists of the country in honour of the 'Fructifying principle of nature,
emanating as was supposed from the Sun, or the deity of desire instrumental in
that principle of universal generativeness diffused throughout all
nature.”According to the same author these towers were very ancient, and of
Phoenician origin, as similar towers have been found in Phoenicia. “ The Irish
themselves,” says O’Brien, “ designated them ‘ Bail-toir,’ that is the tower of
Baal. Baal was the name of the Phallic deity, and the priest who attended them
* Aoi Bail-toir ’ or superinendent of Baal tower.” This Baal was worshipped
wherever the Phoenicians went, and was represented by a pillar or stone or
similar objects. The stone that Jacob set up, and anointed as a rallying place
for worship, became afterwards an object of worship to the Phoenicians. The
earliest navigators of the world were the Phoenicians, they founded colonies
and extended their commerce first to the isles of the Mediterranean, from
thence to Spain, and then to the British Isles. Historians have accorded to
them the settlements of the most remote localities. They formed settlements in
Cyprus, and Atticum, according to Josephus, was the principal settle¬ ment of
the Tyrians upon this island. Strabo’s testimony is, that the Phoenicians, even
before Homer, had possessed themselves of the best part of Spain. Where the
Phoenicians settled, there they introduced their religion, and it is in these
countries we find the remains of ancient stone and pillar worship. Loggin
stones are by Payne Knight considered as Phallic emblems. “ Their remains,” he
says, “ are still extant, and appear to have been composed of a crone set into
the ground, and another placed upon the point of it and so nicely balanced that
the wind could move it, though so ponderous that no human force, unaided by
machinery, can displace it; whence they are called * logging rocks * and *
pendre stones,’ as they were anciently * living stones ’ and * stones of God,’
titles which differ very little in meaning from that on the Tyrian coins.
Damascius saw several of them in the neighbourhood of Heliopolis or Baalbeck,
in Syria, particularly one which was then moved by the wind; and they are
equally found in the Western extremities of Europe and the Eastern extremities
of Asia, in Britain, and in China.” Bryant mentions it as very usual among the
Egyptians to place with much labour one vast stone upon another for a religious
memorial. Such immense masses, being moved by causes seeming so inadequate,
must naturally have conveyed the idea of spontaneous motion to ignorant
observers, and persuaded them that they were animated by an emanation of the
vital spirit, whence they were consulted as oracles, the responses of which
could always be easily obtained by interpreting the different oscillatory
movements into nods of approbation or dissent. Phallic emblems abounded at
Heliopolis in Syria, and many other places, even in modern times. A physician,
writing to Dr. Inman, says : “ I was in Egypt last winter (1865-66), and there
certainly are numerous figures of gods and kings, on the walls of the temple at
Thebes, depicted with the male genital erect. The great temple at Karnak is, in
particular, full of such figures, and the temple of Danclesa likewise, though
that is of much later date, and built merely in imitation of old Egyptian art.
The same inspiring bas-reliefs are pointed out by Ezek. B 14. I remember one
scene of a king (Rameses II) returning in triumph with captives, many of whom
were undergoing the process of castration.” Obelisks were also representative
of the same emblem. Payne Knight mentions several terminating in a cross, which
had exactly the appearance of one of those crosses erected in churchyards and
at cross roads for the adoration of devout persons, when devotions were more
prevalent than at present. Stones, pillars, obelisks, stumps of trees, upright
stones have all the same signification, and are means by which the male element
was symbolised. The Triune idea is to be found in the system of almost every
nation. All have their Trinity in Unity, three in one, which can be distinctly
recognised in the cross. The Triad is the male or triple, the constitution of
the three persons of most sacred Trinity forming the Triune system. In the
analysis of the subject by Rawlinson, we find the Trinity consisted of Asshur
or Asher, associated with Anu and Hea or Hoa. Asshur, the supreme god of the
Assyrians, represents the Phallus or central organ or the Linga, the membrum
virile. The cognomen Anu was given to the right testis, while that of Hea
designated the left. It was only natural that Asshur being deified, his
appendages should be deified also. “ Beltus,” says Inman, “ was the goddess
associated with them, the four together made up Arba or Arba-il, the four great
gods,” the Trinity in Unity. The idea thus broached receives great confirmation
when we examine the particular stress laid in ancient times respecting the
right and left side of the body in connection with the Triad names given to
offspring mentioned in the scriptures with the titles given to Anu and Hea. The
male or active principle was typified by the idea of “solidity ” and “
firmness,” and the females or passive by the principles of “ water,” “ soft¬
ness,” and other feminine principles. Thus the goddess Hea was associated with
water, and according to Forlong, the Serpent, the ruler ot the Abyss, was
sometimes repre¬ sented to be the great Hea, without whom there was no creation
or life, and whose godhead embraced also the female element water. Rawlinson
also gives a similar conclusion, and states as far as he could determine the
third divinity or left side was named Hea, and he considered this deity to
correspond to Neptune. Neptune was the presiding deity of the deep, ruler of
the abyss, and king of the rivers. As Darwin and his coadjutors teach, mankind,
in common with all animal life, originally sprung from the sea ; so physiology
teaches that each individual had origin in a pond of water. The fruit of man is
both solid and fluid. It was natural to imagine that the two male appendages
had a distinct duty, that one formed the infant, the other water in which it
lived, that one generated the male, the other the female offspring; and the
inference was then drawn that water must be feminine, the emblem of all
possible powers of creation. It will be seen that the names and signification
of the gods and their attributes had no ideal meaning. Thus in Genesis xxx. 13,
we find Asher given as a personality, which signifies “ to be straight,” “
upright,” “ fortunate,” “ happy.” Asher was the supreme god of the Assyrians,
the Vedic Mahadeva, the emblem of the human male structure and creative energy.
The same idea of the creator is still to be seen in India, Egypt, Phoenicia,
the Mediterranean, Europe, and Denmark, depicted on stone relics. To a rude and
ignorant people, enslaved with such a religion, it was an easy step from the
crude to the more refined sign, from the offensive to a more pictured and less
obnoxious symbol, from the plain and self-evident to the mixed, disguised, and
mystified, from the unclothed privy member to the cross. THE CROSS The Triad,
or Trinity, has been traced to Phoenicia, Egypt, Japan, and India; the triple
deities Asshur, Anu, and Hea forming the “ tau.” This mark of the Christians,
Greeks, and Hebrews became the sign or type of the deities representing the
Phallic trinity, and in time became the figure of the cross. It is remarked by
Payne Knight that “ The male organs of generation are sometimes found
represented by signs of the same sort, which properly should be called the
symbol of symbols. One of the most remarkable of these is a cross, in the form
of the letter (T), which thus served as the emblem of creation and generation
before the Church adopted it as a sign of salvation.” Another writer says, “
Reverse the position of the triple deities Asshur, Anu, Hea, and we have the
figure of the ancient c tau ’ of the Christians, Greeks, and ancient Hebrews.
It is one of the oldest conventional forms of the cross. It is also met with in
Gallic, Oscan, Arcadian, Etruscan, original Egyptian, Phoenician, Ethiopic, and
Pelasgian forms. The Ethiopic form of the * tau ’ is the exact prototype and
image of the cross, or rather, to state the fact in order of merit and time,
the cross is made in the exact image of the Ethiopic * tau.’ The fig-leaf,
having three lobes to it, became a symbol of the triad. As the male genital
organs were held in early times to exemplify the actual male creative power,
various natural objects were seized upon to express the theistic idea, and at
the same time point to those parts of the human form. Hence, a similitude was
recognised in a pillar, a heap of stones, a tree between two rocks, a club
between two pine cones, a trident, a thyrsus tied round with two ribbons with
the two ends pendant, a thumb and two fingers, the caduceus. Again, the
conspicuous part of the sacred triad Asshur is symbolised by a single stone
placed upright—the stump of a tree, a block, a tower, spire, minaret, pole,
pine, poplar, or palm tree, while eggs, apples, or citrons, plums, grapes, and
the like represented the remaining two portions, altogether called Phallic emblems.
Baal-Shalisha is a name which seems designed to perpetuate the triad, since it
signifies * my Lord the Trinity,’ or * my God is three.’ ” We must not omit to
mention other Phallic emblems, such as the bull, the ram, the goat, the
serpent, the torch, fire, a knobbed stick, the crozier; and still further per¬
sonified, as Bacchus, Priapus, Dionysius, Hercules, Hermes, Mahadeva, Siva,
Osiris, Jupiter, Moloch, Baal, Asher, and others. If Ezekiel is to be credited,
the triad, T, as Asshur, Anu, and Hea, was made of gold and silver, and was in
his day not symbolically used, but actually employed; for he bluntly says “
whoredom was committed with the images of men,” or, as the marginal note has
it, images of “ a male ” (Ezek. xvi. 17). It was with this god-mark —a cross in
the form of the letter T—that Ezekiel was directed to stamp the foreheads of
the men of Judata who feared the Lord (Ezek. ix. 4). That the cross, or
crucifix, has a sexual origin we determine by a similar rule of research to
that by which comparative anatomists determine the place and habits of an
animal by a single tooth. The cross is a metaphoric tooth which belongs to an
antique religious body physical, and that essentially human. A study of some of
the earliest forms of faith will lift the veil and explain the mystery. India,
China, and Egypt have furnished the world with a genus of religion. Time and
culture have divided and modified it into many species and countless varieties.
However much the imagination was allowed to play upon it, the animus of that
religion was sexuality—worship of the generative principle of man and nature,
male and female. The cross became the emblem of the male feature, under the
term of the triad —three in one. The female was the unit ; and, joined to the
male triad, con¬ stituted a sacred four. Rites and adoration were sometimes
paid to the male, sometimes to the female, or to the two in one. So great was
the veneration of the cross among the ancients that it was carried as a Phallic
symbol in the religious processions of the Egyptians and Persians. Higgins also
describes the cross as used from the earliest times of Paganism by the
Egyptians as a banner, above which was carried the device of the Egyptian
cities. The cross was also used by the ancient Druids, who held it as a sacred
emblem. In Egypt it stood for the significa¬ tion of eternal life. Schedeus
describes it as customary for the Druids “ to seek studiously for an oak tree,
large and handsome, growing up with two principal arms in the form of a cross,
besides the main stem upright. If the two horizontal arms are not sufficiently
adapted to the figure, they fasten a cross-beam to it. This tree they
consecrate in this manner: Upon the right branch they cut in the bark, in fair
characters, the word ‘ Hesus ’; upon the middle, or upright stem, the word ‘
Taranius ’; upon the left branch ‘ Belenus ’; over this, above the going off of
the arms, they cut the name of the god Thau ; under all, the same repeated,
Thau.” YONI There is in Hindostan an emblem of great sanctity, which is known
as the “ Linga-Yoni.” It consists of a simple pillar in the centre of a figure
resembling the outline of a conical ear-ring. It is expressive of the female
genital organ both in shape and idea. The Greek letter “ Delta ” is also expressive
of it, signifying the door of a house. Yoni is of Sanskrit origin. Yanna, or
Yoni, means (1) the vulva, (2) the womb, (3) the place of birth, (4) origin,
(5) water, (6) a mine, a hole, or pit. As Asshur and Jupiter were the
representatives of the male potency, so Juno and Venus were representatives of
the female attribute. Moore, in his “ Oriental Fragments,” says : “ Oriental
writers have generally spelled the word, * Yoni,’ which I prefer to write ‘
IOni.’ As Lingam was the vocalised cognomen of the male organ, or deity, so
IOni was that of hers.” Says R. P. Knight: “ The female organs of generation
were revered as symbols of the generative powers of nature or of matter, as
those of the male were of the generative powers of God. They are usually represented
emblematically by the shell Concoa Veneris, which was therefore worn by devout
persons of antiquity, as it still continues to be by the pilgrims of many of
the common people of Italy ” (“ On the worship of Priapus,” p. 28). If Asshur,
the conspicuous feature of the male Creator, is supplied with types and
representative figures of himself, so the female feature is furnished with
substitutes and typical imagery of herself. One of these is technically known
as the sistrum of Isis. It is the virgin’s symbol. The bars across the
fenestrum, or opening, are bent so that they cannot be taken out, and indicate
that the door is closed. It signifies that the mother is still virgo intacta —a
truly immaculate female—if the truth can be strained to so denominate a mother.
The pure virginity of the Celestial Mother was a tenet of faith for 2,000 years
before the accepted Virgin Mary now adored was born. We might infer that
Solomon was acquainted with the figure of the sistrum, when he said, “ A garden
enclosed is my spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed ” (Song of Sol. iv.
12). The sistrum, we are told, was only used in the worship of Isis, to drive
away Typhon (evil). The Argha is a contrite form, or boat-shaped dish or plate
used as a sacrificial cup in the worship of Astarte, Isis, and Venus. Its shape
portrays its own significance. The Argha and crux ansata were often seen on
Egyptian monuments, and yet more frequently on bas-reliefs. Equivalent to Iao,
or the Lingam, we find Ab, the Father, the Trinity; Asshur, Anu, Hea, Abraham,
Adam, Esau, Edom, Ach, Sol, Helios (Greek for Sun), Dionysius, Bacchus, Apollo,
Hercules, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Jupiter, Zeus, Aides, Adonis, Baal, Osiris,
Thor, Oden; the cross, tower, spire, pillar, minaret, tolmen, and a host of
others ; while the Yoni was represented by IO, Isis, Astarte, Juno, Venus,
Diana, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hera, Rhea, Cybele, Ceres, Eve, Frea, Frigga ; the
queen of Heaven, the oval, the trough, the delta, the door, the ark, the ship,
the chasm, a ring, a lozenge, cave, hole, pit. Celestial Virgin, and a number
of other names. Lucian, who was an Assyrian, and visited the temple of Dea
Syria, near the Euphrates, says there are two Phalli standing in the porch with
this inscription on them, “ These Phalli I, Bacchus, dedicate to my step-mother
Juno.” The Papal religion is essentially the feminine, and built on the ancient
Chaldean basis. It clings to the female element in the person of the Virgin
Mary. Naphtali (Gen. xxx. 8) was a descendant of such worshippers, if there be
any meaning in a concrete name. Bear in mind, names and pictures perpetuate the
faith of many peoples. Neptoah is Hebrew for “ the vulva,” and, A 1 or El being
God, one of the unavoidable renderings of Naphtali is “ the Yoni is my God,” or
“ I worship the Celestial Virgin.” The Philistine towns generally had names
strongly connected with sexual ideas. Ashdod, aisb or esb, means “ fire, heat,”
and dod means “ love, to love,” “ boiled up,” “ be agitated,” the whole
signifying “ the heat of love,” or “ the fire which impels to union.” Could not
those people exclaim . Our “ God is love ” ? (i John iv. 8). The amatory drift
of Solomon’s song is undisguised. 26 Phallic Worship though the language is
dressed in the habiliments of seem¬ ing decency. The burden of thought of most
of it bears direct reference to the Linga-Yoni. He makes a woman say, “ He
shall lie all night betwixt my breasts ” (S. of S. i. 13). Again, of the
Phallus, or Linga, she says, “I will go up the palm-tree, I will take hold of
the boughs thereof”. Palm-tree and boughs are euphemisms of the male genitals.
The nations surrounding the Jews practising the Phallic rites and worshipping
the Phallic deities, it is not to be supposed that the Jews escaped their
influence. It is indeed certain that the worship of the Phallics was a great
and important part of the Hebrew worship. This will be the more plainly seen
when we bear in mind the importance given to circumcision as a covenant between
God and man. Another equally suggestive custom among the Patriarchs was the act
of taking the oath, or making a sacred promise, which is commented upon by Dr.
Ginsingburg in Kitto’s Cyclopedia. He says : “ Another primitive custom which
obtained in the patriarchal age was, that the one who took the oath put his
hand under the thigh of the adjurer (Gen. xxiv. 2, and xlvii. 29). This
practice evidently arose from the fact that the genital member, which is meant
by the euphe¬ mistic expression thigh, was regarded as the most sacred part of
the body, being the symbol of union in the tenderest relation of matrimonial
life, and the seat whence all issue proceeds and the perpetuity so much coveted
by the ancients. Compare Gen. xlvi. 26; Exod. i. 5 ; Judges vii. 30. Hence the
creative organ became the symbol of the Creator, and the object of worship
among all nations of antiquity. It is for this reason that God claimed it as a
sign of the covenant between himself and his chosen people in the rite of
circumcision. Nothing therefore could render the oath more solemn in those days
than touching the symbol of creation, the sign of the covenant, and the source
of that issue who may at any future period avenge the breaking a compact made
with their progenitor.” From this we learn that Abraham, himself a Chaldee, had
reverence for the Phallus as an emblem of the Creator. We also learn that the
rite of circumcision touches Phallic or Lingasic worship. From Herodotus we are
informed that the Syrians learned circumcision from the Egyptians, as did the
Hebrews. Says Dr. Inman: “I do not know anything which illustrates the
difference between ancient and modern times more than the frequency with which
circumcision is spoken of in the sacred books, and the carefulness with which
the subject is avoided now.” The mutilation of male captives, as practised by
Saul and David, was another custom among the worshippers of Baal, Asshur, and
other Phallic deities. The practice was to debase the victims and render them
unfit to take part in the worship and mysteries. Some idea can be formed of the
esteem in which people in former times cherished the male or Phallic emblems of
creative power when we note the sway that power exercised over them. If these
organs were lost or disabled, the unfortunate one was unfitted to meet in the
congregation of the Lord, and disqualified to minister in the holy temples.
Excessive 28 Phallic Worship punishment was inflicted upon the person who had
the temerity to injure the sacred structure. If a woman were guilty of
inflicting injury, her hand was cut off without pity (Deut.). The great object
of veneration in the Ark of the Covenant was doubtless a Phallic emblem, a
symbol of the preservation of the germ of life. In the historical and prophetic
books of the Old Testament we have repeated evidence that the Hebrew worship
was a mixture of Paganism and Judaism, and that Jehovah was worshipped in
connection with other deities. Hezekiah is recorded in 2 Kings xviii. 3, to
have removed the high places, and broken the images, and cut down the groves
(Ashera), and broken in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made, for unto
those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it.” The Ashera, or
sacred groves here alluded to are named from the goddess Ashtaroth, which Dr.
Smith describes as the proper name of the goddess ; while Ashera is the name of
the image of the goddess. Rawlinson, in his Five Great Monarchies of the
Ancient World, describes Ashera to imply something that stood straight up, and
probably its essential element was the stem of a tree, an analogy suggestive of
the Assyrian emblem of the Tree of Life of the Scriptures. This stem, which
stood for the emblem of life, was probably a pillar, or Phallus, like the Lingi
of the Hindus, sometimes erected in a grove or sacred hollow, signifying the
Yoni and Lingi. We read in 2 Kings xxi. 7, that Manasseh “ set up a graven
image in the grove,” and, according to Dr. Oort, the older reading is in 2
Chron. xxxiii. 7, 15, where it is an image or pillar. During the reigns of the
Jewish kings, the worship of Baal, the Priapus of the Greeks and Romans,
Phallic Worship 2 9 was extensively practised by the Jews. Pillars and groves
were reared in his name. In front of the Temple of Baal, in Samaria, was
erected an Ashera (i Kings xvi. 31, 32) which even survived the temple itself,
for although Jehu destroyed the Temple of Baal, he allowed the Ashera to remain
(2 Kings x. 18, 19; xiii. 6). Bernstein, in an important work on the origin of
the legends of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, undoubtedly proves that during the
monarchial period of Israel, the sanguinary wars and violent conflicts between
the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel were between the Elohistic and Jehovahic
faiths, kept alive by the priesthood at the chief places of worship, concerning
the true patriarch, and each party manufacturing and inserting legends to give
a more ancient and important part to its own faith. It is not at all improbable
that the conflict was between the two portions of the Phallic faith, the Lingam
and Yoni parties. The cause of this conflict was the erection of the
consecrated stones or pillars which were put up by the Hebrews as objects of
Divine worship. The altar erected by Jacob at Bethel was a pillar, for
according to Bernstein the word altar can only be used for the erection of a
pillar. Jacob likewise set up a Matzebah, or pillar of stone, in Gilead, and
finally he set one up upon the tomb of Rachel. A great portion of the facts
have been suppressed by the translators, who have given to the world histories
which have glossed over the ancient rites and practices of the Jews. An
instance is given by Forlong on the important word “ Rock or Stone,” a Phallic
emblem to which the Jews addressed their devotions. He says, “ It should not
be, but I fear it is, necessary to explain to mere English readers of the Old
Testament that the Stone or Rock Tsur was the real old god of all Arabs, Jews,
and Phoenicians, that this would be clear to Christians were the Jewish
writings translated according to the first ideas of the people and Rock used as
it ought to be, instead of ‘ God,’ * Theos,’ £ Lord,’ etc., being written where
Tsur occurs . Numerous instances of this are given in Dr. Ort’s worship of Baal
in Israel, where praises, addresses, and adorations are addressed to the Rock,
instance, Deut. xxxii. 4, 18. Stone pillars were also used by the Hebrews as a
memorial of a sacred covenant, for we find Jacob setting up a pillar as a
witness, that he would not pass over it. Connected with this pillar worship is
the ceremony of anointing by pouring oil upon the pillar, as practised by Jacob
at Bethel. According to Sir W. Forbes, in his Oriental Memoirs, the “pouring of
oil upon a stone is practised at this day upon many a shapeless stone
throughout Hindostan.” Toland gives a similar account of the Druids as practising
the same rite, and describes many of the stones found in England as having a
cavity at the top made to receive the offering. The worship of Baal like the
worship of Priapus was attended with prostitution, and we find the Jews having
a similar custom to the Babylonians. Payne Knight gives the following account
of it in his work: “ The women of every rank and condition held it to be an
indispensable duty of religion to prostitute themselves once in their lives in
her temple to any stranger who came and offered money, which, whether little or
much, was accepted, and applied to a sacred purpose. Women sat in the temple of
Venus awaiting the selection of the stranger, who had the liberty of choosing
whom he liked. A woman once seated must remain until she has been selected by a
piece of silver being cast into her lap, and the rite performed outside the
temple.” Similar customs existed in Armenia, Phrygia, and even in Palestine,
and were a feature of the worship of Baal Peor. The Hebrew prophets described and
denounced these excesses which had the same characteristics as the rites of the
Babylonian priesthood. The identical custom is referred to in i Sam. ii. 22,
where “ the sons of Eli lay with the women that assembled at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation.” Words and history corroborate each other, or
are apt to do so if contemporaneous. Thus kadesh, or kaesh, designate in Hebrew
“ a consecrated one,” and history tells the unworthy tale in descriptive
plainness, as will be shown in the sequel. That the religion was dominating and
imperative is determined by Deut. xvii. 12, where presumptuous refusal to
listen to the priest was death to the offender. To us it is inconceivable that
the indulgence of passion could be associated with religion, but so it was.
Much as it is covered over by altered words and substituted expressions in the
Bible—an example of which see men for male organ, Ezek. xvi. 17—it yet stands
out offensively bold. The words expressive of “ sanctuary,” “ conse¬ crated,”
and “ Sodomite,” are in the Hebrew essentially the same. They indicate the
passion of amatory devotion. It is among the Hindus of to-day as it was in
Greece and Italy of classic times ; and we find that “ holy women ” is a title
given to those who devote their bodies to be used for hire, the price of which
hire goes to the service of the temple. As a general rule, we may assume that
priests who make or expound the laws, which they declare to be from God, are
men, and, consequently, through all time, have thought, and do think, of the
gratification of the masculine half of humanity. The ancient and modern
Orientals are not exceptions. They lay it down as a momentous fact that
virginity is the most precious of all the possessions of a woman, and, being
so, it ought, in some way or other, to be devoted to God. Throughout India, and
also through the densely inhabited parts of Asia, and modern Turkey there is a
class of females who dedicate themselves to the service of the deity whom they
adore; and the rewards accruing from their prostitution are devoted to the
service of the temple and the priests officiating therein. The temples of the
Hindus in the Dekkan possessed their establishments. They had bands of
consecrated dancing-girls called the Women of the Idol, selected in their
infancy by the priests for the beauty of their persons, and trained up with
every elegant accomplishment that could render them attractive. We also find
David and the daughters of Shiloh per¬ forming a wild and enticing dance ;
likewise we have the leaping of the prophets of Baal. It is again significant
that a great proportion of Bible names relate to " divine,” sexual,
generative, or creative power; such as Alah, “ the strong one ” ; Ariel, “ the
strong Jas is El ” ; Amasai, “ Jah is firm ” ; Asher, “ the male ” or “ the
upright organ ” ; Elijah, “ El is Jah ” ; Eliab, “ the strong father ” ;
Elisha, “ El is upright ” ; Ara, “ the strong one,” “ the hero ” ; Aram, “
high,” or, “ to be uncovered ” ; Baal Shalisha, “ my Lord the trinity,” or “ my
God is three ” ; Ben-zohett, “ son of firmness ” ; Camon, “ the erect One ” ;
Cainan, “ he stands upright ” ; these are only a few of the many names of a
similar signification. It will be seen, from what has been given, that the
Jews, like the Phoenicians (if they were not the same), had the same
ceremonies, rites, and gods as the surrounding nations, but enough has been
said to show that Phallic worship was much practised by the Jews. It was very
doubtful whether the Jehovah-worship was not of a monotheistic character, but
those who desire to have a further insight into the mysteries of the wars
between the tribes should consult Bernstein’s valuable work. EARTH MOTHER The
following interesting chapter is taken from a valuable book issued a few years
ago anonymously : “ Mother Earth ” is a legitimate expression, only of the most
general type. Religious genius gave the female quality to the earth with a
special meaning. When once the idea obtained that our world was feminine, it
was easy to induce the faithful to believe that natural chasms were typical of
that part which characterises woman. As at birth the new being emerges from the
mother, so it was supposed that emergence from a terrestrial cleft was
equivalent to a new birth. In direct proportion to the resemblance between the
sign and the thing signified was the sacredness of the chink, and the amount of
virtue which was imparted by passing through it. From natural caverns being
considered holy, the veneration for apertures in stones, as being equally
symbolical, was a natural transition. Holes, such as we refer to, are still to
be seen in those structures which are called Druidical, both in the British
Isles and in India. It is impossible to say when these first arose; it is
certain that they survive in India to this day. We recognise the existence of
the emblem among the Jews in Isaiah li. i, in the charge to look “ to the hole
of the pit whence ye are digged.” We have also an indication that chasms were
symbolical among the same people in Isaiah lvii. 5, where the wicked among the
Jews were described as “ inflaming themselves with idols under every green
tree, and slaying the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks.”
It is possible that the “ hole in the wall ” (Ezek. viii. 7) had a similar
signification. In modern Rome, in the vestibule of the church close to the
Temple of Vesta, I have seen a large perforated stone, in the hole of which the
ancient Romans are said to have placed their hands when they swore a solemn
oath, in imitation, or, rather, a counterpart, of Abraham swearing his servant
upon his thigh—that is the male organ. Higgins dwells upon these holes, and
says: “ These stones are so placed as to have a hole under them, through which
devotees passed for religious purposes. There is one of the same kind in
Ireland, called St. Declau’s stone. In the mass of rocks at Bramham Crags there
is a place made for the devotees to pass through. We read in the accounts of
Hindostan that there is a very celebrated place in Upper India, to which immense
numbers of pilgrims go, to pass through a place in the mountains called “ The
Cow’s Belly.” In the Island of Bombay, at Malabar Hill, there is a rock upon
the surface of which there is a natural crevice, which communicates with a
cavity opening below. This place is used by the Gentoos as a purification of
their sins, which they say is effected by their going in at the opening below,
and emerging at the cavity above—“ born again.” The ceremony is in such high
repute in the neighbouring countries that the famous Conajee Angria ventured by
stealth, one night, upon the Island, on purpose to perform the ceremony, and
got off undiscovered. The early Christians gave them a bad name, as if from
envy; they called these holes “ Cunni Diaboli ” ( Anacalypsis). The Romans call
the feasts of Bacchus, Bacchanalia and Liberalia, because Bacchus and Liber,
while two names for the same god, the festivals were celebrated at different
times and in a somewhat different manner. The Liberalia is celebrated on the
17th of March, with the most licentious gaiety, when an image of a Phallus is
carried openly in triumph. These festivities are more particularly celebrated
among the rural or agricultural population, who, when the preparatory labour of
the agriculturist is over, celebrate with joyful activity Nature’s reproductive
powers, which in due time is to bring forth the fruits. During the festival, a
car containing a huge phallus is drawn along accompanied by its worshippers,
who indulge in rather obscene songs and dances of wild and extravagant
character. The gravest and proudest matron suddenly lays aside her decency and
runs screaming among the woods and hills half-naked, with dishevelled hair,
interwoven with which were pieces of ivy or vine. The Bacchanalian feasts are
celebrated in the latter part of October when the harvest is completed. Wine
and figs are carried in the procession of the Bacchants, and lastly come the
Phalli, followed by honourable virgins, called canephora, who carry baskets of
fruit. These were followed by a company of men who carry poles, at the end of
which are figures representing the organ of generation. The men sing the
Phallica and are crowned with violets and ivy, and have their faces covered
with other kinds of herbs. These are followed by some dressed in women’s
apparel, striped with white, reaching to their ancles, with garlands on their
heads, and wreaths of flowers in their hands, imitating by their gestures the
state of inebriety. The priestesses run in every direction shouting and
screaming, each with a thyrsus in their hands. Men and women all intermingle,
dancing and frolicking with suggestive gesticulations. Deodorus says the
festivals are carried into the night, and it is then frenzy reaches its height.
Deodorus says, “ In performing the solemnity virgins carry the thyrsus, and run
about frantic, halloing ‘ Evoe ’ in honour of the god; then the women in a body
offer the sacrifices, and roar out the praises of Bacchus in song as if he were
present, in imitation of the ancient Mamades, who accompanied him.” These
festivities are carried into the night, and as the celebrators become heated
with wine, they degenerate into extreme licentiousness. Similar enthusiastic
frenzy is exhibited at the Lupercalian Feasts instituted in honour of the god
Pan (under the shape of a Goat) whose priests, according to Owen in his Worship
of Serpents, on the morning of the Feast run naked through the streets,
striking the women they met on the hands and belly, which is held as an omen
promising fruitfulness. The nymphs performing the same ostentatious display as
the Bacchants at the festival of Bacchanalia. The festival of Venus is
celebrated towards the beginning of April, and the Phallus is again drawn in a
car, followed by a procession of Roman women to the temple of Venus. Says a
writer, “ The loose women of the town and its neighbourhood, called together by
the sounding of horns, mix with the multitude in perfect nakedness, and excite
their passions with obscene motions and language until the festival ends in a
scene of mad revelry, in which all restraint is laid aside.” It is said that
these festivals take their rise from Egypt, from whence they were brought into
Greece by Metampus, where the triumph of Osiris was celebrated with secret
rites, and from thence the Bacchanals drew their original; and from the feasts
instituted by Isis came the orgies of Bacchus. It seems not at all improbable
that the deities wor¬ shipped by the ancient Britons and the Irish, were no
other then the Phallic deities of the ancient Syrians and Greeks, and also the
Baal of the Hebrews. Dionysius Periegites, who lived in the time of Augustus
Caesar, states that the rites of Bacchus were celebrated in the British Isles ;
while Strabo, who lived in the time of Augustus and Tiberius, asserts that a
much earlier writer described the worship of the Cabiri to have come originally
from Phoenicia. Higgins, in his History of the Druids, says, the supreme god
above the rest was called Seodhoc and Baal. The name of Baal is found both in
Wales, Gaul, and Germany, and is the same as the Hebrew Baal. The same god,
according to O’Brien, was the chief deity of the Irish, in whose honour the
round towers were erected, which structures the ancient Irish themselves
designated Bail-toir, or the towers of Baal. In Numbers, xxii, will be found a
mention of a similar pillar consecrated to Baa]. Many of the same customs and
superstitions that existed among the Druids and ancient Irish, will likewise be
found among the Israelites. On the first day of May, the Irish made great fires
in honour of Baal, likewise offering him sacrifices. A similar account is given
of a custom of the Druids by Toland, in an account of the festival of the fires
; he says :—“ on May-day eve the Druids made prodigious fires on these earns, which
being everyone in sight of some other, could not but afford a glorious show
over a whole nation.” These fires are said to be lit even to the present day by
the Aboriginal Irish, on the first of May, called by them Bealtine, or the day
of Belan’s fire, the same name as given them in the Highlands of Scotland. A
similar practice to this will be noticed as mentioned in the II Book of Kings,
where the Canaanites in their worship of Baal, are said to have passed their
children through the fire of Baal, which seems to have been a common practice,
as Ahaz, King of Israel, is blamed for having done the same thing. Higgins in
his Anacalypsis, says this super¬ stitious custom still continues, and that on
“ particular days great fires are lighted, and the fathers taking the children
in their arms, jump or run through them, and thus pass their children through
them; they also light two fires at a little distance from each other, and drive
their cattle between them.” It will be found on reference to Deuteronomy, that
this very practice is specially for¬ bidden. In the rites of Numa, we have also
the sacred fire of the Irish; of St. Bridget, of Moses, of Mithra, and of
India, accompanied with an establishment of nuns or vestal virgins. A sacred
fire is said to have been kept burning by the nuns of Kildare, which was
established by St. Bridget. This fire was never blown with the mouth, that it
might not be polluted, but only with bellows; this fire was similar to that of
the Jews, kept burning only with peeled wood, and never blown with the mouth.
Hyde describes a similar fire which was kept burning in the same way by the
ancient Persians, who kept their sacred fire fed with a certain tree called
Hawm Mogorum; and Colonel Vallancey says the sacred fire of the Irish was fed with
the wood of the tree called Hawm. Ware, the Romish priest, relates that at
Kildare, the glorious Bridget was rendered illustrious by many miracles,
amongst which was the sacred fire, which had been kept burning by nuns ever
since the time of the Virgin. The earliest sacred places of the Jews were
evidently sacred stones, or stone circles, succeeded in time by temples. These
early rude stones, emblems of the Creator, were erected by the Israelites,
which in no way differed from the erections of the Gentiles. It will be found
that the Jews to commemorate a great victory, or to bear witness of the Lord,
were all signfied by stones : thus, Joshua erected a stone to bear witness ;
Jacob put up a stone to make a place sacred ; Abel set up the same for a place
of worship; Samuel erected a stone as a boundary, which was to be the token of
an agreement made in the name of God. Even Maundrel in his travels names
several that he saw in Palestine. It is curious that where a pillar was erected
there, sometime after, a temple was put up in the same manner that the Round
Towers of Ireland were,—always near a church, but never formed part of it. We
find many instances in the Scriptures of the erection of a number of stones
among the early Israelites, which would lead us to conclude that it was not at
all unlikely that the early places of worship among them, were similar to the
temples found in various parts of Great Britain and Ireland. It is written in
Exodus xxiv. 4, that Moses rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar
under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel,
were erected. It is also given out that when the children of Israel should pass
over the Jordan, unto the land which the Lord giveth them, they should set up
great stones, and plaster them with plaster, and also the words of the law were
to be written thereon. In many other places stones were ordered to be set up in
the name of the Lord, and repeated instances are given that the stones should
be twelve in number and unhewn. Stone temples seem to have been erected in all
countries of the world, and even in America, where, among the early American
races are to be found customs, superstitions, and religious objects of
veneration, similar to the Phoenicians. An American writer says:—“ There is
sufficient evidence that the religious customs of the Mexicans, Peruvians and
other American races, are nearly identical with those of the ancient
Phoenicians. . . . We moreover discover that many of their religious terms
have, etymologically, the same origin.” Payne Knight, in his Worship of
Priapus, devotes much of his work to show that the temples erected at
Stonehenge and other places, were of a Phoenician origin, which was simply a
temple of the god Bacchus. Of all the nations of antiquity the Persians were
the most simple and direct in the worship of the Creator. They were the
puritans of the heathen world, and not only rejected all images of God and his
agents, but also temples and altars, according to Herodotus, whose authority we
prefer to any other, because he had an opportunity of conversing with them
before they had adopted any foreign superstitions. As they worshipped the
ethereal fire without any medium of personification or allegory, they thought
it unworthy of the dignity of the god to be represented by any definite form,
or circumscribed to any particular place. The universe was his temple, and the
all-pervading element of fire his only symbol. The Greeks appear originally to
have held similar opinions, for they were long without statues and Pausanias
speaks of a temple at Siciyon, built by Adrastus—who lived in an age before the
Trojan war— which consisted of columns only, without wall or roof, like the
Celtic temples of our northern ancestors, or the Phyroetheia of the Persians,
which were circles of stones in the centre of which was kindled the sacred
fire, the symbol of the god. Homer frequently speaks of places of worship
consisting of an area and altar only, which were probably enclosures like those
of the Persians, with an 42 Phallic Worship altar in the centre. The temples
dedicated to the creator Bacchus, which the Greek architects called kypcethral,
seem to have been anciently of this kind, whence probably came the title (“
surround with columns ”) attributed to that god in the Orphic litanies. The
remains of one of these are still extant at Puzznoli, near Naples, which the
inhabitants call the temple of Serapis ; but the ornaments of grapes, vases,
etc., found among the ruins, prove it to have been of Bacchus. Serapis was
indeed the same deity worshipped under another form, being usually a
personification of the sun. The architecture is of the Roman times ; but the
ground plan is probably that of a very ancient one, which this was made to
replace—for it exactly resembles that of a Celtic temple in Zeeland, published
in Stukeley’s Itinerary. The ranges of square buildings which enclose it are
not properly parts of the temple, but apartments of the priests, places for
victims and sacred utensils, and chapels dedicated to the sub¬ ordinate
deities, introduced by a more complicated and corrupt worship and probably
unknown to the founder of the original edifice. The portico, which runs
parallel with these buildings, encloses the temenss, or area of sacred ground,
which in the pyratheia of the Persians was circular, but is here quadrangular,
as in the Celtic temple in Zeeland, and the Indian pagoda before described. In
the centre was the holy of holies, the seat of the god, consisting of a circle
of columns raised upon a basement, without roof or walls, in the middle of
which was probably the sacred fire or some other symbol of the deity. The
square area in which it stood was sunk below the natural level of the ground,
and, like that of the Indian pagoda, appears to have been occasionally floated
with water; the drains and conduits being still to be seen, as also several
fragments of sculpture representing waves, serpents, and various aquatic
animals, which once adorned the basement. The Bacchus here worshipped, was, as
we learn from the Orphic hymn above cited, the sun in his character of
extinguisher of the fires which once pervaded the earth. He is supposed to have
done this by exhaling the waters of the ocean and scattering them over the
land, which was thus supposed to have acquired its proper temperature and
fertility. For this reason the sacred fire, the essential image of the god, was
surrounded by the element which was principally employed in giving effect to
the beneficial exertions of the great attribute. From a passage of Hecatasus,
preserved by Diodorus Siculus, it seems evident that Stonehenge and all the
monu¬ ments of the same kind found in the north, belong to the same religion
which appears at some remote period to have prevailed over the whole northern
hemisphere. According to that ancient historian, the Hyperboreans inhabited an
island beyond Gaul, as large as Sicily, in which Apollo was worshipped in a
circular temple considerable for its si^e and riches. Apollo, we know, in the
language of the Greeks of that age, can mean no other than the sun, which
according to Caesar was worshipped by the Germans, when they knew of no other
deities except fire and the moon. The island can evidently be no other than
Britain, which at that time was only known to the Greeks by the vague reports
of the Phoenician mariners ; and so uncertain and obscure that Herodotus, the
most inquisitive and credulous of historians, doubts of its existence. The
circular temple of the sun being noticed in such slight and imperfect accounts,
proves that it must have been some¬ thing singular and important; for if it had
been an inconsiderable structure, it would not have been mentioned at all; and
if there had been many such in the country, the historian would not have
employed the singular number. Stonehenge has certainly been a circular temple,
nearly the same as that already described of the Bacchus at. Puzznoli, except
that in the latter the nice execution and beautiful symmetry of the parts are
in every respect the reverse of the rude but majestic simplicity of the former.
In the original design they differ but in the form of the area. It may
therefore be reasonably supposed that we have still the ruins of the identical
temple described by Hecatasus, who, being an Asiatic Greek, might have received
his information from Phoenician merchants, who had visited the interior parts
of Britain when trading there for tin. Anacrobius mentions a temple of the same
kind and form, upon Mount Zilmissus, in Thrace, dedicated to the sun under the
title of Bacchus Sebrazius. The large obelisks of stone found in many parts of
the north, such as those at Rudstone, and near Boroughbridge, in Yorkshire,
belong to the same religion; obelisks being, as Pliny observes, sacred to the
sun, whose rays they represented both by their form and name Pajne Knight’s
Worship of Priapus. Says Hyslop :—“ The hot cross-buns of Good Friday, and the
dyed eggs of Pasch or Easter Sunday, figured in the Chaldean rites just as they
do now. The buns known, too, by that identical name, were used in the worship
of the Queen of Heaven, the goddess Easter (Ishtar or Astarte), as early as the
days of Cecrops, the founder of Athens, 1,500 years before the Christian era.”
“ One species of bread,” says Bryant, “ ‘ which used to be offered to the gods,
was of great antiquity, and called Boun’ Diogenes mentioned * they were made of
flour and honey.’ ” It appears that Jeremiah the Prophet was familiar with this
lecherous worship. He says :—“ The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the
fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes to the Queen of Heaven (Jer.
vii., 18). Hyslop does not add that the “ buns ” offered to the Queen of
Heaven, and in sacrifices to other deities, were framed in the shape of the
sexual organs, but that they were so in ancient limes we have abundance of
evidence. Martial distinctly speaks of such things in two epigrams, first,
wherein the male organ is spoken of, second, wherein the female part is
commemorated ; the cakes being made of the finest flour, and kept especially for
the palate of the fair one. Wilford (“ Asiatic Researches) says : When the
people of Syracuse were sacrificing to goddesses, they offered cakes called
mulloi, shaped like the female organ, and in some temples where the priestesses
were probably ventriloquists, they so far imposed on the credulous multitude
who came to adore the Vulva as to make them believe that it spoke and gave
oracles. We can understand how such things were allowed in licentious Rome, but
we can scarcely comprehend how they were tolerated in Christian Europe, as, to
all innocent surprise we find they were, from the second part of the “ Remains
of the Worship of Priapus ” : that in Saintonge, in the neighbourhood of La
Rochelle, small cakes baked in the form of the Phallus are made as offerings at
Easter, carried and presented from house to house. Dulare states that in his
time the festival of Palm Sunday, in the town of Saintes, was called le fete
des pinnes —feast of the privy members—and that during its continuance the
women and children carried in the procession a Phallus made of bread, which
they called a pinne, at the end of their palm branches ; these pinnes were
subsequently blessed by priests, and carefully preserved by the women during
the year. Palm Sunday 1 Palm, it is to be remembered, is a euphemism of the
male organ, and it is curious to see it united with the Phallus in Christendom.
Dulare also says that, in some of the earlier inedited French books on cookery,
receipts are given for making cakes of the salacious form in question, which
are broadly named. He further tells us those cakes symbolized the male, in
Lower Limousin, and especially at Brives ; while the female emblem was adopted
at Clermont, in Auvergne, and other places. THE ARK AND GOOD FRIDAY The ark of
the covenant was a most sacred symbol in the worship of the Jews, and like the
sacred boat, or ark of Osiris, contained the symbol of the principle of life,
or creative power. The symbol was preserved with great veneration in a
miniature tabernacle, which was considered the special and sanctified abode of
the god. In size and manner of construction the ark of the Jews and the sacred
chest of Osiris of the Egyptians were exactly alike, and were carried in
processions in a similar manner The ark or chest of Osiris was attended by the
priests, and was borne on the shoulders of men by means of staves. The ark when
taken from the temple was placed upon a table, or stand, made expressly for the
purpose, and was attended by a procession similar to that which followed the
Jewish ark. According to Faber, the ark was a symbol of the earth or female
principle, containing the germ of all animated nature, and regarded as the
great mother whence all tilings sprung. Thus the ark, earth, and goddess, were
represented by common symbols, and spoken of in the old Testament as the “
ashera.” The sacred emblems carried in the ark of the Egyptians were the
Phallus, the Egg, and the Serpent; the first representing the sun, fire, and
male or generative principle —the Creator; the second, the passive or female,
the germ of all animated things the Preserver; and the last the Destroyer: the
Three of the sacred Trinity. The Hindu women, according to Payne Knight, still
carry the lingam, or consecrated symbol of the generative attribute of the deity,
in solemn procession between two serpents; and in a sacred casket, which held
the Egg and the Phallus in the mystic processions of the Greeks, was also a
Serpent. The ark,” says Faber, “ was reverenced in all the ancient religions.”
It was often represented in the form of a boat, or ship, as well as an oblong
chest. The rites of the Druids, with those of Phoenicia and Hindostan, show
that an ark, chest, cell, boat, or cavern, held an important place in their
mysteries. In the story of Osiris, like that of the Siva, will be found the
reason for the emblem being carried in the sacred chest, and the explanation of
one of 48 Phallic Worship the mysteries of the Egyptian priests. It is said
that Osiris was torn to pieces by the wicked Typhon, who after cutting up the
body, distributed the parts over the earth. Isis recovered the scattered limbs,
and brought them back to Egypt; but, being unable to find the part which
distinguished his sex, she had an image made of wood, which was enshrined in an
ark, and ordered to be solemnly carried about in the festivals she had
instituted in his honour, and celebrated with certain secret rites. The Egg,
which accompanied the Phallus in the ark was a very common symbol of the
ancient faiths, which was considered as containing the generation of life. The
image of that which generated all things in itself. Jacob Bryant says : The
Egg, as it contained the principles of life was thought no improper emblem of
the ark, in which were preserved the future world. Hence in the Dionysian and
in other mysteries, one part of the nocturnal ceremony consisted in the
consecration of an egg.” This egg was called the Mundane Egg. The ark was
likewise the symbol of salvation, the place of safety, the secret receptacle of
the divine wisdom. Hence we find the ark of the Jews containing the tables of
the law; we find too that the Jews were ordered to place in the ark Aaron’s
rod, which budded, conveying the idea of symbolised fertility : showing that
the ark was considered as the receptacle of the life principle—as an emblem of
the Creator. With the Egyptians Osiris was supposed to be buried in the ark,
which represented the disappearance of the deity. His loss, or death,
constituted the first part of the mysteries, which consisted of lamentations for
his decease. After the third day from his death, a procession went down to the
seaside in the night, carrying the ark with them. During the passage they
poured drink offerings from the river, and when the ceremony had been duly
performed, they raised a shout that Osiris had again risen—that the dead had
been restored to life. After this followed the second or joyful part of the
mysteries. The s imila rity of this custom with the Good Friday celebrations of
the death of Jesus, and the rejoicings on account of his resurrection on Easter
Sunday, will be at once observed. It is further said that the missing part of
Osiris was eaten by a fish, which made the fish a sacred symbol. Thus we have
the Ark, Fish, and Good Friday brought together, also the Egg, for the origin
of the Easter eggs is very ancient. A bull is represented as breaking an egg
with his horn, which signified the liberating of imprisoned life at the opening
or spring of the year, which had been destroyed by Typhon. The opening of the
year at that time commenced in the spring, not according to our present
reckoning; thus, the Egg was a symbol of the resurrection of life at the
spring, or our Easter time. The author of the “ Worship of the Generative
Powers,” describes the origin of the hot cross¬ bun at Easter, which is a
further parallelism of the Christian and Pagan festivals. The author also draws
a further conclusion—that the cakes or buns have in reality a Phallic origin,
for in France and other parts, the Easter cakes were called after the membrun
virile. The writer says :—“ In the primitive Teutonic mythology, there was a
female deity named in old German, Ostara, and in Anglo-Saxon, Eastre or Eostre
; but all we know of her is the simple statement of our father of history,
Bede, that her festival was celebrated by the ancient Saxons in the month of
April, from which circumstance that month was named by the Anglo-Saxons,
Easter-mona or Eoster- mona, and that the name of the goddess had been
frequently given to the Paschal time, with which it was identical. The name of
this goddess was given to the same month by the old Germans and by the Franks,
so that she must have been one of the most highly honoured of the Teutonic
deities, and her festival must have been a very important one and deeply implanted
in the popular feelings, or the Church would not have sought to identify it
with one of the greatest Christian festivals of the year. It is understood that
the Romans considered this month as dedicated to Venus, no doubt because it was
that in which the productive powers of nature began to be visibly developed.
When the Pagan festival was adopted by the Church, it became a moveable feast,
instead of being fixed to the month of April. Among other objects offered to
the goddess at this time were cakes, made no doubt of fine flour, but of their
form we are ignorant. The Christians when they seized upon the Easter festival,
gave them the form of a bun, which indeed was at that time the ordinary form of
bread ; and to protect themselves and those who ate them from any
enchantment—or other evil influences which might arise from their former
heathen character they marked them with the Christian symbol—the cross. Hence
we derived the cakes we still eat at Easter under the name of hot cross-buns,
and the superstitious feelings attached to them; for multitudes of people still
believe that if they failed to eat a hot cross-bun on Good Friday, they would
be unlucky all the rest of the year.” The earliest capital seems to have been
the bell or seed vessel, simply copied without alteration, except a little
expansion at the bottom to give it stability. The leaves of some other plant
were then added to it, and varied in different capitals according to the
different meanings intended to be signified by the accessory symbols. The
Greeks decorated it in the same manner, with the foliage of various plants,
sometimes of the acanthus and sometimes of the aquatic kind, which are,
however, generally so transformed by excessive attention to elegance, that it
is difficult to distinguish them. The most usual seems to be the Egyptian
acacia, which was probably adopted as a mystic symbol for the same reasons as
the olive, it being equally remarkable for its powers of reproduction.
Theophrastus mentions a large wood of it in the “ Thebaid,” where the olive
will not grow, so that we reasonably suppose it to have been employed by the
Egyptians in the same symbolical sense. From them the Greeks seem to have
borrowed it about the time of the Macedonian conquest, it not occurring in any
of their buildings of a much earlier date ; and as for the story of the
Corinthian architect, who is said to have invented this kind of capital from
observing a thorn growing round a basket, it deserved no credit, being fully
contradicted by the buildings still remaining in Upper Egypt. The Doric column,
which appears to have been the only one known to the very ancient Greeks, was
equally derived from the Nelumbo; its capital being the same seed-vessel
pressed flat, as it appears when withered and dry—the only state probably in
which it had been seen in Europe. The flutes in the shaft were made to hold
spears and staves, whence a spear-holder is spoken of in the “ Odyssey ” as
part of a column. The triglyphs and blocks of the cornice were also derived
from utility, they having been intended to represent the projecting ends of the
beams and rafters which formed the roof. The Ionic capital has no bell, but
volutes formed in imitation of sea-shells, which have the same symbolical
meaning. To them is frequently added the ornament which architects call a
honeysuckle, but which seems to be meant for the young petals of the same
flower viewed horixontally, before they are opened or expanded. Another
ornament is also introduced in this capital, which they call eggs and anchors,
but which is, in fact, composed of eggs and spear-heads, the symbols of female
generation and male destructive power, or in the language of mythology, of
Venus and Mars .—Payne Knight. Stripped, however, of all this splendour and
magnificence it was probably nothing more than a symbolical instrument,
signifying originally the motion of the elements, like the sistrum of Isis, the
cymbals of Cybele, the bells of Bacchus, etc., whence Jupiter is said to have
overcome the Titans with his aegis, as Isis drove away Typhon with her sistrum,
and the ringing of the bells and clatter of metals were almost universally
employed as a means of consecration, and a charm against the destroying and
inert powers. Even the Jews welcomed the new moon with such noises, which the
simplicity of the early ages employed almost everywhere to relieve her during
eclipses, supposed then to be morbid affections brought on by the influence of
an adverse power. The title Priapus, by which the generative attribute is
distinguished, seems to be merely a corruption of Brt'apuos (clamorous); the
beta and pi being commutable letters, and epithets of similar meaning, being
continually applied both to Jupiter and Bacchus by the poets. Many Priapic
figures, too, still extant, have bells attached to them, as the symbolical
statues and temples of the Hindus are; and to wear them was a part of the
worship of Bacchus among the Greeks : whence we sometimes find them of
extremely small size, evidently meant to be worn as amulets with the phalli,
lunulas, etc. The chief priests of the Egyptians and also the high priests of
the Jews, hung them as sacred emblems to their sacerdotal garments ; and the
Brahmins still continue to ring a small bell at the interval of their prayers,
ablutions, and other acts of devotion; which custom is still preserved in the
Roman Catholic Church at the elevation of the host. The Lacedaemonians beat
upon a brass vessel or pan, on the death of their kings, and we still retain
the custom of tolling a bell on such occasions, though the reason of it is not
generally known, any more than that of other remnants of ancient ceremonies
still existing. 1 It will be observed that the bells used by the Christians
very probably came direct from the Buddhists. And from the same source are derived
the beads and rosaries of the Roman Catholics, which have been used by the
Buddhist 1 The above description is from Payne Knight’s “ Symbolical Language
of ancient Art and Mythology.” monks for over 2,000 years. Tinkling bells were
suspended before the shrine of Jupiter Ammon, and during the service the gods
were invited to descend upon the altars by the ringing of bells ; they were
likewise sacred to Siva. Bells were used at the worship of Bacchus, and were
worn on the garments of the Bacchantes, much in the same manner as they are
used at our carnivals and masquerades.The following curious fable is given by
Sir William Jones, as one of the stories of the Hindus for the origin of
Phallic devotion:—“ Certain devotees in a remote time had acquired great renown
and respect, but the purity of the art was wanting, nor did their motives and
secret thoughts correspond with their professions and exterior conduct. They
affected poverty, but were attached to the things of this world, and the
princes and nobles were constantly sending their offerings. They seemed to
sequester themelves from this world ; they lived retired from the towns ; but
their dwellings were commodious, and their women numerous and handsome. But
nothing can be hid from their gods, and Sheevah resolved to put them to shame.
He desired Prakeety (nature) to accompany him; and assumed the appearance of a
Pandaram of a graceful form. Prakeety was herself a damsel of matchless worth.
She went before the devotees who were assembled with their disciples, awaiting
the rising of the sun, to perform their ablutions and religious ceremonies. As
she advanced the refreshing breeze moved her flowing robe, showed the exquisite
shape which it seemed intended to conceal. With eyes cast down, though
sometimes opening with a timid but tender look, she approached them, and with a
low enchanting voice desired to be admitted to the sacrifice. The devotees
gazed on her with astonishment. The sun appeared, but the purifications were
forgotten; the things of the Poojah (worship) lay neglected; nor was any
worship thought of but that of her. Quitting the gravity of their manners, they
gathered round her as flies round the lamp at night attracted by its splendour,
but consumed by its flame. They asked from whence she came; whither she was
going. ‘ Be not offended with us for approaching thee, forgive us our
importunities. But thou art incapable of anger, thou who art made to convey
bliss ; to thee, who mayest kill by indifference, indignation and resentment
are unknown. But whoever thou mayest be, whatever motive or accident might have
brought thee amongst us, admit us into the number of thy slaves; let us at
least have the comfort to behold thee.’ Here the words faltered on the lip, and
the soul seemed ready to take its flight; the vow was forgotten, and the policy
of years destroyed. Whilst the devotees were lost in their passions, and absent
from their homes, Sheevah entered their village with a musical instrument in
his hand, playing and singing like some of those who solicit charity. At the
sound of his voice, the women immediately quitted their occupation; they ran to
see from whom it came. He was as beautiful as Krishen on the plains of Matra.
Some dropped their jewels without turning to look for them ; others let fall their
garments without perceiving that they discovered those abodes of pleasure which
jealousy as well as decency had ordered to be concealed. All pressed forward
with their offerings, all wished to speak, all wished to be taken notice of,
and bringing flowers and scattering them before him, said—‘ Askest thou alms !
thou who are made to govern hearts. Thou whose countenance is as fresh as the
morning, whose voice is the voice of pleasure, and they breath like that of
Vassant (Spring) in the opening of the rose! Stay with us and we will serve
thee; not will we trouble thy repose, but only be zealous how to please thee.’
The Pandaram continued to play, and sung the loves of Kama (God of Love), of
Krishen and the Gopia, and smiling the gentle smiles of fond desire. But the
desire of repose succeeds the waste of pleasure. Sleep closed the eyes and
lulled the senses. In the morning the Pandaram was gone. When they awoke they
looked round with astonishment, and again cast their eyes on the ground. Some
directed to those who had formerly been remarked for their scrupulous manners,
but their faces were covered with their veils. After sitting awhile in silence
they arose and went back to their houses, with slow and troubled steps. The
devotees returned about the same time from their wanderings after Prakeety. The
days that followed were days of embarrass¬ ment and shame. If the women had
failed in their modesty, the devotees had broken their vows. They were vexed at
their weakness, they were sorry for what they had done; yet the tender sigh
sometimes broke forth, and the eyes often turned to where the men first saw the
maid—the women, the Pandaram. “ But the women began to perceive that what the
devotees foretold came not to pass. Their disciples, in consequence, neglected
to attend them, and the offerings from the princes and nobles became less
frequent than before. They then performed various penances; they sought for
secret places among the woods unfrequented by man; and having at last shut
their eyes from the things of this world, retired within themselves in deep
meditation, that Sheevah was the author of their misfortunes. Their
understanding being imperfect, instead of bowing the head with humility, they
were inflamed with anger; instead of contrition for their hypocrisy, they
sought for vengeance. They performed new sacrifices and incantations, which
were only allowed to have effect in the end, to show the extreme folly of man
in not submitting to the will of heaven. “ Their incantations produced a tiger,
whose mouth was like a cavern and his voice like thunder among the mountains.
They sent him against Sheevah, who with Prakeety was amusing himself in the
vale. He smiled at their weakness, and killing the tiger at one blow with his
club, he covered himself with his skin. Seeing them¬ selves frustrated in this
attempt, the devotees had recourse to another, and sent serpents against him of
the most deadly kind; but on approaching him they became harmless, and he
twisted them round his neck. They then sent their curses and imprecations
against him, but they all recoiled upon themselves. Not yet disheartened by all
these disappointments, they collected all their prayers, their penances, their
charities, and other good works, the most acceptable sacrifices ; and demanding
in return only vengeance against Sheevah, they sent a fire to destroy his
genital parts. Sheevah, incensed at this attempt, turned the fire witti
indignation against the human race; and mankind would soon have been destroyed,
had not Vishnu, alarmed at the danger, implored him to suspend his wrath. At
his entreaties Sheevah relented ; but it was ordained that in his temples those
parts should be worshipped, which the false doctrines had impiously attempted
to destroy.” THE CROSS AND ROSARY The key which is still worn with the Priapic
hand, as an amulet, by the women of Italy appears to have been an emblem of the
equivocal use of the name, as the language of that country implies. Of the same
kind, too, appears to have been the cross in the form of the letter tau,
attached to a circle, which many of the figures of Egyptian deities, both male
and female, carry in their left hand ; and by the Syrians, Phoenicians and
other inhabitants of Asia, representing the planet Venus, worshipped by them as
the emblem or image of that goddess. The cross in this form is sometimes
observable on coins, and several of them were found in a temple of Serapis,
demolished at the general destruction of those edifices by the Emperor
Theodosius, and were said by the Christian antiquaries of that time to signify
the future life. In solemn sacrifices, all the Lapland idols were marked with
it from the blood of the victims ; and it occurs on many Runic ornaments found
in Sweden and Denmark, which are of an age long anterior to the approach of
Christianity to those countries, and probably to its appearance in the world.
On some of the early coins of the Phoenicians, we find it attached to a chaplet
of beads placed in a circle, so as to form a complete rosary, such as the Lamas
of Thibet and China, the Hindus, and the Roman Catholics now tell over while
they pray. BEADS Beads were anciently used to reckon time, and a circle, being
a line without termination, was the natural emblem of its perpetual continuity
; whence we often find circles of beads upon the heads of deities, and
enclosing the sacred symbols upon coins and other monuments. Perforated beads
are also frequently found in tombs, both in the northern and southern parts of
Europe and Asia, whence are fragments of the chaplets of consecration buried
with the deceased. The simple diadem, or fillet, worn round the head as a mark
of sovereignty, had a similar meaning, and was originally confined to the
statues of deities and deified personages, as we find it upon the most ancient
coins. Chryses, the priest of Apollo, in the “ Iliad,” brings the diadem, or
sacred fillet, of the god upon his sceptre, as the most imposing and invocable
emblem of sanctity ; but no mention is made of its being worn by kings in
either of the Homeric poems, nor of any other ensign of temporal power and
command, except the royal staff or sceptre. THE LOTUS The double sex typified
by the Argha and its contents is by the Hindus represented by the “ Mymphoea ”
or Lotus, floating like a boat on the boundless ocean, where the whole plant
signifies both the earth and the two principles of its fecundation. The germ is
both Meru and the Linga; the petals and filaments are the mountains which
encircle Meru, and are also a type of the Yoni; the leaves of the calyx are the
four vast regions to the cardinal points of Meru ; and the leaves of the plant
are the Dwipas or isles round the land of Jambu. As this plant or lily was
probably the most celebrated of all the vegetable creation among the mystics of
the ancient world, and is to be found in thousands of the most beautiful and
sacred paintings of the Christians of this day—I detain my reader with a few
observations respecting it. This is the more necessary as it appears that the
priests have now lost the meaning of it; at least this is the case with
everyone of whom I have made enquiry ; but it is like many other very odd
things, probably understood in the Vatican, or the crypt of St. Peter’s.
Maurice says that among the different plants which ornament our globe, there is
not one which has received so much honour from man as the Lotus or Lily, in
whose consecrated bosom Brahma was born, and Osiris delighted to float. This is
the sublime, the hallowed symbol that eternally occurs in oriental mythology,
and in truth not without reason, for it is itself a lovely prodigy. Throughout
all the northern hemispheres it was everywhere held in profound veneration, and
from Savary we learn that the veneration is yet continued among the modern
Egyptians. And we find that it still continues to receive the respect if not
the adoration of a great part of the Christian world, unconscious, perhaps, of
the original reason of this conduct. Higgins's Anacalypsis. The following is an
account given of it by Payne Knight, in his curious dissertation on Phallic
Worship : The Lotus is the Nelumbo of Linnaeus. This plant grows in the water,
among its broad leaves puts forth a flower, in the centre of which is formed
the seed vessel. shaped like a bell or inverted cone, and perforated on the top
with little cavities or cells, in which the seeds grow. The orifices of these
cells being too small to let the seeds drop out when ripe, they shoot forth
into new plants in the places where tney are formed : the bulb of the vessel
serving as a matrix to nourish them, until they acquire such a degree of
magnitude as to burst it open and release themselves, after which, likfe other
aquatic weeds, they take root wherever the current deposits them. This plant,
therefore, being thus productive of itself, and vegetating from its own matrix,
without being fostered in the earth, was naturally adopted as the symbol of the
productive power of the waters, upon which the active spirit of the Creator
operated in giving life and vegetation, to matter. We accordingly find it
employed in every part of the northern hemisphere, where the symbolical
religion, improperly called idolatry, does or ever did prevail. The sacred
images of rhe Tartars, Japanese, and Indians are almost placed upon it, of
which numerous instances occur in the publications of Kcempfer, Sonnerat, etc.
The Brahma of India is represented as sitting upon his Lotus throne, and the
figure upon the Isaaic table holds the stem of this plant surmounted by the
seed vessel in one hand, and the Cross representing the male organs of generation
in the other; thus signifying the universal power, both active and passive,
attributed to that goddess. Nimrod says. The Lotus is a well-known allegory, of
which the expansive calyx represents the ship of the gods floating on the
surface of the water ; and the erect flower arising out of it, the mast
thereof. The one was the galley or cockboat, and the other the mast of cockayne
; but as the ship was Isis or Magna Mater, the female principle, and the mast
in it the male deity, these parts of the flower came to have certain other
significations, which seem to have been as well known at Samosata as at
Benares. This plant was also used in the sacred offices of the Jewish religion.
In the ornaments of the temple of Solomon, the Lotus or lily is often seen.”
The figure of Isis is frequently represented holding the stem of the plant in
one hand, and the cross and circle in the other. Columns and capitals
resembling the plant are still existing among the ruins of Thebes, in Egypt,
and the island of Pbilce. The Chinese goddess, Pussa, is represented sitting
upon the Lotus, called in that country Lin, with many arms, having symbols
signifying the various operations of nature, while similar attributes are
expressed in the Scandinavian goddess Isa or Disa. The Lotus is also a
prominent symbol in Hindu and Egyptian cosmogony. This plant appears to have
the same tendency with the Sphinx, of marking the connection between that which
produces and that which is produced. The Egyptian Ceres (Virgo) bears in her
hand the blue Lotus, which plant is acknowledged to be the emblem of celestial
love so frequently seen mounted on the back of Leo in the ancient remains. The
following is a translation of the Purana relating to the cosmogony of the
Hindus, and will be found interesting as showing the importance attached to the
Lotus in the worship of the ancients: We find Brahma emerging from the Lotus.
The whole universe was dark and covered with water. On this primeval water did
Bhagavat (God), in a masculine form, repose for the space of one Calpho (a
thousand years); after which period the intention of creating other beings for
his own wise purposes became pre¬ dominant in the mind of the Great Creator .
In the first Phallic Worship place, by his sovereign will was produced the flower
of the Lotus, afterwards, by the same will, was brought to light the form of
Brahma from the said flower ; Brahma, emerging from the cup of the Lotus,
looked round on all the four sides, and beheld from the eyes of his four heads
an immeasurable expanse of water. Observing the whole world thus involved in
darkness and submerged in water, he was stricken with prodigious amazement, and
began to consider with himself, £ Who is it that produced me ? whence came I ?
and where am I ? Brahma, thus kept two hundred years in contem¬ plation,
prayers, and devotions, and having pondered in his mind that without connection
of male and female an abundant generation could not be effected—again entered
into profound meditation on the power of the Supreme, when, on a sudden by the
omnipotence of God, was produced from his right side Swayambhuvah Menu, a man
of perfect beauty; and from the Brahma’s left side a woman named Satarupa. The
prayer of Brahma runs thus :—‘ O Bhagavat! since thou broughtest me from
nonentity into existence for a particular purpose, accomplish by thy
benevolence that purpose.’ In a short time a small white boar appeared, which
soon grew to the size of an elephant. He now felt God in all, and that all is
from Him, and all in Him. At length the power of the Omnipotent had assumed the
body of Vara. He began to use the instinct of that animal. Having divided the
water, he saw the earth a mighty barren stratum. He then took up the mighty
ponderous globe (freed from the water) and spread the earth like a carpet on
the face of the water; Brahma, contemplating the whole earth, performed due
reverence, and rejoicing exceedingly, began to consider the means of peopling
the renovated world.” Pjag, now Allahabad, was the first land said to have
appeared, but with the Brahmins it is a disputed point, for many affirm that
Cast or Benares was the sacred ground. MERU The learned Higgins, an English
judge, who for some years spent ten hours a day in antiquarian studies, says
that Moriah, of Isaiah and Abraham, is the Meru of the Hindus, and the Olympus
of the Greeks. Solomon built high places for Ashtoreth, Astarte, or Venus,
which because mounts of Venus, mans veneris —Meru and Mount Calvary—each a
slightly skull-shaped mount, that might be represented by a bare head. The
Bible translators perpetuate the same idea in the word “ calvaria.” Prof.
Stanley denies that “ Mount Calvary ” took its name from its being the place of
the crucifixion of Jesus. Looking elsewhere and in earlier times for the bare
calvaria, we find among Oriental women, the Mount of Venus, mons veneris,
through motives of neatness or religious sentiment, deprived of all hirsute
appendage. We see Mount Calvary imitated in the shaved poll of the head of a
priest. The priests of China, says Mr. J. M. Peebles, continue to shave the
head. To make a place holy, among the Hindus, Tartars, and people of Thibet, it
was necessary to have a mount Meru, also a Linga-Yoni, or Arba. This marvellous
work of excavation by the slow process of the chisel, was visited by Capt.
Seeley, who afterwards published a volume describing the temple and its vast
statues. The beauty of its architectural ornaments, the innumerable statues or
emblems, all hewn out of solid rock, dispute with the Pyramids for the first
place among the works undertaken to display power and embody feeling. The
stupendous temple is detached from the neighbouring mountain by a spacious area
all round, and is nearly 25 o feet deep and 15 o feet broad, reaching to the
height of 100 feet and in length about 145 feet. It has well-formed doorways,
windows, staircases, upper floors, containing fine large rooms of a smooth and
polished surface, regularly divided by rows of pillars ; the whole bulk of this
immense block of isolated excavation being upwards of 500 feet in
circumference, and having beyond its areas three handsome figure galleries or
verandas supported by regular pillars. Outside the temple are two large
obelisks or phalli standing, “ of quadrangular form, eleven feet square,
prettily and variously carved, and are estimated at forty-one feet high; the
shaft above the pedestal is seven feet two inches, being larger at the base
than Cleopatra’s Needle.” In one oi the smaller temples was an image of Lingam,
“ covered with oil and red ochre, and flowers were daily strewed on its
circular top. This Lingam is larger than usual, occupying with the altar, a
great part of the room. In most Ling rooms a sufficient space is left for the
votaries to walk round whilst making the usual invocations to the deity (Maha
Deo). This deity is much frequented by female votaries, who take especial care
to keep it clean washed, and often perfume it with oderiferous oils and
flowers, whilst the attendant Brahmins sweep the apartment and attend the five
oil lights and bell ringing.” This oil vessel resembled the Yoni (circular
frame), into which the light itself was placed. No symbol was more venerated or
more frequently met with than the altar and Ling, Siva, or Maha Deo. “ Barren
women constantly resort to it to supplicate for children,” says Seeley. The
mysteries attended upon them is not described, but doubtless they were of a
very similar character to those described by the author of the “ Worship of the
Generative Powers of the Western Nations,” showing again the similarity of the
custom with those practised by the Catholics in France. The writer says :—“
Women sought a remedy for barren¬ ness by kissing the end of the Phallus ;
sometimes they appear to have placed a part of their body, naked, against the
image of the saint, or to have sat upon it. This latter trait was perhaps too
bold an adoption of the indecencies of Pagan worship to last long, or to be
practised openly ; but it appears to have been innocently represented by lying
upon the body of the saint, or sitting upon a stone, understood to represent
him without the presence of the energetic member. In a corner in the church of
the village of St. Fiacre, near Monceaux, in France, there is a stone called
the chair of St. Fiacre, which confers fecundity upon women who sit upon it;
but it is necessary nothing should intervene between their bare skin and the
stone. In the church of Orcival in Auvergne, there was a pillar which barren
women kissed for the same purpose and which had perhaps replaced some less
equivocal object.” The principal object of worship at Elora is the stone, so
frequently spoken of ; “ the Lingam,” says Seeley, and he apologises for using
the word so often, but asks to be excused, “ is an emblem not generally known,
but as frequently met with as the Cross in Catholic worship.” It is the god
Siva, a symbol of his generative character, the base of which is usually
inserted in the Yoni. The stone is of a conical shape, often black stone,
covered with flowers (the Bella and Asuca shrubs). The flowers hang pendant
from the crown of the Ling stone to the spout of the Argha or Yoni (mystical
matrix) ; the same as the Phallus of the Greeks. Five lamps are commonly used
in the worship at the symbol, or one lamp with five wicks. The Lotus is often
seen on the top of the Ling. The characteristic attribute of the passive
generative power was expressed in symbolical writing, by different enigmatical
representations of the most distinguished characteristic of the female sex:
such as the shell or Concha Veneris, the fig-leaf, barley corn, and the letter
Delta, all of which occur very frequently upon coins and other ancient
monuments in this sense. The same attribute personified as the goddess of Love,
or desire, is usually represented under the voluptuous form of a beautiful
woman, frequently distinguished by one of these symbols, and called Venus,
Kypris, or Aphrodite, names of rather uncertain mythology. She is said to be
the daughter of Jupiter and Dione, that is of the male and female
personifications of the all-pervading Spirit of the Universe ; Dione being the
female Dis or Zeus, and therefore associated with him in the most ancient
oraculai temple of Greece at Dodona. No other genealogy appears to have been
known in the Homeric times ; though a different one is employed to account for
the name of Aphrodite in the “ Theogony ” attributed to Hesiod. The
Genelullides or Genoidai were the original and appropriate ministers or
companions of Venus, who was however, afterwards attended by the Graces, the
proper and original attendants of Juno; but as both these goddesses were
occasionally united and represented in one image, the personifications of their
respective sub¬ ordinate attributes were on other occasions added: whence the
symbolical statue of Venus at Paphos had a beard, and other appearances of
virility, which seems to have been the most ancient mode of representing the
celestial as distinguished from the popular goddess of that name—the one being
a personification of a general procreative power, and the other only of animal
desire or concupiscence. The refinement of Grecian art, however, when advanced
to maturity, contrived more elegant modes of distinguishing them ; and, in a
celebrated work of Phidias, we find the former represented with her foot upon a
tortoise ; and in a no less celebrated one of Scopas, the latter sitting upon a
goat. The tortoise, being an androgynous animal, was aptly chosen as a symbol
of the double power ; and the goat was equally appropriate to what was meant to
be expressed in the other. The same attribute was on other occasions signified
by a dove or pigeon, by the sparrow, and perhaps by the polypus, which often
appears upon coins with the head of the goddess, and which was accounted an
aphrodisiac, though it is likewise of the androgynous class. The fig was a
still more common symbol, the statue of Priapus being made of the tree, and the
fruit being carried with the Phallus in the ancient processions in honour of
Bacchus, and still continuing among the common people of Italy to be an emblem
of what it anciently meant: whence we often see portraits of persons of that
country painted with it in one hand, to signify their orthodox elevation to the
fair sex. Hence, also arose the Italian expression far la fica, which was done
by putting the thumb between the middle and fore-fingers, as it appears in many
Priapic orna¬ ments extant; or by putting the finger or thumb into the corner
of the mouth and drawing it down, of which there is a representation in a small
Priapic figure of exquisite sculpture, engraved among the Antiquities of
Herculaneum. The same liberal and humane spirit still prevails among those
nations whose religion is founded on the same principles. “ The Siamese,” says
a traveller of the seventeenth century, “ shun disputes and believe that almost
all religions are good ” (“ Journal du Voyage de Siam ”). When the ambassador
of Louis XIV asked their king, in his master’s name, to embrace Christianity,
he replied, “ that it was strange that the king of France should interest
himself so much in an affair which concerns only God, whilst He, whom it did
concern, seemed to leave it wholly to our discretion. Had it been agreeable to
the Creator that all nations should have had the same form of worship, would it
not have been as easy to His omnipotence to have created all men with the same
sentiments and dispositions, and to have inspired them with the same notions of
the True Religion, as to endow them with such different tempers and
inclinations ? Ought they not rather to believe that the true God has as much
pleasure in being honoured by a variety of forms and ceremonies, as in being
praised and glorified by a number of different creatures ? Or why should that
beauty and variety, so admirable in the natural order of things, be less admirable
or less worthy of the wisdom of God in the supernatural ? ” The Hindus profess
exactly the same opinion. “ They would readily admit the truth of the Gospel,”
says a very learned writer long resident among them, “ but they contend that it
is perfectly consistent with their Shastras. The Deity, they say, has appeared
innumerable times in many parts of this world and in all worlds, for the
salvation of his creatures ; and we adore, they say, the same God, to whom our
several worships, though different in form, are equally acceptable if they be
sincere in substance.” The Chinese sacrifice to the spirits of the air the
mountains and the rivers ; while the Emperor himself sacrifices to the
sovereign Lord of Heaven, to whom all these spirits are subordinate, and from
whom they are derived. The sectaries of Fohi have, indeed, surcharged this
primitive elementary worship with some of the allegorical fables of their
neighbours ; but still as their creed—like that of the Greeks and
Romans—remains undefined, it admits of no dogmatical theology, and of course no
persecution for opinion. Obscure and sanguinary rites have, indeed, been wisely
prescribed on many occasions ; but still as actions and not as opinions.
Atheism is said to have been punished with death at Athens ; but nevertheless
it may be reasonably doubted whether the atheism, against which the citizens of
that republic expressed such fury, consisted in a denial of the existence of
the gods ; for Diagoras, who was obliged to fly for this crime, was accused of
revealing and calum¬ niating the doctrines taught in the Mysteries ; and from
the opinions ascribed to Socrates, there is reason to believe that his offence
was of the same kind, though he had not been initiated. These were the only two
martyrs to religion among the ancient Greeks, such as were punished for
actively violating or insulting the Mysteries, the only part of their worship
which seems to have possessed any vitality; for as to the popular deities, they
were publicly ridiculed and censured with impunity by those who dared not utter
a word against the populace that worshipped them; and as to the forms and
ceremonies of devotion, they were held to be no otherwise important, then as
they were constituted a part of civil government of the state; the Phythian
priestess having pronounced from the tripod, that whoever performed the rites
of his religion according to the laws of his country, performed them in a
manner pleasing to the Deity. Hence the Romans made no alterations in the
religious institutions of any of the conquered countries ; but allowed the
inhabitants to be as absurd and extravagant as they pleased, and to enforce
their absurdities and extravagances wherever they had any pre-existing laws in
their favour. An Egyptian magistrate would put one of his fellow-subjects to
death for killing a cat ora monkey; and though the religious fanaticism of the
Jews was too sanguinary and too violent to be left entirely free from
restraint, a chief of the synagogue could order anyone of his congregation to be
whipped for neglecting or violating any part of the Mosaic Ritual. The
principle underlying the system of emanations was, that all things were of one
substance, from which they were fashioned and into which they were again
dissolved, by the operation of one plastic spirit universally diffused and
expanded. The polytheist of ancient Greece and Rome candidly thought, like the
modern Hindu, that all rites of worship and forms of devotion were directed to
the same end, though in different modes and through different channels. “ Even
they who worship other gods, says Krishna, the incarnate Deity, in an ancient
Indian poem ( Bhagavat-Gita ), “worship me although they know it not ''— Payne
Knight. Nome
compituo: Gian Mario Cazzaniga. Mario Cazzaniga. Keywords: rito di passage,
solo una volta, l’iniziazione, massoneria, esoterismo, democrazia come sistema
simbolico, sovranita, stato nazionale, conflitto, liberta, fraternita,
iguaglianza. Refs.: Luigi Speranza, “Grice e Cazzaniga” – The Swimming-Pool Library,
Villa Speranza, Liguia, Italia.
Luigi
Speranza – GRICE ITALO!; ossia, Grice e Cazzulani: l’implicature del
deutero-esperanto – la scuola di Milano – filosofia milanese – filosofia
lombarda -- filosofia italiana – Luigi Speranza (Milano).
Abstract. Grice: “When I was invited to review my
earlier views on ‘meaning,’ and ‘significance’, I made a passing reference to
an earlier example of mine: that of inventing a new high-way code while lying
in the tub. I then said that I could well invent a new language – “that nobody
ever speaks” – to provoke Wittgensteinians – and call it “deuteron-Esperanto.” It
clicked!” Filosofo milanese. Filosofo lombardo. Filosofo italiano. Roma, Lazio.
Filosofo ed ingegnere. Crea e brevetta una lingua universale semplice, logica,
accessibile per tutte le genti, senza che ha nulla in comune o di affine con
nessuna delle lingue esistenti, adottando questa impostazione. Ad ogni singola
parola avente in ogni singola lingua il medesimo significato corrisponde un
unico ed identico numero formato da una o più cifre, quindi tante parole di
tante lingue aventi un unico significato nella LINGUA UNIVERSALE un unico numero. La
trasformazione da lingua numerica in lingua alfabetica avviene sulle seguenti
basi: I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X ba ca da fe le mo no po ru tu.
Così, la parola «madre», «mother», «mère», «Mutter», «mamà», ecc. come pure
ogni ideogramma o altra scrittura che significano «madre», è per la lingua
universale di C. equivalente al numero 81, che si pronuncia, po-ba. Il termine
«lingua universale», corrispondente ai numeri 214 736, si pronunciano: cabafe
nodamo. Oltre ai dieci accoppiamenti sopra-indicati e al vocabolario base
(composto da circa 1.500 parole), nella lingua universale di C. esistono XII
pre-fissi come «ve», prefisso di infinito verbale che indica il sostantivo di
riferimento del verbo. Ad esempio: amare = badatu; amore, o letteralmente
‘amazione’ = ve-badatu. Oppure come «GI-», pre-fisso che trasforma il singolare
maschile in singolare femmine. ‘Questo cavallo’= cale lefemo, mentre questa
cavalla = gicale lefemo. Questa lingua universale che è SENZA GRAMMATICA e
senza coniugazioni verbali, precisa C., non serve certo a tradurre la Divina
Commedia od a fare poesie in quanto la cosa non avrebbe senso, è una lingua
essenziale di concetti che al di fuori dall’elaborazioni lessicali, non
indispensabili, vuole fare in modo che finalmente l’umanità tutta possa
comprendersi, e poiché non richiede l’intervento di terzi per l’apprendimento
consente a tutti di essere auto-didatti. Nome compiuto: Francesco Pietro
Cazzulani. Cazzulani. Keywords: implicature del deutero-esperanto. Refs.: Luigi
Speranza, “Grice e Cazzulani,” The Swimming-Pool Library, Villa Speranza,
Liguria, Italia.


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