Poimandres wrote:[25] "Thence the human being rushes up through the cosmic framework,"
This thousands of years old text reads like an excerpt from a science fiction novel because the metaphysical composition of the outer world as a Satanic machination is the archetypal idea behind all machines and infact all outer manifestation, which works under the mechanical rule of form and karma. These dark Satanic Mills, as William Blake
called them, can be interpreted in esoteric context as the machination of initiations through which the Adversary spirit sets us in its cunning trials. Blake's expression have been often interpreted quite understandably as the rationalism (for example coming from academical cultural elitism) seeping in to every crevice and taking full control, destroying soulful thought and ability to prophetise etc. But I think the idea can be extended to everything where the vivid divine power is suppressed in to stagnation.*
For example, people often feel this need to break free from rational behaviour and set themselves free by following
only their impulses and the sensations of emotions. Yet it is only jumping out of the frying pan into the fire because the same mechanical world is metaphysically behind the world of feelings also. One may feel a momentary ease and some sort of liberative reactions happening in their soul and their bodies, but the reaction is only the nature of the mechanics of destroying by letting go (releasing power from forms, thus the feelings of it appearing often in the cloak of liberation of death). It would be as nonsensical to say that one would find liberation by
totally surrendering to feelings, as it would be to claim finding liberation by the extreme violence of suicide. Both of them miss the narrow gate, as the experience of life can show to one, who is candid enough to see nuances, how true liberation is only found beyond these dark Satanic Mills, which the Mills actually point towards in their
Satanic reverse way. Behind the mechanical world of dualism, between the self and the other, there's this centerpoint on which the Hieroglyphic Key is to be used for, and to which the Key in itself points to. Using the Key will open the gate of the initiations to the world beyond the cosmic framework. And Satan rejoyces.
As a curiosity,
here we have then Princess, now the Queen of Denmark, referencing Blake's expression of the machination motif recurring in The Scouring of the Shire in Tolkien's
The Lord of the Rings.
Poimandres wrote:"at the first zone surrendering the energy of increase and decrease;"
The first step through the cosmic framework is to cease approaching life in a reactive way. This means that when there's a problem, something other, you tend to shun from it and try again from the exact opposite direction. Such reactions only reproduce the exactly same problem, just through different outer forms. I already gave an example of this above when talking about reacting in to thing by following only one's impulses and the feelings that consequently rise.
This is about the flow of power, the waning and the waxing of the Moon, a Lunar initiation.
Poimandres wrote:"at the second evil machination, a device now inactive;"
When we will deny ourselves the ping-pong existence referred to in the previous zone, we cease giving power to the purely mechanical parts of ourselves. This will give way to the voice of silence - the Higher Self. But the device can be started again by indulging in the lower world. It is only inactive, not destroyed. Actually, it is activated even by the voice of the Master, for when we feel or think, this device is awakend to mechanically process the Gnosis and give form to it. Thus the device is actually the lower triangle of the Hieroglyphic Key. This "evil machination" is the ego, with a lower case.
As the two opposites have been joined in this zone, after ceasing to be dominated by the movement between the extremes, we are here at the cross of the two poles. Thus this is the self-sacrificing initiation of Mars.
Poimandres wrote:"at the third the illusion of longing, now inactive;"
As the racket of the device has ceased and the voice of the Master can be heard again, the sense of true home have been reached. Longing for stars is no more a distant dream, but you are actually in touch with your Star. Yet it is a process that takes a long time, and we often are still slaves to our lower selves, and thus there can be quite a bit of longing in one's life. But now we have all the answers within our reach and the longing of the lower self can be answered to by rigorous work. For the thousand time on this forum, I am to repeat the Zen proverb: “Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water.”
The messenger, the guide of souls is present, thus this is an initiation of Mercury.
Poimandres wrote:"at the fourth the ruler's arrogance, now freed of excess;"
As there is no more longing, for the lower and the higher selves have been set to perfectly answer to each other, there is no more misplaced authority, or thirst to correct things in an unbalanced or too eager a way. Ruler, i.e. the superego (an aspect of the Higher self, if you will), no more appears unjust in any way.
An initiation of Jupiter.
Poimandres wrote:"at the fifth unholy presumption and darking recklessness;"
In this area the metaphysical realities have been sharpened to the inner eye to a degree that the distortions of one's own soul have become acknowledged. The previous area's ruler's arrogance being an example of such a distortion. Now there are clarity to things and knowing one's own essence by the perfected Hieros Gamos of the lower and the Higher self in the previous area, one can see the world from the inside without the mediating part, one's soul giving too explicit distortions. It is as if the oculus of one's own soul have now been calibrated according to the individual soul. This is what makes people see the future, to prophetise. Thus one is free from presumption for the realities and limits are clear, beautiful, and free from recklessness for the consequences are obvious.
An initiation of Venus.
Poimandres wrote:"at the sixth the evil impulses that come from wealth, now inactive;"
Wealth is power and devotion put in to form. When the above areas of clarity have been truly achieved, we no more give value even to the objects of our devotion over what is the most beneficient i.e. ethical solution. Even the temples we have built are free to be demolished rather than carrying a crudge over an outer form, and a student we have given much of our time is free to sever ties as no work we have done ever truly goes to waste.
This is an Saturnian initiations, where death rules justly over all form.
Poimandres wrote:"and at the seventh zone the deceit that lies in ambush."
There are no one to win in oneness. The initiated has understood the rhythm and grace the initiations are offered, and it is all there is to the lower world. No other place can an ambush take place in, and no one does an ambush serve.
This is an initiation of the Sun for the whole is understood as it is, and there is no separate part in the whole to ambush.
* These states of stagnation are the snares the Hierophant Satan tries the people with, all of which must be passed before the initiation at hand can be taken. They are not mere trials of abstination, but trials evaluating one's ability to carry the living spirit, which the trap pits of stagnation are marking the failure of. These are the empty shells where from the fiery living spirit escapes. Only through the power poured by human falures can these shells or pits gain any life, for then their meaning is to initiate the devotees through teaching the secrets of these traps in a process of multiple incarnations worth of trial and error. These pits are demons as teachers.