posted September 28, 2013 12:53 PM            

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The whole thing about Lucifer being Satan is bizarre to me. Lucifer is the “Light Bringer,” the “Morning Star.” So how did he get from bringing the light to representing the devil? This article from the Theosophical University Press has some interesting information on the subject.

Lucifer means lightbringer, from the Latin lux ”light” and ferre ”to bear or bring.” The word Lucifer is found in only one place in the Bible — Isaiah 14:12 — but only in the King James and related versions: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! . . .” In other translations we find: “O shining star of the dawn!” (Moffatt) or “O morning-star, son of the dawn!” (Hebrew Bible). The King James Version is based on the Vulgate, the Latin translation of Jerome. Jerome translated the Hebrew helel (bright or brilliant one) as “lucifer,” which was a reasonable Latin equivalent. And yet it is this lucifer, the bright one or lightbearer, that came to be understood by so many as the name for Satan, Lord of Darkness.

Lucifer is mentioned only in the Old Testament, and Satan doesn’t come into the picture until the New Testament. Jesus is also known as the “Morning Star” in the New Testament, which confuses the issue even more.
But before either the Old or New Testament, Venus was known as the “Morning Star.” Plato, who is thought to have been born in 428 b.c.e. and therefore predates the New Testament and some of the rewrites of the Old Testament, wrote in his work called Timaeus:

Time, then, and the heaven came into being at the same instant in order that, having been created together, if ever there was to be a dissolution of them, they might be dissolved together. It was framed after the pattern of the eternal nature, that it might resemble this as far as was possible; for the pattern exists from eternity, and the created heaven has been, and is, and will be, in all time. Such was the mind and thought of God in the creation of time. The sun and moon and five other stars, which are called the planets, were created by him in order to distinguish and preserve the numbers of time; and when he had made their several bodies, he placed them in the orbits in which the circle of the other was revolving — in seven orbits seven stars. First, there was the moon in the orbit nearest the earth, and next the sun, in the second orbit above the earth; then came the morning star and the star sacred to Hermes, moving in orbits which have an equal swiftness with the sun, but in an opposite direction; and this is the reason why the sun and Hermes and Lucifer overtake and are overtaken by each other.

Plato clearly here is speaking of Lucifer as being the actual planet Venus, with Hermes as being the planet Mercury, “moving in orbits which have an equal swiftness with the Sun.”
It appears that the misogyny of the early Solar cults and the later Roman church might have had a part to play in linking the feminine Venus with Satan:

There are also many pre-Christian myths and allegories that include stories about Lucifer, which is the Latin name for the Greek Eosphoros. … In the oldest Zoroastrian allegories, Mithra is supposed to have conquered the planet Venus. In the Christian tradition, Michael defeats Lucifer.

So we see that in the Zoroastrian myth the solar resurrected god Mithra conquers the Divine Feminine as represented by Venus, just as the archangel Michael in later Christian mythology conquers Lucifer. The Solar cults, of which Christian is just the most recent, feared the mythic power of the Divine Feminine and perhaps this is one of the reasons for the confusion over Lucifer’s true identity.

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posted October 01, 2013 01:07 PM            

Might be worth contemplating the Greek myth of Prometheus. Prometheus is Lucifer. The "light" he brought is the light of consciousness, of self awareness. This isn't inherently evil, far from it, but was given to man in an inappropriate way, at an inappropriate time. This is the 'evil' of Lucifer. The redemption of Lucifer (a very necessary objective!) in part lies in mastering full awareness while simultaneously remaining humble before God. Not an easy feat! If you've seen the Muslim form of prayer, you'll notice the practioner will stand, then prostrate, stand, prostrate ie Full potential, surrender. This was also the earliest form of Christian prayer, and can sometimes still be seen in the Eastern Orthodox churches. At this time of Michaelmas, it might also be worthwhile to consider the Angel Michael, literally "who is like unto God?". It is that power of Michael which subdues the Luciferic Dragon.

Also, in regards to the generic, all encompassing "Satan", you might read Job 40-41. This gives a wonderfully descriptive account of the two faces of evil, Leviathan and Behemoth. Or, as one of my preferred esoteric schools refers to them, Lucifer and Ahriman (the latter name is borrowed from Zoroaster) You might also consider the temptation of Christ, found in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. Ahriman asks the first question, Lucifer the next two.

And, yes, in esoteric schools Lucifer is often refered to as "Her" and Ahriman as "Him." And that alone is worthy of contemplation!

If you're uncomfortable with the Christian Bible, descriptions of these two evils can be found in various other religious texts and pagan myths such as Mara's temptation of Buddha. The Germanic/Nordic myths are another excellent example and one of my personal favorites.

posted October 02, 2013 09:02 PM            

You are way beyond me. I get more and more confused the more examples I see of a light-bearer being both good and evil.

The asteroid Lucifer is conjunct my Saturn, which rules (and is in mutual reception with) my sun. I was looking for an "out" here since I kinda don't want any Satanic influence featuring prominently in my chart. You understand.

Given all the complexities you mention (and bravo to your scholarship), presently I just want to throw up my hands and quit thinking of it altogether. But I love what you wrote:

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This is the 'evil' of Lucifer. The redemption of Lucifer (a very necessary objective!) in part lies in mastering full awareness while simultaneously remaining humble before God. Not an easy feat!

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'Will keep that in mind, in case I ever "master full awareness." Um, somehow I think I won't but ya never know.

posted October 03, 2013 10:26 AM            

yk, I suspect a good part of the confusion lies in the new age movement's understanding of "light." Light denotes a general, unspecified goodness in today's parlance. In occult understanding, Light is consciousness. So Lucifer doesn't bring goodness, he brings conscious self awareness. That's not a bad thing, but given at the wrong time can cause much harm.
Lucifer disobeyed the will of God by inserting something into human spiritual evolution before its proper time.

is there a asteroid named after Lucifer? hmm Interesting.

posted November 22, 2013 10:09 AM            

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Originally posted by shura:
yk, I suspect a good part of the confusion lies in the new age movement's understanding of "light." Light denotes a general, unspecified goodness in today's parlance. In occult understanding, Light is consciousness. So Lucifer doesn't bring goodness, he brings conscious self awareness. That's not a bad thing, but given at the wrong time can cause much harm.
Lucifer disobeyed the will of God by inserting something into human spiritual evolution before its proper time.

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So is Lucifer connected to kairos, do you think? The art of timing things correctly? Hmmm...I wonder if there is a Kairos asteroid! I'll have to check that out.

(time lapse) No, there isn't, not that I can find. Figures it would show up LATE for our discussion here...oh the irony.

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Originally posted by shura:

is there a asteroid named after Lucifer? hmm Interesting.

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Yes, that's what prompted me to start this thread, actually.

Here is an emphemeris for Lucifer

Mine is exactly conjunct my Saturn and my Urania asteroid (goddess of astrology?) in the 12H. I could read a lot into that, especially since Saturn is "old father time."

I have had a lot of trouble studying astrology..for now I am very covert about it (12H) and struggling to find the right time to tell people, "By the way, I'm into astrology" because it seems tantamount to saying, "By the way I'm a creeper who looks at charts and conjures up a bunch of assumptions about people behind their backs."

Which is totally what I do! But not to spy, just to learn. Persuading people that I have good intentions (again, perhaps a Lucifer theme) is the hard part.

Care to look into your Lucifer asteroid and discuss your findings, in *light* of Lucifer's more expanded meaning?

posted November 22, 2013 10:46 AM            

Unfortunately, he was not without a means of power, and thus was able to banish Lucifer to the world of matter...

That is until... Jesus **cough** Lucifer opens up the "Gates of Azathoth", granting to him the power of absolute Chaos, and the ability to kick Samael's ass during the Battle of Revelation...