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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 5:51:59 GMT
I've decided to start a thread in order to speak to something that has been generally 'mysterious' to most, and will be brought up on other threads throughout, since... one thing leads to another... most generally... and, they are all ultimately 'related.' You'll see how that works out, I think, to our mutual satisfaction... if we can just keep following the thread... of Ariadne, as it were... lol... we will find our way out of the 'labyrinth' (which, you will be gratified to know, is not only symbolic, but also very much 'literal' as well). You see that the questor of the labyrinth was assisted in his escape by a thread... coincidentally. Now, the worm that I am referring to here should be familiar to most Masons as the 'shamir' that is said to have been responsible for the success of the building of Solomon's Temple. That 'fact' is interesting, in and of itself, since nobody seems to know what exactly a 'shamir' is, or why it would be useful in stonecutting... which is what it was used for. Stonecutting. In fact, it was said that the temple could not have been completed without it, and so... Solomon had to take recourse to the 'king of the demons,' Asmodeus, in order to procure this 'worm,' which could be gotten in no other way, evidently. Well, speaking of oxymorons... repairing to the 'demon king' in order to complete 'God's House.' Who would have ever thought such a thing, much less the one that was 'legendary' for his wisdom...? Mysterious ways, indeed... Not only is that interesting, but the 'shamir' is a worm... a worm. Or, said to be a worm, or compared to a worm... a 'larva' perhaps, of a later butterfly, for instance, which is, for all intents and purposes, a worm. And then, there is your inchworm... but however you like it, it was said to be a worm. Now, we are looking at the 'symbolic' and 'esoteric' sides of these issues (yes, I just checked category heading... we're in the right place), so let's take the not-so-obvious interpretations of 'worm.' One of those might by 'wyrm,' or 'dragon,' actually... and could be... under the circumstances; of course, then we are left to interpret those terms, either obviously or symbolically. It really is complicated... if it weren't, we wouldn't be here for this discussion, would we? The next interesting connection that we can make is Chnoubis, or Abrasax/Abraxas... this Chnoubis is said to be a worm, that is noted for its 'giant killing' abilities (Jack the Giant Killer...?) and is equated with our Abraxas... Abracadabra... is it magic yet? No...? It will be. Now, that's a strange worm... I wonder what the butterfly looks like... Read more: innerchamber.proboards.com/thread/646/worms-temple-building#ixzz2dQY02PeG
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 6:15:14 GMT
About this 'Chnoubis,' now... this is really interesting. I have seen many of the 'amulets' that portray Chnoubis, and Abraxas, and I have heard that Abraxas is the 'god,' the 'messiah,' even, maybe, that combines both 'good' and 'bad' in true equilibrium. Now, here is something that I hadn't heard, nor 'known,' but considered already in relation to the position that he seems to hold... this is really very interesting: ...portraits of the lion-headed serpent Ialdabaoth were largely influenced by a popular decan god in Greco-Egyptian magic and astrology. His name was Chnoubis and in the Hellenistic lists of 36 decans he appears as the 13th! I need to say no more.
Second, I discussed the scene where Jesus tells the strongest of the disciples to lead forward the Perfect Man, and Judas accepts. I asked the question, who is the Perfect Man in Sethianism? The answer: Autogenes or his Son, the Son of Man; who is the Christ in Sethian Christianity...
Third... an antique gem (ca. first or second c. CE) that... student Grant Adamson had come across in a catalogue he was working through for his own research on Gnostic magic... shows the lion-headed astral god on one side with the hidden angel names in coded anagrams: Michael and Elieli. This lion-headed astral god goes by various names on these gems: IAO, Abrasax, Michael, Chnoubis, and Ialdabaoth. The idea behind the gem is that the owner possesses the god's names and can command the god to do whatever he desires for the god to do for him. The most secret and important name of the god often shows up on the back of the gem, in the center of the gem's face. ...The name that has been hidden for 2000 years - to flip over the gem... And on the back centered in the gem's face is the name JUDAS. So now we have material evidence that there were people in the ancient world who identified Judas with Ialdabaoth the demon astral ruler, just as the Gospel of Judas says. This appears to have been a well-kept Gnostic secret that was believed to be very powerful. Knowing the demon's real name meant that the amulet-wearer could control the highest of the archons in this life and the afterlife... forbiddengospels.blogspot.com/2008/11/sbl-memories-1-judas-section.htmlIf you will remember, I brought up the 'Gospel of Judas' long ago on another forum thread that I created, and we never quite got to this part... I never really 'knew' myself, but I have to tell you... I might have guessed. I think that I've told you enough previously to make this more of a confirmation of certain things for me. I mean... if you read this thread previously on the Sanctum, you can already see where the connections lie to what I've already told you. It was quite exciting for me, really, and I was grateful to come across it... Additionally, I understand that Judas qualifies quite well as a 'hanged man,' so to speak... quite well indeed. The really, really interesting part is this name, though... EliEli... it almost sounds like Elly-Elly, or if you run it together, well... but it's Eli-Eli... lol... And with that, we could use a song. Mr. Music, if you please...
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 6:35:30 GMT
In the Gemara the shamir (Hebrew: שמיר) is a mythical worm or a substance that had the power to cut through or disintegrate stone, iron and diamond and in the myth, King Solomon used it in the building of the First Temple in Jerusalem in the place of cutting tools. For the building of the Temple, which promoted peace, it was inappropriate to use tools that could also cause war and bloodshed... Referenced throughout the Talmud and the Midrashim, the Shamir was reputed to have existed in the time of Moses. Moses reputedly used the Shamir to carve the Hoshen (Priestly breastplate) into the tablets of stone. King Solomon, aware of the existence of the Shamir, but unaware of its location, commissioned a search that turned up a "grain of Shamir the size of a barley-corn." Solomon's artisans reputedly used the Shamir in the construction of Solomon's Temple. The material to be worked, whether stone, wood or metal, was affected by being "shown to the Shamir." Following this line of logic (anything that can be 'shown' something must have eyes to see), early Rabbinical scholars described the Shamir almost as a living being. Other early sources, however, describe it as a green stone. For storage, the Shamir was meant to have been always wrapped in wool and stored in a container made of lead; any other vessel would burst and disintegrate under the Shamir's gaze. The Shamir was said to have been either lost or had lost its potency (along with the "dripping of the honeycomb") by the time of the destruction of the First Temple at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon%27s_shamir So... Moses 'knew' the Shamir, it would seem. And it was used to 'engrave' the tablets of stone... to write the book, if you Will... well, well... and what do you know? The Shamir was 'lost,' but somebody knew where it was hidden... and the rumors of its 'death' have been greatly exaggereated, I'm sure... I want to point out also that last bit about the end of the 'dripping of the honeycomb...' We can find here, by complete serendipity, of course, yet another reference to our Masonic tracing board symbolism of the beehive, as well as the completely Merovingian symbolism of the golden bees. It is well known that Napoleon coveted the Merovingian bees to the point that he had them sewn onto his own coronation robe, I believe. He was a pretender, and a supplanter... if you previously read on another thread, posted at the Sanctum, that he took another 'symbol' (a head, I believe it was), and replaced it with his own 'symbol;' you see how that works? You take the 'symbols of power' belonging to another, and take them on as your own, hopefully taking also the power that was associated with them by their previous 'owner.' This works in many ways, magically speaking, as well as practically speaking... it is also the reason that certain cannibals 'eat' their enemies, or parts thereof... in order to 'take them into themselves,' or incorporate them into their own persons. Cheap, really... but somewhat effective, in the short-term. Thanks to another equally true natural law, it's 'live by sword, and die by the sword,' or maybe 'dog eat dog,' as well, so... it can't last. But, that isn't to say that it isn't, and hasn't been, tried... Amulets work that way... Read more: innerchamber.proboards.com/thread/646/worms-temple-building#ixzz2dQl69QsO
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 6:51:50 GMT
If I were to think of accomplishing such a thing as building something like a temple, 'without tools,' so to speak, I would really prefer to put my 'stock' in someone who could build a real 'temple,' without any of that... and I just happen to know somebody... ... the subject becomes more meaningful when a proposed method is demonstrated and proven to be successful. There is only one man in the world who, by demonstration, has supported the claim, I know the secret of how the pyramids of Egypt were built! The man is now deceased.
The claim was made by an eccentric Latvian recluse named Edward Leedskalnin. An immigrant to the United States of America, Leedskalnin devised a means to single-handedly lift and maneuver blocks of coral weighing up to 30 tons each. In Homestead, Florida, using his closely guarded secret, he was able to quarry and construct an entire complex of monolithic blocks of coral in an arrangement that reflected his own unique character. On average, the weight of a single block used in the Coral Castle was greater than those used to build the Great Pyramid. He labored for 28 years to complete the work, which consisted of a total of 1,100 tons of rock. What was Leedskalnin's secret? Is it possible for a five-foot tall, 110 pound man to accomplish such a feat without knowing techniques that are uncommon to our contemporary understanding of physics and mechanics?
Leedskalnin was a student of the universe. Within his castle walls, built of coral blocks weighing approximately 15 tons each, he had a 22-ton obelisk, a 22-ton moon block, a 23-ton Jupiter block, a Saturn block, a 9-ton gate, a rocking chair that weighed 3-tons, and numerous puzzles. A huge 30-ton block, which he considered to be his major achievement, he crowned with a gable shaped rock. These personal accomplishments have astounded and surprised many engineers and technologists, who compare them with those achieved by workers handling similar weights in industry today.
For his miracles of construction engineering, Leedskalnin received attention not only from engineers and technologists, but from the U.S. government, who paid him a visit hoping to be enlightened. Leedskalnin received them gracefully, and they left none the wiser. In 1952, falling ill and on his last legs, Leedskalnin checked himself into the hospital and slipped away from this life, taking his secret with him.rense.com/general39/coral.htm For his 'Sweet 16'... but, of course, the number of the Temple is 16... coincidentally... And he was very small, too... barely the size of a barley-corn... small, but mighty, yes? A 'great day' of 'small things'... You see, it really could be... Read more: innerchamber.proboards.com/thread/646/worms-temple-building#ixzz2dQsqZDKB
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 6:54:50 GMT
Beautiful, isn't it? He was quite 'successful,' and yet... his life did not reflect any 'success' that other men might measure. He died with most of the proceeds from the tours that he gave of the 'castle' (at ten cents per head, mind you), still intact at his home. He wasn't in it for the money, evidently. It was his own 'labor of love.' There are signs carved into rocks at the front gate to "Ring Bell Twice" and a second sign just inside the property that says "Adm. 10c Drop Below". He would come down from his living quarters in the second story of the castle tower close to the gate and conduct the tour. Leedskalnin never told anyone who asked him how he made the castle. He would simply answer "It's not difficult if you know how."
When asked why he had built the castle, Leedskalnin would vaguely answer it was for his "Sweet Sixteen." This is widely believed to be a reference to Agnes Scuffs (whose surname is given by some sources as "Skuvst"). In Leedskalnin's own publication A Book in Every Home he implies his "Sweet Sixteen" was more an ideal than a reality. According to a Latvian account, the girl existed, but her name was actually Hermīne Lūsis...
Many of the features and carvings of the castle are notable. Among them are a two-story castle tower that served as Leedskalnin's living quarters (walls consisting of 8-foot high pieces of stone), an accurate sundial, a Polaris telescope, an obelisk, a barbecue, a water well, a fountain, celestial stars and planets, and numerous pieces of furniture. The furniture pieces include a heart-shaped table, a table in the shape of Florida, twenty-five rocking chairs, chairs resembling crescent moons, a bathtub, beds and a throne. With few exceptions, the objects are made from single pieces of stone that weigh on average 15 short tons (14 t) each. The largest stone weighs 30 short tons (27 t) and the tallest are two monoliths standing 25 ft (7.6 m) each.
A 9-short-ton (8.2 t) revolving 8-foot tall gate is a famous structure of the castle, documented on the television programs In Search of... and That's Incredible! The gate is carved so that it fits within a quarter of an inch of the walls. It was well-balanced, reportedly so that a child could open it with the push of a finger. The mystery of the gate's perfectly balanced axis and the ease with which it revolved lasted for decades until it stopped working in 1986.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_Castle In other words, like most other good knights and true, he quested in the name of an ideal, that was symbolized by this 'woman'... a classic 'romance,' really... a girl should be so lucky... Read more: innerchamber.proboards.com/thread/646/worms-temple-building#ixzz2dQu3dBRC
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 6:56:11 GMT
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 7:03:58 GMT
And then, there's the fact that only the 'King of the demons,' or Asmodeus, knows the location of this 'master craftsman,' so to speak... and why do you suppose that is? What could he possibly share in common with such a one as the Shamir, that he should know its whereabouts? My guess...? Or thesis, if you Will... this 'Shamir' was consigned to the 'abyss' that the 'King of the demons,' or Asmodeus, is said to inhabit; the 'Shamir' had gone underground, or had been placed underground, in a deliberate attempt, perhaps, to 'hide' it, if not destroy it. Let us be charitable, then, as we are called to do, and say that it was just 're-veiled'... may be... that he had in his 'possession' something of importance seems to be evidenced by the statuary at Rennes-le-Chateau, in which Jesus and Asmodeus give each other anxious looks over a checkerboard floor... Notice the seashell... and his hand once held, what? Notice the seashell... and his hand once held, what? This... a trident... well, how do you like that? As soon as the door was opened, we were smacked in the face with the image of a horrible, grimacing demon, which we recognized to be Asmodeus, the diabolic statue that Sauniere had placed inside the door to hold up the holy water stoop. This was the demon who, according to cabalistic tradition, was the builder of Solomon’s Temple, the keeper of buried treasure, and “the destroyer,” as well as “Rex Mundi,” the “Lord of the Earth.” Above the fountain are two fire-breathing salamanders, and above them, four ceramic statues of angels making the sign of the cross, marked with the caption “Par Ce Signe tu Vaincras” (“In this sign you will conquer”). The entire display, then, can be taken to represent a “marriage” or “crossing” of the four elements. Each element of this configuration represents one of the four primary elements of magic or alchemy. Asmodeus represents Earth; the holy water represents (of course) Water; the salamanders indicate Fire; and the angels signify Air. Across the hall from the demon stand statues of Christ kneeling before John the Baptist, a sorrowful look on his face, waiting to be blessed. As has been previously stated, all of these statues are looking at the floor, tiled in the black and white chequerboard style used by Templars and Freemasons to symbolize the co-equal powers of light and darkness.Curiouser and curiouser... indeed. And believe it or not, this will all come back around to the 'Ninth Gate' thread, elsewhere on the forum... well... synchronicity is what other people like to call it. I say, 'serendipity,' but it's pretty much the same thing... and this isn't the end of where I was headed with this thread, but it will at least give you some fuel for imagination, for a while... contemplate on these things... since you can see that other people most certainly did. Took it all quite seriously, actually... Speaking of synchronicity, do you notice that the spiral itself resembles a capital 'G?' And that the spiral is in the shape of a 'worm,' more or less...? I have heard that the incidence and rate of 'synchronicities' will increase... rapidly, and dramatically... I suppose that it would be the result of the convergence of many points of fact, all of which point to One Thing... At the center of a cross... road... maybe... Read more: innerchamber.proboards.com/thread/646/worms-temple-building#ixzz2dQwNNtGURead more: innerchamber.proboards.com/thread/646/worms-temple-building#ixzz2dQuykUt2
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 7:08:48 GMT
Now, as good 'masons,' we should continue on with Hiram, I think, since the building of the Temple was all tied in to this character... so, the Shamir should be found somewhere in his neighborhood, I would think... There are many myths surrounding this Hiram, and who exactly he was, and where exactly he came from. More important, maybe, was the fact that he 'took with him' the 'secret Word,' and that he has, actually, the 'replacement' for it, in his possession. Thieves (three, actually...) wanted it so badly, that they actually murdered him (the master) for it... but it yet escaped them. I think that we can anticipate the 'return of the Master' with the 'New Word,' and the subsequent creation of the True Temple 'built without hands'... in Perfection and Beauty... as it should have been. But I told you also that Solomon failed... failed miserably, as it were. In spite of all of the knowledge that he was graced with, he spent his talents rather unwisely, you might say. He did not 'honor' the Temple, I'm afraid... and therefore, by extension, the builder of the Temple was dishonored. Even with the assistance of the 'misappropriated' Shamir, Solomon's temple seems not to have been built on a solid foundation. Let's get in a little bit more background, and then go on with the Shamir, itself... Other accounts of a Biblical Hiram (tell us that) Flavius Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews (Chapter 8:76) refers to Hiram as τεχνίτης, artificer, craftsman. "Now Solomon sent for an artificer out of Tyre, whose name was Hiram: he was by birth of the tribe of Naphtali, on his mother's side (for she was of that tribe); but his father was Ur, of the stock of the Israelites."
The Targum Sheni, an Aramaic commentary on the Book of Esther written sometime between the fall of Rome and the Crusades, credits Hiram with the construction of a miraculous throne for Solomon, which in Esther's time is being used by the descendants of Cyrus the Great.
The most elaborate version of the legend occurs in Gérard de Nerval's 1851 account, Voyage en Orient, where he relates the tale, inserting all the masonic passwords, as part of the story of Balkis, the "Queen of the Morning" and "Soliman", Prince of the Genii. This is an elaboration of the second version above, where the Master Craftsman is named Adoniram. Before his death, he undergoes mystical adventures as his tale is interwoven with that of Solomon and Balkis, the Queen of Sheba. The ruffians who kill him are under the instruction of Solomon himself. De Nerval relates the story as having been told in an Eastern coffee house over a two-week period. A similar account is given in Charles William Heckethorn's The Secret Societies of all Ages and Countries, where Solomon plots to destroy Hiram because of the mutual love between Hiram and the Queen of Sheba.
The plot thickens... In one version of the story... Solomon informs his workforce that the secrets of a master mason are now lost. He replaces them with substitutes (based on gestures given and words spoken upon the discovery of Hiram's body). Such is the general legend as related in the Anglo-American jurisdictions.
In Continental Freemasonry the tale is slightly different: a large number of master masons (not just Hiram) are working on the Temple, and the three ruffians are seeking the passwords and signs that will give them a higher wage. The result is the same, but this time it is master masons who find the body. The secrets are not lost, but Solomon orders them buried under the Temple, inscribed on Hiram's grave, and the same substitution is made as a mark of respect. The secrets "lost" in the other tradition are here given to new master masons as part of their ritual. In this version, Hiram is often renamed Adoniram.
Anderson's revised 1738 Constitutions describe the place of the Deputy Grand Master, to the left of the newly installed Grand Master John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu, as the "Chair of Hiram Abiff" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram_Abiff#The_Masonic_Legend_of_Hiram_Abiff It is a 'perilous seat,' I assume... Read more: innerchamber.proboards.com/thread/646/worms-temple-building?page=2#ixzz2dQwsjhP6
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 7:11:21 GMT
So, about the 'shamir'... Many generations before King Solomon’s reign, Moses faced the same dilemma when he had to engrave the names of the Twelve Tribes of Israel on the precious stones that decorated the sacred Ephod (breast plate) worn by the high priest. God helped Moses by introducing him to a Shamir, a magical little worm that could cut stones with its glance. The demons did not know the whereabouts of any Shamir, but they suggested contacting their king, Asmodeus.
Asmodeus never quite accepted King Solomon’s supremacy, so he had to be tricked and captured before he would give up the secret of finding a Shamir. The king knew that he lived on a certain mountain, where he kept a water hole, covered with a stone and sealed with his own seal. From this hole Asmodeus drank every day, before and after visiting the Heavenly Academy, where he liked to participate in the studies with the angels.
King Solomon sent his chief assistant, Benaiahu Ben Yehoyada, a cunning man, known for his courage and resourcefulness. He brought some necessary objects: a chain on which the king had inscribed the Shem Hameforash (the true name of God), a bundle of wool, and many skins full of strong wine. Benaiahu dug a hole under Asmodeus’ hole, drained all the water from it, and stopped the bottom hole with the wool. He then dug a second hole from above Asmodeus’ hole, poured all the wine into it, and after the wine filled the hole completely, covered his own hole with dirt. He then climbed a tree and waited.
When Asmodeus came to drink, he saw clearly that someone replaced his water with wine, and for a while hesitated to drink. But his thirst got the better of him and eventually he drank anyway. Thoroughly drunk, the demon fell asleep, and Benaiahu climbed down and carefully bound him with the chain engraved with the Shem Hameforash. The sacred name of God neutralized the demonic power completely, so when he woke up, the demon realized he had no choice but to obey, and followed Benaiahu to King Solomon’s palace. He bitterly complained to the king about the indignity of his capture, but the king told him that he only wanted the Shamir, and for an important purpose. Asmodeus answered that he did not possess any Shamir. All the Shamirs belonged to the Angel of the Sea, who had assigned their use to the moor-hens under oath of guarding them with their lives. The moor-hens would take them to mountains that were too stony to inhabit and cultivate. The Shamirs would break the stones, the moor-hens plant seeds in the cracks, and new land would be thus prepared for settling on.
The king’s counselors found a moor-hen’s nest with a few nestlings. They covered it with a piece of clear glass. The moor-hen, seeing that it could not get in to feed her young, fetched a Shamir and was about to put it on the glass. The counselors threw some dirt at her, and in terror, she dropped the Shamir on the ground. The counselors grabbed it and triumphantly carried it to King Solomon. Seeing that her oath to the Angel of the Sea was thus broken, the moor-hen committed suicide, and her nestlings were orphaned.
So the Shamir was now available to the king, and the Temple could be built. But the use of so much cruelty and deceit carried a price. Adding to his sins, even though the king no longer needed Asmodeus, he nevertheless detained him against his will, until the Temple was completed. One day, Solomon told Asmodeus that he could not see any greatness in the demons’ strength, if their king could be kept in bondage by a mortal man. Asmodeus told him that he could show him his strength if the king lent him his protective magic ring. The king arrogantly agreed, and as soon as the ring touched Asmodeus’ finger, the demon grew to a giant size, with one wing touching the earth and one touching the heaven. He snatched the king up and flung him away, and the king fell far away from Jerusalem. And so started King Solomon’s punishment -- but that’s another tale.www.pantheon.org/areas/featured/solomon/ksqb-2.htmlRead more: innerchamber.proboards.com/thread/646/worms-temple-building?page=2#ixzz2dQyA53ID
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 7:13:44 GMT
Images by MC Escher... one of my favorites... Just sayin'...
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 7:15:03 GMT
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Aug 30, 2013 7:22:48 GMT
I am thinking that the 'shamir' were the 'Hirams,' or 'Masters,' of stonecutting, that held the secrets that Ed of the Coral Castle knew... and that the 'secret word' might have been the anagram 'shamir,' which would have been easy enough to remember, but almost impossible to guess. And when the last, and greatest, of the 'Hirams' or 'Shamir' was killed for the word (which would have entitled them to the higher pay grade without having to perform the work necessary to earn it... you see? Some things are distressingly the same), that the 'Shamir' disappeared from the earth, and took their skills with them. You see...? But they came from somewhere... and they learned their skills from someone else. There are likely still 'Hirams' out there, whose location is known only to the Sea... or somewhere thereabouts.
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Sept 16, 2013 18:16:51 GMT
Let's continue this thread with one of the pertinent legends regarding the Shamir, and how it was procured... admittedly, I am copying this from another website, which I will give the link to; much good work has already been done on the research over the years, and they should probably get some credit for it, where possible... The legend I am going to relate here begins in the Babylonian Talmud, in tractate Gittin. Chapter 6 of 1 Kings tell of the building of the first temple, and mentions that the stones brought to the construction site were already so perfectly smoothed so that the stonemasons required no iron tools to fit them into the walls. To the sages, this was explained not by the unsurpassed skills of the Phoeneician artisans, but by the use of a magical worm.
The word Shamir appears several times in the Bible, and is translated as diamond in the King James Version. The sages, however, read it to mean either a magical rock-cutting worm, or a magical rock-cutting herb. The Talmud counts it among the ten wonders created on the eve of the first Sabbath, just before God has finished creation. As such, these wonders are exempt from the normal rules physics. The Shamir was first used by Moses to carve the stones of the Ephod, the ornate amulet of the High Priest. Years later, it was used by Solomon to build the first temple.
In tractate Gittin 68a, the sages begin an argument about male and female demons – an argument that quickly deteriorates into a contest of tall tales. And thus they tell us:
Solomon said to his scholars, How shall I manage [without iron tools]? — They replied, There is the Shamir which Moses brought for the stones of the Ephod. He asked them, Where is it to be found? — They replied, Bring a male and a female demon and tie them together; perhaps they know and will tell you. He did so, and they said to him, We do not know, but perhaps Ashmedai [Asmodeus] the king of the demons knows. He said to them, Where is he? — They answered, He is in such-and-such a mountain. He has dug a pit there, which he fills with water and covers with a stone, which he then seals with his seal. Every day he goes up to the sky and reads in the Synagogue of the sky, and then he comes down to earth and reads in the Synagogue of the earth, and then he goes and examines his seal and opens [the pit] and drinks and then closes it and seals it again and goes away.
Solomon sends to this task Benaiah, commander of King David’s army of mercenaries, to catch Ashmedai. For this purpose, he uses a chain and a ring with the explicit name of God – YHWH – engraved upon it. Like the Babylonians, the Jews believed that true names hold power, and that YHWH was the most powerful name of them all.
Benaiah digs into Ashmedai’s sealed well, empties it and then fills it with wine. When Ashmedai comes, he is at first reluctant to drink it – quoting verses from Proverbs about the dangers of getting drunk. Eventually he gives up, drinks his fair share of wine and falls asleep. Benaiah binds him and takes him to Jerusalem. On his way, while bound in the reinforced chain, Ashmedai shares some of his demonic insight with Benaiah:
He saw a blind man straying from his way and he put him on the right path. He saw a drunken man losing his way and he put him on his path. He saw a wedding procession making its way merrily and he wept. He heard a man say to a shoemaker, Make me a pair of shoes that will last seven years, and he chuckled. He saw a diviner practising divinations and he chuckled.
Benaiahu said to Ashmedai, Why when you saw that blind man going out of his way did you put him right? He replied: It has been proclaimed of him in heaven that he is a wholly righteous man, and that whoever does him a kindness will be worthy of the World to Come. And why, when you saw the drunken man going out of his way, did you put him right? He replied, They have proclaimed in heaven that he is wholly wicked, and I conferred a boon on him in order that he may consume [here] his share [of the future world]. Why when you saw the wedding procession did you weep? He said: The husband will die within thirty days, and [to get married again, the wife] will have to wait for the brother-in-law who is still a child of thirteen years. Why, when you heard a man say to the shoemaker, Make me shoes to last seven years, did you laugh? He replied: That man has not seven days to live, and he wants shoes for seven years! Why when you saw that diviner divining did you laugh? He said: He was sitting on a royal treasure: he should have divined what was beneath him.beyondthegolem.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/solomon-shamir-and-ashmedai/Now, this is an interesting illustration, I think... do you see the 'four faces?' Which might be compared to several things, obviously, and less obviously to some, they remind me of the 'four holy helpers' of Norea...
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Sept 16, 2013 18:21:44 GMT
Finally Ashmedai is brought before King Solomon, and reveals the location of the Shamir, which means Benaiah is sent on yet another epic quest.
[Ashmedai] took a reed and measured four cubits and threw it in front of [Solomon], saying, See now, when you die you will have no more than four cubits in this world. Now, however, you have subdued the whole world, yet you are not satisfied till you subdue me too. He replied: I want nothing of you. What I want is to build the Temple and I require the Shamir. He said: It is not in my hands, it is in the hands of the Lord of the Sea who gives it only to Tarnegol HaBar, to whom he trusts it on oath.
The Lord of The Sea (also called Rahav or Rahab) is an interesting being in itself. In the ancient Jewish mythology, the demons, the devils and the evil spirits all bow before God and serve Him. In the whole of creation, The Lord of the Sea is the only creature actively opposed to God. He is mentioned a few times in the Midrashim, and will likely get its own post one day.
Tarnegol HaBar (or Nagar DeTura – “Mountain-Splitter”) is mythical bird, which is translated as woodpecker or wood-grouse in the Epstein edition. Rashi interprets the expression as referring to the Hoopoe. Whatever bird it is, it must have been a very loyal one, considering its tragic end:
What does the bird do with [the Shamir]? — He takes it to a barren mountain and puts it on the edge of the rock which thereupon splits, and he then takes seeds from trees and brings them and throws them into the opening and plants grow there.
So they found out Tarnegol HaBar’s nest with young in it, and covered it over with glass. When the bird came it wanted to get in but could not, so it went and brought the shamir and placed it on the glass. Benaiahu thereupon gave a shout, and it dropped [the shamir] and he took it, and the bird went and strangled itself because it broke its oath.
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Post by Goldenfleeced on Sept 16, 2013 18:24:18 GMT
Thus the legend of Solomon’s Shamir ends, and the more famous legend of Solomon’s exile begin:
Solomon kept [Asmodeus] with him until he had built the Temple. One day when he was alone with him, he said… what is your superiority over us? He said to him, Take the chain off me and give me your ring, and I will show you. So he took the chain off him and gave him the ring. He then swallowed it, and placing one wing on the earth and one on the sky he hurled him four hundred parasangs.
The legend of Solomon’s exile has quite a few versions. Rather than sticking to the Talmudic text, I bring here the more piquant version found in Midrash Al Yithalel:
Ashmedai took Solomon’s signet ring from his finger, assumed his appearance and sat on his throne, so that everyone in Israel believed he was Solomon. At that time, Solomon wandered about in the villages and in the towns, saying I am the Teacher, son of David, who was King of Israel. This continued for three years.
What did Ashmedai do? He went to all of Solomon’s wives, until he reached one of them who was forbidden due to her having her period. When she saw him, she said, “why are you acting differently, wanting what you did not want before?”. He remained silent, and she said, “you are not Solomon”. He also went to Solomon’s mother Bathsheba, and said “I want you to do such-and-such”. She said to him, “my son, do you seek pleasure in the place from whence you came?”.
She went to Benaiah, and told him what has happened. He was shocked; he mourned, saying, “God forbid! That is surely not your son Solomon but Ashmedai, and the boy wandering about saying ‘I am the Teacher’ is Solomon himself”. He sent for that boy and told him, “Son, who are you?”. He replied “I am Solomon, son of David”. He asked, “Son, how did such a thing come to pass?”. Solomon replied, “One day I was sitting at my throne and a storm came forth and tossed me away, and from that day I have lost my mind, and became a wanderer.
As Benaiah heard his words, he called the court, and told them what has happened. He also said, “write the explicit name of God and set it against your hearts”. They did so, and returned to Benaiah. Beniah went with them. He took a sword and dealt Ashmedai a mighty blow. He took his signet ring, and wanted to kill him. A divine voice said, “do not harm him; it was My will that was done, because Solomon has broken the divine law”. They returned Solomon to his throne, and put the signet ring on his finger. Solomon immediately assumed his old appearance, and was restored to his former splendour.
This story, and its numerous variations, serve to explain the book of Ecclesiastes, the most morbid and cynical book in the Old Testament. The book is usually attributed to King Solomon, and saying it was written by Solomon when he was in exile, while the demon king was sitting on his throne and screwing his wives and mother help to reconciles the differences between the bitter and solemn Teacher and the gluttonous and lustful Solomon.
Bittersweet... indeed.
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