#atalanta fleeing

[tylermileslockett]

Theseus #6 (The Abandonment of Ariadne)

Having succeeded in his mission to slay the Minotaur, breaking King Minos demand for yearly sacrifices of Athenian tributes, Theseus flees Crete with the Princess Ariadne in the cover of night. A terrible storm forces them to stop on the Island of Dia (Nexos), where they find rest and respite in the safety and warmth of each other���s arms. But that night, Dionysus visits Theseus in a dream, threatening death if he does not abandon the princess, for Dionysus has also fallen in love with her. With a heavy heart, Theseus sneaks away in the night and puts out to sea, leaving her behind. Dionysus takes Ariadne as his wife, eventually bringing her to Olympus, making her immortal, and begetting many children with her.

there are many different versions told of princess Ariadne’s fate. According to the cryptic passage in Homer’s Odyssey, on the island of Naxos, she was slain by Artemis with Dionysus as witness; suggesting a blasphemous act of lust within the god’s sacred grove (mirroring Ovid’s later ending for the Atalanta myth).  Plutarch, in his Life of Theseus chapter from his work “Parallel lives,” recounts an array of variations; from her hanging herself upon abandonment, to her settling down with a Dionysian priest. There’s even a version that tells of Ariadne being turned to stone by Perseus! Ovid says that Dionysus set Ariadne’s jeweled Cretan crown up into the night sky, becoming the constellation “Corona Borealis.”

Another fascinating version is the Roman poet Catullus’ “Poem 64”, which has a furious Ariadne calling on goddesses to curse Theseus for abandoning her, which results in the many tragedies that follow in the hero’s life.

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[babyrdie]

People who believe that there is still a chance of having a chronology in Greek mythology will be so surprised when they think about the connection between the characters in the Argonauts and the characters in the Myth of the Minotaur.

The crew members of the mission vary. In the case of Theseus, he is present in some versions, but not in all. In the most detailed source on the subject (Argonautica), his absence is explained by his supposed imprisonment in the Underworld (after he tried to kidnap Persephone). I imagine that Apollonius knew the version in which Theseus was one of the crew members and felt the need to explain his absence in this poem, something he did in a similar way with Atalanta, who in some versions is also a crew member but in the Argonautica is absent and has a justification for this. In any case, either Theseus is part of the crew, or Theseus isn't part of the crew because he is already in the Underworld or Theseus is simply not mentioned.

However, in a considerable number of sources, Medea is Theseus' stepmother. After killing her children in Corinth, she flees to Athens, where she marries Aegeus. When Theseus arrives, Medea recognizes him and tries to make Aegeus kill him, but fails because Aegeus gives up on poisoning him when he recognizes that Theseus has the items that Aegeus hid under a rock in Troezen years ago, the same items that he told Aethra to inform his son that he should take them to Athens. This is right when Theseus arrives in Athens! He hadn't even met Ariadne yet! In other words, in theory, in this version of the myth, when Theseus arrives in Athens, the myth of the Argonauts had already happened, since Medea was no longer married to Jason. But of course, Medea doesn't always go to Athens, there are different versions. In any case, there was no way Theseus could have been an eligible member of the Argonauts at the same time that Medea had already ended her marriage to Jason when he arrived in Athens. For example, in Argonautica Jason already knows Theseus' story, as he tells it to Medea. In Apollonius' version, it is impossible for Medea to be Theseus' stepmother in the future, as Theseus has already killed the Minotaur.

One of the characters in the myth of the Argonauts is Hypsipyle, queen of Lemnos, where the Argonauts disembark at a certain point. She even has a son with Jason named Euneus, who is mentioned as a participant in the Trojan War (depending on the source, they have twins). But Hypsipile is the daughter of Thoas, king of Lemnos, who is also the son of Ariadne and Dionysus. However, Thoas, when the myth of the Argonauts takes place, is already elderly since Hypsipile is already an adult. When Jason arrives on Lemnos, Thoas is no longer there, as Hypsipile secretly sent him away to prevent him from dying. But how does Ariadne, who is a contemporary of Theseus, have an elderly son at the same time that Theseus is not only alive but not even elderly?

Heracles is considered to still be doing his 12 labors when the Argonauts' voyage takes place, regardless of whether he is part of the crew or not. In the Argonautica, Theseus is in the Underworld, which in other sources is said to have been rescued by Heracles in another of the labors. And yet, Thoas is said to be the son of Ariadne and Dionysus in the Argonautica. Heracles, by the way, is older than both Theseus and Ariadne. How is Heracles alive as a mortal and doing labors at the same time that Ariadne has an elderly son? And not only that, he hasn't even finished his labors yet!

Hypsipyle is later enslaved during the time that the Theban war is taking place. At the same time, Theseus is sometimes considered to have had some connection with the Theban conflict and is still active. During this time, Euneus, Hypsipyle's son by Jason, is old enough to recognize his mother according to the versions of the myth in which he rescues her from slavery. In other words, now the grandson of Thoas, who is the son of Ariadne, has been born and is already of considerable age…and yet Theseus is alive as an adult who is not yet elderly.

So, man, give up on chronology. The existence of Thoas in the Argonauts myth destroys any possible coherent chronology.

[rockislandadultreads]

Read-Alike Friday: Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

Angrboda's story begins where most witches' tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love.

Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who Angrboda is keen to raise at the edge of the world, safely hidden from Odin's all-seeing eye. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life—and possibly all of existence—is in danger.

With help from the fierce huntress Skadi, with whom she shares a growing bond, Angrboda must choose whether she’ll accept the fate that she's foreseen for her beloved family…or rise to remake their future. From the most ancient of tales this novel forges a story of love, loss, and hope for the modern age.

Ithaca by Clarie North

Seventeen years ago, King Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the island of Ithaca. None of them has returned, and the women of Ithaca have been left behind to run the kingdom.

Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus. While he lived, her position was secure. But now, years on, speculation is mounting that her husband is dead, and suitors are beginning to knock at her door.

No one man is strong enough to claim Odysseus' empty throne—not yet. But everyone waits for the balance of power to tip, and Penelope knows that any choice she makes could plunge Ithaca into bloody civil war. Only through cunning, wit, and her trusted circle of maids, can she maintain the tenuous peace needed for the kingdom to survive.

This is the first volume in “The Songs of Penelope” series.

Phaedra by Laura Shepperson 

Phaedra has been cast to the side all her life: daughter of an adulteress, sister of a monster, and now unwilling bride to the much-older, power-hungry Theseus. Young, naïve, and idealistic, she has accepted her lot in life, resigned to existing under the sinister weight of Theseus’s control and the constant watchful eye of her handsome stepson Hippolytus.

When supposedly pious Hippolytus assaults her, Phaedra’s world is darkened in the face of untouchable, prideful power. In the face of injustice, Phaedra refuses to remain quiet any longer: such an awful truth demands to be brought to light. When Phaedra publicly accuses Hippolytus of rape, she sparks an overdue reckoning.

The men of Athens gather to determine the truth. Meanwhile, the women of the city, who have no vote, are gathering in the shadows. The women know truth is a slippery thing in the hands of men. There are two sides to every story, and theirs has gone unheard. Until now.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor's son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

This is the first volume in “The Celestial Kingdom Duology” series. 

[bimyself06]

Can we take a moment to see how the show version of the female characters from HoTD can be associated with a female from Greek Mythology?

Alicent and Hera. Both were forced to marry kings with dead wives. Alicent by father as a way to consolidate and grow his power and to put his blood on the throne, Hera was forced to marry Zeus after he raped after he pretended to be a hurt bird and she tried to help it.

Rhaenyra and Clytemnestra. Both are mothers who never forgave those who caused the death of their child and where still killed after avenging them. Rhaenyra had(and please correct me politely if I'm wrong, it's been a while since I last saw the show) been ready to give up her rightful crown so long as her family was left alone until she got the news of Luke's death, after Jace's death and Viserys II supposed death she seemed to have gotten more "crueller" and was killed by her half brother Aegon. Clytemnestra never forgave her husband for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia in order to go to war against Troy and spent the next ten years plotting his demise, she was ultimately killed by her son as revenge for killing his father.

Helaena and Cassandra. This one is self explanatory, both seers who warned everyone around them of the incoming danger but no one believed them causing their tragic deaths and their families destruction. Helaena after the death of Maelor and having witnessed the beheading of her other son Jaehaerys. Cassandra is killed by Clytemnestra after Agamemnon takes her as a slave after the fall of Troy.

Rhaena and Aphrodite. Both are often looked down upon for being the more "soft" spoken out of their surroundings female peers yet are ultimately stronger and more dangerous than they look. Rhaena is the last known Targaryen to hatch a healthy dragon egg after the DoTD and if Aegon had gone through with his threat of killing her younger brother she would have been the one Rhaenyra's supporters would have declared for(since Viserys II was still thought dead and Baela was still under captivity in KL). Aphrodite was worshiped in places such as Sparta, Cyprus, and many other city states as a war goddess, there are some myths that suggest she was the daughter of Uranus and Thalassa(personification of the sea).

Baela and Atalanta. Both are presented as free spirited young women with a love for adventures and who are not afraid to fight when needed. Baela was very vocal about having a bigger role as a dragonrider and fighter in the war but continuously turned down however she and her dragon played a huge part in further crippling Aegon after he flees to Dragonstone. Atalanta after having spent most of her life in the woods(first being raised by a she bear and then by hunters if I remember the myth correctly) attempted to join the Argonauts however she was turned down in some myths for fear she may cause striffe among the men as woman or she joined them and fought alongside them in others, after the whole Argonauts thing she joins the haunt for the Calydonian Boar and gains it's hide for being the first to injure it.

I would continue but I am currently sick and sleep deprived so I'm going to bed.

[commonplace-book220]

"She asked some god about husbands. "A husband," he answered, / "is not for you, Atalanta: flee from a husband! / But you will not flee - and losing yourself, will live on!" - Ovid's Metamorphoses 10/29 Lines: 671 - 3

[triste-le-roy]

Pages from Hebdomas hebdomadum kabalistarum, Magorum Brachmarum Antiquorumque omnium sapientium, secreta misteria continens—an alchemical manuscript from the Manly Palmer Hall collection (influenced by the works of Michael Maier’s Atalanta Fleeing and visualizations by George Ripley) (unknown author and artist, circa 17th century).

(via archive.org)

[blrowanducks-blog]

Atalanta Fugiens or Atalanta Fleeing is an emblem book with an alchemical theme by Michael Maier (1568–1622), published by Johann Theodor de Bry in Oppenheim in 1617 (2nd edition 1618). It consists of 50 discourses with illustrations by Matthias Merian, each of which is accompanied by an epigrammatic verse, prose and a musical fugue. It may therefore be considered an early example of multimedia.

At the bottom is Vulcanus, the next shows Mercurius, the third is the Moon, into the top the sun rises, which is the fire of nature. Let this chain be your commander, that it may guide your hands in art." The lower, elemental fire, whose regulation is the alpha and omega of the work, penetrates all the others and magnetically holds the chain together. Each fire has its own centre and its own movement in the Work, and one affects the other. The lunar and the mercurial fire are menstrua, strong solvents. He calls them dragons, which devour, spur on and transform the serpents of their own sex.

In the illustration (one of fifty) the upper solar fire is the great arcanum, which Paracelsus called the bright "essential fire", in contrast to the dark, elemental fire also necessary for the work (simular to the heat of digestion). This fire is the creative agent in the Work, slow burning and constant. Note the close kinship of the Latin names Sol and Sal. The colors from bottom to top are blue, white, yellow and red.

[thuskindlyshescatters]

Team HRRT: Hey look, it's the main plot!

(Click for better quality.)

I've always wanted to give Ozpin (the person, not the Ozcarnation) an actual backstory, and this seemed like an excellent set of OCs to insert it onto.

Fraxinus based on: Dream SMP - Philza

Atalanta based on: Dream SMP - Technoblade

Explanations below the cut!

Before we get into story things, a couple facts about each of them.

Fraxinus (Frax Soot)

Her crow wings are functional and allow her to glide, but she is only able to fly with the aid of her Semblance, Ashfall, which enables her to take the form of smoke particles for a limited time (sort of like Petal Burst.)

Fraxinus is the scientific name for the genus of ash plants, but in modern day, she goes by Frax Soot, Soot referring to her Semblance.

She fights with a staff/lance called The Borer, in reference to Emerald Ash Borers.

Atalanta

Atalanta is named after the Greek heroine that drew first blood on the Boar of Calydon.

Her passive Semblance, Bloodblade, made her unbeatable in her early days of arena combat. Any blood-drawing blow dealt to her will appear on her opponent.

Part of her prowess as a warrior is attributed to her unfamiliar gait as a Faunus with bowed legs, which are generally more powerful and well-balanced than those of her human opponents.

As previously mentioned in Trixie and Roo's posts, Frax and Atalanta are travelling warriors that have made a name for themselves across Anima as living legends. However, only a trusted few know their true origins as servants of King Ozymandias. Important context: an accepted part of RWBY fanon (which I will embrace here) is that the Last King of Vale that won the Great War was a) the Ozcarnation before Ozpin and b) named, for my purposes, Ozymandias.

Fraxinus and Atalanta were legendary slave gladiators in their youth about a decade before the outbreak of the Great War. They were chosen for their exceptional skill by the previous king to train young Ozymandias, and became his close friends and confidantes. When Ozma entered his mind, he knew such a chance to further Ozma's goal as a person in a position of supreme power could not be passed up, and entrusted Frax and Atalanta with knowledge of his mission, forming their secret syndicate in the fight against Salem.

Shortly after the Great War, Oz recognized the need to build on his momentum in his next life. He granted some of his magic to Frax and Atalanta to extend their lives and delay old age, so that they may train and guide his next incarnation as they did him. (As a side effect, Ozma began passing onto hosts at a much younger age, with both Ozpin and Oscar at fourteen.) When Ozma finally passed, Frax and Atalanta did as they swore, finding and informing a young Ozpin of his task.

But Ozpin was not alone. At the age of fourteen, Ozpin was the only one around to provide for his ailing mother and his six-year-old sister, Wilhelmine. When Frax and Atalanta arrived, they took both children under their (literal) wing. To Ozpin, this was a blessing that gave his life a larger purpose, and he eagerly pursued his mission under Frax's tutelage in using The Long Memory. But Wilhelmine only saw heralds of woe that took her away from her mother and her brother away from her. She grew into a cunning and brutal warrior under Atalanta's watch, who feared the anger and resentment brewing within her. In reaction to Ozymandias's growing power over Ozpin, Wilhelmine developed a Semblance that allowed her to siphon others' Aura into empty vessels, which she attempted to use on Ozpin to rid him of Ozma's influence. It was ineffective, but caused a fight to break out between her and Atalanta that gave her the scars over her left eye, and caused Wilhelmine to run away.

Once Ozpin became headmaster of Beacon, he got the idea to turn Qrow and Raven into spies from Frax's Faunus trait and began building a syndicate of his own. He sent Frax and Atalanta off to become rangers in Anima that kept the peace where possible and ended wars between tribes where not. He also hoped that they would find Wilhelmine in their travels, but they had no such luck. During a period of peace, Frax and Atalanta settled for a time in Keikoku, a peaceful village hidden in a valley in Northern Anima. There, they adopted and raised Lumine, an orphaned dove Faunus they wished not to fail as they did Wilhelmine. However, Lumine was quite averse to combat, instead raising her own young family and becoming the peaceful leader of Keikoku. While Atalanta continued questing across Anima, Frax had the fleeting dream of raising a family of her own and bore Roo, who grew up alongside her technical niece, Trixie. Here's a small family tree including ages and Faunus traits:

However, the peace was not to last. Atalanta caught wind of a rumor of a masked rider known only as the Headhunter, who was said to have a vendetta against Frax and Atalanta. They assumed the Headhunter was a servant of Salem, and fearing for the safety of their loved ones in Keikoku, became much more scarce and secretive, leaving Roo in Lumine's care. After they failed to come to Keikoku's aid during a devastating Grimm attack and were forced to flee to Kuchinashi, Roo and Trixie in particular grew resentful of Frax and Atalanta, dreaming of one day attending Haven and becoming real Huntresses capable of fending for themselves.

As for the Headhunter, she had plans for them of her own. I'm sure you can guess who she once had been under the mask...

Headhunter based on: Dream SMP - Dream

hey look it's evil celty sturluson

[marvelman901]

The Incredible Hulk 425 (1995) . Error . Written by Peter David Penciled by Gary Frank and Liam Sharp Inked by Cam Smith and Robin Riggs . The Hulk and the rest of the Pantheon had to face their doom as the Endless Knights attacked the Mount. . It ended with Atalanta killing Agamemnon as he tried to flee, thus stopping the Endless Knights. However, Betty Ross was killed by a ricochet from Achilles... . #marvel #hulk #avengers #pantheon #agamemnon #endlessknights #casiopea #achilles #hector #bettyross #ulysses #atalanta #ajax #camsmith #garyfrank #robinriggs #liamsharp #peterdavid #perseus (på/i The Mount) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVw3JqWschf/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tylermileslockett]

Theseus #9: The Tragedy of Phaedra and Hippolytus

Later in years, Theseus remarries to Princess Ariadne’s sister Phaedra. During these years, Phaedra gives birth to two sons. But tragic machinations begin when Theseus son, Hippolytus, from his previous marriage to the Amazonian Antiope, visits the kingdom. Hippolytus, in the service of Artemis, has made a vow to chastity, which angers Aphrodite. Seeking to punish the man, Aphrodite bewitches Phaedra to fall in love with her step son. When Hippolytus refuses the queen’s lustful advances, either from heartbreak, shame, or fear of Theseus’, Phaedra commits suicide; but not before leaving a note accusing Hippolytus of rape. Theseus, believing his dead wife’s allegation, curses his son and prays to his father Poseidon for revenge. Poor Hippolytus, fleeing the kingdom in his chariot, is beset by Poseidon’s giant bull erupting from the sea. The horses spook, the chariot overturns, and Hippolytus is dragged to his death. The version of the tale I recount here, where Aphrodite seeks to punish the chaste hero, (similar to her role in Atalanta’s myth) is based on Euripides’ play, “Hippolytus” (428 B.C.E.) In the play, the final scene has Artemis appearing before Theseus to inform him of Phaedra’s deception, and Hippolytus, dying, forgives his father, leaving the king to process the tragic turn of events. Certainly Greek myths contains many instances of male gods and heroes abducting and raping helpless female victims. But here we have the rare ancient literary example of the flip side of the token; an innocent man suffering the consequences of a false rape allegation. There are other tales which share this motif. An ancient Egyptian tale of two brothers and a lustful wife, ends with the younger accused brother decapitating his own penis in renunciation of the allegation. In the Iliad, Homer tells of the hero Bellerophon, and the assassination attempt on his life by the king Proteus, after refusing the queen  Anteia’s  advances.

Like this art? It will be in my illustrated book with over 130 other full page illustrations coming in Aug/Sept to kickstarter.  to get unseen free hi-hes art subscribe to my email newsletter

Follow my backerkit kickstarter notification page.

Thank you for supporting independent artists! 🤘❤️🏛😁

[365days365movies]

March 12, 2021: Jason and the Argonauts (1963) (Part Two)

Probably shouldn’t have talked so much in the first part...

Well, it’s all good. Epic-length Recap for a movie about an epic tale! Greek mythology, man, what can I say? Other than, of course, let’s keep going! Part One of the Recap is right here!

Recap (2/2)

OK, so where were we? OH RIGHT, Heracles fucked up!

See, Talos is a bronze giant with various origins. In one case, like in the movie, he was built by Hephaestus. He was built with a single vein, which ran from his neck to his ankle, and contained a golden ichor that sustained him like blood. Said vein was protected by a nail in his ankle, and he would bleed out and fall to the ground useless if it were removed.

So, sure, I could talk about the fact that Talos only encountered the Argo on the return journey, after they’d gotten the Fleece already, and that all he did was throw rocks at them as they passed the island of Crete (which he protected), only for...somebody who’s coming in later...to put him to sleep, allowing the group to pass. But, uh...

Yeah, that’s cool as shit. Which the Argo basically FUCKED for now, Jason speaks with the figurehead of Hera, and asks for some advice. She simply says to look to his ankles. I like where this is going. She also tells him that this is Heracles’ fault, which I’m sure pissed her off even more, given their history. That’s confirmed when Jason and the remaining Argonauts make it to shore, and Heracles is still holding the staff, the great idjit. 

Jason quickly formulates a plan, and the Argonauts keep Talos’ attention while he gets close to observe his ankles. He notices a large stopper in the back, and sneaks up behind him to remove it. And once he does, the ichor releases itself. And it looks...awesome? Holy shit, it looks awesome.

And Talos falls to the ground, broken and dead, but at a cost. He falls on top of the frail Hylas, almost certainly killing him. Damn, poor dude. They repair the ship, and also try to find Hylas amongst the rubble and on the beach. An extremely guilty Heracles pledges not to leave the island until he finds Hylas, alive or dead.

The rest of the Argonauts aren’t happy about this, and refuse to sail without the guy who’s inarguably the most powerful amongst them all. Jason decides to burn his last bit of help from Hera, who informs ALL of the Argonauts that Hylas is dead, and that Heracles is not fated to accompany them any further. Which, yeah, is similar to how that plays out in the myths. And so, off they go to find a blinded man named Phineus, on Hera’s command.

Phineus (Patrick Troughton), meanwhile, isn’t having the best time in the world. On the island of Thrace, the seer Phineus is being attacked by the vicious Harpies, pictured here as demonic women with the wings of bats. Phineus, see, was punished by Zeus or revealing the future to mankind, and was both blinded and beset upon by the Harpies for all of his days.

The Argonauts save him from the Harpies’ recent torment, and Phineus agrees to help them IF Jason can permanently free him from the Harpies. Jason agrees, although Zeus is seemingly pissed off by this promise. The deed is accomplished by having Phineus serve as bait to the admittedly badly composited Harpies, and the Argonauts capture them by using nets to trap them.

And no, that’s not how it goes down in the original myth. But, since the Wind Brothers aren’t in here, there’s not an option for an aerial chase between them and the Harpies, which...holy shit, I NEED this to be in a modern movie, can we remake this? Please? PLEASE??

Now that they’ve completed their side of the bargain, Phineus feasts and gives them directions to Colchis: go through the Clashing Rocks, and head from there to Colchis. Without the protection of the gods at this point, Phineus offers them a clay token of some kind, and they part ways. The Argonauts make their way to the Clashing Rocks, which seem totally fine. But Argos is suspecious of this, not trusting Poseidon and other gods of the sea. They observe another ship coming through the Rocks. And it initially seems fine...until...

The rocks tear the other ship apart, and also cause the deaths of one of the Argonauts as well. The other ship sinks, but Jason insists on going through despite this. He says that the gods want their entertainment. Zeus overhears that, and says that he’s going to far with that comment. However, and unhappy Hera agrees with Jason, that the gods themselves are going to fair with this gambit.

In their little game in Olympus, Hera is left with only one movie, which she enacts as Jason throws the clay token into the sea. And from it...

Holy shit, it’s Triton (Bill Gudgeon)! A merman (and eventual father of a Little Mermaid), Triton was the son of Poseidon and the sea goddess Amphitrite. A messenger for his father, Triton is one of the most prominent symbols of the sea gods, which aren’t limited to Poseidon. And while he had absolutely nothing to do with the Clashing Rocks, he did encounter the Argonauts on their journey back. But yeah, not much to his appearance there that warrants mention.

What DOES warrant mention is what happens afterwards. See, the Argonauts row like hell, and they make it through with Triton’s help. But Jason sees a survivor of the other ship’s destruction. That survivor is...Medea (Nancy Kovack).

WHAT

Um...no. Medea, see, is the daughter of the King of Colchis, Aeëtes. She’s the head priestess of Hecate, and a powerful sorceress in her own right. She meets Jason on Colchis, and definitely had no ability to leave the island on her own, or even with other people in general. Once meeting Jason on Colchis, she quickly fell in love with him, and agreed to show him to the Fleece IF he pledged to get her off of the island. He agrees, and the two get married.

But Jason DEFINITELY doesn’t rescue Medea from a shipwreck, that’s for goddamn sure. Still, OK, I’ll deal with it. Jason and Medea introduce themselves, and the group heads towards Colchis. In the process, Jason decides to scout on the island alone, to the anger of Acastus. However, Jason’s now learned exactly who Acastus and his father are, and accuses him of trying to kill him. A fight ensues, and Acastus is thrown overboard. Son of Poseidon Euphemus (Doug Robinson), is sent after him, but the traitorous Acastus kills him, and disappears beneath the ocean waves.

On Colchis soon after, Medea heals Jason’s wounds with the nectar of a native flower, then invites him and the Argonauts to the performance of a ritual to Hecate, goddess of sorcery and magic. Also attending this ritual is Medea’s father, King Aeëtes (Jack Gwillim). There, he waits to meet with Jason, whom he invites to dine with them that evening, along with the Argonauts.

Jason is a bit caught off-guard by this, but they accept. At dinner, Aeëtes reveals that he knows he’s come for the Fleece, to take or steal it from Colchis. He’s been warned of this not by Medea, but of Acastus, who managed to make his way to the island after all. Dick. Jason and the Argonauts are imprisoned by Aeëtes and his men.

That night, Medea goes to pray to Hecate, the goddess of darkness who gave her the gift of foresight. In love with Jason, she decides to betray both Colchis and Hecate’s will in order to save Jason and his Argonauts. And as she goes to free Jason, this is a great time to talk briefly about one of the most complicated characters in Greek mythology: Medea. This is gonna be a little long, so you can skip it if you wanna just get back to the movie.

See, here’s the thing about worshipping a chaotic evil Greek goddess: you've gotta be a little chaotic evil yourself. And Medea...oh boy, Medea. In order to escape her dad, Medea distracts him by killing her brother. Yeah. She made amends for that act with the gods, and then helped to heal Atalanta, and defeat Talos. She also helped Jason’s dad, and Jason eventually fell in love with him, with some...help from Hera. That help resulted in Medea helping to kill Pelias, then fleeing to Corinth with Medea, where they married.

But 10 years of being married, Jason decided it would be a good idea to cheat on the terrifying chaotic evil sorceress for a younger woman. Which is when Hera, the GODDESS OF MARRIAGE, finally abandoned Jason. Medea, meanwhile, LOST it. She gave Jason’s new fiancée a poisoned wedding dress. She killed the bride AND her father in one fell shot when she hugged him. In front of him, she KILLED THEIR TWO SONS, then took the FUCK OFF FOREVER, leaving Jason a broken fucking husk, partially because of his own stupidity.

So, you can see why this little union here is a...mixed bag of emotions.

Medea pleads with Jason to flee with his men, without the Fleece in hand. Seeing that she can’t convince him away from it, she forces him to bring her along, and she will help him steal the Fleece from the tree where it rests. Jason and Medea free the Argonauts, and Medea tells the how to escape. They then head out to obtain the Fleece.

However, Aeëtes figures out pretty quick that Medea’s betrayed him and Colchis, and sends his men after them. Acastus, meanwhile, has headed out to get the Fleece for himself. Dick. And unfortunately, he finds it before Jason and Medea get to it.

And yet...when Jason arrives there to get it, the Fleece is still intact. And that’s because Acastus wasn’t able to take it, having been killed by the Fleece’s guardian...the Lernaean Hydra?

Um...wow. That’s a few hundred miles out of its natural distribution. Also, it’s alive? How? Hercules killed the SHIT out of it, a long-ass time ago! And in case you weren’t sure, no, this isn’t in the original myth. However, it’s a dragon guarding the Fleece instead, so...I guess they made a compromise? Shame, too, because the Colchian Dragon has the ability to create soldiers when its teeth are buried in the earth, similar to the Ismenian Dragon that was used by Cadmus.

...Sorry, went a little overboard. Anyway, Jason kills the Hydra (with no help from Medea, by the way), the Argonauts arrive to help him grab the Fleece, and Aeëtes and the Colchians follow after them, pissed off. Aeëtes prays to Hecate to deliver...the Hydra’s teeth. Interesting. If this is going where I think it’s going, then I will be VERY happy.

Aeëtes and his men collect the Hydra’s teeth, and set off after the Argonauts. They catch up, and they shoot Medea with an arrow, KILLING HER? WHAT? But then, Jason uses the Fleece to heal her wounds, and brings her back to life. OK, fine, fine, you can give the Fleece that bullshit superpower if Medea gets to live. Just then, Aeëtes shows up, bearing the Hydra’s teeth. He preys to Hecate once again, and throws the teeth onto the ground. And...

HELL YEAH, IT’S THE SPARTOI, BABY!

These undead soldiers created from the Dragon’s Teeth were originally sown by Cadmus, on command by Athena. He made them defeat each other, and therefore escaped their wrath. The Dragon itself was sacred to Ares, so this whole thing had some other implications.

In the Jason myth, Aeëtes made him sow the teeth in order to win the Fleece, and he did. Jason also defeated them in the same way that Cadmus did: he threw a stone amongst them, confusing them enough that they fought each other to figure out who threw the rock. But in this movie...in the movie, they’re just fighting. And I love it.

Look, I can never claim that Harryhause’s effects aged particularly gracefully, but this shit is still pretty goddamn awesome. Honestly, I’m having a ball watching this climactic fight between the skeletons and Jason’s crew. And this fight has consequences! The Spartoi here actually do kill some of Jason’s men, and end up forcing Jason himself off of a cliff into the water!

He escapes, and makes his way to the ship, just as Hera tells Zeus that the game is now over. He claims that it isn’t at all, and Hera looks on as Jason and Medea reunite on the ship. He gives the a reprieve, and...

WAIT WHAT??? That’s IT? It ended so...abruptly! We don’t even properly get a resolution, or see Jason return to Thessaly, or...THAT’S IT” ARE YOU GODDAMN KIDDING ME? WHAT THE HELL?

...See you in the Review, I guess. Damn.

[blrowanduck]

It seems that 20th century philosophical currents of thought explore mind as a symbol producing substance, able somehow to create a reality from this floating world of interconnected symbols. Symbols, the basis of mind connect in a fashion, anchored by "feeling" so as to rank in some sort of hierarchy.

Jung and others of "like mind" saw patterns in the individual and the collective purporting some fundamental preconcious psychic structures which drive conciousness into predetermined templates.

Alchemy as an imaginal process, explored matter and mind as if they were connected at the root and is fertile ground for exploring mind as a phenomenon. There were stages in the process of refinement imagined as a four or seven step process. Four anchored in the organization of space, and seven anchored in the moving stars. In the four stepped process, each step is associated with a color. Starting with the blackness, then whitness, yellowness and finally redness.

The albedo, the whitening, a kind of ablution, is pictured in Atalanta Fugiens or Atalanta Fleeing  an emblem book by Michael Maier (1568–1622), published by Johann Theodor de Bry in Oppenheim in 1617 (2nd edition 1618). It consists of 50 discourses with illustrations by Matthias Merian, each of which is accompanied by an epigrammatic verse, prose and a musical fugue. It may therefore be considered an early example of multimedia. In plate 33 the albedo is represented visually the hermaphrodite stretched on a bier under the sign of the new Moon and the eclisped Sun. The motto reads, "The hermaphrodite, lying in darkness like a dead creature, is in need of the fire". As evidenced by reference to Bonellus in the text, the illustration refers to the 32nd sermon of the Turba Philosophorum which reads: "Bonellus: ... "But sons of the doctrine, that substance will need fire, until the spirit of its body is transformed and sent away through the nights, like a man in his grave becomes dust. When this happens, the immortal principle of becoming will give back to the body its soul and its spirit. Now strengthened and improved by its decomposition is resurrected. So it is necessary, sons of the doctrine, to consume by fire the substance (mind) until it becomes ashes that are lightened by the heavenly dew. And consider artists that are unable to paint with their own tincture until they are ground into powder. The same with images in stone, so I advise you to burn up the body (ego) to ashes, then wash away the blackess to form a new body."

[ancient-myth-daily]

Medea 

Medea is a character in Greek myth whose divinity is debated.  Some sources straight up list her as divine, in others she is mortal, and in some she overcomes her mortality with the help of her godly ancestors.  In any case, she possesses certain powers as the granddaughter of Helios and the niece of Circe.  She is often seen as the terrible mother archetype, but despite her supposed villainy she always had the gods on her side.   Medea is, essentially, a witch.  

Medea lived in Colchis.  The hero Jason came there to retrieve the golden fleece, and Medea fell in love.  She promised to help Jason if he would then marry her, and Jason agreed.  Medea’s father, Aeëtes, gave Jason a number of tasks in exchange for the fleece:  

1. Jason had to plough a field with fire-breathing oxen.  Medea gave him an unguent of fire resistance to protect himself.  

2. Jason had to sow the field with dragon’s teeth, which then grew into an army.    Medea gave him warning of this, and he knew to throw a rock amongst the soldiers, who then fought each other.  

3.  Finally, Jason had to kill the dragon that guarded the fleece.  Instead of fighting it, Medea put the dragon to sleep with herbs.  Jason then took the fleece and sailed away with Medea.  As they fled Colchis with the fleece, Medea murdered her brother Absyrtus and cut him up, scattering pieces of him as they ran to distract her father.  

According to some version of the Argonauts story, Atalanta was among them as the only female Argonaut, and she suffered injury during their battle to leave Colchis.  Medea healed Atalanta.  Medea was just incredibly helpful to the whole Argonaut mission.  She also made a prophecy that the helmsman, Euphemus, would eventually rule Libya, and his son eventually did.  

The Argo had to pass the Sirens, also from the Odyssey, and it was for this reason that Jason had brought Orpheus with him - the youth’s beautiful lyre and voice drowned out the Sirens’ song.  Chiron actually told Jason to bring Orpheus - Jason did not think of that idea himself.  

Then the Argonauts passed Crete, which was guarded by Talos, a giant bronze automaton that was meant to protect Europe in Crete from pirates, and circled the island three times daily.  Talos had one vein that went from his neck to his ankle, stoppered only by a single bronze nail.  Medea either tricked him into removing the nail, or hypnotized him into calmness before removing it.  Talos then bled out, and the party sailed on.  

Jason finally arrived home and showed Pelias the Golden Fleece, but Pelias would still not give up his throne to its rightful heir.  By this time, Aeson, Jason’s father, was very old and frail.  Jason asked Medea to trade some years of his life to allow his father to be reinvigorated.  Medea agreed, taking the blood out of Aeson’s body, mixing it with magic herbs, and then returning it.  Pelias’ daughters wanted Medea to do the same for their father.  Medea demonstrated her abilities by turning taking an old ram, cutting it up and throwing it in a pot with magic herbs.  A young lamb jumped out.  Thrilled Pelias’ daughters cut up their father and threw him in the cauldron.  This time, there were no magic herbs, and Medea had just tricked the daughters into killing their own father.  

After this, Jason and Medea were forced to flee to Corinth, where they married.  There they lived for ten years, having between 1 and 14 children depending on the source.  

Sadly, this was not to last.  Jason eventually left Medea for Glauce (sometimes called Creusa), a princess of Corinth.  In the most famous version, by Euripides, Medea in vengeance sends Glauce a cursed dress as a wedding dress.  As soon as Glauce wore the dress, she burst into flames and perished.  Glauce’s father also died in trying to put her out.  It is generally unwise to incur the wrath of a sorceress.  What happens next depends on the source.  According to Eumelus, Medea kills her children by accident.  Creophylus attributed the deaths to the enraged citizens of Corinth.  In the most famous version, by Euripides, Medea murders her own children.  She then flees in a badass golden chariot driven by dragons, provided by her grandfather Helios.  

She flees from Jason to Thebes, where she heals Heracles from the curse that led to the murder of Iphitus.  In return, he lets her stay in Thebes until the citizens drive her out.  Sucks to be a woman who angers a famous man I guess!

In Athens, she remarries to Aegeus.  I’ll talk about Medea again, but this wraps up her history with Jason.  I’ll also talk about Jason’s ultimate fate in a different post.  What did you think?  Was Medea evil, or just in her actions?  Does she deserve being labelled a villain?  Tell me what y’all think!

[thecomicsnexus]

THE INCREDIBLE HULK #446-447 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1996 BY PETER DAVID, ANGEL MEDINA, MIKE DEODATO JR, ROBIN RIGGS, TOM WEGRZYN AND GLYNIS OLIVER

SYNOPSIS (FROM MARVEL DATABASE)

Following the destruction of Onslaught, the United States Army has been called to New York City to contain the Hulk, who has been unconscious since the powerful entity was destroyed. Overseeing the operation is Colonel St. Lawrence who has the Hulk's body airlifted out of Central Park. As the Hulk is being pulled out, the brute suddenly has a nightmare about his battle with Onslaught, a battle that ended with Bruce Banner and the Hulk being separated and Banner sacrificing his life with Earth's mightiest heroes to destroy the creature. Thrown into a rage, the Hulk fights himself free from his bonds. At the risk of falling to the city below, the Hulk grabs the rope that was suspending him from the helicopter. As the Hulk struggles for purchase, a soldier shoots him. It's a lucky shot that makes the Hulk let go and sends him crashing down into the ruined city below.

Meanwhile, back at a Pantheon safe-house, Paris and Atalanta monitor Janis Jones from the security monitors. As Janis grabs her things, they are unconcerned about her escaping because their scans reveal that she had no superhuman powers and her staff appears to be an ordinary stick. However, they are surprised when the staff is able to blast the door to her room right open. Janis tries to sneak out through a locker room where she is spotted by a Pantheon staffer taking a shower. When Atalanta tries to stop Janis, she takes the man hostage and uses him as a shield allowing her to slip away before Atalanta can stop her.

Back in Times Square, that Hulk's radiation levels continue to climb. As such the military is forced to wear hazmat suits and attempt to contain him in a radiation proof cage. The Hulk smashes the cage. His body continues to give off more deadly radiation and increase in mass. Wracked with pain, the Hulk claws at his face, he rips off a chunk of skin from his face. Seeing this, one of the soldiers becomes violently ill and tears of his helmet so he can throw up. Instead, he is flash fried by the radiation being given off by the Hulk. As the pain and body mass continues to grow, the Hulk leaps away. Watching the fragmented news reports from her home, Betty Banner packs a bag and leaves to try and catch up with her husband. While back at the Pantheon safehouse, Janis continues to flee from Atalanta. When she gets clear she wonders for a moment if this complex is one of the many ones that saved the last humans of her future world when she runs into Ajax. Janis leaps over the massive simpleton, leaving him open to Atalanta's arrows. While Atalanta is busy checking to see if Ajax is okay, Janis manages to slip out through a ventilation shaft.

Back in New York City, the Hulk's radiation continues to rage out of control. However, the gamma-spawned monster is so wracked with pain he cannot move any further. This allows the military manages to drop the containment unit on the Hulk. But, much to their surprise, the Hulk's radiation levels are so hot that the unit melts, covering the Hulk's body in the metal. With the creature finally contained, Colonel St. Lawrence begins to plan what to do with the Hulk next. At that moment along a lonely stretch of road, Janis Jones spots a passing van and flags it down. She is greeted by the hippies on board who welcome her to join them on their ride to New York where they intend to pray for Earth's fallen heroes. Janis agrees to accompany them and is introduced to them all, particularly a man named Alex, who prefers to go by the name Wild Man.

Following the final battle with Onslaught, the Hulk's radiation levels began to spike to dangerous levels. In an attempt to contain the Hulk, the military tried to trap him in a radiation shielded cage. Instead, the cage melted turning the Hulk into a living statue in the middle of Central Park. Before the military could move the Hulk to a containment facility, his body quickly became a make-shift memorial for the heroes who were seemingly killed in the final battle against Onslaught. However, because the "statute" is dangerously radioactive, the military has set up a perimeter to keep people away. Among the people gathered is Betty Banner who demands to get close to the statue. Also among the people is Janis Jones, who remembers Betty from her future as her father had her ashes in his trophy room. The soldier shows Betty how dangerous the Hulk "statue" is by tossing a rock at it. When it incinerates before getting close enough to hit the Hulk, proves to Betty that it is too dangerous. Betty is then approached by Alex Wildman, who asks to speak to her because he has been having strange dreams. Understandably disturbed by this revelation, Betty tries to get away from Wildman and bumps into CIA agent Henry Gyrich. Gyrich also demands to talk to her and seeing that she has no choice, decides to accompany Gyrich to answer his questions.

Seeing Betty being led away, Alex suddenly start screaming in pain and demands to get close to the statue. Janis Jones watches as Wildman fights his way past the soldiers to try and get near the Hulk. Suddenly, in the middle of the madness, Alex Wildman is struck by a bolt of lightning and collapses to the ground. While not far away, Betty is taken to a nearby med-test where she is introduced to Colonel St. Lawrence. After St. Lawrence explains how she was inspired by meeting Betty's misogynistic father, General Ross. Getting to the point, the Colonel asks Betty to help convince the Hulk to surrender if he ever breaks free. Betty doesn't provide an answer and after a few tense moments, Betty is allowed to leave. While back at the memorial, Janis Jones continues to watch the Hulk statue as the rain begins to fall. Also watching is Jason, of the Pantheon. Not far away, Henry Gyrich goes to a limo and sits with Paris, the new leader of the Pantheon. Paris then offers the Pantheon's resources to the United States government now that the Fantastic Four and the Avengers are now seemingly dead, in order to fill the void they left behind. When Gyrich asks what Paris' motivations are, Paris explains that he is merely interested in money. Gyrich cannot commit to anything until he speaks to his people. Suddenly they Paris is contacted by Jason who tells him that something is happening at the Hulk "statue".

Suddenly, there is a massive explosion and when the smoke clears, everyone is surprised to see that the Hulk is now free. Jason and the soldiers on site begin to attack, prompting Janis to spring into action to help the Hulk. The Hulk responds to his attackers by clapping his hands together, the shockwaves of which cause the soldiers to tumble to the ground. When a military helicopter tries to open fire on the Hulk, it is blasted out of the sky by Janis. As Janis convinces the Hulk to let her tag along with him, Betty approaches the Hulk and tells him to let her help him. The Hulk turns to Betty and tells her that he has never seen her in his life. This causes Betty to break down in tears as the Hulk leaps away with Janis riding on his back.

REVIEW

All the sequences with The Hulk are fast-paced. The sequences with the Pantheon and the rest, not so much. But something has to slow this down, because this two issues are basically one.

Banner and Hulk get separated more often than water and oil. This time because of Onslaught (and Heroes Reborn, and why not, the smell of bankruptcy).

I haven’t seen Hulk ripping his face off before, that was new. The other question is who this Hulk is now, as it seems like Banner took his memories with him. Shouldn’t this Hulk at least remember his “Hulk” moments? How can you even separate them anyway. I am sure all this will be revealed once Banner comes back.

The art is a bit extreme, a bit too “unrealistic” if there is such thing in super-hero comics. Deodato at least manages to do a pretty Hulk, though.

I give these issues a score of 7

[khaosgaming22]

The Story So Far... (Misfits Timeline)

Malcom Reyez is rezzed somewhere outside the Last City by Yorin

Malcom Reyez becomes a Gunslinger Hunter

Kenneth Dodger is born

Malcom Reyez is assigned a fireteam (Includes Him Chao-4 and Grant Renner)

Draeko Thalon is born in the Dreaming City

Drakes mother Reath Thalon dies in the Ascendant Realm

Grant and Drake are exiled from the Dreaming City and flee to earth

Malcom Reyez adopts Aleina at age 16

HOUSE OF WOLVES

Aleina meets Ken and they fall in love 🥰

Ken is blessed by the Light and becomes a guardian

Ken goes on missions with Malcom Reyez

THE DARK BELOW

Ken goes to the Moon and Aleina dies from sickness

Grant Renner leaves

Ken is trained under Malcom Reyez

Chao-4 resets himself to Chao-5

Ken and Malcom go to Titan and Malcom dies after losing Yorin

THE TAKEN KING

Ken meets Drake and Chao-5 and reads Malcoms will

Ken meets Torranell Quezm, Rick-6 and Kiera Books

Ken, Drake, Chao, Torra, Rick and Kiera form Fireteam Misfits

The Misfits band Booms and Blooms is started

RED WAR

Kiera switches from Bladedancer to Arcstrider

CURSE OF OSIRIS

Ken, Kiera and Marcus with help from Amanda Holliday form the Underground Sparrow Racing League

WARMIND

Ken meets Lunaria Linden, Atalanta Jen, Hector, Rex and Khaleesi and they form Fireteam Stardust along with a few others

FORSAKEN

Ken takes on Cayde 6’s cloak and splits away entirely from the Vanguard

Drake goes to Riven to end the Dreaming City Curse alone

Ken meets the Drifter and plays Gambit

Drake is given the title Cursebreaker from Petra Venj

Ken and Khaleesi hold an intervention for Luna and Ata

A bar in the Last City is taken over by Fireteam Stardust and it’s renamed Stardust Tavern

BLACK ARMORY

Ken, Chao and Drake accept a weapon bounty from Ada-1 and complete a Volundr Forge

Chao continues doing Forges for Crucible weapons

Chao accepts the bounty from Shaxx and earns Mountaintop

Chao gets Luna’s Howl and Not Forgotten

Chao gains the title Unbroken from Lord Shaxx

Ken obtains The Last Word with a warning from Shin Malphur

JOKERS WILD

Ken walks the line of Light and Dark once again and obtains Thorn

Ken chooses Invader as his role in Drifter’s new Gambit Prime

Chao obtains Recluse

Ken plays Gambit Prime nonstop and gets Breakneck as well as Malfeasance learning of Drifters old crew and Callum

Ken is given the Dredgen title from The Drifter

SEASON OF OPULENCE

Ken completes the Leviathan Raid as well as Eater of Worlds

Ken learns of Calus’ Menagerie and participates in it getting several good weapons most notably his Austringer and Beloved

Drake accepts all Vanguard bounties and earns the Loaded Question, Oxygen SR-3 and Wendigo

Ken journeys into the Ascendant Leviathan to create Bad Juju from Toland the Shattered

Ken learns of Calus’ true intentions from Drake and cuts off all ties with him

Drake finds strange Hive Runes on Titan and discovers the Scarlet Keep on the Moon

Drake goes to investigate and encounters a Nightmare of his father, Grant Renner and Torra in the process he loses his Solar Abilities

Drake confesses his love for Torra

SHADOWKEEP

Ken, Kiera and Rex are assigned to go to the Moon at the same time that happens Aleina is rezzed by Citra

Aleina finds Ken after he comes back from the Moon

Aleina becomes a Gunslinger Hunter using Way of a Thousand Cuts

Aleina starts to rise up the ranks in Crucible developing a slight crush on Shaxx

Chao gives The Recluse to Ken to give to Aleina

Ken obtains Izinagis Burden therefore saying yes to having a baby with Aleina

Ken ventures into the Black Garden

Drake, Torra, Rex and Luna go into the Black Garden

Hailey Jade Reyez is born

Hey there! I started to realize that I’ve written sooooo much stuff and I should probably make this for new fans of the Misfits so here it is! For fans who have been around for a while now here’s a timeline of all the important events that have happened and when! Also YES! Ken and Aleina are having a baby!!! Her name may seem familiar because Ken named her after Marshall Mather’s (Eminem) daughter, Hailey Jade. I figured it would be fitting since Ken is such a fan and I already decided it would be a girl so Dan from Imagine Dragons was ruled out

[tomasorban]

The Chariot - Arcanum 7

Remember that the number seven represents magical power in all of its strength.

The Holy Seven is the Sanctum Regnum of Sexual Magic; the number seven is the Innermost served by all of the elemental forces of Nature.

Every one who works with the Arcanum A.Z.F. receives the flaming sword of the Seventh Arcanum. In the name of truth, we affirm that the flaming sword of the great hierophants is absolutely transmuted semen, it is the outcome of Sexual Magic. This is how we transform ourselves into terribly divine Gods.

The sexual organs are the legitimate Laboratorium Oratorium of the Amphitheatrum Sapientiae Aeternae. These are the Sanctum Regnum where the hierophant receives the sword of justice.

In the alchemical garden of pleasures, we find the word “Vitriol.” This word is an acrostic, derived from the phrase “Visitam interiore terras rectificatur invenias ocultum lapidum,” (Visit the interior of our earth, that by rectifying, you will find the occult stone).

We must search within the interior of our philosophical earth (the human organism); then by rectifying and working with the Arcanum A.Z.F., the Maithuna, we will find the Philosophical Stone.

The sun (phallus), masculine principle, is the father of the Stone. The moon (uterus) is the feminine principle, the mother of the Philosophical Stone. The wind bears the son in its womb and the earth nourishes it. The Sun and the Moon, masculine and feminine principles are combined inside of the chalice (symbol of the mind). The Sun (fire) is the Father of the Stone, the Moon (water) is the Mother, and the Wind (seminal steam) bear the son in its Alchemical Womb and the Philosophical Earth nourishes it.

The chalice is resting on the Caduceus of Mercury (the central system, spinal column) with the two sympathetic cords known in the east as Ida and Pingala.

Two influences interact in the generation of the Philosophical Stone: one of a masculine character and the other of a feminine character.

The entire work is performed with the Great Arcanum. The Star of Seven Points is an inseparable part of the acrostic VITRIOL. The Seven Serpents of Alchemy are related with the seven planets and the seven great cosmic realizations.

The acrostic VITRIOL with its seven letters and its seven words symbolizes the entire septenary Great Work that shines like the Sun in the temple of science.

The Sun and the Moon, the Fire and the Water, the King and the Queen form an integral part of any alchemist fledgling.

The fledgling has to perform seven great works that culminate with the crowning of the Great Work.

The face of a venerable elder appears in the center of the septenary star of Alchemy according to the illustration of Viridarium Chymicum. That venerable face in the septenary star of Alchemy symbolizes the Sophic Mercury (the Ens Seminis). Listen fledglings of Alchemy, listen to how Estolsio explains this emblem:

That which was enclosed within many forms, now you see it included in one thing; the beginning is our Elder and he has the key; sulfur with salt and mercury give wealth. If you do not see anything here, there is no reason for you to keep searching, for you will be blind even in the midst of the light.

Those students of occultism who think that they can acquire in depth realization of the Self without the Arcanum A.Z.F. are absolutely mistaken. The Secret Sister Master stated that those who want to know the mysteries of Chiram (the Fire) must search among the Medieval Alchemists. This Great Master was a true yogini disciple of Kout Humi, nevertheless, after she had been widowed (by the Count Blavatsky) she married the Colonel Olcott, in order to work with the Arcanum of Sexual Magic. Only thus, could she achieve in depth realization of the Self.

Babaji called the great Yogi-Avatar Sri Lahiri Mahasaya to initiation when he already had a spouse. Thus, this is how the Yogi-Avatar was Self-realized. In Hindustan, Sexual Magic is known by the Sanskrit term Urdhvareta and the yogis who practice it are named Urdhavareta Yogis.

Authentic yogis practice Sexual Magic with their spouse. There are two types of brahmacharya (sexual abstinence), solar and lunar. The solar type is for those that have performed the Second Birth. The lunar type of brahmacharya is that absurd sexual abstinence that serves only to produce filthy, nocturnal sexual pollutions with all of its fatal consequences.

Hatha Yoga is just a matter of acrobatics that have the power of taking the student out of the superior worlds in order to enslave him to the physical world. We have never known of an acrobatic Hatha yogi with internal illuminated powers.

Three rays of inner illumination of the realization of the Inner Self exist: the Yogic, the Mystic, and the Perfect Matrimony; however the three rays inevitably have the need for Sexual Magic. Anything that is not directed through Sexual Magic is a useless waste of time. We departed from Eden through the doors of sex and only through those doors can we return to Eden. Eden is sex itself.

The Seventh Arcanum is represented by a crowned warrior that carries a triangle above his crown and he is standing upon the cubic stone of Yesod (sex). The two sphinxes, a white one and a black one are pulling his chariot; this symbolizes the masculine and feminine forces. His armor is the divine science that makes us powerful. The warrior must learn how to use the staff and the sword, thus he will attain the great victory (Netzach). Our motto is Thelema (willpower).

Let us remember that there are seven vices that we must transmute into wisdom and love:

Lunar avarice is transformed into hope and altruism.

Laziness is transmuted into prudent Mercurian diligence.

The fatal Venusian lust is transmuted into the Chastity of Venus and charity of the Spirit.

Pride must be transmuted into solar faith and into the humility of Christ.

Martian anger is transmuted into the marvelous force of love.

Envy is transmuted into Jupiterian philanthropy and happiness for others.

Gluttony is transmuted into Saturnian temperance.

We can disintegrate our defects and dissolve the psychological “I,” only by means of the science of transmutations. Work with the Arcanum A.Z.F. so that you can receive the sword.

The Governors of the seven planets are:

Gabriel: Moon

Raphael: Mercury

Uriel: Venus

Michael: Sun

Samael: Mars

Zachariel: Jupiter

Orifiel: Saturn

The seven notes of the lyre of Orpheus correspond to the seven planets. A planetary note corresponds to each one of the seven colors of the solar prism. Alchemy is intimately related to music.

Atalanta is the voice that flees; Hippomenes is the voice that pursues, and the apple is the voice that delays.

IAO

I.A.O. is the supreme mantra of Sexual Magic. I.A.O. is the name of the serpent. Blessed be the I.A.O.

I.A.O. must be chanted during the practices of the laboratory (Sexual Alchemy); thus, this is how the serpent moves about and is joyful. Chant I.A.O. seven times while in the Laboratorium Oratorium.

The mantra I.N.R.I. has an absolute power over the fire; chant this mantra also in the Laboratorium Oratorium in order to carry the fire to each one of your seven chakras. Chant I.N.R.I as follows:

INRI ENRE ONRO UNRU ANRA; these mantras must be chanted by syllabifying them as follows:

Iiinnn Rrriii (clairvoyance)

Eeennn Rrreee (clairaudience)

Ooonnn Rrrooo (heart – intuition)

Uuunnn Rrruuu (telepathy –solar plexus)

Aaannn Rrraaa (pulmonary chakras – memory of past lives)

The great Hierophant Jesus-Christ chanted these mantras in the Laboratorium Oratorium of the pyramid of Kephren.

The seven Kabbalistic signs of the planets are:

Moon: A globe divided by two middle moons.

Mercury: A caduceus and the cynocephalus.

Venus: A sexual lingam.

Sun: A serpent with the head of a lion.

Mars: A dragon biting a sword’s guard.

Jupiter: A pentagram, or an eagle’s beak.

Saturn: A limping elder, or a rock entwined by a serpent.

The seven talismans have the power of attracting the seven planetary forces. Gold is the metal of the Sun; silver is the metal of the Moon; iron is the metal of Mars; copper is the metal of Venus; quicksilver is the metal of Mercury, tin is the metal of Jupiter and lead is the metal of Saturn. Perfect talismans can be prepared with the proper stones and metals. The Pater Noster (Lord’s Prayer) is the most perfect prayer because it has seven magical petitions. - S.A. Weor