Past and Present Beliefs

Pandora’s Box

Looking Inside Pandora’s Box

by Jill Lowy

The myth of Pandora’s Box is very fascinating. I think most people are familiar with this unique Greek myth. The name “Pandora” comes from the Greek and means “giver of all”. She was said to be the first woman created by Zeus. She was given unique gifts by various Gods and Goddesses, i.e. Hermes gave her the gift of speech, Aphrodite gave her the gift of grace, Athena taught her to needlework, etc. The myth goes on that the reason Zeus created Pandora was to get even with Prometheus who stole the “sacred fire” from Zeus and gave it to benefit all mankind. Now, Prometheus’s brother, Epimetheuss fell in love with Pandora and was warned by Prometheus not to accept any gifts from Zeus. But of course, Epimetheus did not listen to his brother and married Pandora anyway. Now as we all know, Pandora had been given a box by Zeus. It really was not actually a box, but an earthen jar. In the jar contained many various evils and illnesses. Pandora had been instructed by Zeus to never open the jar, but Hermes had also given Pandora the gift of curiosity, and she eventually opened the jar. When she did, all the evils, illnesses and diseases were released to plaque mankind. After Pandora saw all the evils being released from the jar, she tried to close it, but was too late. The only blessing to the entire incident was that at the bottom of the jar, layed the gift of hope.

The normal understanding of the myth of Pandora’s Box is to provide an explanation as to why there are all the evils in the world. Of course, it is always the women’s fault and one should note the similarity to the story of Adam and Eve. But there is a much deeper meaning, and esoteric understandings to this myth than most people are aware of.

From an esoteric point of view, Pandora is not a woman in the ordinary sense. She is the symbolic representation of the feminine principle of receptivity and the nature of the subconscious. Pandora is directly connected to the power of the subconscious mind. This is the esoteric key to the entire myth!

What is the subconscious mind? Analytical psychologists such as, Freud and Jung, occultists such as Paracelsus and Dion Fortune, spiritualists, hypnotherapists and many others have well known the nature of the subconscious mind. The subconscious or more popular term unconsciousness mind is that receptive part of our mind where our hopes, fears and dreams are stored. The Wikipedia defines the unconscious as:

that part of the mind which gives rise to a collection of mental phenomena that manifest in a person’s mind but which the person is not aware of at the time of their occurrence. These phenomena include unconscious feelings, unconscious or automatic skills, unnoticed perceptions, unconscious thoughts, unconscious habits and automatic reactions, complexes, hidden phobias and concealed desires.

This is very interesting from an esoteric point of view. Pandora was given certain gifts, skills and abilities by the Gods and Goddesses. She was also given a jar that contained many ills, phobias, complexes and desires. These are all contained in our subconscious mind. Our subconscious is a reservoir where we store all of our memories, hidden thoughts, fears and desires. It is the feminine or receptive balance to our everyday active conscious mind. What is really fascinating is that the subconscious mind has the power to manifest our most precious dreams and wishes, but also our fears, phobias and hidden desires. Pandora is called the “giver of all” and she is the giver of all gifts. Our subconscious mind can help us to realize our dreams or our illnesses. That is why it is so important to use our subconscious mind positively to help make our lives more happy and fulfilling.

What is in your Pandora’s Box? We all carry hurts and pain from childhood, relationships and our past lives. It is important to find out if you are carrying any unresolved pain, anger or negativity in your box. As it can fester and cause all kinds of psychological and physical damage. Freud and Jung knew that psychological complexes can be cured by helping the patient to become aware of their own subconscious material. By becoming aware of things we have buried in our subconscious, we can heal ourselves. Carl Jung even went a step further than Freud and said that by becoming more aware of our subconscious we make ourselves more whole.

One of the ways to get in touch with your own subconscious is through your dreams and feelings. These are the main keys to opening your Pandora’s Box. It is very important to listen how you talk to yourself. If you call yourself names, i.e. I am so stupid or if you constantly have fears and worries, these will have a negative affect on your subconscious. And will bring negative manifestations into your life. If you catch yourself doing this, counteract it by saying something positive about yourself and balance your fears by courage and hope. Remember that the last thing in Pandora’s Box was hope which stayed in the box after she opened it. This is a reminder that hope is a very real force that can change our lives for the better and the world around us.

For further information, see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora’s_box,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconscious_mind, http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/consciousuncon.htm, http://www.vitalaffirmations.com/,
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypnosis/SA00084,
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-primary-differences-between-freuds-and-jungs-theories.htm

Cambions

Cambions are offspring of the incubi and succubi according to Bodin and Delamare. Others have described these creatures; some of the descriptions are kind while others are not. Luther wrote of them in his Colloquies saying they show no sign of life before seven years of age. He saw one cry when he touched it. Malole states, according to Boguet in his Discours des Sorciers (chap. XIV), that a Galician mendicant was in the habit of exciting public pity by carrying about a Campion. One day, a horseman observing him to be much hampered by the seeming infant in crossing a river, took the supposed child before him on his horse. But, he was so heavy that the animal sank under the weight. Some time afterwards the mendicant was taken and admitted that the child he habitually carried was a little demon whom he had trained so carefully that no one refused to give him alms while carrying it. A.G.H.

Source: 81, 93.

Azeman

A name given to a female vampire or werewolf (see Lycanthropy) in Surinam Negro folk belief. She transforms from human to animal form at night and travels around drinking human blood. According to belief the best way to stop her is by sprinkling grains or seeds about, when seeing them she has a compulsion to stop to count them and gather them up. Another way of stopping her is by propping a broom, which she won’t cross, against a door. A.G.H.

Virgin Birth

The virgin birth was believed to be the divine impregnation of a young woman by a god. The virgin mother-to-be deflowered herself be straddling the sacred lingam–the god’s erect penis–so it penetrated her. While conceiving the god’s son, the virgin placed a wreath of flowers upon the head of the god’s image. This was a symbolic act and reminiscent of the ancient Indian svayamara ceremony. The wreath symbolized the virgin’s genitals, and the head represented those of the god’s. Both the head and the lingam were anointed with holy oil in honor of the divine marriage and for the protection of the young woman during penetration. Such ceremonies were customary throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean areas. The holy oil was chrism and the god was a Christos or “Anointed One.”

In Roman times this ceremony was very popular with young women. They deflowered themselves upon the carved phalli of Hermes, Tutunus, Priapus or some other “anointed” god before lying with their bridegrooms. Then the firstborn child was thought to be god-begotten. Thus came the phrase “born by the grace of God.”

Generally the early Church fathers were opposed to such a deflowering ceremony as it was turning the birth of a Christos which they claimed to be miraculous into an everyday event. Saint Augustine denounced older women for encouraging young, engaged women to participate in the ceremony because he claimed the young women were mislead when viewing it as “very honest and religious.” However, Lactantius, another early Christian writer and Church father, explained the ceremony as rendering the bride fruitful “by her communion with the divine nature.”

Eventually the “divine nature” seemed to have evolved into a devilish nature which gives rise to the speculation that the ceremony lingered long after it was condemned. This is indicated in the confessions which came out of the medieval witch trails where witches confessed to having sexual intercourse with the devil. “They claimed his penis was hard and cold, and his body was ‘cold all over, like a creature of stone.’ Such a ‘devil’ could well have been a creature of stone in fact–that is, a statue of Priapus or one of the other phallic gods, believed to beget Antichrist in the classical manner, as the firstborn of a virgin mother.” A.G.H.

Source: 56.

Vibrations

A mystery still remains as to the relationship between vibrations and psychic phenomena. Vibrations are recognized as invisible operators within conversations, singing, and music.

Such is definitely described in a short story about Mrs. Crandon. Walter, a character states,”We walk on the vibrations of your laughingthe control of `Margery’ (Mrs. Crandon).” Walter claimed to get half of the energy needed for the phenomenon from the playing of phonograph records. As the sound energy came from the recordings it transformed into other forms of energy.

In the Bible Elisha is said to have sent for minstrels to play for him so that the hand of the Lord would come upon him.

The tenor Caruso would shatter crystal glasses when hitting high notes. Also soldiers have to break step when crossing a bridge.

There are many legends of the miraculous power of music. Among Indian religious beliefs it is thought that the world was created by subtle vibrations which corresponds to the Biblical quotation, “And God said” Experiments have demonstrated that certain music stimulate plant growth.

Although there is no definite scientific evidence as to how music facilitates psychical phenomena it appears to be more emotional than anything else. Certain music causes greater relaxation and enjoyment in people. And, the reverse is also true, certain sounds tend to make some people nervous or frighten them. Some people who are artistically creative prefer to work at night and in the early morning hours, claiming that the noise that normally occur during the day distract them.

In modern witchcraft the generation of vibrations plays an important part in such ceremonies as Drawing Down the Moon in which the high priestess invokes the Goddess. Frequently such ceremonies includes petitions for things and favors wanted from the Goddess and other deities. Often such ceremonies involve the cone of power where clapping of hands, chanting, singing, and dancing occur to the accompaniment of instruments. The vibrations produced by this activity can produce states of altered consciousness and ecstasy. A.G.H.

Sources: 4, 9.