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Orphic Hymns · 27 of 138 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Front Matter, p. 5 (part 3)

Again, Vesta, in the Orphic hymns, is the same with the mother of the Gods; and the mother of the Gods is celebrated as "always governing rivers and every sea m ; which perfectly agrees with the appellations given both to Love and Proteus. Again, among the various epithets ascribed to the duad, or number two, are, Phanes, Nature, Justice, Rhea, p. 95 Diana, Cupid, Venus, Fate, Death, &c. Now Phanes, in the Orphic hymns, is the same with Protogonus; and Nature is called πρωτογενία, or first-born, and δίκη, or Justice, as also πεπρωμενή, or Fate. Likewise Rhea is denominated ϑύγατερ πολυμορφυ Πωτογονοίο, or daughter, of much formed Protogonus; and in the same hymn the reader will find other epithets, which agree with the appellation given to Nature. Again, both Nature and Diana are called ὠκυλοχεία, or swiftly bringing forth; and Love as well as Nature is called or two-fold. In like manner Rhea and Venus agree, for he says of Venus πάντα γὰρ ἐκ σιθεν ἐσὶν, for all things are from thee; and of Rhea, Μήτηρ μέν τε θεῶν ἠδὲ θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων, or mother of Gods and mortal men. After which he expressly says that earth and heaven, the sea and the air, proceed from her p. 96 divinity. Besides this, he celebrates Venus as governing the three Fates; ϗαμπ ηρατέεισ τρισσῶν μοιρῶν. And lastly he says of Love, after representing that Deity as invested with the keys of all things thou alone rulest the governments of all these n ; which he likewise affirms of Death in the same words. And thus much for the duad. The triad, or number three, they denominated Juno, Latona, Thetis, Hecate or Diana, Pluto, Tritogenia or Minerva, &c. Now Latona and Thetis, are each of them called in these initiations, κυανόπεπλ# ( ) or dark-veiled; and Minerva and the Moon, who is the same with Diana, θῆλωσ ϗαμπ ἂρσην, female and male. The tetrad p. 97 or number four, they denominated Hercules, Vulcan, Mercury, Bacchus two-mothered, Bassarius, key-keeper of nature, Masculine, Feminine, the World, (which in these initiations is the same with Pan) Harmony, justice. Now Onomacritus calls Hercules and Vulcan, Καρτεροχειρ, or strong-handed; and he celebrates Hercules and Mercury as "having an almighty heart." ϖατκρατες ἦτορ ἔχῶν. And so of the rest. The pentad or number of five they called Nature, Pallas, Immortal, Providence, Nemesis, Venus, Justice, &c.
Themes
Aeonscosmology

Divine archetypal beings or eternal attributes dwelling within the Pleroma, often arranged in male-female syzygies.

Abstract principles like Nature, Justice, and Fate are treated as divine entities or epithets within the numerical groupings.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

Providence is explicitly listed as one of the names associated with the pentad or number five.

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Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

The text mentions that earth, heaven, sea, and air 'proceed from her divinity,' suggesting a flow of creation from a divine source.

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Opposites Transcendedanthropology

The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.

The passage describes Minerva and the Moon as 'female and male,' indicating a divine unity that transcends gender binary oppositions.

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Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

The statement 'all things are from thee' regarding Venus/Rhea implies a singular source for all existence.

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Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

[auto] The text references Orpheus delivering theology mystically in secret discourses and describes the hymns as mystical initiations.

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Monadcosmology

The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.

[auto] The text explicitly identifies the monad or unity with specific gods such as the Sun, Jupiter, and Love within the Pythagorean framework.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

[auto] The passage extensively details the correspondence between numbers (Monad through Decad) and specific divine epithets and deities as a core theological structure.

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Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

[auto] The author analyzes the particular epithets and names of divinities ascribed to numbers and used in the hymns.

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Related passages · 2 parallels
western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|Pythagorean Mathematicsj
Wynn Westcott says of the duad: "it was called 'Audacity,' from its being the earliest number to separate itself from the Divine One; from the 'Adytum of God-nourished Silence,' as the Chaldean oracles say." As the monad is the father, so t…”
Both passages discuss the symbolic significance of the duad (number two) and the triad (number three) in Pythagorean and Orphic traditions, associating them with various deities and concepts. They share a conceptual framework of numerical symbolism and its connection to divine and natural principles.
western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|2. The Pillars Of The Templed
“By the fear of the unknown must the crowd be restrained,” he observes in another place; and Christ also said: “Cast not your pearls before swine, lest, trampling them under their feet, they turn and rend you.” The Tree of the Knowledge of…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the duad (number two) and its significance in mystical traditions. They explore the dual nature of deities and principles, such as Love, Nature, and Justice, and their roles in creation and governance. The passages also touch on the hierarchical structure of numbers in mystical systems, linking the duad to higher numbers like the triad and tetrad.