SHAMSIEL

&

THE SIGNS

OF THE SUN

We are told in the 8th chapter of Enoch that "Shamsiel taught the signs of the Sun" to men. In Chapter 6, the name Samsapeel is given as one of the chiefs of tens. These are the same angel, Samael.

In Kabbalistic lore -- on the 'good side' of the Tree, the Sun is often associated with the angel Raphael, who is the Healer. The land is healed and reborn through the rebirth of the Sun in springtime from the cold and cloudy months of winter. We are healed by the gentle rays of the morning and evening suns - Dawn and Dusk -- the times in-between day and night. The Sun is the major source of prana or life-giving energy for the Earth. But come summer-time, the Sun becomes a fiery demonic presence that sucks all the moisture from the skin of the Earth and the skin of man. It withers crops and steals the vital energies of every living thing. Summer in the deserts of the Middle East often reaches temperatures of 120 degrees Farenheit (48.9 degrees Celsius) -- the temperature at which the average human body begins to shut down and become dehydrated. The blood runs like water in the veins and the lungs are belabored. Like everything else that is healing, the Sun can also kill in the 'fury' of it's power. So, on the 'bad side' of the Tree, Samael becomes equated with the burning hellacious Sun or the Destroyer, in contrast to Raphael -- the Healer.

There is more to the signs or science of the Sun than the obvious keeping track of Time through tracing the solstices and equinoctic periods. The Watchers who tracked the movements and periods of the Sun noticed that it traced a path in the sky through the year. This path is called the 'analema' and is a mobius-shaped sigil represented by the 'cosmic lemniscate' above the head of the Magician in the traditional Ryder-Waite Deck of the Tarot. It looks like a figure 8 laying on it's side. It is the symbol of the Eternal and Never-ending. They traced this movement with their stone-circles and solar temples such as are found at Teotihuacan, Machu Pichu and Stonehenge.

But the Sun hasn't eternally behaved itself from our point of view. Those who are familiar with astrology and astronomy know that the planets sometimes go retrograde in relation to the Earth. That is, from our point of view, they begin to retrace their previous path in the heavens and go backwards. We don't see the Earth going retrograde, because we're on it. It's our point of reference. Were we on a faster moving planet like Mercury or Venus, we would see the Earth appear to go retrograde. The great gas-giants Jupiter and Saturn appear to nearly always be in retrograde, because they are so far from the Sun and slow-moving, compared to Earth. But there are ancient stories that indicate that in some points in time, the Earth itself has come to a sort of solstice or 'standstill', where the Sun has stalled in the sky. Interestingly, there is a 'hitching post' for the Sun in the solar temple at Machu Pichu. Scholars speculate that this is because once upon a time, the Sun didn't show up one day...while on the other side of the world, the Sun stood still. Perhaps this is commemorated in the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho:

Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it... [Josh. 10:12-14]

This probably didn't really happen this way, but it adds a nice gloss when you're trying to impress people with the extent of your powers and your 'in' with the gods. You see, if you know it's coming...you can appear to make the Sun stall in the sky. You can summon the great dragon or Fenris-wolf to swallow the Sun and then make a big to-do about rescuing it back from the jaws of certain destruction. But it's not just all about performing magic tricks to awe the natives and make them your servants. You can foretell years of famine and drought by the cycles of the Sun and plan accordingly by increasing stores of grain and other vital necessities. You can 'see' the dawning of new aeons through the precession of the Sun through the houses of the Zodiac.

The Watcher of the Sun (Samael) had to work with the Watcher of the planets and stars (Kawkabel), as well as the Watcher of the Moon (Sariel) to correlate all of this information to make it useful. Astrologically speaking (Baraqijal), the position of the Sun in relation to the Wheel of the Zodiac was also most important, determining the destiny, character and life of whatever is born in a particular moment. Whether it be a child, an under-taking or a civilization, the positions of the stars and planets decree the fate and measure of it's life.

In this year of 2003, as Mars grows closer to Earth than it has been in 60,000 years, and therefore closer to the Sun, I am reminded that Earth itself moves away from and toward the Sun in it's elliptical orbit. These are called 'apogee' (furthest point away or apex of orbit) and 'perigee' (closest point of orbit). These terms are often applied to the orbit of the Moon around the Earth, but it applies to the orbits of all the planets of our solar system around the Sun. When Earth is closer to the Sun, in it's orbit we are more likely to have hellish conditions. As it moves away, the planet grows colder and ice begins to form. The fire-breathing dragon of the Sun becomes the water-hoarding Wurm of the Ice. Scientists are now watching the polar ice caps of Mars receeding -- melting. Will this release of precious moisture bring the red planet to life again for awhile? Only time and the great all-seeing Eye of Hubble will tell.

The Nasoreans -- the "keepers of secret knowledge" significantly adopted the solar calendar as opposed to the lunar calendars which were used by the argrarian farmers (heathens). By it, they held their holy-days and festivals. The solar calendar is much more accurate. But they also recognized that the movements of the Sun and Moon worked together, hence they had a Moon Watcher as well, Sariel. Mayan time-keeping went one better and developed a calendrical system that integrated the two. At the same time, it is a complex and rather unwieldy system. According to their calculations, the year 2012 is to be the end of life as we know it. But I rather think that perhaps it is a way of saying that a new consciousness will arise that has been lost and bound in the darkness for a seeming eternity. It stirs, even now.

We often tend to forget that we used to believe that the Earth revolved around the Sun, being the little egoists we are -- and that to say otherwise was tantamount to a heresy. Even though Copernicus had it all figured out by middle-age, he left his works to be published after his death... for fear of being burned as a heretic while he lived. The Holy Roman Church and it's empire made certain that the Sun went down on such knowledge, as did the orthodox Jews before them to bind the souls of men in darkness, servitude and despair. The symbol of it above the Magician's head says it all.

 

SAM, SHAM and SHEM