Cicero - Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition_Part 01

TheTheoricus Grade 277
person who is not in touch with his/her inner spirituality butwho instead routinely
obeys the Will of the Ego or lower personal desires is living to one degree or another
with a "dysfunctional" Soul. But as the individual steadily shifts his/her awareness
to the knowledge of the Divine Light, the Soul undergoes purification that enables it
to more easily connect with the Divine Spirit that is the source of all life. The Greeks
referred to the Soul as the Psyche while the Egyptians referred to it as the Ba.
The Spirit
The Spirit (from the Latin Spiritis, meaning "breath") is the divine center in
humanity. It is the material essence, animating key, or absolute pattern of an individual
human life, which is eternal. The Greeks referred to this undying Spirit
within each individual as Nous,the universal mind of God. Other Greek terms for
Spirit include daimon and pneuma while the Egyptians refered to it as the Khu.
The Egyptian HSoul"
To the ancient Egyptians, there were several parts which made up the composite
humanbeing. The physical bodywas called the Khat, which implied something that
was subject to decay. Attached to the Khat was the Ka. The Ka was the etheric double
or "body of habits." It could be defined as an abstract personality endowedwith
the characteristics of a person, butwhich had an independentexistance. The Ka was
also supposed to have lived on after the body, so provisions were left for it in the
tomb. (Some people equate the Ka with the astral body or Body of Light-the part
of the Soul that can be used as a vehicle for ascending the astral planes.)
The Ba or Soul which dwelt in the Ka, was the seat of life in human beings.
The word Ba implies something noble, sublime or mighty. Having the qualities of
both substance and form, the Bawas free to leave the tomb and ascend to heaven.
The Bahad the power to become corporeal or incorporeal at Will,and it was usually
represented as a hawk with a human head.
The Khuwas the immortal Spirit or spiritual intelligence of a human being.
The word implies something shining or luminous and was symbolized by a
plume of flame. The Khu, like the Ka, could be imprisoned in the tomb, so magical
formulae were used to keep this from occurring.
The Sekhem (meaning: "to have mastery or power over something") was a
person's vital force or strength personified. This part, like the Khu, also ascended
to heaven.
The Khaibit or "shadow" was thought to be near a person's Soul.
Finally, the Ren or name was consider by the Egyptians to be very important, since
a nameless person could not enter into the company of the gods. Preservation of
the name insured immortality.
Planetary Intelligences and Spirits
In Planetary magic, an Intelligence is referred to as a guiding Angelic force which
is directed in tum by a ruling Planetary Archangel. A Planetary Spirit is a blind
force which canbe used for good or ill. Toinsure that the Spirit is used for positive
purposes, it should never be invoked without first invoking the Planetary Intelligence
(or guiding principlej.o