Symbolism

New Acropolis. Notes from class, in notebook order.

Theseus → Maat → Prometheus: the journey in New Acropolis.

These are handwritten class notes, cleaned up and kept close to how they were written. Tap a page number like to see the handwriting.

Listen to the whole class23 min

The NotebookLM version24 min

AI voices talking through these notes. The handwriting is the source.

What symbolism is

Listen to this part, 1:54

Symbolism is a language. We learn it to speak the language of nature, a timeless, universal language. And we have the ability, and the opportunity, to learn it.

Why learn it?

It is the ability to connect to nature.
It develops some mysticism within us.
The language of the universe helps the universe. It makes you useful to nature.
To be useful to nature, to the world, to the universe, we must learn nature's language.
Life is itself a symbol. The human being, an important part of nature, is itself a symbol.

Human beings did not build everything out of the blue.
Sense of destiny. Nature knows where it is going, but we don't. Sometimes we feel we lack direction. We should always have destiny in clarity.
This language will allow us to communicate with the Gods, because they are part of nature.
Even planets, stars and galaxies are all called Gods.
Why is it important to connect with the Gods? The forms of the Gods come and go. New Acropolis is a bridge to connect to the Gods.
Connect the visible to the invisible.
A symbol is a connector.

A symbol is a container of a certain essence.
There is much more to unite us than to separate us, and we need a language to connect. That language is symbolism.

Mysticism

Listen to this part, 1:32

To read: Pandora's box. Prometheus and Epimetheus.

What is beyond interesting? The ability to understand the purpose of the world, of life.

What is the purpose of mysticism? To understand the purpose is the goal. To connect to something which is purposeful. To connect the visible to the invisible.

Symbolism is the how, and mysticism is the what for of the connection.

What for? To never feel alone. To connect to something.
Artificial connection is superficial and not satisfying. It develops attachment and brings confusion.
A language transmits a special experience, like mysticism.
It is the ability to stay connected, even to sentiment, to what is subtle.
It is something which can't be expressed through spoken language.
The whole foundation of Guru–Shishya: like that, the essence of symbolism can be transpired. Even if you don't understand the meaning deeply, it transmits.

Learning the language

Listen to this part, 1:31

A language is not just words. It's a culture.
With a good teacher, you learn very well.
It's timeless. It was there at the start and will be there till the end.
Develop the ability to read and speak spiritually. Symbolism is spiritual reading. First read, then you can speak.
In the beginning there will be forms. With time we will know forms are not the goal.
Surprisingly, we will see that different archetypes had the same essence.
Eventually we have to see beyond forms.
The mystical will be the ability to connect beyond forms, like connecting Atma with Sthula.

But it's important to learn the language.
Forms are doors. We have to learn to open the doors of endless nature. A key is important to open a lock.
How is it connected to the allegory of the cave? And how to find the way out? Will and effort, curiosity, perseverance.
Even out of a cave, there might be another cave. So the path has many steps, one step at a time.
Freedom has many levels.
Being humble helps you a lot.

Number, sound, geometry

Listen to this part, 1:21

Plato said: "God, when he created all things, made them appear for the first time on the basis of geometry and number."
The connection between essence, numbers and geometric symbols: Pythagoras.
Numerology is connected to symbolism.
Pythagoras spoke of the music of the galaxy.
If there is a sacred concept called God, there is a matching sound, a matching symbol, matching forms.
Om has its own specific sound, and that sound is what makes it sacred. We refer to God through forms, and Om is a form too.
Language is the code to decipher the essence of symbols.
Number, colour, music, smell are connected.
It's hidden not because nature is hiding. We need to put in effort and will, and should be convinced of the values.

Essence	Symbol
Beauty	Art, music

Egypt: where the symbols come from

Listen to this part, 1:17

Ancient dynasty, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom.
Proto-history: pre-ancient.
Plato explains the origin of proto-history. The Scorpion kings were like magicians before the Pharaohs.
Egypt is a direct continuation of Atlantis.
Book from Plato: Timaeus.
The Deluge: different versions, not only Noah and the ark. Utnapishtim. The Andean version.
Secret of "immortality". The bird sent out from the ark: the crow.

Descendants of the Atlanteans.
The Atlanteans had very big pyramids, 700,000 years ago, when the civilisation started to decline.
Poseidonis only left, 50,000 years ago, and from them civilisation started again.
The hunt for ancient symbols is in Egypt, since the pyramids came out of nowhere.

Neter

Listen to this part, 2:57

In ancient Egypt there were no Gods. They used Neter, which means sacred.

There were 7 different Neter, and one of them was "Gods":

Gods
Demons
Elementals: spirits of nature
Eternal concepts
Rajarishi, or Pharaohs
Animals
The dead

Book: Spirits of Nature. For example: Apsaras, Gandharvas, Sirens (in the movie about Odysseus).
Hapi. The Nile is called Neter only for some part of the year, when it is overflowing. It spills over and fertilises all the lands.
Sacredness comes from being always Nature.
Neter are always in that character.
Animals are always animals, Gods are always Gods. No choice. So they are being fully who they are.
The human is part Rupa and part Arupa.

When is a human being Neter?

How difficult it is to be constantly enlightened. How difficult it is to be Buddha always.
The Buddha got some karma and came back. Hinayana, Mahayana.
The Buddha was not 100% Neter, because of the desire to liberate people. Though enlightened, he came back. He could have chosen to be free from this world, but he knew the way to liberate people is by being here, being a part of the problem, which is human life. Unless he experienced it, he could not express the way for people.
The only creature in the universe to have choice is the human.
We experience being Neter for a moment. When we die we become Neter.

Why is it important to have the realisation to be Neter?

Evolution is not optional. It's part of the plan.
When you discarnate you lose consciousness. When we sleep we temporarily lose consciousness.
We are the bridge between Nous and Soma.
Being Neter, being conscious, is the link.
It's a long process to be always connected.
"Being Neter as a human being is the goal." Constantly connected to Nous and to the worldly.

The philosopher and the gold

Listen to this part, 0:44

The Buddha is gold. The philosopher is Kshatriya, and needs polishing constantly: fighting the Kauravas constantly, getting tarnished.
No attachment to "ego" is what the Buddha is.
A Kshatriya or philosopher is one who is ambitious toward the goal without getting attached to "ego".

All symbols are Neter

Listen to this part, 0:37

Drawn: the ankh.

Ancient Indian symbolism: Ganesha, Hanuman. Anubis.

Fire	Becomes
Warmth of fire	Love	2nd Logos
Light of fire	Direction	Represents consciousness

This is what it represents. Agni was the first Indian deity.

Class of 06-11: non-attachment

Listen to this part, 0:56

People on the banks of the Nile lose all their possessions every year, and they keep coming back. They practised detachment.

The Egyptians fought the Hittites. The battle between Ramses II and Hattusili, 2,800 years ago. Hattusa was the capital of the Hittites.

Non-attachment is a tool.

Trinity: Osiris, Isis, Horus

Listen to this part, 0:20

The first triad we will learn: Osiris, Isis and Horus. Father, Mother and Son. These are Greek names. The original Egyptian names are different.

Osiris and the Sun

Listen to this part, 0:44

Osiris is related to the 1st Logos: will, the impulse driving evolution.
He rules the power of will, the one which brings dharma.
The Solar Spirit is the source of all divine energy, as it is the direction of life for our solar system. One and only life of the whole solar system.
The Sun is a symbol itself.
The Sun is racing at 70,000 km per hour. Imagine how we are flying in this universe.
One form of the Sun is Osiris. The other is Amon.

Part of something bigger

Listen to this part, 0:44

Every single atom of the body belongs to the earth. We are a part of Earth.
We are conscious, but the planet itself is much more evolved. It is a God itself.
Kundalini comes from the core of the earth, the "iron egg", where Kundalini is stored.
It's important to open your mind: you are part of something bigger.
We are attached to psyche, so we don't know the bigger mysteries of life, something bigger than you.

Analogical, not analytical

Listen to this part, 0:37

Be analogical. Try to be, rather than analyse everything from psyche.
You can enjoy music without knowing its technicalities.
Philosophy is like music.
Symbolism is to enjoy.

The form of Osiris

Listen to this part, 0:57

Osiris is the ruler of the invisible, the symbol of endurance. To fulfil dharma the most important thing is to endure, no matter how much time it takes.

Part of the form	What it symbolises
Mummified, single-legged form	Physically a mummy is dead, but it is a symbol of inner life: dead to the outer world, reborn with the mysteries
Blue skin	The mystery of the universe
Sometimes green skin	Fertile: inner abundance
Whip in the right hand	Repulse: destroy
Hook in the left hand	Attract: love
King cobra (uraeus) on the head	Permanent attention

Whip and hook

Listen to this part, 1:07

Repulse and attract: this is the key to what life needs. To know what to repulse and what to attract.

To attract, we use our psyche, mostly Linga and Kama Manas.
To destroy, we use our psyche like something that destroys, that burns, figuratively. Slap it away from you.
If you know your Pandavas and Kauravas, you know when to attract and when to repulse.
Sometimes a Kaurava is disguised as a Pandava: comfort or junk are Kauravas that look like Pandavas.
A doctor is like Osiris with hook and whip.
The same with people who are poisonous. They should be repulsed, but we often get confused.

The uraeus: attention

Listen to this part, 0:29

We are constantly bombarded with opportunities.
The whole idea is to be present. The solution is to be present and attentive, not to escape, and to endure.

Letting go

Listen to this part, 0:34

Osiris also symbolises fertility, as inner abundance.
Abydos is a place in ancient Egypt.
Osiris is about letting go of attachment, so one can be reborn into the inner.
The trials of Osiris's being are related to life and death.
Mastery of self, of the laws of nature, regulation of the heartbeat.

Learning about death

Listen to this part, 0:39

The Egyptian Book of the Dead. The Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Ani preserved the Book of the Dead: the Papyrus of Ani.
Bardos: Tibetan.
To learn about death is to be less anxious.
Being able to die helps you learn how to live.
The deepest human fear is fear of death: attachment to life.

The next level

Listen to this part, 1:00

The next level of evolution of the human being is God.
From biological reproduction to spiritual reproduction: Kriya Shakti. Create life from mind.
God can create anything, but they won't create anything, because they are Neter. For the human being it's a journey.
The Buddha chose when to incarnate (Nirmanakaya) and when to discarnate.
The archetype for us: Osiris symbolises evolution. It gives the perspective of the next level.
Ask yourself: when and how can I be free, liberated?
Don't ever doubt the truth.
Be loyal to what we are.
We are slow to spiritual evolution.

The Djed

Listen to this part, 1:00

Drawn: a tapering pillar with four bands. The Djed, of Osiris.

It symbolises the pillar of stability, the axis. The pillar supports dharma.
A pillar with 4 disks, in 3D. They represent the 4 parts of the personality: earth, water, air, fire.
It means there is harmony between the different elements if the centre is the law, the spirit.
Then there is self-mastery.
When there is order in the visible, it's easier to build a connection with the invisible.
It's important to have order, to get closer to dharma, to become like Osiris.

Mirror

Listen to this part, 0:54

Venus Pandemos. Venus Ourania.

Rumi and Kabir speak about mirror flips. We need to experience it.

So is above, so is below. The mirror is between Kama Manas and Manas. Looking up is flipping the mirror.

Drawn: seven points joined in pairs, like a seven-branched candlestick, labelled Kabbalah.

S    P    L    KM    M    B    A
|    |    '-----|-----'    |    |
|    '----------|----------'    |
'---------------|---------------'
                |
              stem

Sthula pairs with Atma, Prana with Buddhi, Linga with Manas. Kama Manas sits on the stem.