02-20-2012, 03:18 PM
Just thought I'd add a quote from Ra since Don actually asked this question:
"80.10 Questioner: The fifteenth archetype is the Matrix of the Spirit and has been called the Devil. Can you tell me why that is so?
Ra: I am Ra. We do not wish to be facile in such a central query, but we may note that the nature of the spirit is so infinitely subtle that the fructifying influence of light upon the great darkness of the spirit is very often not as apparent as the darkness itself. The progress chosen by many adepts becomes a confused path as each adept attempts to use the Catalyst of the Spirit. Few there are which are successful in grasping the light of the sun. By far, the majority of adepts remain groping in the moonlight and, as we have said, this light can deceive as well as uncover hidden mystery. Therefore, the melody, shall we say, of this matrix often seems to be of a negative and evil, as you would call it, nature.
It is also to be noted that an adept is one which has freed itself more and more from the constraints of the thoughts, opinions, and bonds of other-selves. Whether this is done for service to others or service to self, it is a necessary part of the awakening of the adept. This freedom is seen by those not free as what you would call evil or black. The magic is recognized; the nature is often not."
From this, "The Devil" as a title comes from 1)the fact that many adepts get stuck in the delusions of the lesser light and 2) the change in perspective (i.e., freedom) of the Adept is viewed as "evil" by others--which is exactly as Plato posited for the Philosopher in The Allegory of the Cave.
But Ra said that we do have to interpret things for ourselves and it seems like we all see something slightly different at the heart of the archetype.
"80.10 Questioner: The fifteenth archetype is the Matrix of the Spirit and has been called the Devil. Can you tell me why that is so?
Ra: I am Ra. We do not wish to be facile in such a central query, but we may note that the nature of the spirit is so infinitely subtle that the fructifying influence of light upon the great darkness of the spirit is very often not as apparent as the darkness itself. The progress chosen by many adepts becomes a confused path as each adept attempts to use the Catalyst of the Spirit. Few there are which are successful in grasping the light of the sun. By far, the majority of adepts remain groping in the moonlight and, as we have said, this light can deceive as well as uncover hidden mystery. Therefore, the melody, shall we say, of this matrix often seems to be of a negative and evil, as you would call it, nature.
It is also to be noted that an adept is one which has freed itself more and more from the constraints of the thoughts, opinions, and bonds of other-selves. Whether this is done for service to others or service to self, it is a necessary part of the awakening of the adept. This freedom is seen by those not free as what you would call evil or black. The magic is recognized; the nature is often not."
From this, "The Devil" as a title comes from 1)the fact that many adepts get stuck in the delusions of the lesser light and 2) the change in perspective (i.e., freedom) of the Adept is viewed as "evil" by others--which is exactly as Plato posited for the Philosopher in The Allegory of the Cave.
But Ra said that we do have to interpret things for ourselves and it seems like we all see something slightly different at the heart of the archetype.
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