DEVA

 

She shines white light
And wants to show how
Everything still turns to gold

The Temple-Castle The Priestess of The Temple, The Sanctuary/Sacred Place Holds The Seven Letters: The Qabbalistical process known as Gematria establishes with measurement, the mystical purpose for which a building or other object has been constructed. The house, temple and city may be ethereal in nature. Letters are exchanged with their numerical equivalent to unlock subtle meaning within scripture, names, monuments and cities. Healing and regenerative formulae may be culled from documents using this ancient Jewish master key.

In alchemy, the pure feminine principal is symbolized by a dove. white eagle and red or golden phoenix [Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.] In Egypt the falcon, hawk and sometimes eagle, are sacred symbols of the sun [The Beast Master.] For protection or candle burning rituals [1 candlestick with 7 branches] gold is used to represent solar power [silver for luna] and for health, the archetypal colour is scarlet, the Sun’s most essential mode. Ra, Osiris, and Horus are often depicted with the heads of hawks and headdresses worn by goddesses were the falcon and hawk [Cleopatra, She.] Druids, also known as Dove Priests, wore the Belt that identified them with the Sun, the Celtic word for a Belt being ‘Crios.’ The Celtic name for Christ is ‘Crios-d,’ meaning ‘Belt-God.’

According to Curtis, “This Belt named all Druids… all words like Belt, Gir-th, Ban-d and Gir-d name the same daily orbit of the sun, which in the picture-language costume of the Druids was the Gilded Belt. The girdle is also a covenant of strength and represents the current of spiritual force which circles around man’s body just below the breasts… when man can hold the 7 stars in his right hand, his girdle will be a visible current of spiritual life-force passing through his heart, through the life-center in the right breast and through the center of illumination in the spinal cord opposite the heart.”

The 7 stars in the constellation Ursa Major or the Great Bear are considered the positive aspects or executors of the 7 Pleiades [constellation Taurus, who represented the Bull and Thunder-god of England]… they [7 Rishis] are called by the Hindus ‘the husbands of the Pleiades.’

... it has been shown that many stars widely separated and apparently belonging to separate systems, are mysteriously related to each other, especially the Pleiades and the Great Bear… it is largely the positive and negative powers emanating from these 2 constellations that give to the number 7 it’s mystical significance.”

-Curtis, THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE

 

And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.

When it is time to set symbols into motion, the first thing any hero and/or heroine must do is use akasha (spirit, breath) to expand their paradigm. This is accomplished with the gift of hearing. They learn to listen, solve riddles and speak in different ways. Harry Potter discovers the answer when he learns he can understand and speak to reptiles. Dr. Doolittle, Beastmaster, Snow White and Cinderella - even Herne’s son Robin Hood, learn how to listen to the animals in the forest. Responding to the natural elements of the Earth and the quest of his deeper nature, Robert Plant acquires his sword in the style of an Arthurian knight and follows his heart with falcon and horse, his power animal companions. His falcon climbs to the top of the sky to provide guidance and, in the way Siegfried follows the forest bird to Brunnhilde’s fiery mountain, Plant reaches the castle. Musical elaboration on this point, to the fullest degree, is best provided by way of the RING cycle, and study of hero Siegfried. He is like Robert Plant in that both have a destiny to change their world and bring a new world into existence.

“So, on first hearing, the RING seems to be about the cosmos – the elemental struggle of earth, air, fire, and water. But as we listen more it is impossible not to think that the human soul is the real landscape on which the four dramas of the RING are enacted. Myth has always said as much about the psyche as about the cosmos, and – here is the astonishing thing about myth, and Wagner realizes it in this third part of the RING—myth tells us that the patterns of the psyche within are identical with those of the cosmos without….no scene in the RING is richer in these interpenetrations of music, myth, and psychology than the Forest Murmurs…”

- M. Owen Lee, Wagner’s Ring: Turning the Sky Round
Commentaries On The Ring of The Nibelung

 

And as we wind on down the road,
Our shadows taller than our soul…

And she's buying a stairway to heaven.

 

Astrological Doorway
Saturn and Venus

When the architect and the artist within work together we can spiritualize the terrestrial and live in an atmosphere of harmony that is conscientious, fair, and pleasant. Everyone wants to produce the best work possible, do work one loves, work into which we can throw ourselves with heart and soul and with all our mind and strength. An environment suited to the our ideal work, ergonomically, adds the possibility of grace, ease, and an atmosphere that is pleasant. The customized workplace can be conducive to maximized individual productivity and quality of life. Merely to muddle through a hard job for which we are poorly equipped, where our efforts are written off, or where security relies on half truth to avoid making an utter failure of it, is no satisfaction when the day’s work is done. The harmony between Venus and Saturn, once established on a firm basis, corrects career problems and will keep the train on the track.

Heavily veiled formulae for bi-polar Saturn-Venus antidotes, are clearly suggested by mythology about The Golden Fleece, The Grail and El Dorado. Established techniques that enable equilibrium and cooperation between Saturn and Venus are tucked inside the mathematical formulae we unlock through a study of ancient funerary art and architecture.

John Anthony West observes the wonders of the ancient world from a similar viewpoint in the following excerpt from, Serpent in the Sky, The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt:

.... left to the elements, as we have seen, the body of the Sphinx and the temples around it swiftly vanish under sand. Only the neck and head remain exposed.... the second crucial conditioning factor: If in only fourteen hundred years the wind and sand had reduced the Sphinx to its present condition, then we should expect to find evidence of similar or at least comparable damage to other Egyptian monuments built of similar materials and exposed to the Khamsin for a similar length of time.

Saturn = time and space management, good, efficient design that is environment-friendly

Venus = the elements, raw materials as microcosmic items; the Sphinx, temples, and other monuments exposed to the laws of erosion through several time periods.

When keys to various Saturn-Venus ratio formulae are presented via cinema today, they are generally classified as tragedy, with few exceptions - one exclusion from the rule of time-lords is in the musical category, and gems like Led Zeppelin’s, ‘The Song Remains The Same,’ 'It Might Get Loud,' and 'Living In The Material World.'

Apparently, the audience can find it difficult to hold this theme together during waking consciousness, although these Saturn-Venus formulae dominate dreamers’ REM. Examples of the monad rating of Saturn-Venus subjects, told via character casting today, would be on the high side when related to the world constructed by J.R.R. Tolkien. Architectural proportion and ratio scales employed by Lord Elrond in Rivendell, perfectly portrayed by Peter Jackson in the trilogy, take into account the interpenetrating vibrations that gently surround and rise above the structures of the hidden city. The buildings are based on an old, wise language that alludes to expansion [Jupiter] and contraction [Saturn] that encourages growth without erosion, proportionally ethereal in appearance and yet cohesive in the spirit of the place [Venus]. Go to Raglan Castle, during an April 2011 shoot, on the set for 'Merlin' here.

Films that filp the Winter-Spring story and appear on a disempowerment-meter, such as, ‘Autumn In New York,’ require our attention and involvement because it is more difficult to follow the development of the form. Technically, the image of the castle, and/or tower, suggest Trump XVI, usually named The Tower or Lightning Struck Tower. This symbol refers to the Autumn-Winter season, when 'drama' can replace enthusiasm, and bright, swirling energy - like falling crimson leaves - can prompt us to throw caution to the wind. The Yellow Tower of Gwent is the oldest building in the Raglan complex. This hexogonal keep, once 30m high, is separated from the other parts of the castle by a moat. Raglan was one of the earlier fortresses designed for artillery but, in many ways, the luxurious main living accomodation, arranged around two large courtyards, has more in common with a stately home than a castle.

'Autumn in New York' stars Richard Gere (Saturn) and Winona Ryder (Venus). Both A-list players have excellent silver screen chemistry together. Some dusty ‘out-of-bounds’ concepts such as generational difference, that no longer raise an eyebrow in the traditional quarters, fail to stop a knowledgeable audience these days.

Also, there is the screen chemistry of, 'First Knight,' with a triad based on Jupiter-Sagittarius, Mercury-Virgo, and Sol-Leo. We accept King Arthur (Sean Connery) as Jupiter-Sagittarius, married to Mercury-Virgo Guinevere (Julia Ormand), and defended by Lancelot (Richard Gere) as the Sol-Leo personification. See the image at Glastonbury Well here. Interesting that most audiences found the chemistry between Connery and Ormand more intriguing than that between Gere and Ormand. (I love RG, don’t get me wrong. Connery mused something about ‘losing his sex appeal’ in ‘The Rock’ – I think it’s fair to say we can rest assured that won’t happen anytime soon. I digress – sorry.)

The Saturn-Venus system is so powerful a feature of our waking paradigm because we tend to process copper-lead on an REM level that is not simply translated as a daily point of reference. We need some type of artistic prompter as a rule, such as a movie or other art form like theatre, to make REM objects live. The memory of our expressions and participation with inner, on-going transmutation of dross into pure ore, remains shadowy, at best. Led Zeppelin managed to combine such REM residents into a visual panorama from a cinematic viewpoint. In Robert Plant’s serial, we confidently address the characters and story twists we enjoy as they associate us with Arthur and Camelot. Recent memory of characters donned with Arthurian or Prince Valiant-like garments are just zzzz’s away. We move easily through Star Wars just the same, and draw insight from the development of the story at our own personal level, from the lower octave knowledge-reservoir. It is probably true that the movie with Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams, ‘The Fisher King’ won popular acclaim due to an exaggerated Venus-to-Saturn ratio, script-wise. The audience favors Venusian extravagance when she works with Saturn, as we discovered through the film, ‘Kate and Leopold’ (Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman) with a larger role for comedy than we find in ‘Autumn In New York.’

Journal Note

When I reached Raglan Castle (observe the signs, U-turns are difficult to navigate) many thoughts crossed my mind about this wonderful place because it falls in the heart of 'Castle Row' ... convenience accounts for much of the popularity, no doubt, since travel to any other castle in the chain from Raglan is quick and picturesque. Although other larger, more intact, castles 'around the corner' are attractive, Raglan Castle has a mystique to it, in part because of the Solar Deva, once the castle guardian. My first task was to dowse the castle ground and structures in the area. Raglan Castle suffered one of the most devastating and idealistically stinging sieges in history during England's Civil War because the family remained loyal to the royal family. The blueprints are elegant and easy to read using this overview map. The most important defense is both inside and outside Raglan's walls. There remain two active solar lines, in the same place they held as of the assault; then they were augmented by the Deva’s line. Raglan stone and timber stood long despite merciless attacks, however because of these three lines the hostiles remained stymied. They could not compromise Raglan’s defense grid – it simply wasn’t material material. All three lines crossed in front of the Closet Tower. It had a basement prison with living quarters above it for officers of the household. The top floor could have been a treasury. The lines extended across the main entry to the castle, across the Moat Walk and Moat. They continue on in a straight line, through a small angular corner of the Apron Wall. They then move out from the Great Tower, in the same direction, through the Moat Wall and Moat Walk, and then crossing the land beyond the Great Tower that may have been a jousting field.

The key to the Deva is in Raglan Castle's heraldry and ancient symbols associated with The Grail Quest. In pursuit of the great work, our path leads to a realm where ‘angels fear to tread’ – the castle with a maiden [Song Remains The Same, First Knight], ancient lair of the dragon [Dragonheart], Heart o’ The City Hotel [Matrix], forest strong with the dark side [Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back], island of death [Gilgamesh], the great fish/whale [Jonah], and so forth, because that is the way to the treasure. When Plant leaps from his ship into the water, his sincerity is reminiscent of an ancient baptism. Ritual procedure into mystic paradigms called for wading deep into a sphere of danger, where rebirthing could commence so alchemical gold might be acquired.

ITEM: While visiting Glastonbury Abby an associate asked me to enter the evening Equinox ritual, washing at the ancient well (face only) where some say The Grail resides. The rite ‘brings one to the water’ facilitating a process that initiates healing and renewal. Today, we think of identity as the information about us that appears on an ID card, passport or driver license, using a portrait image as representative of individual identity. Washing the face now is the same as total body immersion was long ago.

Raglan engineers constructed a unique regal castle, elegant and strangely inviting, regardless of the pulverized walls bearing scars as evidence of the non-stop barrage of cannon blast the endured during the war. The atmosphere is close to Tolkien's layered strata with ancient tree spirits around the center of the court, akin to Hammerwood Park's Gold/Silver ~ (Sun/Moon) theme. The architectural design was built to last, as were vows of true knights. Early architects knew their craft when they built their defensive wall, utilizing electro-magnetic factoring to incorporate the strength of two delicious solar lines that overlap, with the Deva's line between them. This was the epoxy that held those bricks together as walls under the most devastating assaults.

 

 

FOOTNOTE

* See Solar symbols from history and film @ Early Heraldry.

** Robert Hunter change from Moonchild to Leo began as the Dead were cooking up one of their flawless works of art, 'Workingman's Dead' following his Stonehenge pilgrimage. Turning the page, his ascending stars combined with 'The Royal Star.' Produced were the best of those vintage compliations of the era: 'Historic Dead' (Sunflower 5004) and 'Vintage Dead' (Sunflower 5001) in keeping with Hunter's transerence to his newest Leo vibe. The sunflower is sacred to the Sun because it's face always turns to behold Sol's passage in skies above. Check the Warner Bros. American Beauty (2-1893), Warner Bros. American Beauty/Workingman's Dead (23706) and Warner Bros. Workingman's Dead (1869) - Warner releases all in 1970.

*** The recent film, 'GLADIATOR', represents the 'ideal' general ( Russell Crowe) commanding the strength of Sun, Moon and Mars. Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) appeared Jupiterian. King Arthur has Sagittarian characteristics attributed to him, especially those of philosopher-king (The Grail Legend) and the hunter.

According to the Bible, the lion was painted or embroidered on the banner of Judah, who was promised exaltation among his brethren. When the bull (Taurus) was the first of the signs of the year, the summer solstice occurred when the Sun was in the sign Leo, as clearly drawn within the circular zodiac at Dendera, Egypt, as also that of Esne.

+ Research Note: The numeric squares, magical squares or kamalas, are ancient, of unknown origin, going back to Persian or Zoroastrian roots. They are generally conceded pre-flood power tools that survived via Noah and Vesta, just as the eternal flame burns still on altars in some ancient sanctuaries.
Note: architects and archeologists verify that, should these structures remain standing when the North Star is once again in the constellation Draco, the open chambers will allow the light of the stars to shine through to the altars again. The star Thuban will animate those hidden, sacred chambers. Excellent allusion to that event would be presented through the films, 'SHE' (Ursella Andress) as well as, ' DRAGONHEART', with Dennis Quaid as the man of honor, Julie Christie as the Queen and none other than Sean Connery, as the dragon.

 

LINKS

HAMMERWOOD PARK Just Visiting!
Benjamin Latrobe - Neoclassical Architect, Noted for Greek Revival Designs
visit The Capitol
Raglan Castle SO 415-083 Monmouthshire Wales

Robert Plant's new band for DREAMLAND @ Rolling Stone

Highlanders Star Menu - Sean Connery * Silver Arrow and Robin Hood -Herne's Son, The Hooded Man.
Celtic Art

European Royal Houses

Return to Introduction Deva of Raglan Castle

The Song Remains the Same Upper Room - Raglan Castle
Source for Date of The Raglan Sequence Shot (10/1973) is Dave Lewis, Editor of Tight But Loose