caduceus meaning?

[gorgeousbutterfly]

Anybody know what it symbolizes? i heard the two snakes symbolize enkiki and enil and that they are the two double helix's. but what about the angel sign?

http://www.oswego.edu/academics/colleges_and_departments/departments/interdisciplinary/premed/images/caduceus.gif

[janus666]

see my post the occult/symbolism and illumination for a definition of this and other symbols easily misunderstood

[blue]

The serpent was also Enki's symbol, presumably for its ability to shed its skin and therefore achieve a sort of immortality. The depiction of the serpent was one method the ancient artisans used to represent their reptile ancestors. It is also from the representation of the serpent coiled around the tree of life, that the "Caduceus" of the Greeks later evolved. The "flying or fiery serpent" atop a pole worshiped for its healing properties symbolically represents Enki, the Sumerian god of healing, who was often associated with the snake symbol. There is also a curious resemblance of the snake wrapped around a pole, with the later caduceus of of the Greeks.

http://img7.imagevenue.com/loc708/th_10092_caducius_2_122_708lo.jpg (http://img7.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=10092_caducius_2_122_708lo.jpg)

The satan is seen as a snake coiled around a tree, the tree of knowledge. This scenario also represents the Caduceus. I have read some where that it has also to do with the DNA structure of humans.

Later this taken in the other civilizations. especially the greek, n Greek and Roman mythology, a magic wand consisting of a rod topped by wings and intertwined by two snakes (kerykeion, caduceus in Greek; kerykeion skeptron meaning "a heralds wand"; keryx meaning announce or herald) was depicted as a medicinal or magical tool symbolized to indicate healing and immortality in literature and drawings from the era before Christ. The fabled wand or rod, the caduceus, was carried by Hermes in Greek myths and Mercury in Roman mythology as the messenger of the gods. Originally, the caduceus was represented as a simple staff wound about with two white ribbons. It is a figure that consists of two entwined serpents encircling a wand or rod. It was a symbol of authority and inviolability and protected the herald who carried it...continued... http://www.publicsafety.net/wand.htm

more info: http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/gods/lords/lordninazu.html

[hagbard_celine]

I have read some where that it has also to do with the DNA structure of humans.


I noticed that too. The caduceus goes back to Sumerian and Greek times, several millennia before Francis Crick made his discovery a relatively short time ago, but the mystery schools of the ancient world may well have known about DNA back then.

[mynameis]

Here's information from my old thread on this. Waaa. I just noticed I spelled it wrong, lol. It was real late when I posted this originally.

http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1646&highlight=Caduceus

[serpentoffire]

Anybody know what it symbolizes? i heard the two snakes symbolize enkiki and enil and that they are the two double helix's. but what about the angel sign?

http://www.oswego.edu/academics/colleges_and_departments/departments/interdisciplinary/premed/images/caduceus.gif

This sign simbolize the kundalini serpent. This symbol means:

the spine
the pineandle gland inside brain
the double serpent of fire along the spine generated by chakras
the ability to connect our mind to the supernatural world and recall in the body the possession of a supernatural being (with wings)
http://www.pangoseditore.com/images/SS_13_Web.JPG

[mynameis]

If biology is any indicator, can this be the basis for what the ancients would call creation of a demiurge?

[janus666]

Hope the following is of interest and of some help.The caduceus is a part of the psycho- spiritual make up of consciousness. The globe at the top is akin to the fully awakened kundalini energy. Shakti reunited with Shiva. The universe is destroyed when Shiva stops dancing. Conceptually that is. Notice in the yogic system the ajna or brow chakra has 2 petals. The seed of all sprouts two petals representing the male and female potencies that create life. The wings on the caduceus mirror this and also represent transcendence as do most winged symbols.
The caduceus is our manifestation. It shows the mechanism of the unfolding of ‘nothing’ into male and female potencies and the emergence of the interdimensional bodies culminating in the physical body. This is a mirror of the chakra system. The human body is a result and so a complex reflection of the mechanism and interdimensional process of unfoldment. ****The effect mirrors the cause by default.*** It is a process of wheels within wheels. It can be no other way. For example a painting shows the method of its manifestation. All the colours and brush strokes are present. The image of the caduceus is a sigil of the male female forces feeding the body mind complex. The points of crossing are the gateways of manifestation and return as in the chakra system. Two potencies meeting create a third, a child etc The potencies continue in that child and repeat. The caduceus can be laid over the tree of life and or the chakra system. The tree of life uses the planets as symbols for the various layers of being. Each chakra gateway has its own charkas, caduceus etc. ( A note:Using the Chakra imagery, when people skry they are opening up their third eye. But this is the third eye of the navel centre. Not the third eye of the brow centre although it will perceived within this physical location. The true opening of the third eye is beyond duality. Duality is still a condition of the astral planes which equate to the navel centre).
The physical body is fed by the etheric body (which the Caduceus represents) which is generated by the etheric(ether) engine the sun.( See Madame Blavatsky’s ‘the Secret Doctrine,’ for a more detailed account). This vital force feeds the physical organs and tissues along with physical foods etc which are full of this vitality if fresh. After all the sun is not just some giant light bulb so we can see what we are up to. This ether is the sustaining force, vitality, that holds all in their groups and patterns and ultimately feeds them. It binds all things and is stored in vast quantities in the air. This is why in yoga, Tai Chi etc breath is so important because the breath carries a lot of vitality. In alchemical literature the bellows that fans the fire is a blind for these breathing techniques. The lead that must be turned to gold is the self, mind body complex. The the male and female forces are the sun and moon that must be balanced along with the planetary forces to bring about this transformation. Notice the coming together and separating of the two serpents. The alchemical maxim Solve et Coagula (Dissolve and bring together) is pertinent here. First we divide and then unite and with the new knowledge gleaned from the division we repeat until we discover the philosophers stone bringing us true wisdom and happiness. The gold of enlightenment. The division is the separation of the bodies. To actually leave the physical body or at least skry other dimensions is the first division. When we return to normal consciousness we have new knowledge and are better equipped to press on. Lots of people stay in the astral worlds and fail to move on. This is the luna illusion and can only be understood by the light of solar consciousness. People get addicted to the astral store house of imagery. They are decieved and mistake this mirror of reality for the end and suffer as a result. The alchemical maxim, ‘to make gold start with gold,’ is a hint at the psychosexual nature of the work that was hidden from the profane for fear of persecution(more on this later). The planets that the serpents touch( though rarely shown ) when super imposed over the tree of life are the illusions that must be overcome for they are the gate keepers, and mechanisms of the conceptual universe. Once we have balanced and passed through each one we get closer to the sun. Once the sun centre/gold is revealed we than may cross the abyss if our wills be strong and unite with that unconditioned boundless self whose first manifested child is the conditioned sun. Note that the sun is a sphere. The child mirrors its parents, i.e. a sphere has no beginning or end!
The etheric body feeds us but also connects us to the universal tides. We are therefore connected to all macrocosmic events etc. The awareness of these gateways and the attention given to them allows greater health, healing (this is why this symbol has been associated with medicine, although this has been long forgotten) etc as well as giving us the powers of interdimensional, travel, prophecy , and ultimately illumination if we are ready and disciplined enough. The wand of Hermes/Mercury is this knowledge.
The image of the goat headed Baphomet that is often so misunderstood and reviled, shows the caduceus representing the phallus. The fountain of life. This is the kundalini coiled, the power that must be awakened to create a new universe, a man or a woman, or if the techniques are understood return the aspirant towards their source and enlightenment. For the door swings both ways. This is sexual magick, tantra. For in the omnipotent moment all is possible! Notice as well the androgynous nature of the image as well as the image of the goat representing the densest form of manifestation. For Capricorn is the cardinal earth sign. Also Capricorn, ruled by saturn, is the sign in which the sun(phallus) increases at the winter solstice. Its opposite Cancer(kteis), ruled by the moon (here represented by the moons) is when the solar power starts to wane at the summer solstice. The two serpents are the ida and pingala as noted in an earlier post. Luna(female) and Solar(male) respectively. Therefore we have the androgynous image of Baphomet as a initiated glyph of creation. The flame atop his/her head is the light that all comes from. For all is light in extension. The source is hidden behind its creation, not in the past or the future but here in the now for that’s all there is or ever will be. The torch is three fold denoting the trinity, unity dividing into male and female, the supernal triad of the tree of life.The figure points up and down reminding us of the Hermetic maxim, 'as above, so below.' 'Sove et Coagula' the alchemical process of separation and reunion. Lots to meditate on here. It’s just a matter of where your attention is!
The ether is the hidden element that informs the other four, Earth, fire. air and water. Just by going outside and observing these four elements around you will show you the fourfold nature of your experience called consciousness.Your body mind complex is a mirror of this in minature. By disengaging the intellect and actually observing this in silence without the chattering dialogue in the head great realisations will start to stir.
The planets are batteries of concept manifested in our solar system that feed the conceptual physical body. The same is of the zodiac . For let us not forget that the star signs are not some fortune telling amusement but the sigils of the great cycles of self, qualities of consciousness that allow for diversity and harmony. Notice the planets rule the zodiac and the zodiac is divided into the elements. The universe ain’t stupid. These are qualities principles ideas in different arrangements that make up the diversity of life in the universe. As the artist/magician Austin Osman Spare said, ‘All nature is a vast reflection of that which is within us or else we could not know it.’ Well worth exploring his work!
Study of the four Qabalistic worlds Atziluth, Briah, Yetzariah and Assiah will make this mechanism of manifestation clear. The wonderful book ‘The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune,’ is a must. Isreal Regardies,’ ‘the Tree of Life.’ is another. Frater Achads ‘QBL,’ also. The physical sun is the heart chakra. It is our core, our own heart. We are it although we mistakenly perceive it as outside of us. This is only realised when we attain to Dhyana, the heart centre. Normal consciousness baulks this revelation because it has not raised its vibration to a pitch able to realise this great truth! The sun is our battery, a great cyclic battery and atom maker. It regulates, feeds and sustains. The spirit body i.e the self in its virgin state unborn light before even the suns/stars, expresses itself through the mental bodies then the astral and then the physical. The physical body is fed in microcosm the same way. Superimposed over the spine and meditated on will reveal much. When mind and body are connected during yoga/ ritual magic etc especially when energy blockages are removed from posture work, you can feel these energies criss- crossing over the body along the spine. It undulates like serpents move. After all, all is energy expressing in form. When the body is unhealthy these energies are out of sync, blocked etc and so the organs that are fed with the etheric vitality are threatened. All sorts of illnesses can result from this. So that’s why we should breathe lots and eat good fresh food. Most importantly meditation and positive thoughts. For thoughts come down from the mental body through the astral and etheric bodies and manifest on the physical plane both outside the body and IN. It becomes a viscious circle. If our body is uncomfortable so our thoughts become agitated. If our thoughts are agitated so our desires and body…etc. Having good thoughts is difficult all the time. If we pretend to be happy that would be worse. The key is to practice ritual and yoga so we find inner peace without forcing it. No point in pretending to be happy. Be pissed off. Use that energy towards doing ritual or yoga. (Have done a post on, the occult and symbolism and illumination as a means to liberation, which might be of interest. It details the true purpose of ritual.) Slowly we built the temple through will.
For anyone who has had little or no experience of this etheric consciousness here follows a brief description: To discover the etheric body where these energies and portals are I recommend physical yoga, hatha, ashtanga etc. Also just by lying on a bed or sitting in an asana (posture)and totally relaxing the body we can awaken to this aspect of ourselves. A good way to relax is to stretch all the muscles in our body being careful not to over stretch. Then lying down, concentrate on your breathing, relaxing the body with each breath. Also travel around the body with your mind to seek out any areas of tension. Persuade that area to relax by saying.. ‘I am relaxed here.’ etc. Always in the present tense. Don’t forget words are spells. Hence we have the word spelling. Within language we again have the mechanism of the unfolding of the universe. ***The effect mirrors the cause*** This is what the Qabalah is all about! ‘777’ By Aleister Crowley is a must. Also ‘Magick, Book four’. Not the black magician lots of people think him to be. See post by Nuit on the Aleister Crowley section as well as my post ‘the Occult/symbolism and illumination.’ Generally tell your body that it is off duty and that you are safe. Allow the muscles to sink into the bed. Thank them for all the hard work they have done keeping you upright all day.( even when you were sitting down they kept it all together for you) . Allow them to let go of the bones that they cling to. Imagine your bones as water.( Learning yoga nidra is a great way to relax and get to know your interdimensional ‘space’ ship..i.e the body). Quieten the inner chatter. When you are relaxed be aware of the blackness in front of you. You may feel slightly floaty or raised just above your physical body. The mind has started to switch into the etheric body. The chattering mind will have ceased and emptiness might be felt. At this stage attention to the chakra points along the body will open the portals. All sorts of imagery may come to you as well as strange sounds and sensations. Often the serpent imagery is strong. Where you go from here is a matter of experience. There is a ton of literature on this available and I won’t attempt to go into detail.
The Gods Hermes, Mercury, Thoth, Enki, Enil if you like, all equate with this ‘wisdom.’ We are these Gods for they are not something of the past. They are here, now as us.. The Caduceus is us, DNA, chakra system planetary intelligence etc. It is you now. The reason we can’t see it is because our attention is in the lower charkas, the Luna triad on the tree of life that has its mirror in the qlipothic/demonic worlds. The Kundalini power sleeps and we are asleep. I would hope that all ancient cultures be they Egyptian, Sumerian , Atlantean, Hebrew etc, would have this symbol present because it is us, past or future. Ultimately IT is now. Put the caduceus in the hand of Ronald Mac Donald. It is what makes him what he is whether his attention is on it or not.

Description of chakras/planets that relate to the caduceus
THE SAHASRARA (Mantra NG)
This is the source/Godhead
the thousand petalled lotus flower
The timeless beginning
And end.
The now moment stripped of all form.
Percieved as pure light
from whence darkness is but an idea.
I AM!
Sits above the head


The AJNA ( Mantra OM)

This is complete liberation.
It perceives self as the sahasrara
i.e. timeless beyond form
The illusion of death is transcended.
Consciousness is seen as endless
Constantly expressing itself in form.
The true self does not move.
Universe is seen as a projection

Sits just above the eyes



The VISSHUDHI( mantra HAM)

This is the gateway to liberation
The gateway to the void
This is from whence
the word is uttered fourth.
The universe is born. For in the beginning
Was the word/vibration etc

Sits in the throat


The ANAHATA ( Mantra ..YAM)

This is where God is perceived.
There is only joy here/Dyhana. Bliss.
Beyond orgasm or any drug
All is immanent. Self and universe
are in union. Opposites married and so annihilated
Good/evil etc.

Around the heart region


The MANIPURA ( Mantra..RAM)


This is the realm of prophetic dreams
Astral travel, spiritual planes etc
Magic, control, devotion.
The beginnings of
Liberation. To be explored
but not to be seen as the end.
Should be used to help attain Dyhana.

Around the diaphragm



The SVADISTHANA ( Mantra..VAM)

This is the world of dreams,
the desires everyday needs,
primal desire etc.
To be explored and observed.
The orgasm as a spark from
the Ultimate orgasm which is Samadhi
Can be used if the techniques understood to elevate consciousness back to its source
as well as producing another
mini universe i.e. a human child.

the genitals



The MULHADHARA ( Mantra..LAM)

This is the physical world,
Cut off from the godhead
but very much of the god head
when anahata is realised.

At the area of the anus, base of spine.

In summary: The subtle body ( etheric body generated by the sun)) that permeates our physical body and is invisible to normal senses contains 3 channels. The central channel is sushumna that runs up the spine. The ida(moon, female)and pingala(sun, male) run either side of the sushumna crossing over at each chakra or energy point that reflect into the major organs. These regulate the life force/chi prana etc. The principle is to balance male and female energies until the latent energy hidden at the base of the spine uncoils and rises up the sushumna. The balancing of ida and pingala through breath work plus meditation, Dhrana, will cause Kundalini to rise. Pranayama contributes towards this. The universe exists purely through the division of a unity into male and female potencies. Once these are united on all levels the unity is realised and liberation from the false dualistic and egocentric view of existence occurs. Ultimately that which appears outside self is realised as self. Hatha yoga is a preliminary to Ashtanga ( ash meaning eightfold) or Raja yoga and is an essential foundation. Note: hatha yoga does include meditation also but has become synonymous with the preliminary aspects of yoga..
Blessings to all

[cruise4]

Good post janus666, very concise. And your other thread. Great stuff.

[nuit]

@ janus666 well written my brother

93 93/93

[janus666]

Just wanted to add to my earlier explanation of Baphomet. In my haste I left out probably the most interesting symbolism connected to the cycle of the sun through the great wheel(womb) of the zodiac.
'The image of the goat headed Baphomet that is often so misunderstood and reviled, shows the caduceus representing the phallus. The fountain of life. This is the kundalini coiled, the power that must be awakened to create a new universe, a man or a woman, or if the techniques are understood return the aspirant towards their source and enlightenment. For the door swings both ways. This is sexual magick, tantra. For in the omnipotent moment all is possible! Notice as well the androgynous nature of the image as well as the image of the goat representing the densest form of manifestation. For Capricorn is the cardinal earth sign. Also Capricorn, ruled by saturn, is the sign in which the sun(phallus) increases at the winter solstice. Its opposite Cancer(kteis), ruled by the moon (here represented by the moons) is when the solar power starts to wane at the summer solstice. The two serpents are the ida and pingala as noted in an earlier post. Luna(female) and Solar(male) respectively. Therefore we have the androgynous image of Baphomet as a initiated glyph of creation. The flame atop his/her head is the light that all comes from. For all is light in extension. The source is hidden behind its creation, not in the past or the future but here in the now for that’s all there is or ever will be. The torch is three fold denoting the trinity, unity dividing into male and female, the supernal triad of the tree of life.The figure points up and down reminding us of the Hermetic maxim, 'as above, so below.' 'Sove et Coagula' the alchemical process of separation and reunion. Lots to meditate on here. It’s just a matter of where your attention is!'

[serpentoffire]

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff118/serpentoffire/MapChakraQuabala.jpg

[serpentoffire]

http://spectraleyes.com/albums/artworx/baphomet_2.sized.jpg

The interest in the Baphomet has survived over 600 years and has taken many forms. The opinions on the Baphomet vary greatly from scholar to scholar and mystic path to mystic path. Baphomet is really a joining of two Greek words meaning absorption into wisdom. The name also signifies Wisdom and Divine Harmony. Brought to Europe by the 13th century Templars, the mysterious deity Baphomet represents fertility and regeneration. Hands in mudra yoga point out the Gnostic oppositions of Light and Dark, good and Evil, Unity and Separation. This image of Baphomet incorporates the breasts of a nurturing mother, the caduceus of Divine Union, plus the star and torch of mystical illumination. Also present are the three hebrew letters, Aleph, Mem and Shin, signifying the elements of air, fire and water, Baphomet representing the element of earth. The Inquisition demonized this unique image of redemptive power to diminish its mystic influence.
In the Book of Thoth (1981), Aleister Crowley identifies Baphomet with the Tarot card "The Devil" and attributes him to the Greek god Pan, the All-Begetter. In this context, Baphomet represents the "creative energy in its most material form...the divine madness of Spring" where he is exalted in the manifested, material world — a supreme appreciator of existence and the power of creation. He further says of Baphomet, "this Goat is called also Strength, and standeth at the Meridian at the Sunrise of Spring, and it is his Nature to leap upon the Mountains. So therefore is he a symbol of true Magick" Interestingly, Crowley, who adopted the name Baphomet upon joining the Ordo Templi Orientis, believed the name to derive from two Greek words joined together which mean baptism of wisdom or absorption into wisdom. Indeed, the experience of absorption into wisdom could be considered an ego death.
The nineteenth century occultist Eliphas Levi derived it came from the Greek words Baphe and Metis. The two words together mean "Baptism of Wisdom." Idries Shah proposed that "Baphomet" may actually derive from the Arabic word Abufihamat, meaning "The Father of Understanding," and associated with Sufism. Lévi proposed that the name in reverse was composed from a series of abbreviations: 'Temp. ohp. Ab.' which originates from Latin Templi omnium hominum pacis abhas, meaning "the father of universal peace among men." Lévi did not believe that Baphomet was in any way equal to this Devil, saying this icon "cannot be confounded with fabulous images of Satan." Further, he says "But the adorers of [Baphomet] do not consider...that it is a representation of the devil; on the contrary, for them it is that of the god Pan, the god of our modern schools of philosophy...the god of the primitive Gnostic schools" According to Levi, Baphomet was symbolic of what he called the Great Magical Agent, which can be defined as the universal life-force. This Astral Light is also the force that adepts use in magical operations. Common analogies are the Hindu Kundalini and the First Matter of alchemy.

In Transcendal Magic, Lévi explains the symbolism of his famous drawing:

"Moreover, the sign of occultism is made with both hands, pointing upward to the white moon of Chesed, and downward to the black moon of Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect concord between mercy and justice. One of the arms is feminine and other masculine, as in the Androgyne of Khunrath, whose attributes we have combined with those of our goat, since they are one and the same symbol. The torch of intelligence burning between the horns is the magical light of universal equilibrium; it is also the type of soul exalted above matter, as the flame cleaves to the torch. The monstrous head of the animal expresses horror of sin, for which the mateial agent, alone responsible, must alone and for ever bear the penalty, because the soul is impassible in its nature and can suffer only by materialising. The caduceus, which replaces the generative organ, represents eternal life; the scale-covered belly tyifies water; the circle above it is the atmosphere; the feathers still higher up signify the volatile; lastly, humanity is depicted by the two breasts and the androgyne arms of this sphinx of the occult sciences"

http://spectraleyes.com/gallery/artworx/baphomet_2

[serpentoffire]

http://spectraleyes.com/albums/artworx/Namaste.gif

[serpentoffire]

http://spectraleyes.com/albums/artworx/nagas.jpg

[serpentoffire]

http://spectraleyes.com/albums/artworx/selfportrait.jpg

[janus666]

A very thorough description serpent of fire. Nicely done.

[blue]

Thanks for explaining it briefly Janus and Serpentoffire

[blue]

found this painting by leornado davinci.....the way he potrayed satan, just like the dna structure. this guy must have known a lot about esoteric knowledge.

http://img127.imagevenue.com/loc697/th_53123_6b-Fall_122_697lo.jpg (http://img127.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=53123_6b-Fall_122_697lo.jpg)

[synergy777]

the buddha with the cobra/7 cobras always intrigued me, whats does this signify, nirvana/enlightenment, the fusion/end of duality?

[marpat]

@ janus666 well written my brother

93 93/93

I am with Janus on this too. Don't think there is anything sinister about the caduceus.

Wow, another thelemite!!!!!

[marpat]

the buddha with the cobra/7 cobras always intrigued me, whats does this signify, nirvana/enlightenment, the fusion/end of duality?

The seven planes of consciousness, universal awareness. The serpent is generally a symbol of power rather than consciousness so it could be taken as mastery of the forces of the seven centres/ planes

[marmadukehussy]

Anybody know what it symbolizes? i heard the two snakes symbolize enkiki and enil and that they are the two double helix's. but what about the angel sign?

http://www.oswego.edu/academics/colleges_and_departments/departments/interdisciplinary/premed/images/caduceus.gif

its a symbol of drugs,pharmacies, medicine and has been for thousands of years world wide, the angel is the top of a Amanita muscaria aka jesus the entheogen that opens up the top chakra the snakes symbolize knowledge aka dna