#seeker and spiritual authority

[archie-sunshine]

Peacetime(Hot Rod Gets Slammed Down Bigstyle)(TF: CYBERVERSE)

SYNOPSIS: Hot Rod is bored during the relative peace that the wall has brought. He comms Soundwave for some fun. Soundwave says Hot Rod can't handle more than a quickie with him. Hot Rod makes an ill advised bet about it. (aka Hot Rod Gets Slammed Down Bigstyle)

Word Count: 4,764

TAGS: Soundwave/Hot Rod, overstimulation, humiliation, degradation, frenemies with benefits, rivals with benefits, face fucking, dirty talk, valveplug, denial, teasing

Author's Notes: spiritual successor to the soundrod art I drew earlier this week. please enjoy!

It wasn’t as if peacetime wasn’t needed and loved and wanted on Cybertron. Not at all, really! Who could complain about a world without fighting, who could complain about a world where for the first time in millions of years Hot Rod didn’t really have to watch his back? 

Well… Hot Rod could. Things had slowed down, people were worrying about stuff like infrastructure and public services and reconstruction. Things were going back to normal but it was a hard sell, especially considering the entire populous was comprised of antsy trigger happy veterans who’s ‘normal’ was waiting for the call to arms. The wall certainly didn’t help either. Tensions were cooled between them, especially since the Quinteson incident, but there were still plenty of Autobots who scowled at the concept of just letting the Decepticons be after millions of years of intergalactic war. 

Hot Rod probably should have counted himself in that number, but he had it on good authority that the Decepticons weren’t all the same sharp, frightening cookie cutter shape that some bots painted them as. It still fragged with Hot Rod’s processor that he could be the type to stand up for the honor of a Decepticon, but… not all of his fellow Autobots had the experience that he did. 

All that complex dichotomy aside, the fact was that Hot Rod had gotten a bit fond of some cons. Particularly the inscrutable, obnoxious Soundwave. He didn’t exactly have a name for what he and Soundwave had, but it was fun. It was thrilling.

It was a series of ill advised hookups that technically broke the laws surrounding the ceasefire wall deal, but Hot Rod liked that kind of danger. It was the same reason he kept getting in bed with a bot that could have- and probably should have- killed him a thousand times over: Hot Rod was a thrill seeker. 

And so, as Hot Rod entered his hab unit and the lights flickered on, he was already in the process of comming the other mech. 

HR: Heyyyyyyy

Hot Rod took a seat on his sofa, flicking on his holovid projector and beginning to flick through the channels. He had to have something to keep him occupied while he waited for Soundwave to respond after all.

SW: What do you want.

Curt, annoyed, and curious were all good things for Soundwave to be in Hot Rod’s opinion. They were a good look on him, even over text. 

HR: You free tonite? ;P

He briefly paused his channel surfing on some old rerun of a- now ancient- cybertronian soap opera. 

SW: Maybe. Why?

Hot Rod raised a brow ridge to himself. Maybe? He pondered the best way to continue for a klik. 

HR: Maybe?

SW: I have work to get done.

HR: Sounds boring. You should come visit. 

SW: You gonna make it worth my time?

Hot Rod grinned, reclining into the sofa and kicking his pedes up on the table. Bingo. He fished around for his handheld transponder, fiddling around to get to a camera function. He let his legs fall apart and brushed a tantilizing servo up the edge of his panels as he snapped a picture and sent it off.

HR: I always do ;0

There was a long pause, maybe a few minutes even. Hot Rod kept opening and reopening their comms chat in his processor, willing a new message to appear.

Finally, after what felt like an hour(but was actually 5 kliks), Soundwave responded. 

SW: I’ll be there. 

It was fun to mess around with a partner like Soundwave, usually mechs and femmes alike were falling all over themselves for a piece of his hot speedster frame, but Soundwave played hard to get. It was- again- thrilling. He didn’t get why he was so into it, but he wasn’t about to examine it either. 

*

Hot Rod stared at the door to his unit, attempting to lounge gracefully(and sexily) as he waited for Soundwave to enter. He’d poured two cubes of engex for them to share, the kind that soundwave liked, the really light blue stuff.

The door to the hab slid open. 

“Glad you could make it, how was traffic?” Hot Rod crooned, attempting to look effortlessly relaxed

“You know I always go through the backstreets.” Soundwave said, stepping in and letting the door close behind him. He strolled up to the couch Hot Rod was reclining on and shoved his legs out of his way before sitting down. Hot Rod looked at him indignantly, wrinkling his nose at him. 

Soundwave ignored the look, picking up his cube and turning his faceplate away from Hot Rod to drink. 

“Things all good on your side of the wall, Wavey?” Hot Rod asked, sitting up and trying to recover with a different sexy pose. 

“Don’t act like you care, drink your engex.” He retorted flatly, gesturing at the cube. 

Hot Rod rolled his optics and picked up his own cube. “You’re no fun.”

“That can’t be true, considering you’re the one who keeps bothering me for a quickie.” Soundwave raised a brow ridge at the speedster. 

“Welllllll it doesn’t have to be a quickie, does it?” Hot Rod flirted, starting to sip his engex. “You could have me the whole night.”

Soundwave snorted. “Please. With your stamina? You couldn’t handle more than 2 hours, let alone the whole night.” 

“I could too!” Hot Rod snapped. He took an indignant swig of engex and folded his arms. “I bet I could run circles around you.” 

Soundwave finished his cube, slamming it on the table and finally turning to face Hot Rod. “Bet you can’t.” 

“Well why don’t we find out?” Hot rod sneered, all flirtation melting away in favour of competition. “We’ll make it a real bet. 50 shanix says I can take whatever you throw at me, 4 hours of whatever you can dish out.”

“Whatever I throw at you? You’re playing with fire, Hot Rod.” Soundwave’s voice had lowered a bit, clearly showing his interest. 

“Well thats fine then, I can take the heat.” Hot Rod boasted.

“I don’t want your shanix.” 

“What?” 

“I don’t want shanix.” Soundwave repeated, shifting a bit closer, looming over the other’s frame. “When I prove you wrong, the next 3 times you need a hookup, you’ll drag your sorry aft over the border to my hab unit and beg me to spike you down in person.” 

Hot Rod’s engine flared, heat coming up to his faceplate. “W-Well alright-! And when I run circles around you, uh- um-” Hot Rod wracked his processor for a good enough punishment. “I get to put it in your port next time we do it.” He stuck his servo out with a malicious grin. 

Soundwave shook it, not letting go when Hot Rod tried to pull away. “You’re gonna regret this, Hot Rod.” 

*

Some had called Hot Rod a bit of a nymphomaniac. It was a bit of a harsh word, and not at all true, he thought about and did plenty of things other than interface. Others called him shareware, which was rude, but… not an unfitting title. Everyone knew he got around, which to some more uptight bots would be considered a mark on his character.

Hot Rod just considered it practice. 

He leaned into Soundwave’s servo as it slid down the top of his crest to the back of his helm. Soundwave’s spike was heavy and thick in Hot Rod’s intake, sleek white and smooth on the bottom with blue ridges around the top. He could feel his cheeks distending from the stretch as he bobbed his helm in the larger mech’s lap. His fans had kicked on a few kliks ago, shuddering to life as his frame fought against overheating. He let the tip of his spike rub against the back of his throat, laving his glossa luxuriously against the underside of Soundwave’s shaft. 

He allowed himself a pleased little hip wiggle when the larger bot stifled a moan from the stimulation, which earned him a tighter grip on the helm and an exasperated scoff. “You’re ridiculous.” Soundwave grunted, rocking his pelvis up into Hot Rod’s mouth and making him choke. He just slid his dermas tighter around Soundwave’s spike and pushed himself down harder. He forced back a gag as it passed into his throat, nearly hitting his vocalizer as he began to nestle his nose against the top edge of Soundwave’s lifted modesty panel. He swallowed around him, flicking his optics up to the other mech’s and winking. 

HR: still think you’re gonna win? 

SW: Want me to stop going easy on you?

Their gaze stayed locked on each other, a spark of competitiveness glinting in Hot Rod’s optics. 

HR: Do your worst, big guy.

The comm had barely appeared in their channel before Soundwave shifted his position, rolling Hot Rod over onto his back with his spike still in his mouth and beginning to thrust deep into the autobot’s waiting throat. Hot Rod let out a choked gurgle. His servos flew up to claw at Soundwave’s thighs. 

“Don’t be so dramatic, I know you can take it like a good bot.” He growled out, steadying himself on the arm of the sofa. The rhythmic clank of Soundwave’s hips hitting Hot Rod’s face filled the room. 

Hot Rod’s optics flickered and thinned out as his fans roared. He could feel his frame shuddering. He was so desperately wet and strained behind his panels he thought he might die. He could feel the pings in his processor demanding him to relieve the pressure, demanding he open his panels and let his array breathe. 

Soundwave slammed in particularly hard, hitting the back of his throat. Hot Rod let out a muffled whine,  his thighs quivering as he fought to keep his throat from spasming. He began to open his panels, hoping to give himself just the barest amount of relief.

A servo jammed down between the gaps between Hot Rod’s panel and abdominal plating, holding his modesty panel shut. Hot Rod’s back arched. A gurgling wail escaped his vocalizer, drowned in intake lubricant. “Ah- Don’t think so~...” Soundwave chuckled, keeping his spike hilted in the speedster’s throat. “You wanna last, don’t you?” 

“Mm-Mghhf!” Hot Rod growled, squirming under the bigger bot. He went to bite down, finding Soundwave’s other servo coming down to jam a thumb between his jaws to keep him open. 

“If I knew you were gonna be this much of a mess,  I’d have asked for more from you.” He taunted, beginning to grind his hips into his throat again. “Keep those panels shut, got it?” 

“Mhhn…!” Hot Rod whimpered, offlining his optics as he willed his modesty panel shut. 

“Good bot… see thats the nice thing about you autobots.” Soundwave grunted, once again beginning to jackhammer into Hot Rod’s throat. “You always do what you’re told.” 

Hot Rod growled indignantly, hoping to sound intimidating and angry. It came out more like a gurgle, spittle bubbling around the edges of his intake. 

“You can’t help it, can you? It’s in your programing, any big bad mech could walk up to you and if he told you to jump you’d ask how high.” He laughed raspily, pulling out almost all the way. 

He watched Hot Rod’s chassis heave and quiver for a moment, trying to get his frame under control. He watched the speedster take a long, heavy in vent, waited until it was about to leave him, then jammed his spike back home. 

Soundwave savoured the desperate choking noise that eked out of Hot Rod’s throat. 

Hot Rod wheezed. His frame felt taught and overheated, processor fuzzy with pings warning him of the stress on his throat and jaw, the strain of his fans, and again, begging, PLEADING for him to open his panels. His digits weakly gripped at Soundwave’s plating one last time before limply petting at the metal there. His frame went pliant and limp underneath him. 

Soundwave laughed to himself breathily, slowing to a halt and carefully drawing his spike out of Hot Rod’s intake. A gush of prefluid and saliva splattered across Hot Rod’s chest. The autobot coughed weakly, glaring ineffectually up at Soundwave. 

“Want me to go back to being easy on you, Roddy?” He taunted, bringing a servo down to stroke slowly at his own spike. 

“N-No chance…” Hot Rod growled hoarsely, sitting up and wiping at his face with the back of his servo. 

“Good bot. Let’s get you to the berth then.” Hot Rod couldn’t get a word in edgewise before he was being lifted bodily off the sofa and flung over Soundwave’s shoulder. 

Hot Rod cycled his vocalizer, coughing again and continuing to wipe his dermas. Embarrassment nibbled at the back of his mind at his messiness. He wanted to flip the positions, try pistoning into Soundwave’s- well if he had an intake he’d frag it silly, see how he liked it. Hot Rod was broken out of his stewing anger by the sound of Soundwave snickering to himself. 

“What-!” Hot Rod snapped, the question cut off as Soundwave drew a digit up the edge of his panels. Oh no. 

“You’re leaking, Hot Rod.” Soundwave sing-songed. He gathered the prefluid up between his digits and rubbed them together absently as he unceremoniously dumped Hot Rod onto his berth. 

The speedster quickly squeezed his legs together around his panels, trying to hide his eagerness. He winced at the feeling, rivulets of slick prefluid smearing against his plating. Soundwave looked down at him, amusement clear across his borderline unreadable faceplate. 

“Shut up…” Hot Rod muttered. 

“You shouldn’t have made the bet.” He chuckled, reaching forwards and effortlessly knocking Hot Rod’s legs apart. He stood between his knees, slowly smoothing his servos over Hot Rod’s armour. “Nice paint job, you buff it before I got here?”

“Pfft… no, you’re not worth the trouble..” Hot Rod rolled his optics. For the record he had shined his armour a bit before Soundwave got there, but that wasn’t even for him! It was… y’know, for someone else.

“Oh I’m not worth the trouble?” Soundwave arced a brow ridge. “So who were you thinking about that made this happen, huh?” Hot Rod hissed as Soundwave knocked two of his knuckles on his panels, optics fizzing and fritzing as his processor produced yet another urgent pressure warning for his array. It was starting to hurt, he could feel his array hot with energon, mashed against the back of the panel. 

“H-hhn- S-soundwave-” He gritted out, clenching his fists. 

Soundwave leaned down to whisper in his audial. “I dunno, Hot Rod, I think this was all me right here…” Hot Rod’s invent punched out of him in a surprised moan when Soundwave ground the heel of his palm against his panels. He dimly felt his processor ping another warning. His engine revved loudly as he arched his back, helm clanging against the berth. 

“But if you’re so sure it wasn’t we can call off this bet right now, call it a draw, let you get your valve pounded out by some other mech, huh?” Soundwave crooned. Steam poured out of Hot Rod’s dermas. 

“N-No-!” He whined out too quickly, his face suddenly even hotter with shame. He went to dismiss his needy beg,“I- hhahhh-” The words fell apart in his vocalizer. His jaw dropped open and his optics went lidded. He ground his hips up, his array burning as Soundwave pressed his modesty panel down against the soft protoform with two digits, slowly moving the panel in little circles. “Ggghh- P-please- Primus- frag- j-ju-just lemme open- S-Soundwave-!” He babbled, gripping at the bigger mech’s sides desperately. 

“Aw… Hot Rod, are you saying… you can’t… take it…” Soundwave drew his words out slowly, venting steam into Hot Rod’s audial. 

“N-no- I can- ah- I’m- Hhuaahh- I’m f-fine- I haven’t evennNnnNn gotten ss-st-started!” He tried to boast, even through the embarrassing moans that he was letting out. Finally Soundwave let up, and Hot Rod went limp against the berth, fans stuttering to vent off excess heat. 

Soundwave leaned back and folded his arms, looking down at the autobot as he shuddered and whined. Hot Rod tried to look aloof and fine, even with the coolant already beading on his brow and the way his frame was quivering like a leaf. 

“S-...See? I’m just fine… completely normal.” Hot Rod panted out, giving Soundwave a shaky smirk. 

“Alright. Open up.” Soundwave ordered, flicking his panels one last time as Hot Rod jolted and glared at him. Hot Rod offlined his optics, body shuddering as he finally opened his panels. He felt embarrassment, hot and thick, gathering in his tanks. His spike shot out of it’s casing like a rocket, already pulsing and drenched in prefluid. His valve was no different, puffy and needy, his anterior node peeking between the plush lips. He was completely soaked, so much so that a puddle of the stuff splattered out onto his berth as his panels tucked away. 

Hot Rod bit his glossa to keep from howling as Soundwave drew a digit up through his lips, over his node, and up the underside of his twitching spike. “Primus you’re easy. Can’t believe you got off this much on me fragging your throat. Maybe I should do it more.” 

“Not on your life- n-not after I win-” Hot Rod taunted feebly. “You won’t be able to walk right for a week when I get done with you-O-OUH-” 

“You’re cuter when you stop talking so much.” Soundwave sighed, rocking his fingers up to rub at the front two calipers of Hot Rod’s valve. He drew his fingers apart, mapping the edges of his yielding hole as he brought them down and together along the edges. 

He pulled his servo back, lifting them to Hot Rod’s waiting intake and jamming the two slick digits in. Hot Rod wined, saliva dripping from his dermas as Soundwave mashed the flavour of his own prefluid into his glossa.

“That’s enough foreplay, don’t you think?” Soundwave teased, cocking his head playfully. 

*

Hot Rod could feel his legs quaking. He felt like he was going to break his dentas from how hard he was gritting them. His fans felt like they were on the verge of melting under their own heat. 

Soundwave stroked his servo up Hot Rod’s spike again, squeezing just enough to milk out another dribble of prefluid. He could feel every burst of steam that escaped the bigger mech’s vents, condensation gathering against the side of the speedster’s helm. He could feel how stretched he was around the decepticon’s spike, but Soundwave refused to move, leaving him impaled on it to suffer as he gritted back his moans. 

“You know, I’m not on this side of the wall often, but don’t worry, I know all about the kind of reputation you have… I hear you pick up so many mechs you might as well be a taxi service..” Soundwave murmured in his audial, spreading his digits over the head of Hot Rod’s spike and teasing the edges. “How many of them treat you like this, huh?” 

“Nnn-N…None-!” Hot Rod gritted out, offlining his optics to focus on venting the heat and not immediately crumbling to a pleading mess. “T-they’re all act-tually NICE to mm-mme!” His voice stuttered as Soundwave drew his digits up again, teasing his slit and massaging the shaft lightly. 

“Thats funny, I didn’t think anyone had the time to be nice to a nasty little piece of shareware like you…” Soundwave growled, slowly grinding his hips up to push against Hot Rod’s soft protoform. Hot Rod bit his derma tightly, clenching his digits around Soundwave’s thighs. That taunt made his processor spin. “They usually use their pretty little valves and toss them aside. Only difference between you and some street walking whore is that you're persistent.” 

Hot Rod let out a moan, finally opening his mouth with a burst of steam. He grit his dentas back together, rolling his hips into Soundwave’s palm as he began to stroke his shaft again. 

“I thought you’d move on after our little hookup but you're obsessed… they say not to humour animals like you so they don’t follow you home.” Soundwave growled, bringing his free hand up to grip possessively at his chassis. Hot Rod keened weakly at the insult, his faceplate flushed bright pink and hot with energon. “But you can’t help it can you? You love it, you love this spike, don’t you?” 

Hot Rod mewled as Soundwave pinched at the base of his spike, rubbing his thumb across his anterior node. “S.. suh- Soundwave-” He gasped, optics sparking. 

“Go on, say it…” Soundwave prompted, stroking his hand up his chassis and taking hold of Hot Rod’s chin. “Tell me how you love it, Roddy…” 

“I- hhhnm..” He moaned. His optics flickered. He was just being unfair now, rubbing at his node like that while he began to gently thrust up into his valve. “I- l–love it-” He huffed out under his breath.

“What was that? Come on, you can do better than that…” Soundwave teased, rubbing his middle two digits against his anterior node while his thumb came around to stroke the base of his spike. He drew his own spike back, slamming it back into Hot Rod’s valve. 

It was like he’d broken something. “I-I LOVE IT!! F-frag! I love your s-spike Soundwave!!” He wailed out, spittle flying from his dermas and across Soundwave’s hand. “I love it- I-I love it ff-fraaaag, primus- please- I- Ohhh s-slaaaggg…!!” His voice bounced pathetically as Soundwave began to thrust up into him. He could feel his spike bobbing in Soundwave’s grip, now squeezed tight at the base. “I’m aa-aallyours, nnhh- nomore- ah- no more s-shareware- f-frag- I’m all yours-!” Hot Rod babbled deliriously. 

Soundwave chuckled in his audial, before speeding up his servo, his spike suddenly beginning to vibrate. To say Hot Rod screamed was an understatement. It sounded like his vocalizer was being shredded, glitching and fritzing and leaping in tone as overload washed through his frame. He thought he might die, his body shaking as he rode out the sensations that refused to let up. Every bit of his wiring tingled with lightning, every ounce of his frame wracked with pleasure. He felt another burst of steam flush over his audial.

“Loser.” Soundwave whispered.

And that was it. Hot rod arched his back, clanking his helm hard against Soundwave’s shoulder as his transfluid splattered across the floor and Soundwave’s hand. His valve cycled down tightly around Soundwave’s spike, pulsing and throbbing. He was distantly aware he was making some pretty unflattering noises, but more than that he couldn’t even see past the cloud of white that overtook his optics. He jerked and crackled, steaming with spent charge as he finished and went limp against the larger mech’s chassis. 

He was ebbing into an early recharge when he felt Soundwave’s servos close around his hips. He snapped back to full consciousness as he felt him swing his frame around until Hot Rod was face down on the berth. 

“Bwuh-?” Hot Rod moaned intelligently. 

“Oh, I thought you could take a full four hours, Roddy!” Soundwave feigned surprise, pulling his spike back until he was teasing the oversensitive node with his tip. “And besides, you still owe me at least one overload.” 

Hot Rod keened as Soundwave slid back in and began hammering into his valve. “Nnnhh-! Oooohhhh Primussss…” He whined, vocalizer shot and hoarse. “I- ah- s-Soundwave I caaan’t!”

“Oh you can’t?” He felt a servo slide from his hips up to his spoiler. Soundwave gripped the delicate bit of metal tightly, using it as leverage to slam Hot Rod’s hips against his. “I thought you said-” there was a quiet fizzle before Hot Rod’s own voice repeated back from Soundwave’s speaker. “I could run circles around you- Didn’t you say that Roddy?” 

Hot Rod let his jaw hang open, processor filled with warnings and popups as overstimulation forced his spike to stiffen. “Nn- Nuh uhh..” He moaned. 

“Doesn’t ring a bell? How about this one?” Soundwave adjusted his grip, hooking an arm under Hot Rod’s chin and pulling him up into a headlock. All the while his hips jackhammered away. He could already feel the blue paint transfers forming on his aft. “-ag! I love your s-spike Soundwave!!” Hot Rod keened in humiliation at his own voice. “That sounds more like you, doesn’t it, shareware?”

“S-soundwaaave- PLEASE-!” Hot Rod wailed. “I C-CAN’T!” 

“I need one last thing from you, Roddy…” Soundwave crooned. Hot Rod could feel his spike twitching inside him, nearing overload. 

“U-uhuhh??” Hot Rod whimpered, clawing weakly at Soundwave’s arms. 

“Admit you’re a big stupid loser.” Soundwave snickered, snapping his hips forwards and making Hot Rod’s optics fizzle. 

A lance of heat shot through Hot Rod’s already overheated form, his body suddenly tense, strung tight with need. Why was all of this doing this to him? He was being… so cruel… “Nn-gguhh-! C-Come onn-!” He whined out. 

“Say it, tell me what a big stupid loser you are!” Soundwave cackled, reaching a servo down to begin jerking Hot Rod’s spent spike. 

“Oh-OH-OH PRIMUS-” Hot Rod wailed. “I’M A BIG S-STUPID LOSER!! FRAGG-F-FRAG- I’M AN IDIOT FOR T-TUH-TAKING THAT BETTT!!” 

Soundwave growled in his audial, pounding his spike in one last time before Hot Rod could feel a gush of transfluid hit his ceiling node. 

He felt his vision white out again as his frame rocked through a second, more painful overload. He felt his processor short and then empty, his optics forcibly offlined again. 

His frame jerked and spasmed weakly until finally Soundwave mercifully pulled out. To say the gush of transfluid that coated Hot Rod’s thighs was embarrassing was an understatement. It was like a fragging waterfall. 

And to make it worse, Soundwave just unceremoniously dropped him on the berth, only adjusting him long enough to make sure he didn’t fall off before beginning to pace around the room. He was making haughty flexing gestures, playing his own personal victory music as he gloated. 

“C-c’mon I didn’t do that bad-!” Hot rod panted, lifting his quivering legs up onto the recharge slab. Without even looking at him, Soundwave flexed over his shoulder, conveniently pointing at the clock on Hot Rod’s berthroom wall. 

Hot Rod paled. “N-no, that can’t be right.”

“Not even an hour and a half, barely an hour and fifteen.” Soundwave confirmed. He did a nasty little turn, waggling his shoulders as he remixed Hot Rod’s words back at him. “C-c-c-c-could run circles arou-ou-OHH PRIMUS!”

“QUIT IT!” Hot Rod shouted, faceplate flaring with embarrassment. 

“-BIG STUPID L-L-L-LOSER!” Soundwave parroted at him, continuing his victory dance. Hot Rod buried his face in his servos, shouting in agony at the embarrassment. 

He felt Soundwave eventually sit on the edge of the berth, shoving him a bit out of his way as he climbed up to relax. He let his victory music die down as he folded his servos behind his helm. 

There was a long klik of quiet between them.

“... you don’t really think of me like that, yeah?” Hot Rod asked meekly. Soundwave raised a brow ridge. Hot Rod Cycled his vocalizer. “Like an annoying animal that followed you home.” He clarified. 

Soundwave glanced away. “... No. You’re not like that.” He muttered. 

“So what am I like?” Hot Rod probed. 

“Tight, wet, and easy.” Soundwave said matter of factly. Hot Rod punched his arm, scoffing and rolling his optics. 

“You’re the worst.” Hot rod grumbled. “I don’t even know why I invite you over.”

“Invite is putting a bit of a slant on it.” Soundwave mused. “I didn’t know begging for spike was an invitation.”

“Ha Ha.” Hot Rod said flatly, shifting into a more comfortable position. “Now shut up I’m trying to recharge.” 

“Oh yeah? I’ll join you then.” Soundwave said. 

“What- No you’ve gotta go-” Hot Rod started, before Soundwave reached over with one harm and pulled him up tight against his frame. He rolled over and squeezed, holding him like a teddy bear. Hot Rod went pink, optics wide and blinking in confusion. 

“Night Roddy.” Soundwave said nonchalantly. 

“Yeah.. uh… Night Wavey.” Hot Rod mumbled. 

Hot Rod offlined his optics, trying to sink into recharge without thinking about how tightly he was pressed against the ‘con. If he wanted he could easily kill him right now, he was already pinned. 

Hot Rod let out a long, quiet sigh, leaning into Soundwave’s embrace. 

Primus, he was glad it was peacetime. 

[truevedicastrology]

Having Jupiter in each house 1-12

Jupiter in the 1st House

As most of us know, Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It's also the planet of good fortune, luck, and expansion. So, what does it mean to have Jupiter in the first house of your birth chart? Well, for starters, it means that you're a natural optimist. You tend to see the best in people and situations, and you're always looking for the silver lining. You're also a very lucky person, and things tend to just fall into your lap. You have a natural charisma and charm that attracts people to you, and you're always the life of the party. You're also a very generous person, always willing to help out others. You're not afraid to take risks, and you're always looking for new opportunities. You're a natural leader, and people are drawn to your optimistic attitude and your ability to see the best in people. If you have Jupiter in the first house, you're definitely a lucky person. Things just seem to go your way, and you have a natural charm and charisma that attracts people to you so be sure to go out and use this perk. You're always looking for new opportunities, and you're not afraid to take risks. You're a natural leader, and people are drawn to your optimistic attitude. This can all vary depending on other placements in your natal chart so be sure to look closely to what may or may not change up the effects of Jupiter in the first house. Consulting with an astrologer may be ideal for you if you would like to dig deeper into your chart.

Jupiter in the 2nd House

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and is known as the planet of good luck and abundance. Having Jupiter in the second house of your natal chart indicates that you are blessed with good fortune when it comes to your finances and material possessions. You are likely to have a comfortable lifestyle and are able to enjoy the finer things in life. You have a natural talent for making money and are able to accumulate wealth over time. You are also generous with your finances, often giving money to others who are less fortunate. You believe that it is important to share your good fortune with others. You have a strong sense of self-worth and are confident in your abilities. You are able to attract abundance into your life and are usually surrounded by people who are supportive of your goals and dreams. You are able to manifest your desires into reality and often manifest your wishes without even trying. You have a strong connection to the spiritual realm and are often guided by your intuition. You are a natural leader and are often drawn to positions of power and authority. You are able to inspire others with your vision and are often successful in your endeavors. You are optimistic and have a positive outlook on life. You believe that anything is possible and are always looking for the silver lining in every situation. You are a true friend and are always there for those who need you. You are loyal and protective of those you care about. You are a gifted teacher and often share your wisdom with others. You have a deep understanding of the human condition and are often able to help others through their challenges. You are a humanitarian and are often involved in charitable work. You feel a deep connection to those who are less fortunate and are always looking for ways to help. You are a natural healer and often use your abilities to help others. You are compassionate and caring, and often put the needs of others before your own. You are a seeker of truth and often find yourself on a spiritual quest. You are open-minded and receptive to new ideas and philosophies. You are a visionary and often see things that others cannot. You are ahead of your time and often find yourself in positions of leadership.

Jupiter in the 3rd House

Jupiter in the 3rd House is a very positive placement. This planet brings good luck, happiness, and abundance to the native. It is also a very benefic planet, bringing success in all areas of life. The third house is the house of communication, and Jupiter in this house gives the native the ability to communicate very effectively. This is a great placement for writers, speakers, and those in the media. Jupiter in the 3rd House also indicates a love of learning, and the native may be very studious. This is a great placement for students, as Jupiter will help them to achieve success in their studies.

Jupiter in the 4th House

The fourth house is traditionally associated with the home, family, and roots. This is where we feel most comfortable and secure, and where we can retreat from the outside world. Jupiter in the fourth house expands our sense of family and home, and can bring good fortune to these areas of our lives. Jupiter in the fourth house also suggests that our parents may have been supportive and helpful in our upbringing. We may have had a happy childhood, or at least a stable one. Jupiter here can also indicate that we are generous and hospitable people, always ready to welcome others into our homes. This placement of Jupiter can also make us quite sentimental, and we may have a strong attachment to our past. We may cling to old traditions and ways of doing things, even when they no longer serve us. It can be helpful to remember that change is a natural part of life, and that we can always create new traditions that are more in alignment with who we are today.

Jupiter in the 5th House

Jupiter in the 5th House is known to be a very positive and optimistic placement. Many people with this placement are known for their happy-go-lucky attitude and their ability to see the glass half full. They are very optimistic people who tend to attract good luck and good fortune. This is a placement that is very beneficial for creative endeavors, as Jupiter is the planet of luck and expansion. Jupiter in the 5th House people are known to be very social butterflies. They love to be surrounded by people and they are very outgoing. They are also very confident people who are not afraid to take risks. This is a placement that is very good for gambling and speculation, as Jupiter is the planet of luck and expansion.

Jupiter in the 6th House

In astrology, Jupiter is considered the planet of good fortune, optimism, and expansion. When Jupiter is located in the 6th house in a natal chart, it indicates that the native is likely to experience good luck and opportunities in the areas of health, work, and service. The 6th house is also associated with the sign of Virgo, and Jupiter in Virgo amplifies the qualities of Virgo such as hard work, attention to detail, and service to others. Jupiter in the 6th house can also indicate a strong interest in health and healing. Jupiter in the 6th house is a very positive placement, as it brings good luck, expansion, and opportunities to the native. However, Jupiter in the 6th house can also indicate a tendency to overindulge in food, drink, and other pleasurable activities. It is important for those with this placement to be mindful of their health and to avoid excess.

Jupiter in the 7th House

When it comes to love and relationships, those with Jupiter in the 7th house are said to be some of the luckiest in the zodiac. This is because Jupiter is the planet of good fortune, and the 7th house is the house of relationships. So, when these two come together, it's a recipe for success in love. Those with Jupiter in the 7th house are said to be very romantic and they enjoy being in relationships. They are also said to be very loyal and faithful to their partners. They are usually very successful in relationships and they usually have long-term relationships. If you have Jupiter in the 7th house, you are probably a very friendly and social person. You enjoy being around people and you are probably very popular. You are also probably a very good listener and you are always there for your friends and family. You are probably a very giving person and you are always ready to help out. You are probably also very generous and you are always willing to give more than you receive. You are probably a very loyal friend and you are always there for your loved ones. You are probably a very compassionate person and you are always ready to lend a helping hand. You are probably also very forgiving and you are always willing to give people second chances. You are probably a very tolerant person and you are always ready to accept people for who they are. You are probably a very spiritual person and you are always searching for the meaning of life. You are probably a very introspective person and you are always trying to learn more about yourself. You are probably a very wise person and you are always ready to share your wisdom with others.

Jupiter in the 8th House

When it comes to astrology, Jupiter is considered the planet of luck and good fortune. So it's no surprise that when this planet occupies the 8th house in a natal chart, it can bring positive change and new opportunities in the areas of life ruled by this house. The 8th house is associated with transformation, death, and rebirth. It's also the house of other people's money, which can include inheritances, taxes, and insurance. So when Jupiter is in this house, it's possible to receive a financial windfall from an unexpected source. This planet can also bring positive changes in our intimate relationships. The 8th house rules sex, so Jupiter here can increase our libido and make us more open to new sexual experiences. Jupiter in the 8th house can also indicate a strong attraction to someone who is different from us, which can lead to a more exciting and fulfilling relationship. Jupiter in the 8th house can be a powerful influence for good, but it's important to remember that this planet is also associated with excess. So it's important to be mindful of any tendencies towards overindulgence, whether it's in spending, eating, or sex. Overall, Jupiter in the 8th house is a planet that can bring positive change and new opportunities in the areas of life ruled by this house. Just be mindful of any tendencies towards excess, and you can make the most of this planet's influence.

Jupiter in the 9th House

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and is known as the planet of good luck. Many astrologers believe that Jupiter brings good luck and fortune to those who have it in their birth chart. Jupiter in the 9th house is no exception. The 9th house is associated with higher education, travel, and philosophy. Having Jupiter in this house can indicate a love of learning and a desire to explore the world. Jupiter in the 9th house may also bestow a natural ability to see the big picture and find meaning in life. People with Jupiter in the 9th house often enjoy learning new things and expanding their horizons. They may be drawn to travel and explore different cultures. Jupiter in the 9th house can also indicate a talent for teaching or writing. Those with Jupiter in the 9th house may have a strong belief system and be interested in philosophy or religion. They may be drawn to study different belief systems and share their own views with others. Jupiter in the 9th house confers a love of learning, a desire to explore, and a natural ability to see the big picture. If you have Jupiter in this house, you may find yourself drawn to travel, higher education, and philosophy.

Jupiter in the 10th House

Most people are familiar with the astrological concept of the 12 houses. Each house represents a different area of life, and the planets in each house influence the areas of life they rule. Jupiter is the planet of expansion, luck, and good fortune, so it's no surprise that Jupiter in the 10th house is considered to be a very fortunate placement. The 10th house is the house of career, public reputation, and achievements. Jupiter in this house brings good luck and opportunities in these areas. Jupiter in the 10th house gives a person a natural ability to succeed in their chosen profession. They are often rewarded for their hard work and dedication with promotions, raises, and other forms of success. Jupiter in the 10th house also brings good luck in terms of public reputation. This is the house of how others see you, and Jupiter brings a positive, favorable reputation. People with Jupiter in the 10th house are usually well-liked and respected by others. Finally, the 10th house is also the house of achievements. Jupiter in this house brings opportunities to achieve great things. People with Jupiter in the 10th house often have successful careers and are recognized for their accomplishments. In general, Jupiter in the 10th house is a very fortunate placement. It brings good luck, opportunities, and success in the areas of career, public reputation, and achievements. If you have Jupiter in the 10th house, make the most of it and go after your dreams!

Jupiter in the 11th House

Most people with Jupiter in the 11th house have a natural, easygoing confidence that allows them to make friends easily and be comfortable in a variety of social settings. They're often the life of the party, and their upbeat attitude is contagious. Even when things are tough, people with Jupiter in the 11th house remain optimistic that things will eventually work out for the best. This placement of Jupiter is said to be favorable for success in fields such as politics, law, and education. People with Jupiter in the 11th house are often able to use their social skills to their advantage, whether it's networking for business purposes or simply making small talk at a cocktail party. Jupiter in the 11th house is also associated with a strong sense of idealism. People with this placement often have lofty goals and a strong belief in the power of community. They may be active in social or political causes, and they're often drawn to occupations that allow them to make a difference in the world. Despite their natural confidence, people with Jupiter in the 11th house can sometimes be overly optimistic. They may take on more than they can handle, and they can be quick to trust people who may not deserve it. It's important for people with this placement to learn to temper their expectations and to be realistic about the potential for success.

Jupiter in the 12th House

Jupiter in the 12th house is a very interesting position. This is a mutable water sign and Jupiter is the natural ruler of Pisces & Sagittarius. This suggests that there is a strong connection between Jupiter and the 12th house. The 12th house is traditionally associated with the unconscious mind, and Jupiter is the planet of expansion. This means that Jupiter in the 12th house can represent a strong connection between the conscious and unconscious mind. Jupiter in the 12th house can also represent a strong connection to the spiritual realm. This is because the 12th house is traditionally associated with spirituality and Jupiter is the planet of expansion. Jupiter in the 12th house is a very fortunate position. This is because the 12th house is traditionally associated with good luck and Jupiter is the planet of expansion. Overall, Jupiter in the 12th house is a very positive position. This is because Jupiter is the planet of expansion and the 12th house is traditionally associated with good luck and positive things.

[forestdeath1]

Magnum Opus or Great Work: Alchemical Codes in "Harry Potter"

"I've never wanted to be a witch, but an alchemist, now that's a different matter. To invent this wizard world, I've learned a ridiculous amount about alchemy." JKR. By the way, it seems JKR never became an alchemist because you can't be that evil an alchemist, Joanne. Something went wrong.

The first part about Lily and James

Voldemort – an occult alchemist, Lucifer. Snape – a Seeker who chose the wrong Path. Dumbledore – Keeper of the Tower. Hermione – Hermes Trismegistus. Harry, Hermione and Ron – the three principles for creating the Philosopher's Stone.

Alchemy is the universal path of spiritual transformation. In a literal sense, universal, this code is practically everywhere–from ancient myths and the Bible to the philosophy of Nietzsche (though in his understanding) and Jung's books. Harry Potter himself is a complete alchemist's path, but there's also a well-displayed second path–the path of the occult alchemist.

True alchemy tells us that God is in everything, like a seed present in every person. Through alchemical transformation, a person can be reborn – and become golden, divine, immortal.

Many famous people were fascinated by these ideas – from Newton to Goethe, from Walter to Mozart. Yes, Walter and Mozart were freemasons, but freemasonry is built on the Magnum Opus, it's its foundation. Who has seen the opera The Magic Flute? A completely masonic opera: the surface layer was for the people, and the deeper layer – for the spiritual elite of that time. In this opera, the power of love transforms people and makes them divine. Oh, it seems to resemble Harry Potter, hehe... Harry Potter also has two layers – one as a fairytale about a wizard for teenagers, the other – for those who can "feel" the symbols, even without knowing them.

Each symbol can be interpreted in several ways, that's the complexity of alchemical symbolism. For example, Albus Dumbledore. He symbolizes (in JKR's own words) Spirit ( he's white), and Rubeus Hagrid – Soul (red) – and they're both like two fatherly figures for Harry, distant and warm, judicious and understanding. But all this is at the character level. Dumbledore has other meanings – much more important ones. As I've said before, the symbolic level and the character level are different levels. In interpreting symbols, you don't need to interpret every line, you need to take the context as a whole. Characters operate on one level, symbols – on another.

So, alchemy is an extension of the universal idea – to be reborn, you need to "die." Like Jesus died on the cross, Orpheus on the banks of the River Gebre, and Osiris in the coffin prepared by Typhon, in alchemy, until all the elements (parts of the old personality) die, the work cannot be completed.

The stages of this alchemical process can be traced in the lives of almost all world "heroes" and in the mythology and legends of many cultures. This is a universal code.

“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” John 3:3

Alchemy proclaims that without decomposition, the Great Work cannot be accomplished.

The past Self dies on the cross and in the retorts and becomes black during decomposition. The new Self rises from hell, like a phoenix. The phoenix is a pure alchemical symbol.

This is the creation of the Philosopher's Stone.

It is symbolically described in "The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz". The book presents an allegorical story divided into "Seven Days" or "Seven Journeys," which tells how its author, Christian Rosenkreutz, was invited to a castle full of wonders to help with the "Chymical Wedding" of the king and queen. Harry also receives a letter in a storm (like Rosenkreutz) and goes to the castle for 7 years, chooses one of the four paths (Gryffindor), and so on.

Alchemists called the creation of the Philosopher's Stone the Great Work – Opus Magnum. This process consisted of three stages: decomposition (nigredo), rebirth (albedo), and final perfection (rubedo). Each of these stages corresponded to a specific colour: black, white and red.

Nigredo. Albedo. Rubedo.

In Harry Potter, these stages correspond to Sirius Black, Albus (white) Dumbledore, and Rubeus (red) Hagrid. The end of each stage is marked by their death. In the seventh book, it's Hagrid who carries the "dead" Harry.

There is a fundamental difference between "true alchemists" and "occult alchemist."

Tom Riddle is an occult alchemist. For him, the Great Work is also self-creation, but what kind? For him, it is complete mastery of his abilities and his future, and especially the complete liberation of his will.

Tom is a will, but his will not submissive to the will of God. It's a Luciferian will. The will of a fallen angel who began to oppose his own free will to the influence of Divine Love-Light. Instead, he sought and loved his own power outside Divinity, in himself.

"Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven" John Milton, "Paradise Lost"

Baphomet, or the Sabbatic Goat, drawing by Eliphas Levi, on its hands are inscriptions "Solve et Coagula." This is an alchemical principle. JKR, by the way, also has such a tattoo.

In occultism, it is believed that magic is control of one's will, and a will can control matter. After all, what did his followers choose for their motto? Magic is Might. Harry never defeated Voldemort with such magic. Because he doesn't need it.

What does Tom boast about? Tom boasts that he has mastered the deepest depths of dark magic. He went so far in it as no one before. Dark magic requires an iron will, and Tom achieved incredible heights in it. He even achieved immortality in this material universe, literally cursing his soul! Only Tom doesn't understand that Dumbledore (a true alchemist) is not interested in all this. Because true immortality is not there. True transformation is not there. Because their paths are completely different – Dumbledore is going to the "God and divine immortality," and Tom is going to "material immortality."

In general, fans of occult alchemy, the Left-Hand Path, and Nietzschean philosophy probably consider Tom a much more interesting character because here he is – the king of matter, a man of incredible will and strength who destroys the slave Christian morality and proclaims that God is dead, long live the Übermensch (homo superior)! (Nietzsche would have been proud of him…) By the way, Bellatrix is most likely symbolically – Lilith, Adam's first wife according to Kabbalistic apocrypha, who rebelled against Adam. God created them equal, and Adam wanted to have power over Lilith... In short, Lilith is the first feminist in human history, hehe.

The Fallen Angel by Alexandre Cabanel. Lilith.

In short, Tom Riddle is such an adept of broken alchemy. Where Tom is his own personal will, Harry is Faith and the will of the Spirit. Harry is also very strong-willed, but his will is different, it's not individualistic. It's a will of sacrifice, a will of love, a will of mercy, a will of trust. The main theme of the seventh book is a crisis of faith. And what kind of will does one need to show to continue the quest for Horcruxes and not go for the Deathly Hallows? Simply put, the will of Harry and Tom is completely different.

And Tom will never understand this. He's an individualist. He's a Nietzschean Übermensch. He's reached the limits of human capabilities. But for what? From dust you are and to dust you shall return, Tom...

Severus Snape — a Seaker who chose the wrong Path

And Snape, by the way, initially turns away from Lily (Lily is love of God, represented in the world). Because he's obsessed with becoming dark magic, his ego and desire for secret knowledge and being proud are very great.

Btw, Lily is a mudblood. In the sense that God is not in shining beautiful armor. This is Lucifer's mask – to be pure, to shine, to sparkle. But the real God can be found by seeking, under the feet of the poorest and "dirtiest" person. After all, for God, everyone is equal. It's the Devil who divides.

And pure-bloods, for example, the Blacks, are "false purity." Luciferian purity. Material purity, purity of shining gold. It's division. And where there's division – there's the Devil.

In short, Snape turns away from Lily because this path is difficult, he doesn't understand how to approach her, he already uses dark magic, has a lot of knowledge, and delves into various secrets, and shows what "bad" paths other seekers (the Marauders) take... (The seeker is not my term, it's from the Rosicrucian manifesto, alchemists call themselves seekers) But Lily still refuses to unite Spirit and Soul. And he calls her a "mudblood," insulting her. For Lily, this is a sign that this soul is almost lost. And there's no sincere regret in him when he asks for forgiveness. He asks her to forgive him, but his soul is still on the old Path. Lily isn't angry with him, it's not about anger or offense. Snape's soul is almost lost at this moment, closed to the divine spark and love. After all, for love to enter your heart, you first need to open yourself to it.

Only when Snape sees true face of Tom's "alchemy," in which Tom is ready to kill Love, the divine spark, essentially kill God in the souls of all people, then Snape, as a real Seeker, realizes that he's going the wrong way... And he runs to the main Alchemist, Dumbledore, to ask to preserve this love, this manifestation of God on earth.

But you can't preserve it without preserving the seeker of the right Path in your soul (James) and without preserving the possibility of the emergence of the transformed soul (Harry).

This is a very important moment, not only because you can't kill people in principle. Dumbledore literally tells him that you can't save love of God, the divine spark in your soul, if you kill in yourself the one who reaches out to God (the deer) and if you kill the POSSIBILITY of becoming this new transformed soul (Harry).

For Snape, this becomes a turning point, and he decides to switch sides to true alchemy. Dumbledore asks in return for Snape's soul, but not in the sense that the Devil demands it, he asks for loyalty to the Path. Below I'll explain the symbolism of Dumbledore and what he means in terms of alchemical symbolism (I don’t think he is God).

Snape becomes loyal to Dumbledore. But Lily is killed, as is James. The world, despite the fact that Voldemort temporarily goes into hibernation (and the Savior is alive), plunges into despair. Sirius (as a divine symbol of light) is in captivity, Remus (a symbol of a seeker with a "good but not brave" soul) is somewhere wandering the world, and Harry lives very poorly with the Dursleys... Harry doesn't know any God, and the seeker in him is also "dead". And Voldemort will soon rise again, he's just gathering strength.

Harry's path is the path of returning to God through Mother of God (Theotokos). Because it is Mother of God who is the true Spirit. That's why he meets Lily only at the end of the seventh book, when he's almost completed the alchemical transformation. For Christians, this is heresy, but for alchemists, it's not. The Son and Mother of God are one whole. The Virgin Mary is part of the Trinity, because only through the spiritual unity of the Mother and the Son is the salvation of humanity possible.

And who does he meet her through? Through Snape. Who dedicated his entire life to transforming his Soul, merging it with the Spirit, ultimately coming to God.

He spent his whole life hating James, as a Seeker of a different kind, not like him—Snape always leaned a bit towards Nietzschean stories. And James always hated Dark Magic and all dark things (although this doesn't make the souls of this type much better, they can also be egocentric). Snape teaches Potions, he knows how to bottle up Love, Death and Luck... So much power, so much pride in this...

Recently, I reposted a very interesting post. Snape wanted to recover his soul, because he was guilty of Lily's death. A very beautiful meta, but I see a bit different alchemical meaning. His soul is broken not only because Lily partly died because of him. His soul is broken overall because of the Path he chose - that of an occult alchemist, and he remains a "spy" to the end of his days, playing two roles, constantly "here and there". He dies at the hands of his former master.

Snape takes Lily's letter because he needs Lily's love (like people wear crosses), while there isn't enough understanding of where to go (Dumbledore is already dead)

Snape always yearned for Lily. And Dumbledore asks for us, the readers: "After all this time?" And Snape answers for us "Always." You must love God always. And that is salvation for the soul.

In general, Snape only understands towards the end that you cannot love Lily without Harry and even James. Only one Path leads to Lily - the same as James’s path. The path of Ego, pride, thirst for power, secret knowledge, occultism, malice, hatred must finally dissolve. Snape fully exposes himself to Harry, although he shouldn't have (he should only pass on information about death), revealing the good (and the bad) that he always hid. His revelation to him speaks of his complete acceptance. He shows him his soul, literally bowing his head to him - here I am, here is my soul, in some things I have no excuse, sometimes I have justification, but I've been seeking God, seeking love all my life.

Will you accept my wounded soul?

This is confession. The realest confession.

And Harry accepts. Of course, Harry accepts. He looks at him with Lily's eyes.

Because no matter how "bad" you are, if you truly love God in your soul, if you truly seek Him, there will always be a place for you in the City of God. Snape is the constantly replayed plot of the Prodigal Son's return.

At this moment, all the "black" in Snape dies – the nigredo. Tears - the white stage, purification – the albedo stage, purification. Blood – naturally, the red stage. The alchemical transformation for Snape is complete.

(But geniuses from TikTok will still say that Harry shouldn't have named his son Albus Severus, because Snape was baaaad. Ofc he was bad sometimes, that's the point!)

Dumbledore is the embodied Path and Plan

As I mentioned before, Dumbledore asks for Snape's soul in return, but not in the sense that the Devil demands it, he asks for loyalty to the alchemical Path.

Dumbledore, as an alchemist, besides embodying the completion of the albedo stage for Harry with his death, is also the embodied Path. Dumbledore is the highest Guardian of the Tower, who watches over the Paths of others, he is the Man of Spirit, he is the Principle, he is the Master. What is the difference between Dumbledore and Lily? Lily is a more important symbol, she is like pure divine power, God = love, as in what all souls dissolve. Dumbledore, on the other hand, is the Guardian of the Path through which everyone must pass. In short, Lily is the answer to the question "where", and Dumbledore is the "how". And Dumbledore is just a man who also underwent his alchemical transformation and who can also succumb to temptation. But Dumbledore is not GOD, imo. To personify God in a book is too much (even for me, although I’m not religious at all). I don’t like the idea of him being God and... really, where? God is transcendent and pure divine love emanates from Lily that’s why she almost an empty canvas. Dumbledore is a principle. He is the answer to the question "HOW". That's why he asks to believe in him, believe in the ALCHEMICAL PATH AND PLAN. FOLLOW THIS PLAN TO THE END. Ascend the tower, as I once ascended it. After all, he lives up there in the tower. He observes.

For Snape, Dumbledore is so important because Dumbledore is the Path, a new Path that he did not have. And Dumbledore's death is so important for everyone because now no one points them towards the Path. But they must find this Path within themselves. Because the answers are inside them. You cannot become a true Alchemist if you constantly rely on external help. It's time to see the Path independently.

"You must kill me."

There was a long silence, broken only by an odd clicking noise. Fawkes the phoenix was gnawing a bit of cuttlebone. (HP and DH)

After Dumbledore says that Snape must kill him, there is silence and a very clear symbol - the phoenix and the bone. It's time for their souls to go independently, to eat away all the old to come to rebirth. Meanwhile, they also need to save Draco, who, by "Lucifer's" order, is about to kill the Path (although you can't outplay God's plan...). And then Dumbledore reveals that Harry must die.

This shocks Snape. Like any alchemist on the Path. How so, to die? After all, we all do everything to become closer to God, to immortality, and you say – just die? What kind of Path is this?

"I thought…all these years…that we were protecting him for her. For Lily.”

After all, we were protecting Harry for Lily, because as I've already said, only through the spiritual unity of the Mother and the Son is the salvation of humanity possible. Snape is protecting the son for the mother, and Dumbledore wants to kill him? For what?

Simply put, Snape doesn't understand that no one can save Harry until he dies and is reborn. It's painful, but all heroes go through this path for rebirth.

Dumbledore knows that there is a "seed" of "evil" in Harry, as in any of us. After the fall, we all carry Luciferian part within us. This is the last thing that must die in Harry, and he himself must die for it.

No one promised that the path of the alchemist would be easy. It's understandable why not everyone loves Dumbledore, he seems too cold and manipulative, but there is no other way for Harry on the symbolic level.

The Great Work

There are three stages of the Great Work: decomposition (nigredo), purification (albedo) and ultimate perfection (rubedo). These stages for Harry culminate in the deaths of Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, and his own death, where he is carried out of the forest by Rubeus Hagrid.

And the result of his alchemical work should be Rebis — essentially the alchemical philosopher's stone, an androgynous being. In the collection of dialogues attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, God is depicted as androgynous. (Hermes Trismegistus is essentially the one who created the corpus of Hermetic texts).

Rebis is the unity of opposites. Day and night, Man and Woman, Good and Evil, Light and Darkness. All is one. There is no division. The wholeness of God. After the fall, we are all divided. And after the alchemical transformation, we can finally become whole and find ourselves and God.

In the form of merged men and women, sometimes depicted as the Virgin Mary and Christ, because They are one whole. As I have already said, for many alchemists, the Virgin Mary is part of the Trinity because only through the spiritual unity of the Mother and the Son was the redemption of original sin made possible. As I have already said, although Harry suffers more for James (his father turned out not to be as ideal as he thought), Lily is the main symbol in "Harry Potter".

The Nigredo stage literally means "blackness" - it signifies complete breakdown, decay, descent into the underworld, the trance of grief. It's a descent into the deepest fears, disbelief, denial, loss of self, anger, aggression. And through this - a return to the prima materia. This is what happens to Harry, "The Order of the Phoenix" is a very dark and depressing book, and with Sirius's death, this stage for Harry is completed. Sirius himself also undergoes transformations, but about this in the next part. The nigredo stage, during which a person's ego dissolves, is agonizing but necessary for further development. After the "I" meets its "shadow" and disintegrates into parts, it will need to be purified and recreated.

Albedo ("whiteness") symbolizes purification, transition to another world, change of life priorities, awakening, enlightenment. In alchemy, the transition from nigredo to albedo is achieved through the process of washing. The whole sixth book is misty, "white", "wet". "Washing" (albutio, baptisma) directly leads to whiteness (albedo). Purification. It's also silver, a lunar state. In Harry Potter, there is a character named Luna, which means moon in Latin. In different parts of the books, Luna also symbolizes this stage. With Dumbledore's death this stage for Harry completed.

Rubedo ("redness") - the final stage of the alchemical Great Work. The alchemist must establish a kind of sacrificial relationship with his inner essence. At the final stage, the so-called "alchemical marriage" takes place: the marriage of the Red King and the White Queen - Soul and Spirit. Harry (soul) and Lily (spirit) are united. With Hagrid carrying Harry this stage for Harry completed.

Bu the way, the Golden Snitch is an alchemical symbol also.

Firstly, Harry's position is called the Seeker. Alchemists also called themselves that. Secondly, the winged disc is a very ancient symbol, meaning the sun (God) and immortality.

The Snitch reveals to him the Resurrection Stone, and Harry "encounters" his main symbols, but the main one is Lily. It is her he asks not to leave him.

Harry's death here is read by everyone as the well-known plot of Christ's crucifixion. The path to this death is also a reference to the agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane before the Crucifixion. After all, Harry also wanted to end up somewhere, but Hogwarts is his home, and he accepts his fate.

My Father! all things are possible for Thee: take this cup of suffering away from me: and yet not what I desire, but what Thou desirest. Mark 14:36

He wanted to be stopped, to be dragged back, to be sent back home... But he was home.

Lily's Eyes

To be honest, I can assume that her green eyes was chosen at random. But what if they weren't? Her green eyes may seem illogical, as this is the colour of the snake, the colour of Slytherin, the colour of evil. But this is the occult Luciferian snake, the erroneous snake. Originally, green also dates back to Hermes Trismegistus – the god who gave the knowledge of alchemy. The most famous of the old hermetic-alchemical texts is inscribed on the "Emerald Tablet". According to legend, this document was left by Hermes Trismegistus on a plate of emerald in an Egyptian temple.

"The Emerald Tablet" is very important for alchemists." According to legend, a large emerald fell to the earth from Lucifer's head when he was cast out of heaven. From the same emerald that fell from the crown of the fallen Lucifer, angels made the Holy Grail (which is also the philosopher's stone, and the Snitch...). Emerald is a sacred green stone, and the heavenly divine world - the homeland of the emerald - a precious stone in which information about the heavenly homeland is encoded.

There is also the Ouroboros - a snake that devours its own tail - a symbol of infinity and immortality.

And the Snitch, which is a reflection of Hermes Trismegistus' staff (which has two battling snakes - two opposites, Spirit and Soul, Good and Evil and so on, and Hermes establishes unity between them with his staff).

Occultists, of course, interpret these symbols in their own way.

Hermione is Hermes Trismegistus. Mercury. Ron — Sulphur. Harry— Salt.

Hermione (Ἑρμιόνη [hermi. ónɛː]) is a feminine given name derived from the Greek messenger god Hermes. As I said, Hermes Trismegistus is the main figure of Hermetic teaching, he is also the one who predicted the coming of the Savior (traditional Christianity should not be confused with Gnostic teachings, the Church has always been against Gnosticism). In addition, Hermes is Mercury, and that is knowledge. Hermes Trismegistus shares "secret knowledge" with the world, which forms the basis of many Gnostic directions - from alchemy to Kabbalah.

Hermione is a little alchemist, she shares knowledge. It is Hermione who insists on complete trust in Dumbledore, it is Hermione who often leads Harry in the right direction when Dumbledore is not around. It is through Dumbledore and Hermione that "moral lessons" are often sounded, which often seem completely out of place. Like when Dumbledore says that James would forgive Peter. At that moment, I always want to say, "Are you out of your mind?!" although I understand that it is described on a symbolic, not personal level.

Mercury (Hermione), Sulphur (Ron), and Salt (Harry) were necessary in the alchemical transformation and were the main components. To create the philosopher's stone, all three elements had to be combined, and Harry is next to them throughout all the books.

Both Hermione and Ron are equally important in Harry's development.

Mercury is the more fluid primary principle, more rational, the feminine principle, while Sulphur is dynamic, expansive, unstable, acidic, unifying, masculine, paternal, and fiery principle. Sulphur is emotional, it is desire and passionate impulse that motivates life. Sulphur is desire. And according to Jung's reflections, it can also be foul and dangerous. Complete transmutation depends on the correct application of this variable principle. Sulphur must be of quality for transmutation to occur. And Ron achieves this quality.

Also, in mystical alchemy, Sulphur is crystallized inspiration of Mercury (Mercury).

Mercury and Sulphur are simultaneously antagonists, like the male and female elements, but at the same time Sulphur is crystallized Mercury.

So I have always been and will always be for Romione! Hehe. They were made for each other!

And as for Salt - that's Harry. It's the body. Sometimes it is called earth and body, salt is the essential body (corpus).

Alchemists say that salt was the first substance created by fire, emanating from God. In salt, all creation is concentrated, in salt the beginning and the end of all things.

Salt is associated with the ultimate elevation of matter - with matter that has acquired consciousness, achieved through the unity of opposites, including the unity of fire and water, the unity of what is above and what is below. Salt is the ultimate Philosopher's Stone, representing transcendence and ultimate knowledge.

Thus, salt symbolizes consciousness (thoughts, feelings, material, etc.), which must be elevated through alchemical processes of dissolution and recrystallization. Well, that's Harry himself.

Just love this stupid moment

Well, that's it, I think I've said everything, and from the next part, we can move on to the Marauders themselves :D

[not-so-superheroine]

Happy Restoration Day! Here is my Book of Mormon Testimony

Blessings everyone, I am @not-so-superheroine, and this is my testimony of the Book of Mormon.

I am a convert to the restoration. So the Book of Mormon was new to me. I had heard about it. I had held one before that I saw in the drawer of a Marriot hotel room, I didn’t open it until I took an interest in the Restoration. 

At that time, I was sort of agnostic. I grew up in a mainline protestant denomination but had grown disillusioned. I was introduced to Mormonism through people who were deconstructing from the belief. Naturally, the first things I saw about it were debunking it’s location and historicity. But my mind was being opened to possibilities I hadn’t considered before. When I was younger, it didn’t make sense to me that there would be no more scripture from God. That the author of Revelations could say “that’s it.” for scripture, as I heard some argue. I wondered why God interacted so directly with those in ancient times and why such things wouldn’t occur with us now.  

Eventually, I was curious enough to acquire a Book of Mormon. I was admittedly cautious. I knew what the book said about a “skin of Blackness” and how that had lead to mistreatment of Black and Indigenous persons in different parts of the Latter Day Saint Movement. I was also fairly certain it was a 19th century text. I knew neither of these things discounted the Book as scripture. 

So I went into the scripture without the burden of historicity or author authenticity.  Not to see if the book was “true”, but to seek after the truths within. I approached the text and I looked for the presence of God. I prayed and asked God to guide me in my reading of the scriptures. Millions before me found these precious truths and Divine Inspiration in this book and I thought perhaps, if i went in openly, I could find it myself. 

And did I. And I am glad that I did. 

The Book of Mormon provides further light on issues the Christian community was facing at the time. It seeks to heal and to unify. A theme throughout the scripture and the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon speaks of Continuing Revelation. The heavens were open then and are open now. From what I learned, there is no reason why God wouldn’t provide us further light or would limit who God delivers Divine knowledge too. In fact, I learned that God does just that. It’s just up to us to ask, listen, and discern. 

The Book has also strengthened my relationship with my Creator. When I was a child, I thought deeply about, and questioned, the theology and doctrine I was taught in Sunday School. Sometimes this questioning was not always welcomed. I learned that for some, Ignorance is preferable to doubt. That doesn’t work for me. The Book of Mormon encourages me to be a diligent seeker. My time spent studying the Book of Mormon has been filled with questions. Questions without shame that I encourage to seek after God’s truth. 

Much like Nephi, I Was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God to all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself to the children of men; for he is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

(more from 1 Nephi 3) 29 For he that diligently seeks shall find; 30and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded to him by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in this time as in times of old; 31and as well in times of old as in times to come.

This scripture inspires me and shows me that God wants me to seek after God’s mysteries and the mysteries in the universe God created for us. That thought is absolutely liberating. We should not fear knowledge, God wants us to grow and understand. And my faith is stronger now with this understanding. Questioning and Seeking is needed for spiritual growth.

I find the Book of Mormon to be empowering in reminding me of my moral agency, encouraging me to grow my faith, and work with God to hone my Spiritual gifts to be used in service to the Divine and to my community. The Book of Mormon affirms the Living Christ, Christ’s love for all humankind, no matter where and who they are, and that people of all nations receive light from the Divine and are a part of God’s sacred story. And there is so much more. The Book of Mormon speaks to me about the effects of poverty and addressing wealth inequity. This matches with Christ’s mission to tend to the poor. The Book of Mormon goes into how we should live amongst each other and on building sacred community, on how to be Zion as a people. There are so many lessons packed in there that I believe God wants us to ponder on and to take action with. The Book of Mormon is responsible for changing the way I read and apply sacred scripture to my life. This has changed my life for the better and changed my life outlook. I see myself as an active part of God’s plan carrying out Christ’s mission. 

I thank God for the Restoration

I thank God for continuing revelation and the Book of Mormon

And I thank God for my community, the people of Zion

[kronosveritas]

✨HELLO RVB FANDOM I AM ASKING FOR YOUR GUIDANCE✨

I don’t know if any of you know much about Tarot, but I am in the process of drawing an rvb tarot deck and these are my thoughts for which character should be assigned to each of the major arcana cards.

Included in parentheses after the character are some trailers generally associated with that arcana (to my understanding)

Please feel free to let me know in comments/tags if YOU think these fit/what fits better so I can potentially make the deck!

_____________ {arcana below fold} _____________

💙 Fool- Caboose (new beginning, fresh start, risk, a chance, new cycle, originality, fearlessness, travel, innocence, being green, trickster, acting foolish)

❤️ Magician- Tex (talent, skill, power, magic, control, manifest, tools, mastery, willpower, focus)

💙 High priestess- CT (intuition, feminine wisdom, hidden knowledge, secrecy, initiation, receptivity, spirituality, the inner world)

❤️ Empress- Allison (feminine power, abundance, fertility, pregnancy, marriage, creativity, receptivity, pleasure, mothering, nurturing, giving birth)

💙 Emperor- The Director (Order, structure, authority, power, boss, masculine, father, ownership, autonomy)

❤️ Heirophant- Sarge (tradition, structure, teacher, mentor, counselor, religion, dogma, advice, status quo, organization, conformity, rules, church, obedience)

💙 Lovers- Grif and Simmons (romance, partnership, love, choices, duality, opposites, union)

❤️ Chariot- Shiela (triumph, directed willpower, control, direction, movement, progress, vehicle)

💙 Strength- Carolina (strength, inner power, self control, calm, endure, willpower)

❤️ Hermit- Epsilon (inner wisdom, solitude, withdrawal, quiet, teacher or guru, research, seeker)

💙 Wheel of fortune- The Triplets, or the Chorus Rebels??? I can’t decide (luck, change, a turn of events, karma, movement, shift, improvement, fate)

❤️Justice- Doc & O’Malley (fairness, court, justice, balance, weighing options, seeing both sides, consequences, integrity, honesty, truth, law, middle path)

💙 Hanged man- Temple (sacrifice, letting go, faith, suspension, waiting, hang-ups, martyr, illusion, surrender)

❤️ Death- Felix (ending, transition, transformation, release, change, severance)

💙 Temperance- Lopez (moderation, balance, healing, alchemy, middle ground, patience, blending, harmony, guardian angel)

❤️ Devil- Meta/Sigma (bondage, materialism, negativity, slavery, addiction, stuck, jealousy, deviance, excess)

💙 Tower- Kimball (chaos, disruption, tearing down, rebuilding, uncertainty, blow, enlightenment, unexpected change, overthrow, revolution)

❤️ Star- Donut (hope, optimism, healing, balance, spirituality, health, well being, peace, wishes, vulnerability, success, balance)

💙 Moon- Wash (intuition, illusion, deception, darkness, reflection, fear, subconscious, dreams, difficulty, fear, imagination)

❤️ Sun- Tucker (optimism, success, joy, birth, happiness, health, inner child, energy, enthusiasm)

💙 World- Rooster Teeth Founders? Or Blood Gulch? Or RVB kill switch? (completion, ending, success, travel, closure, graduation, Universe, freedom, environment, rebirth)

https://www.thetarotlady.com/tarot-card-meanings/

^^possible link for meaning reference

<<I have individual assignments for nearly all the minor arcana too, but that would be far too long to post here>>

[woundgallery]

Doubt by Fanny Howe

Virginia Woolf committed suicide in 1941 when the German bombing campaign against England was at its peak and when she was reading Freud whom she had staved off until then.

Edith Stein, recently and controversially beatified by the Pope, who had successfully worked to transform an existential vocabulary into a theological one, was taken to Auschwitz in August 1942.

Two years later Simone Weil died in a hospital in England—of illness and depression—determined to know what it is to know. She, as much as Woolf and Stein, sought salvation in a  choice of words.

But multiples succumb to the sorrow induced by an inexact vocabulary.

While a whole change in discourse is a sign of conversion, the alteration of a single word only signals a kind of doubt about the value of the surrounding words. Poets tend to hover over words in this troubled state of mind.  What holds them poised in this position is the occasional eruption of happiness.

While we would all like to know if the individual person is a phenomenon either culturally or spiritually conceived and why everyone doesn’t kill everyone else, including themselves, since they can—poets act out the problem with their words.

Why not say “heart-sick” instead of “despairing”? Why not say “despairing” instead of “depressed”?

Is there, perhaps, a quality in each person—hidden like a laugh inside a sob—that loves even more than it loves to live? If there is, can it be expressed in the form of the lyric line?

Dostoevsky defended his later religious belief, saying of his work, “Even in Europe there have never been atheistic expressions of such power.  My hosannah has gone through a great furnace of doubt.”

According to certain friends, Simone Weil would have given everything she wrote to be a poet.  It was an ideal but she was wary of charm and the inauthentic.  She saw herself as stuck in fact with a rational prose line for her surgery on modern thought.  She might be the archetypal doubter but the language of the lyric was perhaps too uncertain.

As far as we know she wrote a play and some poems and one little prose poem called Prologue. Yet Weil could be called a poet, if Wittgenstein could, despite her own estimation of her writing, because of the longing for a conversion that words might produce. In Prologue the narrator is an uprooted seeker who still hopes that a transformation will come to her from the outside.  The desired teacher arrives bearing the best of everything, including delicious wine and bread, affection, tolerance, solidarity (people come and go) and authority.  This is a man who even has faith and loves truth.

She is happy.  Then suddenly, without any cause, he tells her it’s over.  She is out on the streets without direction, without memory.  Indeed she is unable to remember even what he told her without his presence there to repeat it, this amnesia being the ultimate dereliction.

If memory fails, then the mind is air in a skull.

This loss of memory forces her to abandon hope for either rescue or certainty.

And now is the moment where doubt—as an active function—emerges and magnifies the world.  It eliminates memory.  And it turns eyesight so far outwards, the vision expands.  A person feels as if she is the figure inside a mirror, looking outwards for her moves.  She is a forgery.

When all the structures granted by common agreement fall away and that “reliable chain of cause and effect” that Hannah Arendt talks about—breaks—then a person’s inner logic also collapses.  She moves and sees at the same time, which is terrifying.

Yet strangely it is in this moment that doubt shows itself to be the physical double to belief; it is the quality that nourishes willpower, and the one that is the invisible engine behind every step taken. Doubt is what allows a single gesture to have a heart.

In this prose poem Weil’s narrator recovers her balance after a series of reactive revulsions to the surrounding culture by confessing to the most palpable human wish: that whoever he was, he loved her.

Hope seems to resist extermination as much as a roach does.

Hannah Arendt talks about the “abyss of nothingness that opens up before any deed that cannot be accounted for.”  Consciousness of this abyss is the source of belief for most converts.  Weil’s conviction that evil proves the existence of God is cut out of this consciousness.

Her Terrible Prayer—that she be reduced to a paralyzed nobody—desires an obedience to that moment where coming and going intersect before annihilation. And her desire: “To be only an intermediary between the blank page and the poem” is a desire for a whole-heartedness that eliminates personality. Virginia Woolf, a maestro of lyric resistance, was frightened by Freud’s claustrophobic determinism since she had no ground of defense against it.  The hideous vocabulary of mental science crushed her dazzling star-thoughts into powder and brought her latent despair into the open air. Born into a family devoted to skepticism and experiment, she had made a superhuman effort at creating a prose-world where doubt was a mesmerizing and glorious force.

Anyone who tries, as she did, out of a systematic training in secularism, to forge a rhetoric of belief is fighting against the odds.  Disappointments are everywhere waiting to catch you, and an ironic realism is always convincing.

Simone Weil’s family was skeptical too, and secular and attentive to the development of the mind.  Her older brother fed her early sense of inferiority with intellectual put-downs.  Later, her notebooks chart a superhuman effort at conversion to a belief in affliction as a sign of God’s presence.

Her prose itself is tense with effort.  After all, to convert by choice (that is, without a blast of revelation or a personal disaster) requires that you shift the names for things, and force a new language out of your mind onto the page.

You have to make yourself believe.  Is this possible?  Can you turn “void” into “God” by switching the words over and over again? Any act of self-salvation is a problem because of death which always has the last laugh, and if there has been a dramatic and continual despair hanging over childhood, then it may even be impossible. After all, can you call “doubt” “bewilderment” and suddenly be relieved?

Not if your mind has been fatally poisoned. . . . But even then, it seems the dream of having no doubt continues, finding its way into love and work where choices matter exactly as much as they don’t matter—at least when luck is working in your favor.

[gatheringbones]

[“In her new book, Work Pray Code, Carolyn Chen — a sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley — argues that a new kind of American Buddhism has evolved, one which serves the logic of work and business. “Buddhism has found a new institutional home in the West: the corporation,” she writes. Chen spent five years studying American tech companies’ infatuation with Buddhist-inspired mindfulness and meditation practices. She participated in company meditation sessions; attended corporate mindfulness retreats; interviewed personal mindfulness coaches who help CEOs find their “authentic” selves; and spoke to tech workers who use meditation as a “self-hack” to improve focus, efficiency, creativity, and confidence. Her book describes a corporate culture where meditation and mindfulness address workers’ mental and spiritual needs, imbue work with a spiritual aura, and turn workplaces into productivity-centered “faith communities.”

Chen warns that corporate spirituality is turning work into a religion that replaces community-based spirituality and engagement. In an industry where 70+ hour workweeks are normal, the boundary between private life and work has been erased. Chen describes how tech professionals are dropping out of political and civic participation because their commitment to their companies leaves no time for such engagements outside the workplace; instead, they are encouraged to seek meaning and connection at work. “Instead of building friendships, trust, and goodwill within their communities,” writes Chen, “[workers] develop the social capital of their companies.”

Guernica: In your book, you describe how Buddhist meditation practices have been disconnected from their religious context and repackaged for business. Is there something inherent in Buddhism that lends it to being used this way?

Chen: The Buddhism practiced among white Americans does not have the same structures of centralized authority that we witness in many Abrahamic religions. You could say it’s been an unregulated market. Especially early on, there was no formal credentialing if you wanted to teach meditation or mindfulness. But there are also historical reasons why this has happened, in particular in the Bay Area. The Bay Area has been the epicenter of this fascination with Asian religions and Buddhism, starting in the late 1950s with the arrival of the Japanese Zen master Shunryu Suzuki, the Beat movement, and then the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Many of the people who initially brought mindfulness and meditation to the Silicon Valley corporations were what I call “mystics,” spiritual seekers who had come to the Bay Area to participate in the great counterculture movement.

But then we saw the mainstreaming of both the tech industry and Buddhism. People like Jerry Brown and Steve Jobs, who had an interest in Buddhism and had traveled to Asia, became the political and business elites, and the ethos and practices of the baby boomers became part of the establishment. Many of the meditation and mindfulness coaches in the tech industry picked up these practices in the 1960s and 1970s. For most of their careers, they were teaching in dharma centers or community centers, but with the rise of the tech industry and the rise of the cost of living in the Bay Area, they increasingly found that they had to service the tech industry if they wanted to survive and make a living. And this came with certain compromises or adaptations to the teachings and practices to meet the needs of the tech industry. I call it “trickle-down Buddhism,” because their culture became the ambient culture of the Bay Area.

Guernica: You write that most white Westerners know only “a particular brand of Buddhism that has repeatedly been altered and adapted to appeal to them.” Can you talk more about this process?

Chen: For the overwhelming majority of Asian Buddhists, Buddhism is a devotional practice. Bowing to images of deities, burning incense, worshiping at an altar — those are all fundamental elements of Buddhist practice. There is this acknowledgement of worshiping higher beings. Meditation was not at all a mainstream lay practice in Buddhism. It only became popular in the early twentieth century, when Buddhist reformers such as the Burmese monk Mahasi Sayadaw, founder of modern Vipassana meditation, promoted it as a lay Buddhist practice. Mindfulness, as it was practiced for most of its history in Asia, was a very elite practice reserved only for advanced monastics. But Jack Kornfield, who is one of a number of influential teachers responsible for making Buddhist meditation go mainstream, understood that devotional Buddhism would be an obstacle for white Americans. He emphasized meditation because he understood that devotional Buddhism would be too associated with “religious” practice.”]

[creature-wizard]

I dunno if I'd call it a cult exactly, but it's definitely pretentious as hell and full of bullshit.

Here we have some "Egypt is the font of all the world's spirituality" nonsense:

The Egyptian deities are seen as the Old Gods of the Elder Faith, and are worshiped above all others. Isis is venerated as a central figure and She is considered the Creatrix and the Keeper of the Mysteries of the Cauldron.

And here's some cultural appropriation going on:

Julie had a more traditional Witchcraft focus emphasising psychic development, use of Tarot and herbs, and incorporated elements of North and South American magic.

In contrast, Ellen actually placed a greater emphasis on Kabalistic magic and would later publish “The Witches’ Qabalah” amongst a number of other titles.

Self-proclaimed teachers getting prickly at the thought of being expected to, ya know, actually teach is never a good sign, either:

A Seeker must SEEK! The onus is on the Seeker to progress their journey. Teachers do not spoon-feed.

Their recommended books/authors are dodgy as heck, too. It's a lot of your typical neopagan stuff what's full of witch cult conspiracy theory stuff.

At this point, it should be clear that these people are a total waste of time:

Depending on how correspondence progresses, a Teacher may be open to a meeting requested by the Seeker. This may be the first of many meetings in what can be a lengthy meet-and-greet process before a decision is made on acceptance for training. This may take weeks, months or more than a year depending on the individual and where they are in life.

...

The Neophyte phase will last for a minimum of twelve months during which the candidate will be required to follow instruction, read at least three more books on Occult matters, and complete all assigned tasks.

...

There is no entitlement to the privilege of initiation. Those accepted are chosen by Elders whose wisdom is guided by our Gods.

This really is one of those cases where you're going be much better off if you just check out books and videos from fairly reliable people and casually hang out with other people with similar interests. This kind of group can give off the impression that they're genuinely the keepers of some critical wisdom you can't get anywhere else, but I can promise you that they're not. You'll have a much better time watching Dr. Justin Sledge or Dr. Angela Puca and interacting with other people on Witchblr than reading a bunch of dodgy literature in the hopes that these people might admit you into their culturally appropriative social club.

[torivmod]

The Pluto in Sagittarius Gen ✨

Pluto, the lord of the underworld, governs transformation, regeneration, and the cyclical nature of death and rebirth. Sagittarius, ruled by the expansive Jupiter, is a fire sign associated with optimism, higher learning, philosophy, and the quest for truth and meaning.

Who Are They? ✨

Those born under Pluto in Sagittarius are individuals who came into this world during a time of significant cultural, spiritual, and philosophical changes. They witnessed the dawn of a new millennium and the rapid expansion of technology and globalization.

What Are They Like? ✨

1) Eternal Seekers: This generation is characterized by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and understanding. They seek meaning and purpose in life, often exploring various philosophies, cultures, and spiritual paths.

2) Globally Minded: With Sagittarius’ love for exploration and Pluto’s transformative energy, these individuals are often drawn to understanding and experiencing different cultures. They are usually more open-minded and inclusive.

3) Technological Natives: Having grown up in an age of rapid technological advancements, they are often very adept at using and understanding technology and may use it as a means to explore and connect with the world.

4) Questioning Authority and Beliefs: This generation is likely to question established authority and traditional belief systems. They seek authentic expressions of truth and are not easily swayed by dogma.

5) Adaptable and Resilient: Pluto's influence gives them a remarkable ability to adapt to change and transform challenges into opportunities for growth.

Why Are They Like That? ✨

The alignment of Pluto in Sagittarius during their birth heralded a time of great transformation in the collective consciousness, regarding belief systems, exploration, and the quest for meaning. These celestial energies imbued them with an inherent desire to seek beyond the horizon and be catalysts for change.

What Are They Meant to Do? ✨

They are meant to push boundaries, explore new frontiers, and bring about transformation in cultural, philosophical, and spiritual realms. They are here to challenge the status quo, build bridges between cultures, and help the world expand its understanding and acceptance of diversity.

What Are We Meant to Learn from Them? ✨

From the Pluto in Sagittarius generation, we are meant to learn the value of open-mindedness, the importance of seeking knowledge and understanding, and the transformative power of embracing diversity. Their journey reminds us that change is inevitable and that through exploration and the quest for meaning, humanity can evolve and create a more inclusive and enlightened world.

May the stars continue to guide their path and ours as we weave the tapestry of our shared destiny. 🌌

[blueheartbookclub]

"A Transcendent Voyage: Illuminating Mysticism in 'A New Light of Mysticism: Azoth' by Arthur Edward Waite"

In Arthur Edward Waite's magnum opus, "A New Light of Mysticism: Azoth," readers embark on an enigmatic journey that transcends the boundaries of conventional thought. The book, alternatively known as "The Star in the East," intricately weaves together the profound elements of alchemy, spirituality, and the arcane, inviting readers into the captivating world of mystical exploration.

Waite's narrative prowess shines as he delves into the intricacies of the Magnum Opus, unraveling the mysteries of the first matter and the evolution of Aphrodite-Urania. The author, known for his deep understanding of esoteric subjects, presents a mesmerizing tapestry that explores the supernatural generation of the Son of the Sun and the alchemical transfiguration of humanity.

At the heart of the book is the symbolic Azoth, a universal solvent that represents the transformative power of spiritual enlightenment. Waite's prose is both eloquent and dense, demanding a contemplative reading as readers navigate through layers of symbolism and allegory. The exploration of divine feminine energy through Aphrodite-Urania adds a unique dimension, intertwining mythology with alchemical philosophy.

The strength of Waite's work lies not only in its esoteric depth but also in its ability to provoke introspection. As readers navigate through the pages, they find themselves not just absorbing information but actively engaging in the alchemical processes described. Waite's intricate descriptions and philosophical reflections challenge readers to question, contemplate, and, ultimately, embark on their own metaphysical journey.

"A New Light of Mysticism: Azoth" is a testament to Waite's profound scholarship and his gift for distilling complex esoteric concepts into a cohesive narrative. It is a book that beckons the curious minds and spiritual seekers, promising not just knowledge but an experiential odyssey through the realms of mysticism.

Intriguing, immersive, and intellectually stimulating, Waite's work invites readers to embrace the alchemical transformation it promises, heralding a new dawn in the understanding of mysticism and spirituality.

"A New Light of Mysticism: Azoth," by Arthur Edward Waite is available in Amazon in paperback 18.99$ and hardcover 24.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 431

Language: English

Rating: 10/10                                           

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

[hermeticphoenix]

Ascended Masters

In mid-1950s, the automatic writing practitioner Dorothy Martin, aka Sister Thedra, received a communication from an entity calling itself Sananda – the “galactic name” of Jesus in the Ascended Master Teachings. After conveying spiritual teachings to Martin and her esoteric group, the Seekers, Sananda “revealed” that a global cataclysm would destroy the Earth in 1954. The enlightened Seekers, would, however, be rescued by a flying saucer and taken to Ananda’s planet.

Many Seekers quit their jobs, gave away their possessions, and waited for a flying saucer that never came to rescue them from a cataclysm that never happened.

This true story was described in the pioneering social psychology work When Prophecy Fails, by Leon Festinger, Henry Riecken, and Stanley Schachter, published in 1956. I re-read this book often and take it as a warning. Like Dorothy Martin, we, as practicing magicians, receive signs and communications from beyond the ordinary. One of our challenges is not falling prey to self-deception.

Why are we in danger of self-deception? It’s tempting to interpret any extraordinary experience as evidence of success at magic. Our subconsciousness reflects back what we give it – the principle that Robert Anton Wilson summarised as “what the thinker thinks, the prover proves.” If we read about Egyptian and Indian deities, our subconsciousness will dress our experiences with these symbols.

Add to this that the astral-mental regions are full of elementals and larvae that can pose as helpful guides to feed off our astral matrix. It is conceivable that the entity moving Dorothy Martin’s pen was one such mischievous elemental.

This deceptive allure is sometimes called “glamour.” Certain authors, like theosophist Alice Bailey, pay much attention to keeping safe of glamour in their writings.

One tactic for dealing with glamour is disregarding all unusual phenomena. In certain teaching orders, the prevalent practice is to invalidate any experience a student might have as “illusion,” “Maya,” “distraction” or some such. This is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. If we wish to study magic, we must study the effects of magic.

So let’s look at some practical ways in which we can address such phenomena. I would recommend, first of all, detached journaling of such phenomena. Then, their analysis with respect of whether they flatter and whether they impose themselves. The soul mirrors are an invaluable tools for their examination, and a good magic hygiene a way to prevent them.

One of my favourite esoteric authors, Paul Foster Case, wrote that the true Voice will never flatter and never command. I understand flattery to mean anything that arouses self-importance, such as suggesting that a person is exceptionally talented, successful, and chosen for a special mission or favour. Flattery may come in form of a messiah complex: a notion that the individual has been chosen to save others. Or, conversely, it may come as a belief that we will be spared something that “ordinary” people are due.

Let’s go back to the story of Dorothy Martin and see how it compares to these suggestions. First, Martin didn’t practice detached journaling, but took every transmission from “Sananda” at face value. She allowed “Sananda” to flatter her as a chosen “channel” of teachings beyond her level of spiritual maturity, and command her to prepare for the rapture on the threat of cataclysm. The Seekers as a group didn’t take their deteriorating familial, social and professional relationships as a warning that something was amiss. Finally, the group was open to any and all influences to the point of exhaustion, rather than consuming information mindfully and cultivating balance.

Developing resilience to glamour is a prerequisite to a sustainable and productive magic practice, and I hope that these musings will at least serve as a reminder of this, just as When Prophecy Fails serves as a reminder to me when I get a bit carried away.

This article is not written by me. I only shared it. To learn more about this article, you can click this link: https://perseusarcaneacademy.com/post…

[cypriathus]

Here are the three animalistic children of J’Tervazoschin!

Buhemozrita is an animal god who simply values strength, power, and protection of the earth and land animals, never backing down from a good challenge. His motives aren’t inherently malevolent, but he can come across as domineering and intimidating. He’s a fiercely independent and highly decisive entity who doesn’t like to be controlled or manipulated by others. He’s sometimes overly confrontational and aggressive, but he prefers undisturbed serenity, only resorting to violence if needed. He prefers to maintain a stoic and tough interior, but he occasionally leans into his emotional vulnerability when needed. Buhemozrita is an impulsive thrill-seeker that indulges in all kinds of sensory pleasures, but he does try his best to keep those desires under control.

He’s a 410 ft (12496.8 cm) four-legged, omnivorous beast with an Alamosaurus neck, a hippopotamus tail, a round belly, boar tusks, and a muscular back and elephant legs. He has water buffalo horns of heated iron and his body is covered in a thin layer of silvery hairs. His skin is a purplish-grey with brownish specks and rose quartz blushing on the face, joints, and lower back. Buhemozrita’s head is similarly shaped to an iguana and his bones are made from tubes of polished bronze. He has large, flaring nostrils and medium-shaped eyes of sunburst green-hazel with pinkish-red dilated pupils. His mouth is lined with two rows of enormous jagged teeth that get shorter the further back they are, resembling those of an alligator.

Even though all Hirczalotepus Tejasozuri don’t require bodily necessities, he possesses an insatiable appetite, going as far to devour everything in his path. He has absolute strength when in contact with the earth, and supreme invincibility, endurance, agility, stamina, reflexes, and senses. He has total authority over all land beasts, and he can bring orderly calmness to them when things go awry and communicate with them. He’s able to tap into either a berserk or tranquil state of mind that greatly depends on the situation. For example, if Buhemozrita and/or the land animals are being threatened by manmade harm, he’ll release his unstoppable rage in response. He’s free and independent from laws, rules, fate, predestination, concepts, limits, and other types of cosmic, spiritual, mental, physical and mystical jurisdictions, making him highly resistant to their effects. He can survive and adapt to all natural environments, and manipulate the land, land life, earth energy, planetary energy, deserts, mountains, minerals, metals, crystals, and volcanic fields.

FAMILY:

Himanotrude Etluszoripha (aunt)

Äylcephinozur (cousin)

Blodeghuta L’Ægorvinus/Schuzelonta Chatzerbodius (aunt)

Melchjuszrovibta T’Xuljabhoszervi (cousin)

J’Tervazoschin Iazophetus (mother)

Numphoktezrija W’Vheplaktobrinus (younger half-brother)

Liwatozhendus (younger sister)

Zekwaboruchni (younger sibling)

ALIASES/NICKNAMES:

Behemoth

Lord of the Earthly Beasts

Chief of the Ways of Cosmos

The Wrathful Answer of Earth’s Mother

FUN FACTS/EXTRA INFORMATION:

He aided in the creation of land animals and Theszarpoks

He often gets into bloody fights with Liwatozhendus

As an Æylphitus, his name means “to be dumb and speechless, ox of the water or great beast”

Liwatozhendus is an animal goddess who never breaks her promises without notice and solid reasoning, and she dutifully protects the ocean and aquatic animals. As an embracer of change and unpredictability, she can become fairly jaded and disillusioned if she’s had too much of the same thing. She can easily turn to jealousy and self-pity when her desires aren’t fulfilled, and she has no patience for persistence and disrespect. She’s incredibly intelligent and self-confident, but she does indulge in irresponsibly playful behaviours. She’s naturally curious, loyal, and willing to show merciful compassion towards those who earned it. Liwatozhendus sometimes wishes to be left alone, valuing her privacy and not caring much about the outside world.

In regards to her height, she’s often described as being able to wrap around Earth three or four and half times. She possesses seven draconic heads, false killer whale eyes, humpback whale fins, and yellowed canine teeth. She has six gills on each side after the first pair of fins, greenish serpentine tongues covered in a fireproof slime, venom glands, and two fleshy fangs where her upper canines should be. Liwatozhendus have long necks to accommodate their teal frills, which usually stay folded against each side of the head. Her body is serpentine and it possesses impenetrable crocodilian armour with glacier, ocean green, elm, sunglo, and tulip tree epidermal scutes and an iceberg dermal exoskeleton.

Her eyes possess great illuminating power that allow her to see in the dark, and she can breathe fire with radiating fumes. She possesses absolute strength, speed, agility, flexibility, invincibility, stamina, reflexes, senses, intelligence, and lung capacity. She has full dominion over aquatic animals, and she can tap into a primal instinctive state of mind if needed. She’s completely liberated from laws, rules, fate, predestination, concepts, limits, and other types of cosmic, spiritual, mental, physical and mystical jurisdictions, making her highly resistant to their effects. As a literal sea serpent, she has extraordinary adaptation skills in regards to all aquatic environments. She can change her size to the height of a reticulated python, communicate with aquatic animals, and create portals to other bodies of water and Nifjazroghetus. She can also manipulate chaos, light, the ocean, aquatic life, water, and hydrological disasters.

FAMILY:

Himanotrude Etluszoripha (aunt)

Äylcephinozur (cousin)

Blodeghuta L’Ægorvinus/Schuzelonta Chatzerbodius (aunt)

Melchjuszrovibta T’Xuljabhoszervi (cousin)

J’Tervazoschin Iazophetus (mother)

Numphoktezrija W’Vheplaktobrinus (younger half-brother)

Buhemozrita (older brother)

Zekwaboruchni (younger sibling)

ALIASES/NICKNAMES:

Leviathan

Tortuous Serpent

Wriggling Dragon

The Devil Whale

Lady of Fleeing

Weaver of Aquatic Dreams

Duchess of Twisting Waters

Predator of the Awestruck Wonder

Great Beast of the Storming Abyss

FUN FACTS/EXTRA INFORMATION:

She aided in the creation of aquatic animals and Theszarpoks

She often starts fights with Buhemozrita

As an Æylphitus, her name means “to join and connect or wreath”.

Zekwaboruchni is an animal deity who possesses much superior compassion and kindness compared to their two older siblings. They’re immensely polite, possessing a lot of self-control and giving genuine input in conversations when they feel it’s necessary or useful. They’re a cunning planner who will methodically work backwards to decipher critical events needed to make an outcome they desire. Despite being an entity of benevolence and generosity, they can be violent and aggressive, but that’s only directed towards those who threaten the sky and birds. They’re incredibly wise, honourable, goal-oriented, and future-focused, and they possess astonishing strategic thinking and leadership skills.

They’re an extremely massive bird with their head touching the sky and their feet merely covered by the ocean’s surface. They have the wings, body, and legs of an eagle, the tail feathers of an Indian peacock, the claws of a lion, and the head of a canine. Their head, body, and wings are covered in white, purplish-red, and bronze plumage that almost resembles a phoenix. They have four gargantuan wings, bone-crushing hyena teeth, the red comb and V-shaped wattle of a rooster, and golden eyes that spark with lightning.

They have complete control over all flying animals, such as birds and insects, and an incredibly stunning voice that they use to sing during the morning on a daily basis. They possess the ability to manipulate the sky, air, weather, thunder, volant life, shadow, and balance. They have absolute flexibility, senses, reflexes, speed, agility, invincibility, endurance, wisdom, and lung capacity, and supreme strength while flying. They can induce an eternal night through eclipsing the sun with its wings and produce sounds that are capable of affecting anything. Sound produced by Zekwaboruchni can exist at such impossible levels that no defence is possible, leading to complete annihilation of objects in quantum foam. They can instantaneously adjust to any given atmospheric and high altitude environment, and they’re a master of riddles. They can give birth to agate eggs, generate gold as a reward for riddle-solving, and grant people the ability to age slower-than-normal.

FAMILY:

Himanotrude Etluszoripha (aunt)

Äylcephinozur (cousin)

Blodeghuta L’Ægorvinus/Schuzelonta Chatzerbodius (aunt)

Melchjuszrovibta T’Xuljabhoszervi (cousin)

J’Tervazoschin Iazophetus (mother)

Numphoktezrija W’Vheplaktobrinus (younger half-brother)

Buhemozrita (older brother)

Liwatozhendus (older sister)

ALIASES/NICKNAMES:

Ziz

The Avian Sovereign

The Prodigious Bird

The Celestial Singer

Our Triumphant Rooster

Eagle of Divine Justice

Gryphon of the Motherly Horizon

FUN FACTS/EXTRA INFORMATION:

They aided in the creation of volant animals and Theszarpoks

They try to prevent fights between Buhemozrita and Liwatozhendus from happening

As an Æylphitus, their name means “lock of hair, blossom or worm”.

[infjtarot]

Ace of Cups. Mystic Spiral Tarot

Themes and Keywords: Emotional seeding. Heart opening. Devotional quests. Flow and abundance. Romance and nascent stirrings of love. Unconditional love. Spiritual healing. Sacrifice. Purification. Astrology/Element At the Ace of Cups, totality steps in the direction of the water element. As godhead splits into a fourfold form, this Ace takes on the role of primal heh in the divine name. As “Root of the Powers of Water,” the Ace of Cups is the wellspring, the source of that “Spirit of the Mighty Waters” seen in the elemental trump of the Hanged Man. Elemental water provides compassion and understanding. The water signs are romantic and creative as well as sensitive, impressionable and more than a little psychic. Water focuses attention on feelings. The Ace begins a suit that encompasses the entire emotional range. This Ace rules the quadrant of space centered around the fixed water sign Scorpio. The Libra-Scorpio-Sagittarius trinity exemplifies the transmuting qualities of emotion on the seekers journey. Libra begins the quadrant with a focus on the Venusian qualities of love, Sagittarius shows the aspirational and expansive quality of the heart’s mission, and central Scorpio provides the transformative and penetrating power of emotional depth. Mythology/Time of Year The Ace of Cups bears an image that embodies the Holy Grail, icon of the spiritual quest. The Grail is an elusive object venerated and sought after for its limitless powers as a fount of joy and devotion and as a metaphor for the pure heart.

The Grail is kept in the castle of the Fisher King, last of his line. The king has been wounded in the “thigh,” implying that he has been wounded in the groin and thus cannot father a successor. He has been punished thus for wooing a woman he was not free to pursue. Since the fertility of the kingdom is tied to that of the king, the land suffers. The king is a stand in for spiritual authority which has been compromised by excess. He awaits an untarnished hero to achieve the Grail, ask the right question, and bring healing to king and kingdom. The Ace as the Holy Grail and cup of Babylon: the waters form the symbol of heh primal. (Tabula Mundi Tarot) The time of year extends from the September equinox through December solstice, as the equality of light and darkness morphs toward distinct polarity. Susan T. Chang

[locustheologicus]

I was finally given the opportunity to obtain and read Thomas Merton's autobiography, "The Seven Storey Mountain." This is an amazing story of one man's search for truth and wisdom in the mid-20th century. It's a great read for anyone who is a seeker of philosophical/theological truths and who is non-judgementally open to the experiences of the world.

Merton eventually becomes an ascetic monk, but this lifestyle does not remove him from the experience and beauty of the world. He passionately absorbs the world and the relationships he develops. Initially, he is a philosophical atheist who struggles to find meaning in this world; what Catholicism and monasticism eventually offer is not a departure or deprivation from this world. Instead, he is able to center himself on God, the ultimate source of Truth and Love. This allows him to balance the experience and relationships he encounters. This book is an amazing journey of one man's reflective pursuit towards truth, beauty, happiness, and meaning.

One passage I want to share in this post is in chapter three, when he undertook his personal journey as an adolescent who just lost his father. He finally encounters the world of prayer and has a mystical experience that will eventually (although not immediately) change him. At that moment, he encounters sacred scripture. Until then, he enjoyed the poetic and philosophical musings of D.H. Lawrence whose religious exposition was tainted by a right-wing political affiliation. Evidently, this author was in favor of dictatorship and social order. This ideological orientation would color his religious lens. Merton recognizes this after he finally reads the Bible for the first time and sees this poet's fallacy. As Merton describes it:

One evening, when I was reading these poems, I became so disgusted with their falseness and futility that I threw down the book and began to ask myself why I was wasting my time with a man of such unimportance as this. For it was evident that he had more or less completely failed to grasp the true meaning of the New Testament, which he had perverted in the interest of a personal and home-made religion of his own which was not only fanciful, but full of unearthly seeds, all ready to break forth into hideous plants like those that were germinating in Germany's unweeded garden, in the dank weather of Nazism.

This passage highlights for me the concern I have for the emerging Christian nationalism that Merton saw developing in Europe of the mid 1930's. His journey towards the truth is to be free of the ideological perversions that filter religious interpretation and to read the joy of the Gospel himself in order to authentically find God in the story of Jesus, the story of service, healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation. This is not the Gospel narrative of Christian nationalism.

The purpose of Christianity is to find the deepest meaning of who you are by connecting oneself with the source of both our entire being and the whole of creation. Scripture and the beauty of our tradition imparts this wisdom on us. Do not let the perversion of Christian nationalism and its hatred for our diverse world defile the beauty of our Christian faith and the movement that Jesus and the early church started. Take time to go to the source and rediscover what it means to truly be a disciple of Christ.

May the wisdom of Merton's experience be a spiritual guide for us in these troubled times.

[urdubooks24]

The Profound Wisdom of Sahjo Bai: Exploring Her Dohe

Sahjo Bai, an eminent saint-poetess, adorned the tapestry of Indian literature with her profound insights and spiritual wisdom. Born amidst the mystic aura of the medieval period, Sahjo Bai's dohe encapsulate the essence of devotion, wisdom, and spiritual enlightenment. In this exploration, we delve into the timeless teachings embedded in her verses, unraveling the depth of her poetic genius.

Sahjo Bai's Spiritual Journey

Sahjo Bai embarked on a spiritual journey guided by the light of divine wisdom. Her dohe reflect her deep-seated reverence for the Guru and her unwavering faith in the path of devotion. Through her verses, she invites us to tread the path of righteousness and seek solace in the divine presence.

1. Sab Parvat Syāhī Karūñ Gholūñ

In this doha, Sahjo Bai metaphorically portrays the vastness of spiritual endeavor. Just as one mixes ink to make the ocean black, she compares the act of spiritual practice to a monumental task. The seeker endeavors to delve into the depths of knowledge and immerse oneself in the vast expanse of divine consciousness, symbolized by the ocean. Sahjo Bai emphasizes the transformative power of spiritual discipline, where the seeker strives to merge with the infinite, akin to the vastness of the ocean.

2. Dhartī Kā Kāgad Karūñ

Sahjo Bai ingeniously employs the imagery of writing on the earth's surface to convey the futility of praising the Guru. She suggests that the earth itself serves as the paper upon which the praises of the Guru are written, indicating the omnipresence and omnipotence of the divine. No matter how much one praises the Guru, it cannot encompass the entirety of their greatness, for the Guru's glory transcends earthly limitations. Through this doha, Sahjo Bai emphasizes the boundless nature of the Guru's virtues, which elude the grasp of human comprehension.

3. Guru Mag DrḌh Pag Rākhiye

In this doha, Sahjo Bai underscores the significance of unwavering devotion to the Guru. She advises the seeker to firmly place their feet on the path shown by the Guru, without wavering in their commitment. Just as the sunflower turns its face towards the sun, the devotee should orient themselves towards the Guru's guidance with steadfast devotion. Sahjo Bai reminds us that true enlightenment comes from surrendering to the Guru's wisdom and following their teachings with unwavering faith.

4. Sikh Kā Maanā Satgurū Guru

This doha emphasizes the reverence and respect one should accord to the Guru. Sahjo Bai asserts that acknowledging the Guru's authority is akin to beholding the divine presence. Even if one were to bow a hundred thousand times before the Guru, it would not suffice to express the depth of their reverence. Sahjo Bai implores the seeker to never forsake the door of the Guru, for it is through unwavering devotion that one can attain spiritual enlightenment.

Conclusion

Sahjo Bai's dohe serve as guiding beacons illuminating the path of spiritual enlightenment and devotion. Through her profound insights and poetic mastery, she imparts timeless wisdom that resonates with seekers across generations. As we reflect upon her verses, we are reminded of the eternal truths that lie beyond the realm of worldly existence. Sahjo Bai's legacy continues to inspire and uplift, beckoning us to embark on a journey of self-discovery and divine realization.