Thoth (Greece) Djhuty (Egyptian)
Generally, as an Egyptian god, Thoth / Djhuty is a well-rounded diety. Not only is he considered one of the most accomplished deities in the Egyptian pantheon. Additionally, he is heralded as the god Hermes. It is for this reason that Thoth is considered so important. He alone protects the ancient secrets. Furthermore, can restore the lost knowledge. One of the only that has the access to the mysteries of the ages, is known to be charitable and to share these gifts with mankind. Finally, beyond his other attributes, he is also said to be the author of many of the sacred texts, including The Book of the Dead.
In addition to all of this, Thoth is a god of many correspondences. Here is a list of just some of his purviews.
The Keeper of Lost Knowledge & Secret Intelligences
- Knowledge
- Writing
- Language
- Creator of Languages
- Representative of Ra
- Shared duties with Goddess Seshat
- Scribe
- Interpreter
- Advisor of the Gods
Whether seeking lost knowledge or hidden truths, Thoth is the god that one would turn to. This is the God of secrets, writing, and all things pertaining to the mysteries of the macrocosm. From as far back as Collectively, his popularity was one for longer than many of the other gods of the time and location.
The Return of Lost Knowledge?
Thoth, sometimes presenting as the Greek god Hermes, or alongside the Sage Hermes Trismegistus, gets credit for writing the Emerald Tablet. This was a green tablet that included the secrets of alchemy and magick. His direction allowed the survival of the esoteric wisdom of antiquity to live on today. This alone is a reason to be thankful. This is perhaps one of the most important contributions that has been claimed by man. There remains one more book, The Book of Thoth. This collection of rituals and spells is said to have all of the information needed to create the most powerful of magicians. This books is still lost and waiting to be found… if it exists.
The Mysteries Beyond The Graves of Greats
The reason this post is starting with Thoth and his detailed information is that it is a glimpse into the way that knowledge was seen in the past. Modern man has only realized relatively recently that any of his knowledge was missing. For the last 150 years, occultists have been pursuing ancient intelligence and attempting to unravel the past with fervor. In the early 1900s, the race for unveiling the supernatural world was on. Fueling this race was the archaeology discoveries. Before this time, philosophers mustered guesses as to the makeup of the world, the power behind the mind, and the mysteries of the macrocosm. It took time for science to catch up to the suppositions of philosophy.
As rhetoric began to split into psychology and alchemy transmuted into chemistry, the archaeologists and curators out there were digging up the mysteries of the desert. These discoveries prompted a change in awareness in Western cultures. Today, we continue to grow with the knowledge that we have, as we build out magickal practices upon the shoulders of intellectual giants.
Searching for the Missing Link
Today, magicians, witches, and the bulk of magick practitioners in western traditions all rely on a basic understanding. They know what they know thanks to limited, yet relatively distinct laws and principles. The Hermetic Principles defines the simplest treatise of the principles of religion and magick.
These principles reoccur through many veins of occult theory. The first, and perhaps most controversial is, through the laws of Theosophy as purported and translated by Helena Blavatsky. She directly translated the Emerald Tablet and then included much of her esoteric knowledge in her books The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled. The second most popular translation and reiteration of the principles occur later, in the Kybalion when published in 1908. Since this time, there continue to be more modern iterations of the same mystical regulations that were put forth thousands of years ago.
Conceptualizing Lost Knowledge
Through the ages, it is a recurrent theme that information is lost through time. Tempus Edax Rerum means “devouring time” or that “time devours all” in Latin. This saying was not lost to the Romansm, and it has been said in other ways, similarly in other languages.
Time devouring is present and commonality for all things. Never mind that this is something that can easily and readily be witnessed by man. Without a doubt, information getting lost in time isn’t a far-fetched notion. However, looking back through antiquity, it seems as though this modern obsession with a missing link of some kind is wholly a newer fashion of thought.
With the discovery of the Peking Man, people exclaimed that the missing link of man had been found. Alternatively, looking for lost items wasn’t anything new. In 1900 the Antikythera Mechanism was found, amidst a ship wreck. But things like shipwrecks were always a thing. People went missing, stuff got lost in the vastness of the ocean. However, this new obsession was with the missing link of humanity. The 1900s pushed forward a new era of understanding. With it came the swarms of people who wanted to be the one who made the next big find, or the person who unveiled the mysteries that hadn’t been seen since ancient times.
The Search Continues…. Sort of…
For a modern person in the technological age, it is easy enough to find out just about anything by typing a question into a search engine. However, with research on Google, “How much of human history has been lost,” you may be surprised. Mainly, this is because there is no real or definite answer from a scholarly resource. There are a few conflicting answers. However, there are very few clear and solid numbers, as in a statistical quote. Along this vein, you will find vastly differing estimates ranging from 80 to 95 percent on conspiracy theory sites. These kinds of outlets seem to be the only ones that are willing to make a firm commitment to an actual amount.
Dying or Lost? Knowledge Gone
Perhaps, the reasoning for not providing a number on the scholarly sites is that it is simply impossible to know. After all, word of mouth didn’t make for a good keeper of the secrets. Eventually, the local wisdom of certain cultures would die off when their population died off. Alternatively, the simple act of age slowly turns many historical pieces of evidence into verbal mythos.. The truth can die off, even if a population does not.
Concerning Information… Or Not?
This is why it is vital that, as a conscious species, we make the best efforts to protect the information that we have. This should be one of the goals of a magickal practitioner. The wisdom that allows the interaction with the macro and microcosm is valuable. With this in mind, it is important to continue to protect and contain the knowledge that we now call magick. We must always start the empirical search for truth from the shoulders of the giants. If those shoulders are no longer present, then the whole of the process must begin again. This is time-consuming and unnecessary, at present.
Bear in mind that, for this reason, coveting and protecting occult information is one of the goals and honorable actions of practitioners of all magickal traditions. With this firmly in the consideration of modern mages, it would be unlikely to have to be concerned about lost knowledge of the esoteric kind.
Hidden Truths Unveiled
For centuries, mages and other practitioners of magick and alchemy, take care in hiding their rites, intelligence, and arcane knowledge. Their books, fragile and delicate when worn through time, were still treated with care and respect. Fraternal orders continue to exist with this requirement intact. Even newer traditions, such as Wicca, often require the secrecy of their coven members. While this is still a practice that is taking place, it is largely out of personal security concern, rather than in the vein of protecting the knowledge itself. There are many places in the United States where it simply isn’t safe or wise to be a mage out in the open.
Knowledge Recovery
The information that is popular today is the same that stems from the Emerald Tablet and other works from antiquity. interestingly enough, there is a large and noticeable influence from Babylonian, Greek, Persian and Egyptian sources in Western culture to this day. This might be a saving grace. However, burning libraries, water damage, and other losses have also potentially lessened the lost knowledge that is missing presently. This makes it hard to know of the remaining esoterica documentation. Furthermore, we have nothing to compare to.
Modern Esoterica
Thankfully, the remaining knowledge that is available today is still safe and in plain sight. Instead of keeping it secret, the digital era has opened the floodgates for this knowledge. Respectively, the difficulty of the texts tends to keep complete schools of thought from being intact. For example, here are a few links to add to your own library!
- 340 Occult Books on Archive.org
- A Ridiculous Amount of eBooks on Metaphysics, the Occult, and Paganism
- One of the LARGEST Occult Book Resources
- Occult Software
So long as the connection to the digital world exists, so too shall the knowledge of the ages. However, what happens if there is no longer this conduit? Nearly impossible for the modern person to comprehend, but still a possibility just the same.
The Responsibility of Enlightened Humanity
In order to protect the truths, as understood by man, information must be regarded as sacrosanct. The new rules for the enlightened class must be rewritten, as their roles are changing. It is vital that they make a vow to protect the knowledge, the inalienable truths of humanity, and uphold this vow. This is by no means an impossible task. The vow should no longer be to keep the information secret but to keep it intact and protected. It should be to preserve the rites and readings that involve education and responsibility. This is the way towards a stronger community. This is the way towards a more in-depth understanding of gnosis and the magickal process.
How to Discern the Truth
As knowledge is released out, spread to all people, it is often lost and watered down. On one hand, it must be for a purpose as all things are happening as they are meant to. On the other hand, this massive flux of information is likely lost on the unlearned. When this happens, then information becomes hidden in plain sight. Unless one is willing to seek with true will and intent, then one is only likely to find a small portion of the information. It is not until that person is willing to go through the trials, that all practitioners face, that purpose is revealed. It is not until the moment of victory that their next calling shall begin.
For this reason, it is important for every mage to be mindful of the knowledge they keep. They should have a handwritten book of shadows that includes the most vital and important of information pertaining to their craft and education. Furthermore, having a hard copy of all information from books, essays or other sources on hand would be wise.
Learning From the Past
By understanding what has happened to human history, this loss can be prevented from happening again in the future. It is known that time devours all things, but is it not the goal of the mage to challenge the laws of nature? Is it not in the mage’s nature to decide their own fate? Until it can be determined how to avoid the tests of time physically, the least that one can do is to thwart the destruction of that which is learned in the lifespans of many. This is the most worthy of goals. For, through the protection of knowledge, lies the means to work on a deeper understanding. From this understanding, enlightenment may bloom.
Here’s to the pursuit of truth!
Godspeed,
Rohanna Irene / Mage Against the Machine
Mage Against the Machine 