Post by Senbecc on May 5, 2006 4:48:49 GMT -5
In the North, East and NorthEast dwelled the highest deities, those Gods most favorable to man. These were the most powerful and advisory gods. In the East also dwelled the Gods of Wisdom. In the South the Gods of earth and nature ruled. In the West dwelled the Gods of the Underworld and misfortune. The Lasa were the spirits of the West (ancestral ties) and the Lare were spirits of the East (the Watchers : preservation of Ways). These notions can be interpreted through the historical geography of Etruria ; to the west is the Tyrrenean Sea (another antique name for the Etrusci is Tyrreni), encircling historic Etruria to the north, north-east, and east, are the Apennine Mountains ; to the south, Campania, as its name implies, a smiling champagne land.
Streghan ritual includes evocation of these Watchers, or Grigori,. The Watchers were a specific race of divine beings known in Hebrew as 'nun resh ayin' or 'irin' meaning 'those who watch' or 'those who are awake', which is translated into Greek as Egregoroi egregoris or grigori, meaning 'watchers'. The early books of the Bible speak of heavenly beings called malochim (singular, malach). Although malach is usually translated 'angel', its literal meaning is 'messenger.' They are also spoken of in the Bible as the 'Anakim' and 'Anak' or 'Nefilim' (nephilum). 'Nefilim' (nephilum) in Hebrew means 'giants' or 'those who have fallen'. See : Numbers 13:22, 28 & 33; Deuteronomy 1:28, 9:2.
To the Egyptians, the Watchers are Ptah, Anubis, Osiris and Horus. The Egyptians wrote that they came from Ta-Ur, the 'Far/Foreign Land'. The Egyptian term 'Neteru' means 'guardians'.
In Stregha, they are thus the Watchers of the Four Quarters, or the Grigori. Before people walked upon the world, there dwelt these beings. Legends say that the Grigori once were physical beings, but that they are no longer. Now they dwell among the stars. They have set their towers at the four quarters of the world, and are the Watchers of the entrances and exits to the Worlds. The stars are the camp-fires of their armies, ever watching. They were called the powers of the air, and so came to be linked to the winds. Their names are given as : Tago, Alpena, Settrano, Meana.
As recounted in the Dead Sea Scrolls: '.....In the days of Jared, two hundred Watchers 'descended' on 'Ardis', the summit of Mount Hermon - a mythical location equated with the triple peak of Jebel esh Sheikh (9,200 feet), placed in the most northerly region of ancient Palestine. On this mountain the Watchers swear an oath and bind themselves by 'mutual imprecations', apparently knowing full well the consequences their actions will have both for themselves and for humanity as a whole. It is a pact commemorated in the name given to the place of their 'fall', for in Hebrew the word Hermon, or harem, translates as 'curse''. 'In time, each of the two hundred took an earthly spouse. These unions produced children of extraordinary size, who quickly devoured the world's food. To satisfy their enormous appetites, the angel-children roamed the earth, slaughtering every species of bird, beast, reptile and fish. Finally, the ravenous creatures turned on one another, stripping flesh from the bones of their fellows and slaking their thirst in rivers of blood.
As this wave of destruction washed over the earth, the anguished cries of humankind reached four powerful Archangels - Uriel, Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael - who upon orders from God enacted a swift retribution. First Uriel descended to earth to warn Noah of a coming deluge, advising him to prepare an ark to carry his family and a menagerie of creatures to safety. Raphael then fell upon the leader of the Watchers (called Shemyaza), bound him hand and foot, and thrust him into eternal darkness. Next, Gabriel charged with slaying the dissenters' offspring, encouraged the monstrous angel-children to fight one another. Finally, Michael bound up the remaining Watchers, forced them to witness the deaths of their progeny, and condemned them to eternal torment. Only then did the heavens open up and wash away the last traces of the destruction that the fallen angels had wrought.'
www.jwmt.org/v1n6/stregha.html