The Caduceus
Discerning the true meaning behind the ancient symbol.
The Caduceus is also called the staff of Hermes. It is a misappropriated and widely misunderstood symbol.
The actual meaning of the symbol is rich and poignant and forms the core of this article. In truth, it is a symbol of The Way, in every way.
To be clear, The Way, is whatever gets anyone closer to the higher goal, of actualisation / transcendence, be that as an individual, a group or our entire species. By definition, if the way that is being advocated or followed, is not evolving as the journey and the ‘travelers’ evolve, then it is not The Way. The premise of The Way, is described in another article titled The Way.
The modern use of the caduceus as a symbol of medicine became established in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century as a result of well-documented mistakes, misunderstandings of symbology and classical culture. The correct symbol for medicine is the Rod of Asclepius, which has only one snake and no wings, pictured in the inset below.
Depicted by the crown is the Monad of the emanation, The Bestower, and the Grail that never empties: Nous (Understanding). This is often depicted as a pine cone, which in turn is an eponymous depiction of the pineal gland.
It depicts the two wings of the Soul. To the mystic, Curiosity and Self-Permission are the two wings of the soul.
It depicts the inevitable necessity of opposing forces, and the harnessing of this principle of opposition in the execution of Will or intent, towards great Understanding.
Depicted via the two snakes are Mythos and Logos, and the opposing forces of the Duality of Existence: Positive and Negative, Active and non-active, the Creative and the Destructive forces (Vishnu and Shiva), the Ordering and the Chaos principles acting on each other. These are the two pillars of the Temple (Boaz and Jachin). The Right Opposes and the Left Abducts. The secret aim of all Tension, is transformation. This is the meaning of the Tree of Knowledge in the primordial Garden. The winding snake is also the Kundalini described in eastern tradition, the potential life force and spirit, the two snakes of potential of which dwell sleeping, which can be aroused physically and spiritually respectively, which generate and are synonymous with libido or life force.
It depicts the central core, the Axis, the gravity of the entire enterprise: Stillness. This is also the conduit of Giving / Bestowal and Receiving, Choice and Surrender, and thereby the Birth of Will. Depicted in this aspect are the Hebrew letters of Aleph, the Silence of God, Vav, the hook, between that is which above to that which is below, Lamed, the crook of learning.) This is the sceptre of Power, and the axis on which everything turns.
The intersecting loops of the serpents depict opposite wave forms resulting from the Duality which give rise to packets of Will (intentionality), suggesting the cyclic, rhythmic nature of growth (birth and death) and regeneration (ongoing Creation), via Iteration and Variation, which is not only the ongoing creation as per the DNA helix, but also the ongoing creation of the Human Soul, both in the cycles of birth and death, but also the investment of Will (intentionality) in accordance with Divine Law (the central staff). In this, the principle of Flow is depicted and the concept of The Signal is depicted. The signal is the emanation of The All, the consciousness and Will (intentionality) from which everything stems. The four packets depict the Four Worlds of Kabbalah, namely
Azilut (Emanation) - the eternal unchanging Causal and Archetypal world.
Beriah (Creation) - wherein the archetypal causal gives rise to the archetypal Forms and fundamental Principles which are the essence of everything below.
Yezirah (Formation) - the world of formation, where the duality is arranged by the chaos and ordering principles, where the signal, the emanation is distilled into expressions.
Asiyyah (Action) - the Manifested material world of cause and effect, the universe in which we live.
Also depicted are the Seven Hermetic Principles which describe all causality, and all relation of everything that exists, under Reason.
The crown depicts the first law: The Law of Mentalism / The All is Mind.
The symmetry of the wings and the snakes depicts the second law: The Law of Correspondence / As Above, So Below. This is echoed in the repetition of the intersections of the snakes.
The wings and the intertwining snakes represent the third law: The Law of Vibration / Everything that is, is in Motion.
The anatomy of the snakes depicts the fourth law: The Law of Polarity / Everything has degrees according to Polarity.
The mirrored arcs of the writhing snakes, in opposition to each other represent the fifth law: The Law of Cause and Effect / Nothing is random, every effect has its cause, everything occurring according to upper Law(s).
The repeated increasing intersections between the snakes represent the sixth law: The Law of Rhythm / everything ebbs and flows, everything observes cycles and season.
The two snakes represent the seventh law: The Law of Gender / everything that is, has its masculine and feminine aspect.
There is but one Law: The Law of Relation under Reason.
Some things are simple, but True things are not only simple. There is a profound simplicity to be encountered on the far side of complexity: this is Understanding.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Some words are deliberately capitalised. These are Archetypal words and convey a profound depth of meaning, like Holograms.
Hermetics is the High Priesthood of Reason. It is the Science of the Mind.
Fascinating! 🤔