Holodemiurgia

I. Preliminaries

Introduction

The Holodêmiourgia (Construction of the Whole) is a contemplative exercise or practice (theôrêtikê askêsis) for aligning the energy centers of your soul and infusing Divine Energy into them. The first part (Katagôgê, Descent) draws down Heavenly Power; the second (Anagôgê, Ascent) draws up Earthly Power. It is similar to the well-known Middle Pillar Exercise, but is based on ancient Greek tradition rather than Cabalistic ideas. The structure of this particular version is based on Orphic theogonies and Plato's Timaeus, but incorporates elements from Pherecydes' Theogony, Middle Platonism, Neopythagoreanism, Chaldean Theurgy and the Great Magical Papyrus of Paris (a less eclectic group than it may seem).

The accompanying narrative is intended to make the exercise more comprehensible. It may be read to students to help them understand the practice when guiding them through it at first. For self-instruction, it should be read through several times before attempting the exercise, so that it can be performed without reading. All that needs to be memorized are the visualizations and the "intonations" (epôidai, incantations).

Commentary

General:
Peter Kingsley, in his illuminating study, Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic: Empedocles and Pythagorean Tradition (henceforth KAP), documents the web of connections between Pythagoreanism and, on the one hand, the ancient mysteries of Persephone, Demeter and Dionysos; Zoroastrian and Babylonian religion; Orphism and Hekate magic; and, on the other, the later traditions of Platonism, Neoplatonism, Neopythagoreanism, Chaldean theurgy, Gnosticism, Graeco-Egyptian magic and alchemy. Pherecydes is less well known, but he is considered one of Pythagoras' principal teachers.
Sources:
In addition to the Loeb edition of the Timaeus, I have made extensive use of Cornford's translation and commentary on it. For Orphism my principal sources have been West's Orphic Poems (WOP) and Kirk, Raven & Schofield's Presocratic Philosophers (KRS). For Pherecydes' cosmology I have used Schibli, West (WEGP) and KRS. For Middle Platonism I have used Dillon as well as the primary sources cited later. For the Chaldean Oracles I have used the edition, translation and commentary by Majercik. The Great Magical Papyrus of Paris is PGM IV in the edition of Betz (1992), from which all Greek Magical Papyri (PGM) will be cited.
Holodemiurgia:
This term (Holodêmiourgia in Greek) is a modern coinage, which means "the Making of the Whole." It derives from dêmiourgia, which means "a making" (e.g. at Timaeus 41C), and alludes to the Demiurge (Dêmiourgos), the Creator God in Plato's Timaeus. The exercise is not called a Kosmogeneia or something similar because "Kosmos" refers to the ordered material universe (Peters s.v. kosmos), whereas this exercise creates the entire universe, immaterial as well as material. In contrast, although Holon has the literal meaning "the Whole," it can also mean Universe and Organism, both of which are especially appropriate for this exercise. Conditus Universi has a similar meaning in Latin.

Incantations

In the following, "to intone" means to vibrate or sing the sounds deep in the appropriate parts of your body; in some cases a pitch is suggested for the sounds (see also the Appendix "Harmonic Considerations"). It is possible to do the exercise with silent or quiet intonations, but it is not as effective. Each intonation should be done three times, taking a deep breath for each one (several breaths may be necessary for some intonations). Meanings (following "=" signs) are given for the intonations, but they should not be spoken; they are for information only. The voces magicae (magic words, henceforth "v.m.") have no literal meaning. I have provided alternative intonations; in general you have a choice between voces magicae, God-names and philosophical terms. Experiment and decide which works best for you.

Greek words and voces magicae are given in (approximate) Roman transcription and in Beta Code {surrounded by braces}, which is a more exact Roman representation of the Greek alphabet. In Beta Code, accents follow the vowel or diphthong to which they apply, except they precede capital vowels. The accent "/" means a rising tone, "\" a falling tone, and "=" a rising-then-falling tone; the sign "(" means the vowel or diphthong is preceded by an h sound, and ")" means it isn't. For purposes of toning, make the change of tone a full fifth (e.g. do to so). The vowels are pronounced: a {a} = o (as in "not"), e {e} = ay (as in "ray"), ê {h} = (long) eh, i {i} = ee, o {o} = oh, u {u} = ü (German umlauted u, as in für, or Spanish y grec), ô {w} = (long) aw (as in "awe"). The consonants th, ph, kh {q, f, x} are pronounced as aspirated t, p, k, that is, with an extra puff of breath. (Compare Italian c with Scottish or German ch.) Finally, nk {gk} is pronounced ngk, ng {gg} is pronounced ngg and ou {ou} is pronounced oo as in "boot." (See A Brief Guide to Ancient Greek Pronunciation for additional pronunciation suggestions.) Here is some advice from the Greek Magical Papyri on pronouncing the vowels in voces magicae: a {a} "with an open mouth, undulating like a wave"; e {e} "with enjoyment, aspirating it"; ê {h} "like a baboon"; i {i} no advice; o {o} "succinctly, as a breathed threat"; u {u} "like a shepherd, drawing out the pronunciation"; ô {w} no advice.

Commentary

Intonation:
In the magical literature, this is often known as "vibrating"; see, for example, Regardie (Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic, V.55-8).
Advice on pronunciation:
PGM V.24-30 (Oracle of Sarapis).
Return to Holodemiurgia Table of Contents

Return to Biblioteca Arcana page

Send comments about this page
Last updated: Fri Aug 20 12:46:42 EDT 1999