Theos-Talk Archives (December 1998 Message tt00107)

Some thoughts on The first Stanza of Völuspá. Paragraphs by Sveinn
Freyr, Reykjavík, Iceland.

1.  In ancient times from which we have legends but not historical records,
there were in existence philosophical and anthropological schools for those
seeking the esoteric path. Those who studied at these schools were students
in "The Ancient Wisdom Teaching". One of these schools was the Ancient
Northern School. 
 
2.  These schools presented the Teaching in different ways according to the
mentality of the peoples and the cyclic inheritance from far past periods.
The Ancient Northern School had brances in Scandinavia and Russia, and
relations with The School in Tíbet.

3.  In The Northern School the teaching was mostly given orally and
instructions from texts were in brief sentences that needed further
introductions. Written text was learned by heart. The Teaching was ethical
and metaphysical but emphasis was also on faculty training.

4.  We do not have many old texts that directly connect us to The Northern
School. But one of the most important is: "The Book of The King". The
Content of that book is commonly known by the name "Völuspá". The Teaching
is also classified as "Mímisspá" and "Völuspá".
 
5.  The word Mímisspá means: The Speech of The Cosmic Spirit of The
Heavenly Man. The word Völuspá means: The speech of The Prophetess. In this
connection it is proper to mention that the meaning of the word Prophetess
is not always the same. Sometimes the story is told and sometimes a
challenge is made. It is left to the intuition  of the student to know the
difference there between.

6.  Völuspá is written in 66 or 67 numbered verses. Usually each verse has
eight sentences. The Poem is also written in a slightly different way in
two other books: One by Snorri Sturluson ( 1179 - 1241 ) who called the
Wisdom Poem "Ancient Sciences" and in another book: Hauksbók. There are
minor differences in texts between the verses in these books.

7.  In the period when Snorri Sturluson wrote, all men who vere considered
wise had learned Völuspá by heart and many other wisdom poems now lost to
us. Snorri was adopted when young and brought up in a "Scholastic Centre"
where these "Ancient Sciences" were known an taught.

8.  The Book of The King begins with Mímisspá: The Commanding Speech of
The Valfather to all beings  of all ranks in the high worlds, to prepare for a
new and another descend to the three denser worlds of personality
evolution. The period of rest had come to an end. Humanity as a whole, was
at this time not in the three worlds of person evolution.

9.  Mankind had experienced a nature catastrophe in the end of the last
World Period of cyclic evolution of races in the physical world. And on a
mass scale had entered the etheric dimension of the physical world and the
next world; the Astral World. From the Astral World men had also in periods
and on a mass scale ascended up to the lower Mental World.

10.  From the lower Mental World men ascended to the higher Mental World
and then from there to the realms of the Souls. At that point in the cyclic
periods of  decend and ascend; the rebirth and death of the human race,
there came a long period of rest for the many.

11.  The physical, the astral, and the lower mental worlds were vacant of
men when The Command of The Heavenly Man for descent was given. But its
etheric "presence";  the etheric substances were imbued with the past and
Humanity would have to deal with that in the coming descent and in its next
effort to ascend out of the denser worlds.
 
12.  It is because of this difficult task ahead that The Valfather advises
men to learn by knowing and understanding the history of the far past
ancient cycles, and instructs us to learn a lesson from the "ancient
misconduct of men". It is to this task that He gives us insight in His far
past and the constitutions of the worlds and the subdivisions. It is for
this prime reason that The Teaching in Völuspá is given, and emphasis is
laid on ethics, understanding of the evolution and the work of the etheric
builders.

<EBT> Didn't see #12.
<woden> 12 ends with: ethics, understaanding
<A|aria> 12 is to long
<^S^> hm..
<^S^> I will type what is missing.
<A|aria> ok
<^S^> understanding of the evolution and the work of the etheric builders.
<^S^> EBT...did you get the text..?
<EBT> yes
<EBT> Is there more or are we ready to start commenting?
*** Joins: Donni_ (donna@ppp44.treknet.is)
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<^S^> there are 25 paragraps
<Donni_> hi all, sorry I´late..:)
<^S^> I think we should continue...

12.  It is because of this difficult task ahead that The Valfather advises
men to learn by knowing and understanding the history of the far past
ancient cycles, and instructs us to learn a lesson from the "ancient
misconduct of men". It is to this task that He gives us insight in His far
past and the constitutions of the worlds and the subdivisions. It is for
this prime reason that The Teaching in Völuspá is given, and emphasis is
laid on ethics, understanding of the evolution and the work of the etheric
builders.

13.  We are told that: The descent of Humanity to the personality worlds
took place when the sun was in "The South". And prior to the decent; that
the balance of the poles was not in order. That the Zodiac magnet was not
in order. That the physical world was going through a revolt. And that the
many etheric builders were active.
 
14.  Ýmir, The Cosmic Born Heavenly Man had descended with His host to lead
men to the denser worlds of forms. He manifested in the highest subplanes
of the physical world taking on with men the burden of all who suffer and
the struggle with all who strive. Ýmir is Mímir personified. A Cosmic
Spirit personified in human etheric form in the highest ethers of our
planetary system, The Father of Valhöll.

15.  When The Giant Ýmir took hold of His Etheric Palace Valhöll; another
Cosmic born Giant from The Cosmic Forces of Chaos was summoned by that
Force to confront Him. That Giant took hold with His host in the lowest
subplanes of the threefold dense worlds and The Battle was in hand. Men
must battle with etheric gravity and evolutionary resistance and build on a
higher scale in each new World Period.

16.  The battlefield is in the threefold persons-worlds of men and the
battle is about men, their values, what they live for; the harvest in the
end of subcycles and in the end of The World Period. The battle is between
two opposite Cosmic Born Giants of extreme power, and is about the question
if; men can or can not live by ethical principles and by the way, of wise
love and understanding. Every man and every group will be tested when fully
grown and mentally mature.

17.  We are given insight in the far past Cosmic Cycles which have their
lesser reflections in the Solar Systemic periods of descent and ascend. In
these ancient cycles our Valfather has taken partand so have we done with
him. These Systemic Cycles pattern down to many and varied lesser cycles
which have a reflection to the Cosmic period.

*** Joins: EBT (~user01@vny0130.deltanet.com)
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<^S^> EBT...what did you miss..?
<EBT> I was on the one where the descent of humanity to the personality
worlds was mentioned.
<EBT> Then my phone hung up again.
<^S^> was that in no 13..?
<^S^> EBT...was that in no..13..?
<^S^> can you see that please
<EBT> Not sure, but don't hold up things for me. I seem to have a bad
phone line this morning and could be disconnected yet again.
<^S^> I will start again no 13

18.  It is in the Pattern of Planetary descent and ascend that we have the
World Periods of Races, manifesting at first on the physical plane the
embryonic "primitive" race and subraces. (This may be compared to the
period when a human being, lives in the first seven years and works trough
the etheric braincells used in the last incarnation.)  And then in the end
the highest race and subraces of culture and spiritual achievement.

19.  It is in The World Periods of Races that Nations are born. Nations are
borne and descend to their Global place of location and manifest through
their inherent etheric glandular system; in some ways similar to that of a
man. Nations keep within their etheric builders the seeds of events from
ancient periods. Nations can call on humans, and groups of humans in the
higher worlds to fulfill their destiny. Thus will  The Acient Wisdom
Schools be remanifested.

20.  There are many translations of the text from "The Book of The King".
Most are done also in an effort to get the powerful rhythm which is in the
original text. The powerful rhythm can not be transferred in a translation.
The first Stanza has eight sentences. The translation here given is
numbered, one nuber for each sentence. The Icelandic text is also given.

21.  - 1. Silence to all  - 2. Of Holy kind  - 3. Greater and lesser  - 
4. Of  all ranks in High Worlds  - 5.  I, The Father of Valhöll will  - 6.
Tell
you well  - 7. Ancient misconduct of men  8. As memory relates.

22.  - 1. Hljóđs biđ ek allar  - 2. Helgar kindir,  - 3. Meiri ok minni  -
4.  Mögu Heimdalar; - 5. Vildu, at ek, Valföđr,  - 6. Vel fyr telja  - 
7.  Forn spjöll fira  - 8. Ţau er fremst um man.
 
23.  By those who classify the text in two main parts (Mímisspá and Völuspá), 
the first verse and also the second verse belong to Mímisspá; The Speech of 
The Heavenly Man. The command to men of all ranks in the High Worlds is not
only to those in the world of souls, it is also to many of those who have
not yet in this Greater Cycle descended to the world of souls (and from
there to personality evolution) and dwell in the Diamond World, the world
of Spirit or Monad.

24.  The events and the many factors that relate to the misconduct of men
are dealt with in the later verses classified to Völuspá. The misconducts
we are told, are mainly threefold: Misuse of magick knowledge, greed, and
perverted desires. These misconducts eventually led to the decline of
effort to culture and corrupted civilisation. Wars broke out between the
two opposite hosts of The Giants. None had victory.

25.  We will now prepare to take a look at the next Stanza. In That Stanza
The Valfather tells his birth in former solar systems. About the Nine
Worlds and the Nine Subdivisions of each world. And about the Most Subtle
World.  At this point we can deplore that we do not have the detailed text
of Sćmundur Fróđi. What we have are memory notes from those who learned
at the "Scholastic Center"."Fragments from the notes of the Headmaster".


Sveinn Freyr