Compiled Notes on Oronthonism & the Host
The Infinity of Oronthon
The Urgic conception of celestial reality, having evolved from a school of mystical inquiry, is abstruse. Layers of symbols and paths intertwine, intimating at a truth which lies beyond grasp. Essences, epochs, dignities and altitudes overlap and contradict one another as useful methods of measurement; function is blurred; classification is vague. This is purposeful in the eyes of the Urgics: the forms should exist to stimulate insight, not to distract from it.
The totality of heavenly powers (
Sath Waírth), includes celestials, emanations of Oronthon, reflections of emanations, the virtuous dead, and other created beings. According to some, this pleroma extends to include all fiendish creatures too, as they are also agents of the Cosmic Mind. What follows is a brief overview of Urgic thought in matters celestial; it should not be regarded as either exhaustive or authoritative.
Cosmogenesis and the Conception of Time
Orthodox Oronthonianism long subscribed to a linear model of time: there was a beginning (creation), a middle (unfolding) and an end (eschaton). The current epoch was obviously somewhere in the middle; estimates to the length of time remaining before the eschaton was due varied, with the more apocalyptically-minded amongst the faithful viewing the End of Days as imminent.
Oronthonists of more mystical persuasion, who found Orthodox explication simplistic, posited a variety of alternative theories. According to the Urgics, notions of True Godhood – equated with Oronthon – exist outside of all temporal constructs. Through introspection, prayer and meditation, time is revealed as illusory; it is merely another veil which intrudes between the contemplative and the Absolute. For practical purposes, however, time remains a useful measure, given the fact that most human experience lies within its framework. Epochs of cosmic time – the length of each is vague – describe the nature of reality as it becomes more removed from Oronthon. But each is also eternal in the sense that the mystic can 'tune in' to a particular wavelength of consciousness, and experience the magnitude of the epoch with total immediacy. Time, therefore, should be understood as another incomplete metaphor which points towards the Unmanifest – the Infinite Oronthon – which is without qualities which can be described in any conventional sense.
The Ten Epochs
Time, or conditional reality, can be organized into epochs which are best understood as the increasing bifurcation of – and hence removal from – the Absolute. Urgics long ago gave up asking the question 'Why?' as they recognized that that way lies madness, or existential misery at best: purpose and meaning are deemed mortal constructs, designed to allay fears of the great unknown, and searching for them should be avoided. The number of epochs (and their order) has long been argued by Masters and theologians; by the time of Neo-Oronthonism, this number was more-or-less fixed at ten, although dispute still exists:
- The Radiant Form self-emanates, thereby illuminating Consciousness. An uncounted number of Flames spontaneously arise. [Oronthon begets himself before time]
- Aeons are emanated by the Cosmic Mind. The metaphysical principles of time and creation are contrived.
- The Empyrean is fashioned by the Radiant Form and the Aeons.
- The Sovereignties are emanated by the Radiant Form, and in turn the Regents are reflected.
- The Aethers, the Astral, the World of Men and many Limbos are shaped from Void by the Aeons; Oronthon's Vision is revealed to the Sovereignties. Hell is also made by the Aeons, but its purpose remains hidden from the Sovereignties.
- Artifacts of Radiance are wrought by the Radiant Form; many assemble in celestial choirs. They inhabit the Empyrean.
- The Adversary questions the legitimacy of the Vision. Many celestials are sympathetic to his arguments. Marred creations by the Aeons in anticipation of the Vision.
- War in Heaven. The Fall.
- Man awakes within the confines of an imperfect world.
- Saizhan is revealed to Man.
Each of the epochs – except the first – is held to have a presiding Aeon, which best embodies the principles associated with it, although it should be noted that in no tradition is the total number of Aeons actually fixed. Sometimes, the term
First Aeon is ascribed to the Radiant Form itself; this is a convenient short-hand, and is not intended to suggest that the Radiant Form is of the same order or magnitude of being as the other Aeons:
as an ant to an Aeon, so an Aeon to Radiance.
Entity and Place (and Time)
As one ascends the
scala mystica of the Oronthonist reality, notions of discrete boundaries between individual beings, places and times begin to evaporate in the face of more fundamental concepts which cannot be rendered in rational terms. The Sovereign Sphere – wherein the Magnitudes of Oronthon swell and pulse in an eternal incandescence – may be no different to the Radiant Form itself; the Sovereignties themselves merely faces which Oronthon presents to the finite, which otherwise cannot contain His presence. An Aeon – a demiurgic entity which embodies metaphysical principles of the highest order – is also a measure of time, and hence the same as the epoch which it governs. Reflection and meditation upon these false dichotomies provides the mystic with the tools necessary to propel his apprehension and understanding into the Infinite.
Consciousness and Radiance
The two qualities which are ascribed to Oronthon – Consciousness and Radiance – form the basis of all cosmogonic speculation. In traditional Urgic Mysticism, their relationship with one another is subtle and difficult to define; on one hand, Consciousness is held to be 'superior,' in the sense that it is the transcendent principle, yet on the other, they are complementary, as all of conditional reality springs from the interplay between the two.
The
Urge Primeval – from which the mystical school of thought assumes its name – is held to originate in Consciousness
before it is illumined by Radiance, but the latter is required in order to consider it; without Radiance, Consciousness is impenetrable to thought and understanding. As the mystic descends from a state of rapture and returns to the phenomenal world, the 'echoes' of Consciousness and Radiance are perceived as dualities which become increasingly reified in the phenomenal sense: potentiality and realization, self and other, mind and matter, law and good, soul and body, exaltation and fall, and so on.
Saizhan, whilst acknowledging the validity and importance of such perceptions, also strikes out beyond both them and the three ontological states as well – something which Urgic Mysticism fails to adequately address. Being, nonbeing and becoming are all revealed as finally empty in the face of perfect apprehension. This is the Shining Void of Unmanifest Godhead which Cheshne fears.
Glossary of Terms
Aeons: The highest of the Consciousness-emanations. Reflections of thought in the Cosmic Mind given supramundane qualities and independent existence. Their role is demiurgic, and they govern the working of the cosmos; as such their motivations are utterly beyond human comprehension. Their essence is said to be
Numinous – i.e. shared with Oronthon. They abide in the Aeonic Sphere – outside of space, time and causality – but manifest freely within it. Aeons are DvR20 powers, and represent the sensible limit of entities which can be described in game terms.
Aeonic Sphere: The highest of the Infinitudes, beyond which is only Unmanifest Godhead.
Altitude: The level of a celestial's 'removal' from earthly affairs; alternatively, a measure of identity with Oronthon. There are fourteen altitudes.
Apparitions: Consciousness-emanations. Futures, possibilites and impossibilities which pass through the Mind of God. They may be understood as Aeons which will become, or might become, or will never become. Apparitions are only partially reified; they remain within the Unrevealed Sphere of the Infinitudes, but they may erupt briefly into reality with unpredictable effects. When an Apparition assumes true form, a new Aeon is born. Most accept that the advent of
Saizhan was also the birth of an Aeon.
Archons: Celestials of the Fifth Choir. They work miracles, and herald the arrival of the hosts.
Ardors: An esoteric choir with governance over devotion. Ardors cultivate religious passions amongst the spiritually languid, and moderate their overabundance as experienced by zealots.
Artifact of Radiance: A celestial creature wrought from the Empyrean by the Radiant Oronthon. They include the choirs and the provenances.
Ascended Masters: Great teachers and prelates within Oronthonism who have undergone assumption and been transported bodily to Heaven. This often occurs immediately prior to natural expiry of a master. The ascension is taken as sign of the teacher’s authenticity. Ascended masters are returned their youth and vigor upon entry to the Beatitudes, where they may spend eternity in prayer, contemplation and discourse, as suits their temperament. Occasionally, ascended masters visit the World of Men to observe, teach or warn of some great event.
Astral Devas: Celestials of the Sixth Choir. Great soldiers of the Heavens. Celestials who escort deserving mortal souls to the abode of bliss.
Beatitudes: The region of the Heavens reserved for saints and contemplatives. From the Beatitudes, enlightened teachers can freely pass across the Blessed Plain to instruct the Pious Dead, or descend into the World of Men to bring revelation.
Celestial Essence: Manifested essence which is corporeal. It is ageless and can endure extremes which would slay mortals, but is still subject to trauma and destruction.
Consciousness Form: The Cosmic Mind. Alternatively, the Fount of Numinous Essence or the Will of Unmanifest Godhead. Interpreted in the light of
Saizhan as comprised of three elements:
sela (perfect gnostic intellect),
faheth (supreme empathy), and
saizhan (unclouded apprehension).
Consummation: Highest of the dignities. The ontic state in which meaningful distinction between an entity and Oronthon becomes no longer possible.
Dignity: A measure of the power and purity of a living or deceased mortal, or of a celestial or emanation. The traditional hierarchy of dignities (lowest to highest) is
blessed – revered – holy – immaculate – exalted – magnified – perfected – consummated.
Dominions: Celestials of the Fourth Choir. They regulate the duties of lesser celestials and act as knights in the war against evil.
Emanations of Consciousness: Manifest Thought. Aeons, Flames and possibly the Radiant Form itself.
Emanations of Radiance: Embodied principles which arise from the Radiant Form of Oronthon. The Sovereignties and Regents, Oronthon's sensible personae.
Embodied Essence: The corporeal form afforded to most mortals after they have died or ascended.
Empyrean: The heavenly abodes of the choirs and the sovereignties, proximal to the throne of the Radiant Oronthon.
Epoch: An order of creation according to Urgic belief. There are ten epochs; each except the first has a presiding Aeon.
Esoteric Celestial: A celestial who belongs to an order not present in Orthodox belief; more broadly, any entity of the Oronthonist pleroma which is not a member of the classical choirs.
Exaltation: A state of exceptional purity possessed by the greatest celestials.
Flames: Consciousness-emanations which exist as invisible and formless but discrete entities; if the Divine Thought turns to a particular matter, a Flame is always present. Flames are the medium through which magnification or enlightenment is bestowed or attained, and they exist in all spheres at all times. In temperament, the Flame is of singular goodness and mercy and is utterly incorruptible – the Urgics maintain that alone of all finite entities, a Flame is not subject to Fall. When it manifests, a Flame is held to most closely resemble Oronthon’s Radiant Form; certain mystics maintain that each Flame is, in fact, merely an iota or quantum of the Radiant Form.
Innocents: The dearest to Oronthon. Mortals who have died bearing no memory of sin; or the souls of Masters who have shucked off its last vestige. They are afforded a special abode within the Cherubic Sphere. They are intangible (invisible and incorporeal), and exist in a perpetual ecstasy.
Intangible Essence: The essence of the Innocents – either because embodiment is too cumbersome for them, or because Oronthon’s proximity is such that all memory of mortal flesh is burned away. The cultivation of the intangible essence is central to some traditional Urgic meditational practices.
Lights: An esoteric order which inhabits the Illuminated Sphere. They recall to the Pious Dead the eternal grace of Oronthon.
Magnification: The state in which an entity partakes of Oronthon's power. Any celestial may be magnified for a period of time; magnification is the natural state of the Regents and the Sovereignties.
Martyrs: Holy individuals who have died in defense of Oronthonism. They are afforded a special place in the Serenities, as recognition of their sufferings.
Monadic (Devas): The seventh celestial choir. The guardians of shrines and temples.
Monadic Sphere: The upper Ethereal Plane, nearest to the World of Men but still illuminated by the light of Oronthon’s Heaven. Below, the regions coextant with the mortal plane are the battlegrounds between the Celestial Host and the fiends. The seventh, eighth and ninth choirs abide in the Monadic Sphere, closest to the areas of their deployment. They are the most (metaphysically) individuated of Oronthon’s celestial servants, as they spend the greatest time absent from the Heavens.
Monitors: An esoteric order of celestials, reckoned equal to Thrones in dignity. They ensure the strict adherence of lower celestial orders to the Law of Oronthon, and may act as supernatural agents of retribution toward mortals.
Movanic (Devas): The eighth celestial choir. Protectors of holy men.
Numinous Essence: The secret essence of the Mind of Oronthon. It derives from the creative impulse of Unmanifest Godhead, to which it is not unidentical, and is implicated in the role of the
Sela.
Radiant Form: The Supreme Manifested Essence. The reflex of the Consciousness Form, sometimes called the
First Aeon or the
Body of God. The apprehensible Oronthon, most often characterized as an overwhelming incandescence. The relative finitude or infinitude of the Radiant Form is a matter of theological debate.
Raptures: An esoteric order of celestials associated with the state of religious ecstasy. They abide in the Monadic Sphere in the Region of Dreams.
Regents: Powerful aspects of the Sovereignties who communicate the Divine Will to the celestial hosts.
Provenances: Created beings which are not numbered within the choirs, and from whom good independently originates. Their abodes are often astral or ethereal, but they are active in the World of Men. Urgicism recognizes several dozen provenances, the most highly regarded are
asura, lammasu, lillend, naga, phoenix, shedu, sphinx, sunwyrm.
Sempiternal Essence: Emanated essence which cannot be contained or destroyed. When dissipated, it quickly reforms. [DvR11 powers w/ Rejuvenation SDA]
Seraphic Sphere: The sphere of exaltation. Highest of the classical spheres, which only the most hallowed celestial flesh may endure without disintegrating.
Serenities: Regions of the Cherubic and Suzerain Spheres set aside for exceptionally pure and virtuous mortals.
Solars (Episeme): The First Choir. Solars of the highest dignity; Seraphim. Episeme solars are always exemplars with the Exalted template applied to them. With the exception of Enitharmon, they remain in the presence of the Radiant Form. They probably number in the hundreds.
Solars (Hegemone): Celestials of the Second Choir. Solars of lesser dignity. The act as great captains in the Host and strive for the preservation of knowledge and cultivation of understanding. They may number in the thousands or tens of thousands.
Sovereign Sphere: The sphere of magnification; also simply the Magnitudes, which pulse with immeasurable heat and light. Closest of the spheres to the Radiant Form, and the least dfferentiated from Oronthon himself. The abode of the Sovereignties and Regents: aspects of Himself which Oronthon presents to reality.
Sovereignties: Finite and partially-differentiated emanations of Oronthon’s Radiant Form, representing various facets of the Godhead, each with ten thousand names in ten thousand worlds. They dwell in the Sovereign Sphere, in the highest reaches of the Empyrean. The Sovereignties are made of sempiternal essence and are indestructible. Each Sovereignty is charged with responsibility four domains, over which it exercises absolute power. The traditional precedence of the Sovereignties, highest to lowest, is as follows:
1.
The Lambent Presence [Sun, Fire, Life and Creation domains]
2.
The Enthroned Monarch [Celestial, Glory, Strength and Nobility domains]
3.
The Purifying Wind [Exorcism, Healing, Truth and Purification domains]
4.
The Wizened Guide [Knowledge, Mysticism, Oracle and Liberation domains]
5.
The Vigilant Guard [Law, Inquisition, Protection and Courage domains]
6.
The Blissful Silence [Community, Good, Joy and Family domains]
7.
The Eagle of Requite [Wrath, War, Retribution and Renewal domains]
8.
(The Nameless Adversary)
The Urgics hold that the Adversary was of this order before the Fall, and place him last. Sovereignties may freely manifest themselves and their power in any sphere or in the World of Men, and have appeared in visions to great mystics over the ages. Except for the Eagle astride the Sun – which has become a widespread Oronthonist symbol – they are never represented in iconography. They are not worshipped, or even venerated, but are are rather used as meditative foci. The Sovereignties are ungendered. As intermediate powers they possess from 11 to 15 divine ranks.
Sublime Essence: The essence of the Flames. It is wholly imperceptible unless the Flame wills otherwise.
Suzerain Sphere: The middle region of the Empyrean, and the abode of the Thrones and Dominions.
Thrones: Celestials of the Third Choir. They dispense justice and judge the value of souls.
Tutelaries (Angels): The ninth celestial choir, charged with fostering the spiritual growth of the faithful and protecting them against the machinations of fiends.
Unmanifest Godhead: That which is without qualities.
Unrevealed Sphere: The state of pre-creation, wherein the idea of a thing exists only in the Mind of Oronthon.
Virtuous Sphere: The outer region of the Empyrean, and coextant areas of the Astral Plane. The approaches to the Heavens, including the Blessed Plain. West of the Virtuous Spehere is the Illuminated Sphere and the Abode of Bliss; to the east lie the Enlightened Beatitudes; southwards are the gates to the Suzerainties.