Professional Documents
Culture Documents
AURORA AUSTRALIS
THELEMIC TEMPLE
Issue No. 1
(Summer 2002 e.v.)
Anno IVx
Editorial
“Beauty & strength, leaping laughter & delicious languor,
force & fire, are of us” – Liber AL II: 20
Do What Thou Wilt shall be the Whole of the
ΘΕΛ ΗΜ Α Law –
DESUNT CETERA To the modern Druids, the three worlds are described
in the Barddas as Annwvn the underworld, Abred this
world and Gwynbvid the upper-world. Although a
fourth world Cerguant ‘the face of the sun’ is added.
The concept of the three worlds is extremely archaic The Middle Dan Tien is variously described as in the
and is shared by many cultures. Specifically the Heart or in the Solar Plexus. I prefer the solar plexus,
Germans, Celts, Turko-Tartars, North and Central as it is not good to store too much energy in the
Asians. (2). For the Northern correspondences I have heart. The solar plexus is also called the brain of the
used Asgard for the Upper world, Midgard for the abdomen. It contains cells very much like brain cells,
middle world, and Niflheim or Niflhel for the
which are used to subconsciously control the intricate
functions of the organs and ducts in the abdomen. The Three Wells
The Lower Dan Tien is two inches below the navel. It
is also called the Hara and is our centre of balance. The tree has three roots and three wells. The three
The umbilical cord was attached to our navels before wells are also related to the three Dan Tiens in
we were born. Although this cord has been removed Chinese qi gong. The three Dan Tiens as mentioned
after birth, the connections that transported before are part of the third eye, the solar plexus and
nourishment around our bodies still exist in our adult the navel. The three wells are found in Asgard (the
bodies on a subtle level. head), Midgard (the chest), and Niflheim (the
abdomen).
Yggdrasil The three wells of springs are the Well of Wyrd, the
Well of Wisdom and the Seething Cauldron. The Well
The concept of a World-Tree I common to many of Wyrd is also called the Well of Urd the eldest
cultures as well. The Central Pillar is found among Nornir. The Well of Urd (pronounced Aurth) is where
the peoples of Arctic and North America, the the Nornir deal out fate and the gods make oaths.
Samoyed, the Ainu, Central and North Asia, the The Well of Wisdom is where Mimir guards
Germans and Scandinavians. To the Abakan Tartars Gjallarhorn; a draught from this spring is the mead of
the World-tree was a white birch with seven poetry. Lastly Hvergelmir ‘seething cauldron’ or
branches, growing on a mountain. This sevenfold ‘roaring kettle’ is the well of the underworld. Inside
correspondence reveals a Mesopotamian influence; a seethe the four serpents Goin, Moin, Grabak and
more archaic model related to the shamanic practices Grafvolluth. The dragon Nidhogg lies underneath the
of Central Asia would be a Yggdrasil with nine Well and gnaws on the third root of Yggdrasil.
branches. Odin hitching his eight-legged horse
Sleipnir to Yggdrasil is also a feature of Mongol and The three wells probably have a similar use as the
Siberian Tartar mythology (2). The exact species of Chinese Three Cauldrons. The passage about the
Yggdrasil is called into question. The most common Norni using the milk-white water of the Well of Urd to
theory is that is an ash. The ash tree is a tall and heal Yggdrasil begins to sound like Taoist Longevity
straight tree that is very impressive. However, others practices. Interestingly, Caitlin Matthews has also
have postulated that Yggdrasil is evergreen and found references to three wells in Celtic mythology
therefore must be a yew. Other versions include the (4) so perhaps we are looking at a common tradition.
birch or pine (2). According to the mythology, though,
Yggdrasil is evergreen because of the white clay from
the Well of Urdr that is put on its trunk and branches Mead of Poetry
by the Nornir (1). Possibly the world tree has different
correspondences depending on the level it is on. For The mead of inspiration could refer to the yogic soma
example, it could be visualised as a yew in the or the Taoist jade elixir of immortality. This really
underworld, and an ash in Midgard. In Mongol refers to saliva produced in the mouth while the
mythology, the Tengeri or gods feed on the fruit of individual is deep in meditation. This saliva is
the tree (2) This clue has led me to believe that supposed to be magically charged with life energy
Yggdrasil might also be the tree on which Idunn’s and is described as having a sweet, honey-like taste.
apples of youth grow. But then the ash and yew also
have fruits.
Nine Worlds
I postulate that Yggdrasil the great cosmic tree could
be related to the spinal column. The spine is the There are nine worlds or realms in the Northern
cosmic pillar in Chinese Taoism and this by no cosmos. They are interesting to compare with the
stretch of the imagination could refer to the World nine centres or nine pools of energy within the body.
Tree. Under its roots lies a dragon, Nidhogg, just as The centres are slightly different from the seven
in Kundalini yoga, a serpent lies at the base of the chakras as given in Hindu texts although there are
spine. Other animals also live in the tree and they are some crossovers. The ninefold system is used in
a topic for future articles, but for now the eagle at the Taoist Qi Gong and Buddhist Ninjitsu kuji-kiri. My
crown with a falcon sitting on the eagle’s third eye theory is that the sevenfold Hindu system as made
also seems to support a theory that the animals could popular by Western writers is a blind to trick the
be codes or kennings for glands, organs or chakras. uninitiated. Looking at different pictures or
Yggdrasil is the horse of Odin or the vehicle of our descriptions of the chakras we find that some show
super consciousness, just as the spine, central the chakras as: crown, third eye, throat, heart, solar
nervous system and glands can be trained to help us plexus, sacral and base with the sacral centre as the
achieve higher forms of consciousness. genitals. Other versions have the sacral centre as the
navel. However, this is a debate for another time.
The honeydew collected from Yggdrasil that feeds
the bees and the white clay of the Well of Urdr that If the nine worlds can be related to nine centres what
regenerates the World –Tree bear some would they be?
resemblances to Taoist and yogic practices that claim
longevity or immortality as their reward.
Starting with Asgard (in the ninefold model I use Hui-Yin the gate of death and life in the Chinese
Asgard to specifically indicate the dwellings of the system.
Aesir), I relate the realm of the gods to the crown.
This is a tricky one because as we shall explore in The sacral or genital centre I relate to Nidavellir the
other articles the realm of the gods is a complex realm of the dwarves. This correspondence reminds
mythological symbol and can be related to Qi Gong me of the myth of Freyja and the Brisingamen. This is
practices such as various Crystal Palace and Twelve called Kuan Yuan ‘ovarian palace’ in women and Jing
Chamber exercises. Note that the twelve chambers Gong ‘sperm palace’ in men.
of Taoist practice could possible relate to twelve
mead-halls in Asgard of which Valholl and Folkvang Lastly Svartalfrheim I relate to the navel. Mostly I
are two. The crown is called Pai-Hui or Bai-Hui in choose this correspondence because it is the last
Chinese. available place. This is one area of my thesis where
more research is necessary for this very complex
The third eye relates to Vanaheim. This is the realm system to be working properly. The navel is also
of the Vanir, an ancient race who practice Seidhr- called Chi-Chung.
craft. Practitioners of Seidhr are spakona or
‘prophetesses’. Niord, Freyr and Freyja were Vanir Jormungandr
hostages for Mimir and Hoenir. Interestingly a giant The world serpent Jormungandr could be a serpent
also called Mimir protects the Well of Wisdom, the of energy that circles the body, which is called the
same well that Odin exchanges one of his eyes for a microcosmic orbit in the Taoist tradition, and which is
draught. Thus old One-eye could be trying to show us further described in the works of Mantak Chia. The
a correspondence with the psychic third eye. It is also serpent biting its tail is a common symbol in Western
interesting to compare the correspondences between alchemy. Note that Jormunggndr is in the sea
Vanaheim, Freyja, her magical falcon costume, between Midgard and Jotunheim, thus it is between
Seidhr and its relationship with divination, the third the flesh body (Midgard) and the aura (Jotunheim).
eye and its relationship to psychic ability, and the eye
of Horus from Egyptian lore. The third eye was well
known in Hindu Yoga and is called Yin Tang by the Bifrost
Chinese.
The rainbow bridge guarded by Heimdall. Although
I use Jotunheim for a correspondence with the Aura. not a realm, Bifrost has a special place in Norse
Jotunheim is also called Utgard (out-gard i.e. outside mythology. The colours of the rainbow are tempting
of Midgard – the body). Jotunheim is the realm of the to relate to the seven ray visualisations but this is
giants. On one level it is a realm of danger and stretching the mythology too far.
conflict but here is also romance, treasure and
wisdom in the depths of Jotunheim. Thus we must For the sake of the vision of the Northern cosmos
explore our external environment for these mapping the human body, I would place Bifrost a
adventures. Jotunheim is also described in mythology bridge over the gap between Midgard and Asgard. In
as being a development of Gunningagap the Hindu Yoga and Taoist Qi Gong, there is a gap
Yawning Chasm or Great Void. The aura is Wei-Chi between the body and the head in the mouth. This
in Chinese. gap is covered during meditation by pressing the
tongue against the palate. The tongue is also
I place Ljossalfrheim the realm of the elves as a applying pressure of the palate, which massages the
throat correspondence. In the Hindu system the pituitary gland above it. As the pituitary gland and
throat has an air correspondence, and elves are the related area is the Crystal Palace in Chinese
creatures of the air element in ceremonial magick. practice, it is not difficult to correlate this with Asgard.
The throat is Tan Tiu in the Chinese system.
Afterword
Muspelheim the realm of fire I place in the heart. The
heart relates to the element of fire in the Hindu four
plus one elemental system, as well as the Chinese Of course, there is much more, and this is only
five-elemental system. The heart is Shuan Chung or scratching the surface of a rich mythology that
Sha Zhong in Chinese. possibly conceals many cunning secrets. The
ancients might never have thought of anything like
Midgard I use as a solar plexus correspondence. It what I have described above, but it is a measure of
relates to the Middle Dan Tien in the solar plexus. this culture’s strength that it can be reinterpreted to
Midgard is the realm of humans. The solar plexus is correlate with sophisticated internal alchemy
called Chung Wan or Chung Kung in Taoist techniques. I look forward to exploring this new world
exercises. I have discovered. And I look forward to seeing how
others experience the above meditations.
The base centre I relate to Niflheim the underworld. I
do not separate the area of Hel from Niflheim and to Bibliography
express this I sometimes use the word Miflhel. This is 1. Sturluson, S. THE PROSE EDDA.
where Hvergelmir and Nidhoggr dwell. The base is 2. Eliade, M. SHAMANISM. Princeton
University Press, 1964.
3. Hopkinson, J. “The Banners of the Fianna”.
Touchstone magazine, UK.
4. Mathews, C., & Matthews, J.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CELTIC WISDOM.
5. Chia, M. TAOIST WAYS TO TRANSFORM
STRESS INTO VITALITY. Huntington, NY:
Healing Tao Books, 1985.