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On Anthropomorphism

- PART II -

by Lee Duane FitzSimmons

First and foremost, it will now be stated with absolute certainty that the heavenly bodies are sentient. They are spiritual and physical beings in the same way that members of the human species are; however, the heavenly life forms are far superior in every way imaginable. These cosmic entities are responsible for the production and manipulation of many of the known and unknown energies present in our universe. This simple aspect of reality is why humanity continually invokes anthropomorphic representations of the heavenly bodies in one form or another. This simple aspect of reality is the reason why the hermetic axiom "as above, so below" rings true to the ear.

One of the most common types of this type of human expression is the concept of Jupiter as the heavenly father and primary deity of the sky. This type of deification has had many names and forms throughout the ages; these expressions of humanity include the worship of Jupiter, Jove, Jehovah, Baal, Adonai, Zeus, and Yahweh. To the ancient Germanic and Scandinavian tribes, this entity was known as Thor. The name of Jupiter is derived from the Latin words Jove Pater that literally mean “Jehovah Father.”

Apollo and Diana (detail) by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo (1857)

There is also the deification of the sun, which can be found in the Greek worship of Apollo. A very similar version of this type of anthropomorphic deification of the sun can be found in the worship of Jesus Christ, the most popular version of the solar deity at this time. This monotheistic version of the sun’s deification was widely propagated in the first century by the Apostle Paul (whose actual Greek name was Apollos). However, the Egyptian pharaoh, Akhenaten, was the first known ruler to employ a monotheistic worship of the solar deity in the 14th century B.C.E.

Due to the central importance of the sun in the solar system, a very wide variety of both gods and goddesses have been linked to Sol. The “death and resurrection” of the anthropomorphic solar deity is based on the astronomical activity of the sun during the winter solstice. This model of worship extends far back into the Bronze Age and is also the foundation of the annual celebrations that occur during the winter solstice when the sun appears at approximately the same spot in the sky for three consecutive days (giving the illusion that it has died). When the sun appears to have renewed its regular cycle approximately three days after the equinox, the resurrection of the solar deity is celebrated and the circle of life begins anew.

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