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The name "Lucifer" to many is synonymous for Christian Devil since it is present throughout the Bible. He is the Serpent in Genesis and the Dragon in Revelation. The name Lucifer itself originates from Isaiah 14:12 in the King James Version (KJV): How art thou fallen from heaven, 0 Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! From the Hebrew it means "morning star" and from Latin, as used in the Catholic Latin Vulgate version, it means "light-bearer." St. Jerome was not in error when attempting to parse the Hebrew hebel for lucifer because both terms refer to an astrological phenomenon, particularly the planet Venus, rendering it the morning star; later interpretations determined Lucifer a proper name.
There is a legend that Lucifer means "light bringer," meaning a Morning Star god announcing daily birth of the sun. The Canaanites called him Shaher, the Hebrews Shaharit, "Morning Service," still commemorating him. His twin brother, Shalem, the Evening Star, announced the daily death of the sun, speaking to him a Word of Peace, shalom. These two may be identified as the heavenly twins of the Greeks, Castor and Pollux, born of Leda's world egg. They also played a prominent role in Persian sun worship as two torch-bearers, one with an ascendant torch, the other pointing downward.
In Canaanite legend Shaher and Shalem were born of the great mother Asherah, in her world-womb aspect as Helel, "the Pit." Shaher coveted the superior glory of the sun god and attempted to usurp his throne, but was defeated and cast from the heaven like a lightening bolt.
There is a seventh century BCE scriptural account of this story of the Morning Star, which eventually became Isaiah 14:12-15. Lucifer is told, "Thou shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." The pit, here, is symbolizing, or the same as, Helel, the Mother-bride's womb. In this version Lucifer, the light-bringer, is cast from heaven by the solar sun, Christian God, because he was competing for the sexual favors of the Mother. In the Bible, the sin of Lucifer is pride, whereas, in nature, it was sexual.
The Morning Star was the god, at times referred to as a bird, Benu to the Egyptians. He was the dying-and-reborn bird Phoenix, called the "Soul of Ram" who died on the World Tree in order to renew himself so to "shine on the world." It is said his spirit dwelled in the phallic obelisk, called Benu or the Benhen Stone, representing the god's sexual union with the Mother. Egyptian lore has several other versions of Lucifer previous to his incarceration into the Christian Devil.
One finds Plato knew the morning star as Aster that appeared in a different position as the evening star (actually the planet Venus). He saw Aster as a dying-and-reborn deity. Of it he wrote, Aster, once, as Morning-Star, light on the living you shed. Now, dying, as Evening-Star, you shine among the dead"
The Gnostic Christians too believed in the light of Lucifer which they viewed as the enlightenment which he as the Serpent, also an Egyptian phallic form as the serpent Ami-Hemf "Dweller in the Flame," who enlightened the first parents, Adam and Eve, against God's will. Here Lucifer is likened to Prometheus who stole fire from heaven to give civilization to humanity. God denied the first two people the fruit of the tree of knowledge, but Lucifer gave them the light of wisdom.
These Gnostic sentiments and beliefs for Lucifer were held by the Persians as well. Unlike Orthodox Christians, they did not hold Jehovah as the good-God of mankind, but the Demiurge who created man for his own selfish interest. Lucifer was regarded as the hero, savior, and friend of man, who revealed the sacred mysteries which the Heavenly Father jealously withheld. Some, such as the Luciferians, held that Lucifer was the brother of God. These Gnostic beliefs persisted throughout the first half of the Christian era and well into the second half. Meister Eckhart said, Lucifer, the angel, who is in hell, has perfect intellect and to this day knows much. And, even to this day, for some, these sentiments persist.
The name Lucifer also appears in Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches made famous by Charles Godfey Leland. The work is supposedly based on myths and legends of ancient Italian witchcraft. He was son and consort of Diana, goddess of the night. Their daughter is Aradia, the witch-messiah in the myth. The story is unpopular with many because of the name Lucifer, the evil Christian connotation.
In Anthroposophy, Lucifer is one of the two evil powers in the universe. He represents intellectual arrogance-the tendency to withdraw from a mental existence into a pure mental one.
As can be seen, the Christian derogatory connotation of Lucifer has crept into other belief systems. The impact is duly illustrated. Christianity emphasized the great battle between God and Lucifer, debating its brevity, and how speedily God cast Lucifer and the other fallen angels from heaven. According to Christian orthodox teaching the cause of the battle between God and Lucifer was because Lucifer, one of the most beautiful angels, refused to adore man, since man was lower than him, as God commanded. The Muslims carry this one step further saying the Lucifer loved God so much that he refused to adore anyone but him. Cain is Lucifer's and Eve son.
One fact seems to be prominent, God and Lucifer always seems to be paired even though Lucifer is often interchanged with Satan. This possibly could give rise to the brotherhood of God and Lucifer, and the rivalry; also a reason why God would put his arch enemy over the world to test, or tempt, humanity so he could constantly defeat him, a very choice position for a hated sibling.
The occultist S. L. Mathers in his 1898 translation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Leviathan is ranked as one of the four principle demons beside Lucifer, Satan, and Belial. He is invoked several times in the Munich Handbook, and in the True Keys of Solomon Lucifer is one of three demons mentioned said to command all others.
It might be noted that when not thinking of Lucifer as the tempter of man he can be more beneficial. The title "tempter of man" is degrading. So is the attribution of pride in the Christian sense. For example, if the latter is reversed, pride being seen as a positive attribute instead of a negative one, man can improve his self-esteem. Pride is no longer something to be ashamed of but can be used to improve self-worth which can lead to improved skills and activity. A.G.H.
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