“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most High.”
14:12 Isaiah
Lucifer, the Light Bringer, the Morning Star, the First One. Fallen from heaven because of his pride, the gravest of all sins. He who came to be known as Satan, Lord of Lies, the undisputed ruler of hell. It is beyond contestation that the personification of evil is a very large part of most religions practiced today, either as one of the many facets of divinity, or as something to be spurned in order to achieve serenity of the soul.
Lucifer has always been a character that drew a great deal of interest from me. I have said many times over that if I had a choice between meeting god or the devil (should these characters exist as anything beyond the attempts of religion to keep us in line), I would like to meet the devil, always figured it would be a more interesting discussion. Sadly, a response to my requests to sit down over coffee has not been forthcoming. So, disregarding for a moment the veracity of the concept of the devil, let us examine the Christian mythology of Lucifer.
I use the term mythology because is noteworthy that the Old Testament itself does not at any point actually mention the rebellion and fall of Satan. This non-Scriptural belief assembled from interpretations of different passages, would fall under the heading christian mythology that is, Christian traditions that are derived from outside of church teachings and scripture.
Lucifer’s rebellion against God, is well known amongst Christians. Pride, the gravest of the seven deadly sins, eventually led to the expulsion from heaven of certain beings, up to and including the highest orders of angels. Lucifer, who himself succumbed to pride, was the first and mightiest angel to be created. With intelligence, radiance, beauty, and power unmatched among angels in Heaven. His body was of harps and trumpets for he could make music the likes of which can never be comprehended by mortal man. He would sing songs such that the heavens would still themselves to listen. Lucifer was second in majesty only to God Himself.
Unfortunately, Lucifer became ambitious and self-centered, eventually deciding to prove his power by raising his throne to the height of God's throne. Other angels did not approve of Lucifer's plan; they did not want a lower being trying symbolically to become the equal of God. When Lucifer enacted his scheme, he was instantly hurled out of Heaven.
As we all know Lucifer is portrayed as some sort of bogey man to keep children from misbehaving. Yet I find myself enamoured by this story. Lucifer may have been foolish, stupid for rebelling against god. Yet imagine the power of this being, who could stand up towards infinite power, a force greater than himself, the greatest power that ever was and ever will be, and refuse to worship, refuse to idolise. Yes Lucifer was cast down from the heaven, falling as lightning into the hell that is our world. This creature believed in something, something greater than the almighty god that created him, he belived in his own power, himself, his greatness, so strong was his belief in himself that he would try to cast down a god.
Imagine having the inner radiance to do such a thing, you who cannot stand up to simple humans, you who fear lack of wealth, who fear hurt, who fear love, who fear fear. I do not in truth worship the devil, or anything outside myself for that matter, for what are they but things “other people say”. However, if there is a Son of Morning, I honour him and hope that one day I may have pride in myself such that this little world can never subdue me, I mourn his loss as we mourn those that reached for the stars but were struck down for flying too high.
When you can look into the heart of your evil, and acknowledge that it is the very best of what you are, will you understand the joy and sorrow of this story. Pride is a sin….the weak always say. |
At 5:05 PM,
Pride is a sin in anyone but the strongest. And in most religions, the strongest is usually God(s).
At 11:06 AM,
Always thought it ironic that most feelings, emotions and psychological states that feel so good are usually viewed negatively in religion. Anger, hate, lust, pride, to name a few
At 11:44 PM,
Actually, anger and hate aren't really such comfortable states to be in.
At 9:26 AM,
You'd be surprised at how exhilarating they can be once you accept them for what they are rather than try to deny them. Much like how love and be pure ecstasy or absolute torture.